Take No Offense

All eyes were undoubtedly on Jesus when He appeared to the Nephites. His arrival had been foretold for centuries. And now that He was finally here, many tears of joy were shed over His teachings and the outpouring of His love. One poignant event, though, is when Jesus addressed Nephi directly, and all eyes next turned to him. Jesus inquired of Nephi about an event that was prophesied of by Samuel the Lamanite, and questioned why it hadn’t been recorded on the plates. This was probably an uncomfortable moment for Nephi, one in which he could have reacted to in many different ways -- embarrassment, guilt, shame, offense.  But the record tells us he simply realized his oversight, and ensured the event was quickly recorded.  A good reminder of the proper way to take counsel from a priesthood leader: quickly alleviating the offense and the guile of the Satan, and then moving right along.

 3 Nephi 23:7 And it came to pass that he said unto Nephi: Bring forth the record which ye have kept.

 3 Nephi 23:11 And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them?
 12 And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written.
 13 And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written; therefore it was written according as he commanded.

LESSON LEARNED: Spiritual correction, when prompted by the Spirit, may come to each of us from a friend, bishop, stake president, or general authority.  Nephi teaches us here the appropriate way to respond. 

FEEDBACK:  HOW HAVE YOU CHOSEN TO RESPOND TO SPIRITUAL CORRECTION IN THE PAST?

Trials and Faith

What do weight loss and investment accumulation have in common? Both are slow but steady processes. Both have their ups, their downs, and sometimes, their failures. But hopefully, they both move in the right direction (that is, weight down and investments up). Both require a great deal of patience to see them through, because a lack of patience will often lead to an abandonment of either goal. With a lack of patience, people often flip from one crash diet to another, or seek get-rich-quick schemes that cause them to abandon their investment goals. Similarly, the Lord has a plan for His children to succeed in life. It starts with the understanding that the accumulation of faith requires immense patience, and that there are no quick shortcuts. Also, life isn’t meant to be an entitlement program: all must go through the same steps to reach the desired outcomes. There will be chastening along the way that will come in the form of losses, hardships, and trials. This is the Lord's way of allowing us to grow along the way as we develop both patience with ourselves and faith in Him. 

 Mosiah 23:21 Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith.

LESSON LEARNED: In the final day, the Lord probably won’t be so much interested in what trials we have experienced. He will probably be more interested in what we have learned through those trials.

FEEDBACK: WHAT LESSONS OF FAITH HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR OWN TRIALS?

The Three Witnesses

When Joseph Smith was translating The Book of Mormon, the Lord allowed three witnesses to eventually see and handle the golden plates: Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris and David Whitmer. They each faltered to varying degrees later in life, but none of the three ever denied their testimony of this event. Of interest is that salvation isn’t guaranteed by privilege: Ether 5:5 in The Book of Mormon states that these three would still need to repent and gain their own testimonies of Jesus Christ in order to be saved, even after seeing and touching the plates. These details were prophesied of by Moroni over 1,000 years before they.

 Ether 5:2 And behold, ye may be privileged that ye may show the plates unto those who shall assist to bring forth this work;
 3 And unto three shall they be shown by the power of God; wherefore they shall know of a surety that these things are true.
 4 And in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be established; and the testimony of three, and this work, in the which shall be shown forth the power of God and also his word, of which the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost bear record—and all this shall stand as a testimony against the world at the last day.
 5 And if it so be that they repent and come unto the Father in the name of Jesus, they shall be received into the kingdom of God.

LESSON LEARNED: Seeing is not necessarily believing. Similar to Laman and Lemuel faltering after seeing an angel, the three witnesses struggled in later life as well. Only a personal testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ can lead to conversion and thus salvation.

FEEDBACK: WHAT EXPERIENCES WITH FALTERING IN FAITH ARE YOU AWARE OF, DUE TO A LACK OF PERSONAL TESTIMONY IN THE SAVIOR?

Pondering Brings Peace

Turbulent times call for desperate measures. Each of us would do whatever it takes to ensure that we and our families are protected during an earthquake, an economic upset, a serious accident, or other calamities. But are we just as eager to aggressively seek for peace? A prophet of God has recently told us how we can do that: read The Book of Mormon each day.

“If you do not have a firm testimony of these things, do that which is necessary to obtain one. It is essential for you to have your own testimony in these difficult times, for the testimonies of others will carry you only so far. However, once obtained, a testimony needs to be kept vital and alive through continued obedience to the commandments of God and through daily prayer and scripture study.

My dear associates in the work of the Lord, I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day. As we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in our lives. I so testify with all my heart in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

LESSON LEARNED: Reading The Book of Mormon daily brings with it peace, protection from temptation, the influence of the Spirit, and freedom from fear.

FEEDBACK: HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED THESE BLESSINGS IN YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU ARE CONSISTENTLY READING THE BOOK OF MORMON EVERY DAY?

From the Dust

The coming forth of The Book of Mormon is sometimes referred to as “from the dust” or “from the earth.” This refers to the plates being hidden by Mormon until Joseph Smith could be led to them in these latter days. Below are some verses with more structural evidences of the Book of Mormon's truthfulness. In this case, Mormon prophesied that it would be in a day when there would be “great pollutions upon the earth,” in addition to many other modern-day calamities that have come to pass. Some of these might have been predictable for him, but “great pollutions” would be an unlikely insight to come up with randomly. Pollution was probably an unknown term in the times of both Mormon and Joseph Smith.

 Mormon 8:25 And behold, their prayers were also in behalf of him that the Lord should suffer to bring these things forth.
 26 And no one need say they shall not come, for they surely shall, for the Lord hath spoken it; for out of the earth shall they come, by the hand of the Lord, and none can stay it; and it shall come in a day when it shall be said that miracles are done away; and it shall come even as if one should speak from the dead.
 31 Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth; there shall be murders, and robbing, and lying, and deceivings, and whoredoms, and all manner of abominations; when there shall be many who will say, Do this, or do that, and it mattereth not, for the Lord will uphold such at the last day. But wo unto such, for they are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity.

LESSON LEARNED: The Book of Mormon contains a number of specific details regarding future spiritual events. But there are also evidences of temporal details of our day that would have been impossible to predict without revelation.

FEEDBACK: WHAT TEMPORAL EVENTS OF OUR DAY HAVE YOU DISCOVERED IN READING THE BOOK OF MORMON?

Don't Be Aggressor

The geopolitical climate in the United States is really heating up all of a sudden. We have seen atrocities throughout the world, most recently with an ISIS attack on civilians in Stockholm, and even worse, the use of chemical weapons on the people of Syria by their own government. It is a sad state of affairs. In retaliation, President Trump ordered a bomb attack in Syria on the airport runways where the planes with the chemical weapons embarked. Also, things are getting rough in North Korea, with their dictator threatening to run another nuclear test. So US warships are headed to the Korean Peninsula to ensure “peace in the region.” Lastly, the US dropped a huge bomb in Afghanistan today on an ISIS tunnel network. With all these happenings, it is difficult to discern who is the aggressor and who is the victim. But one point is for sure: The Book of Mormon teaches that war is allowed in defense of your homeland, and we are not to be an aggressor nation that attacks others in their own lands.

Mormon 4:4 And it was because the armies of the Nephites went up unto the Lamanites that they began to be smitten; for were it not for that, the Lamanites could have had no power over them.

LESSON LEARNED: We should defend our homelands to the death, but refrain from attacking others in their homelands.

FEEDBACK: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS?

Doing the Impossible

The Lord’s ways are not man’s ways. This concept is clearly portrayed in The Book of Mormon. Sometimes what the Lord requires of us can seem nearly impossible. But the missing elements that bridge impossibilities to realities are faith and hard work:

 1 Nephi 17:17 And when my brethren saw that I was about to build a ship, they began to murmur against me, saying: Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters.
 18 And thus my brethren did complain against me, and were desirous that they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord.
 
 2 Nephi 1:4 And it came to pass that after I had finished the ship, according to the word of the Lord, my brethren beheld that it was good, and that the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine; wherefore, they did humble themselves again before the Lord.

LESSON LEARNED: We all have our oceans to cross and our mountains to divide. With faith and hard work, nothing asked of us by the Lord is impossible.

FEEDBACK: WHAT SEEMINGLY INSURMOUNTABLE TASK HAVE YOU OVERCOME WITH FAITH AND HARD WORK?

The Pride Cycle

The Book of Mormon talks a lot about pride. This is referred to as the “pride cycle,” because throughout the book, one is able to see the same pattern of humility->pride->punishment->repentance play itself out over and over again. So what are the earliest tenants of pride that creep into the humility phase of a society? They are often difficult to discern. But in 4th Nephi in The Book of Mormon, we get an interesting glimpse. In this book, the Savior has already appeared and has ascended back into heaven. The people are promised that they will have three generations of peace and prosperity, followed by a fourth generation that will fall away from the truth. In this fourth generation, it is the subtle deception of wearing fancy apparel and wanting to appear better than others that is the first step into pride before they begin to falter.

 4 Nephi 24 And now, in this two hundred and first year there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride, such as the wearing of costly apparel, and all manner of fine pearls, and of the fine things of the world.
 25 And from that time forth they did have their goods and their substance no more common among them.

LESSON LEARNED: Pride is a tricky device of Satan. The desire to distinguish ourselves above others is subtle but strong. This often first occurs with our outward appearance, including the apparel we wear.

FEEDBACK: WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THIS?

The Good Seed

One of my avid hobbies is gardening. I love going out into the garden first thing in the early morning to inspect what is going on.  A garden is such a living thing -- it changes day to day. The last few days I have been waiting patiently for some squash seeds to sprout. I sowed them about two weeks ago, and I have diligently watered and pruned the site. I finally went out this morning with more seed to start over, thinking the seeds had died. But to my surprise, on this very day, two seedlings had popping above the ground’s surface. The seed had been good all along. I had just needed to be patient.

 Alma 32:31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness.
 32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.
 33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.

LESSON LEARNED: Hope, like a seed, will grow and swell into bona fide faith, but we must be patient. Because the feelings associated with the seed of faith are good, we may know they are from God.

FEEDBACK: WHAT GOOD FEELINGS OF THE HEART HAVE YOU HAD AFTER YOUR PROLONGED PATIENCE AND DILIGENCE?

A Marvelous Work

Missionary calls are coming right and left this time of year. Ghana, Oakland, Mexico City, Florida, Argentina -- these are just a few of the calls to various missions we have heard this past month for acquaintances of ours. Elder Bednar spoke in the Priesthood Session of General Conference on Saturday, referencing the fact that missionaries are NOT called to a place. Rather, they are called to serve as a missionary for the Church. They are then ASSIGNED to a place. The Book of Mormon is in alignment with describing the mission field as an activity of service by referencing it into the term, “a marvelous work”. Truly prophetic words in an 1830 translation.

1 Nephi 22:8 And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed; wherefore, it is likened unto their being nourished by the Gentiles and being carried in their arms and upon their shoulders.
 9 And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles; and not only unto the Gentiles but unto all the house of Israel, unto the making known of the covenants of the Father of heaven unto Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
 12 Wherefore, he will bring them again out of captivity, and they shall be gathered together to the lands of their inheritance; and they shall be brought out of obscurity and out of darkness; and they shall know that the Lord is their Savior and their Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel.

LESSON LEARNED: The “marvelous work” stated in The Book of Mormon has brought hosts of people to the knowledge of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. This prediction in the 1830 translation adds credence to The Book of Mormon’s truthfulness in predicting its own reception.

FEEDBACK: HOW DOES THIS PASSAGE IMPACT YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF MISSIONARIES AND MISSION SERVICE?

The Simple Things

Elder A. Whitney Clayton spoke in General Conference today on the power associated with obeying the little commandments on a regular basis. He stated: “Over time, I have observed that those who are deliberate about doing the ‘small and simple things’ -- obeying in seemingly little ways—are blessed with faith and strength that go far beyond the actual acts of obedience themselves and, in fact, may seem totally unrelated to them. It may seem hard to draw a connection between the basic daily acts of obedience and solutions to the big, complicated problems we face. But they are related. In my experience, getting the little daily habits of faith right is the single best way to fortify ourselves against the troubles of life, whatever they may be. Small acts of faith, even when they seem insignificant or entirely disconnected from the specific problems that vex us, bless us in all we do.”

Alma 37:6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

LESSON LEARNED: Obeying the simple things regularly -- church attendance, scripture reading, prayer, journal writing, family history, home teaching, temple attendance -- have a power associated with them that is synergistic beyond the acts themselves.

FEEDBACK: HAVE YOU NOTICED AN INCREASE IN YOUR SPIRITUAL CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF AND BEFORE THE LORD WHEN YOU HAVE OBEYED THE SIMPLE COMMANDMENTS?

A Prophet's Voice

Tonight it was our privilege to receive counsel from a prophet of God. President Thomas S. Monson spoke on charity in the priesthood session of General Conference, and quoted scripture that says without charity, we are nothing. For the brethren, he stated that we aren't honoring the priesthood of God if we are not kind to others. He mentioned that the scriptures teach us that the righteous exercise of the priesthood is dependent upon our living the principles of kindness, charity, and love, and he particularly emphasized being kind. “Brethren,” he said, “let us examine our lives and determine to follow the Savior’s example by being kind, loving, and charitable. As we do so, we will be in a better position to call down the powers of heaven for ourselves, for our families, and for our fellow travelers in this sometimes difficult journey back to our heavenly home.”

 Moroni 7:43 And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.
 44 If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.

 45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not,and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

LESSON LEARNED: Kindness is a component of charity. It is the attribute that is currently impressing the prophet that we need to emphasize in our lives.

FEEDBACK: WHAT EXAMPLES OF KINDNESS HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE TO YOU IN YOUR PAST?