Hi all!
We're so excited you've all decided to join us on this journey! First, a few items of business:
- To the right, you'll find a section dedicated to helpful resources and links. We encourage everyone to check them out!
- We established our goals this week, so check out the section to the right in case you forget!
- Don't forget to track your progress each week using the link at the end of the Goal List!
Below you'll find the devotional we presented on 16 February. We look forward to hearing your comments, questions, and tips!
1 A aWord of Wisdom, for the benefit of the council of high priests,
assembled in Kirtland, and the church, and also the saints in Zion—
2 To
be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and
the aword of wisdom,
showing forth the order and bwill of God in the
temporal salvation of all saints in the last days—
History—“This is a Word of Wisdom”
While the saints were in Kirtland, many men were
called to go out and preach. To help prepare these men, Prophet Joseph established
a training school called “School of the Prophets” in 1833. Since it took place right after breakfast, all the men would
gather in this tiny room above the Newel K. Whitney store and light pipes. The
smoke was so thick, Brigham Young recounted that you could hardly see Joseph
when he was talking. When they were done with their pipes, they would start
chewing tobacco and spit it all over the floor. It seemed a little
contradictory for the Prophet to be teaching about becoming holy and clean,
while they were so physically dirty.
This came at a transition culturally. By 1900, people
would have begun to bathe regularly and start caring about personal hygiene.
The word of wisdom came to give guidance from God about how the saints should
be adapting to this change.
· Pushed by his wife, Emma (who had to clean the place
up), Joseph enquired of the Lord and received the revelation in D&C 89.
Not by Commandment or Constraints
When it was first revealed, it would take time to quit
all of these habits. The church historical society states that two generations
went by before the Saints were expected to fully live up to the LAW of the word
of wisdom.
Prophet Heber J. Grant in 1921 received the revelation
from God that all saints should live up to that standard now.
March’s Ensign has great suggestions that we can do to
live more healthily using the WoW (p15-17):
o Establish good sleeping habits—D&C 88:124 says “cease to be idle…cease to sleep longer than is needful, retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated.”
§ Helps us avoid the use of addictive and harmful substances that are designed to keep us awake when God designed our bodies to tell us when we need to sleep
o Good health doesn’t just mean NOT putting bad things into your body, it also means PUTTING GOOD THINGS IN
§ This includes activities that allow your body to function optimally
o Find creative ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into your life
§ Someone submitted that they began eating green smoothies and have so much more energy
o Exercising can help you realize and reach your full potential
§ Someone submitted that exercising makes you realize all that your body can do and helps you realize the importance of keeping it strong to accomplish everything God made us to do
o Develop an understanding of the relationship between body and spirit
§ The Word of Wisdom demonstrates the sacred relationship and balance between actively doing right and actively avoiding wrong. God has demonstrated to us that what we do to our bodies has a very real effect on our spirits eternally
o Blessings of increased self confidence and self control
§ We can do what God asks us, and he won’t just bless us with the immediate bodily benefits. He’ll show us how strong we are and that we really can “put off the natural man.”
I know that as we strive to apply the Word of Wisdom into our daily lives, both our minds and our spirits will be blessed.
-Ashley Michnick
