1 Corinthians 6-8

(July 20, 2015)

                I was struck by Paul’s comments here on the importance of putting the matters before our ecclesiastical leaders rather than resorting to the Courts.  I feel as though I have gone through the refiner’s fire on this issue.  I had an ecclesiastical leader who involved himself in a legal dispute in a way that I genuinely felt (and feel) was inappropriate.  What’s more, I could see clearly how this involvement would lead to negative consequences for both me and others.  I was left with a decision to make – do I trust the Lord to magnify His leader’s counsel to me or do I trust in the arm of flesh and the Courts.

                In the end, I followed my Priesthood leader.  Since that time, just about everything that I predicted would go wrong has, in fact, gone wrong.  But, by the same token, everything that I predicted would go right has gone right.  The Lord has blessed me for following my Priesthood leader even when that leader was wrong (and perhaps inappropriate) in his counsel towards me.  I have been so blessed to see the Lord make up the difference, and I fully expect in the end to be in a better position for following that counsel than I would have been had I followed the arm of flesh and my own mortal wisdom.  Even if I were right in my conclusion, I would have been wrong in taking that action.