"Beloved"

Alma 9:30
"And now, my beloved brethren, for ye are my brethren, and ye out to be beloved"
I like this verse because it says that we ought to love each other. The reference for beloved in the verse goes to 1 John 4:11--"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."

If even God above in heaven, perfect and omnipotent, wise beyond our comprehension, loves us, then we had better love ourselves too. If a perfect being can love us, surely we can love ourselves because we are flawed and don't deserve to be high and mighty to each other-we are all brothers and sisters (flawed, but still loved by the flawless Father). More so, I would add to that-we need to love ourselves personally. If God loves me, what reason do I have not to love myself too?

Aaron/ Miracles

Today I decided to start at the beginning of the Bible dictionary and read it, learning about specific topics at a time. I read Aaron today. That is the name of my brother. I found out that Aaron was three years older than his brother, Moses who led the slaves out of Egypt. I read a little bit about how Aaron cast down the rod that turned into a snake before Pharoah. The magicians and sorcerors of Pharoah also threw down snakes, but Moses' ate up all the others. This is a symbol to me about God's power. People on this Earth can do magic, do pretty surreal things, but these are less important than the magic of miracles from the correct authority. The Pharoah's magic was probably pretty impressive and convincing, but God's was unequaled. God's power can not be overtaken. That is why I put my trust in God, not the world. The world says miracles are not done these days, but I say they are only not done because of our inbelief as a people. I see miracles in my life.

After reading about this old testament miracle I went back to my chemistry studies about pH and bases and acides. Just then I knew, miracles can happen because I see them in chemistry- the way chemicals react is sometimes miraculous. Even though I have not seen a stick turned into a snake, I see and believe in miracles. It has to do with faith. Miracles are not for the unbelieving, they are for the believing.