Deuteronomy 4:29

[followerofemmanuel]

I am thankful for discussion boards such as Mormon Dialouge because it provides a platform for people to share ideas about who they percieve God to be and whom they worship. I am not an academic or an apologist, simply a person who identifies with being a follower of Christ "Christian". So I ask for grace as I try to share my heart. I hold strong convictions to my beliefs but I also desire to seek to understand where other people are coming from too. I believe to truly love one another, understanding and respect must go with that. Part of loving others I also understand is sharing your understanding of truth, "witnessing to one another ect". I see the place for deep discussions, research, debates etc but I wonder if we would be better served trying to live out Deuteronomy 4:29 regardless if we align our beliefs with LDS, orthodox Christianity or other.

"But if from there you shall seek the LORD your God, you shall find him, if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul." Deuteronomy 4:29

Do you aggree with this scripture? What do you understand this scripture to mean? If not why and if so than I ask is this; If we were to truly live out Deuteronomy 4:29 what would you expect the outcome to be in an idividuals life?

Sometimes, I'd rather share this verse with someone and encourage the same action in my own life, rather than argue about scriptures, interpreations. My belief, Is that I follow the true and Living God (that is probably yours too ) Perhaps, Orthodox Christians might have some things wrong, vice a versa. I believe both faith's, believe that we have a loving creator, who loves everyone and desires us all to come in to right relationship with him (?) That is something powerful to have in common if that is really the case! God so loves us even while we are sinners and get things wrong. Do we ever complicate things more than we need to?

Well, there are some of my thoughts. I pray that I make some sense, if not, please simply extend your grace.

Blessings,

FollowerofEmmanuel

Edited February 12, 2012 by followerofemmanuel

[Maidservant]

Thank you for your spirit . I think that is a cool little scripture, thanks for sharing.

[TAO]

Love that scripture =D.

Edited February 12, 2012 by TAO

[nosmelone]

I once heard it said that we will all be taking theology 101 when we get to heaven. lol I really think that follows that scripture. We are all trying to obtain eternal truths where ever they may be.

[zerinus]

"But if from there you shall seek the LORD your God, you shall find him, if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul." Deuteronomy 4:29

Do you aggree with this scripture? What do you understand this scripture to mean? If not why and if so than I ask is this; If we were to truly live out Deuteronomy 4:29 what would you expect the outcome to be in an idividuals life?

Blessings,

FollowerofEmmanuel

In order to understand it, you need to read it in its context. Moses is addressing the Israelites as they are about to enter the land of promise that God had promised to their fathers:

Deuteronomy 4:

25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children [in the Promised Land], and ye shall have remained long in the land [of promise], and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger:

26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.

27 And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you.

28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;

31 (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

Moses is making a prediction, a prophecy to the house of Israel, that if they disobey the commandments of God after they had entered the Promised Land, that God would punish them by removing them from the land, and scattering them among the nations. But in the latter days, if they recall the covenant of the Lord, and repent, and seek God, He will not forsake them, but will restore them back again to their former inheritance, to enjoy the blessings (spiritual and temporal) which that restoration would entail. But speaking metaphorically, it applies to each of us finding God in our "spiritually exiled condition," so to speak, and realizing the promised blessings (without necessarily being gathered to a "Promised Land"). That prophecy is being fulfilled today, as true Israel (i.e. true believers in Christ) are being gathered spiritually speaking to the Restored Church, which is their spiritual Promised Land; as well as physically to their physical land of promise, as in the case of the Jews for example.

Edited February 12, 2012 by zerinus

[followerofemmanuel]

In order to understand it, you need to read it in its context. Moses is addressing the Israelites as they are about to enter the land of promise that God had promised to their fathers:

Deuteronomy 4:

25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children [in the Promised Land], and ye shall have remained long in the land [of promise], and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger:

26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.

27 And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you.

28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;

31 (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

Moses is making a prediction, a prophecy to the house of Israel, that if they disobey the commandments of God after they had entered the Promised Land, that God would punish them by removing them from the land, and scattering them among the nations. But in the latter days, if they recall the covenant of the Lord, and repent, and seek God, He will not forsake them, but will restore them back again to their former inheritance, to enjoy the blessings (spiritual and temporal) which that restoration would entail. But speaking metaphorically, it applies to each of us finding God in our "spiritually exiled condition," so to speak, and realizing the promised blessings (without necessarily being gathered to a "Promised Land"). That prophecy is being fulfilled today, as true Israel (i.e. true believers in Christ) are being gathered spiritually speaking to the Restored Church, which is their spiritual Promised Land; as well as physically to their physical land of promise, as in the case of the Jews for example.

Thanks for sharing your thought on this topic.

[changed]

Do we ever complicate things more than we need to?

yes, we do. I always wonder about all those other sheep -

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold:(New Testament | John 10:16)

I only grow feisty when I'm impatient for the day in which we will all be together within the same fold. It's sad to be separated through trivial differences.

[followerofemmanuel]

yes, we do. I always wonder about all those other sheep -

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold:(New Testament | John 10:16)

I only grow feisty when I'm impatient for the day in which we will all be together within the same fold. It's sad to be separated through trivial differences.

I appreciate your thoughts and comnments

[Maidservant]

I think that the ultimate "finding" of God is the eyes of our husband or wife of eternity. Secondarily, in the eyes of every person we love, our children, neighbors, on and on.

If you have the love of your husband or wife, and are returning it (on a level of the love of God but with all the gender bonding as well) then there can be no hell, as long as you are with this person. If you happened to get in a pickle of the fires of hell sort, you would just take each other by the hand, laugh a bit and say, "Okay, let's do this!" (did you like the movie, the Mummy? minds me of that). If you are in the nicest religion possible, and the most lovely post-death kingdom possible, if you look around and there is no one for you (husband or wife) and none to be expected for any eternity . . . that would be hell.

There is no religion that can save a man or woman who insists upon mistreating their spouse (and children). (Unless they repent.)

And a man who is honoring, loving, squeezing, kissing, listening to, upholding, etc etc his wife (or a wife for her husband) is a godly man, and saved already, regardless of how many other gods he has, or none (and who or what they are).

The first and most important worship of God is the love and the duties we have towards our husbands and wives. God asks us to love him above all, but God cannot be loved by saying so in a prayer or a burning of the heart. God must be loved here on earth, in how we all (humans) treat one another.

That is what a person seeks, in God. That is what God show them and how he becomes found.

What do you think that verse means, or a life of seeking or finding God, is?

Edited February 13, 2012 by Maidservant

[Gordon]

I am thankful for discussion boards such as Mormon Dialouge because it provides a platform for people to share ideas about who they percieve God to be and whom they worship. I am not an academic or an apologist, simply a person who identifies with being a follower of Christ "Christian". So I ask for grace as I try to share my heart. I hold strong convictions to my beliefs but I also desire to seek to understand where other people are coming from too. I believe to truly love one another, understanding and respect must go with that. Part of loving others I also understand is sharing your understanding of truth, "witnessing to one another ect". I see the place for deep discussions, research, debates etc but I wonder if we would be better served trying to live out Deuteronomy 4:29 regardless if we align our beliefs with LDS, orthodox Christianity or other.

Yes, I believe the verse. If you follow the advice of Jesus (John 16:13), you will find Him...

[changed]

I think that the ultimate "finding" of God is the eyes of our husband or wife of eternity. .. If you have the love of your husband or wife, ... there can be no hell, as long as you are with this person. ...

Here's my valentine's day post... (as this is the love everyone thread)

My grandparents will celebrate their 74th anniversary on Feb 16th. They are not members of the church. When they were young, my Grandmother thought she was given the choice of either serving/living for God, or living for her husband - she chose my grandfather, and has felt guilty over it her entire life (this is all just now coming out)... My Grandfather has dementia, he's slowly being taken away from her. They were moved into assisted living on the anniversary of their first date, and my grandfather will be moved into his own separate room on the 16th, their wedding anniversary... my grandmother is in the process of trying to let go of him, and find God...

They say you are supposed to hold God above your spouse, I wonder why this is? To keep us all in the humble position of being #2 rather than #1 on someone's list? but then perhaps it is good to be humble - perhaps that makes us a better partner.

Edited February 13, 2012 by changed