2And as for the aperils which I am called to pass through, they seem but a small thing to me, as the benvy and wrath of man have been my common lot all the days of my life; and for what cause it seems mysterious, unless I was cordained from before the foundation of the world for some good end, or bad, as you may choose to call it. Judge ye for yourselves. God dknoweth all these things, whether it be good or bad. But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in. It all has become a second nature to me; and I feel, like Paul, to glory in etribulation; for to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all, and will deliver me from henceforth; for behold, and lo, I shall triumph over all my enemies, for the Lord God hath spoken it.
Notice that he says he was ordained "for some good end, or bad, as you may choose to call it." He wasn't defensive explaining himself. He said, "God knows what I've done; he's the judge." He also trusts God will deliver him.
Joseph had a lot of faith and wasn't concerned about his own safety or how others judged him. He would continue doing what was right and not worry too much about others.
It's a good lesson for us. We probably should never get defensive about the church...
2 comments:
Cool post. This again is a time where the Church is getting a lot of publicity; some of it good and some of it bad and not well researched.
I heard a quote once from Pres. Hinckley. It was back when the movies like God's Army and others like it were coming out. A reporter asked him why he wasn't voicing his opinion on the matter. His response was (and I'm paraphrasing) "A dog can't bark at every passing car." In other words, pick and choose your arguments and battles.
Thanks for the comment sir.
Very good quote/story.
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