Treasuring the Word of God"Saving the Book of Commandments." A Summary Story
In July 1833, people in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, were angry with the Mormons and wanted them to leave. A mob broke into William W. Phelp's print shop and threw his printing press and printed pages out the window. The pages contained revelations given to the Prophet Joseph Smith that were to be bound into a book called the Book of Commandments. Two girls, Mary Elizabeth Rollins and her sister Caroline, were hiding nearby and decided to save as many pages as possible. They ran out, fill their arms with papers, and hid in a cornfield. The mob tried to find the girls but failed. The pages the girls saved and others were later used to make up copies of the Book of Commandments. Today the contents of this book are part of the Doctrine and Covenants.
My Thoughts:
This Church History story is quite a touching story, and independent of the story itself, it teaches other great principles, one of which to me is: What do you treasure in this life? What truly is important to you that if your home were on fire, besides family, what else would you save or have a great need to save.
I am reminded of a New Testament scripture in Matt 6:19-21 which reads: " Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal; For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
What value do we place upon the word of God? Does His word have place in our hearts where a difference can be made in how we live and what we do? or Do we have hard hearts and the things of this world matter far more than the Living Water of the scriptures and where there is no place in us where there is room to plant this word?
There is much to think about with this picture. Maybe you could give some thought by taking a few moments each day to ponder and think upon what is of value to you most. You may find that over the years, your values may have changed, you heart may have become more hardened or more soft. Take some reflective time to ponder what you personally do truly treasure. You may find that a shift in your own value system has taken place, whether for the worse or for the better.
The pressures of this world and the values of man and society in general may have caused us to be something we would rather not be. Take time to reflect and ponder upon such valueable questions and see if that won't make a difference in your own life in helping you to determine truly what is of most value to you.
May I suggest that the Word of the Lord planted deeply in our hearts can and will take root and make a difference in how we are able to be who we want to be and live how we want to live, IF we choose to make room for these precious words.
