As the Book of Mormon comes to a close I can almost see Moroni trying to write everything possible that he can that he feels would benefit us in our day. One of my favorite verses is in the last chapter of Moroni is when he wrote:
"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot." (Moroni 10:32-33)
The Young Men General Presidency commented on this verse saying, "This is a sacred invitation to draw near to the Son of God. Because of
His Atonement, we can gain the power to serve, to deny ourselves of
ungodly things in our lives, and to feel His infinite love. As we do so,
we will find true peace and happiness." (Come Unto Christ) Here, one of the last thing Moroni tells us to do is to come unto
Christ. He promises that if we do, his grace is sufficient that we may
be perfected through him.
As we go through life we can come unto Christ as we exercise faith in him. We can also come unto Christ as we look for that which is good "for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ" (Moroni 7:16) As we look to Christ in our lives, exercise faith, are obedient, continually repent we come unto Christ. This can help us to find happiness be perfected in him.
I know that the Book of Mormon is a testament of Christ that can help us to come unto Christ. This book helps serve as a testament of Him.
As we come unto Christ we can be better than we were yesterday. We can learn and be perfected through His Atonement. We can find peace in this life and in the next as we come unto Christ.
Weaknesses cannot stop us from succeeding. Throughout my life I have sometimes been painfully reminded that I have various weaknesses. For this reason I have found comfort in the words of the Lord to Moroni concerning Moroni's weaknesses, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (Ether 12:27) I have often been comforted by the fact that if I am sufficiently humble that I may be able to overcome my weaknesses.
As I have grown I have found this verse fulfilled in my life in two different ways. The first way is that the Lord will help me to overcome a weakness so that my weakness no longer exists. President Monson provided an example of a young man whose weakness was at least temporarily done away with:
"Fifty
years ago, I knew a young man—even a priest—who held the authority of
the Aaronic Priesthood. As the bishop, I was his quorum president.
Robert stuttered and stammered, void of control. Self-conscious, shy,
fearful of himself and all others, this impediment was devastating to
him. Never did he fulfill an assignment; never would he look another in
the eye; always he would gaze downward. Then one day, through a set of
unusual circumstances, he accepted an assignment to perform the priestly
responsibility to baptize another.
I
sat next to Robert in the baptistry of the Salt Lake Tabernacle. He was
dressed in immaculate white, prepared for the ordinance he was to
perform. I leaned over and asked him how he felt. He gazed at the floor
and stuttered almost uncontrollably that he felt terrible, terrible.
We
both prayed fervently that he would be made equal to his task. Suddenly
the clerk said, “Nancy Ann McArthur will now be baptized by Robert
Williams, a priest.”
Robert
left my side, stepped into the font, took little Nancy by the hand and
helped her into that water which cleanses human lives and provides a
spiritual rebirth. He spoke the words, “Nancy Ann McArthur, having been
commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen.” Not once did he stutter! Not once did he falter! A modern
miracle had been witnessed. Robert then performed the baptismal
ordinance for two or three other children in the same fashion.
In
the dressing room, as I congratulated Robert, I expected to hear this
same uninterrupted flow of speech. I was wrong. He gazed downward and
stammered his reply of gratitude." (The Call to Serve)
In my own life I have found that my weaknesses have been overcome as I am sufficiently humble and submit to the will of the Father. As we humble ourselves we can be further perfected in overcoming our weaknesses.
The second way that I have seen this scripture fulfilled is that the weakness is not removed but that it instead works as an blessing to us. Paul experienced this when he had a "thorn in the flesh". He stated that he sought to have it removed by the Lord. However, the Lord did not remove the infirmity. Concerning this Paul stated, "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Cor 12:9) Here, Paul's infirmity was not removed.
In my life I had a period on my mission where I was struggling with the mission language and was becoming frustrated. I felt that I would never get to the level with the language that I wanted to. One day I was teaching a lesson to a less-active member of the ward where I was assigned when I realized that my struggling with the language was forcing the members to pay closer attention in order to understand what I was saying. This struggle also forced me to be humble and to rely more on the Lord as I taught people. I did eventually learn the language, but the lesson that what we see as weaknesses may serve as blessings to us stayed with me.
I know that the Lord is there and that he is aware of us. I know that he loves us and is willing to help us. As we humble ourselves have faith in Him he will help us to succeed in mortality.
(Keil's note: I asked my brother Spencer to write today's post. He shared a post from his blog Inspiration Through Perspiration. I recommend it to everyone along with this post.)
One of my all time favorite scriptures comes from D&C 6:36 "look unto me in every though, doubt
not, fear not" this scripture was brought to my attention years ago as I
was a young student in the LDS seminary program. though it was not until I was
in my mission that I really looked at the verses that proceeded this. in
particular verses 33 and 34:
"33. Fear not to to good my sons, for
whatsoever yo sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good, ye shall
also reap good for your reward.
34. Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; Let
the earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock,
they can not prevail"
When I read these the first time I was serving a
mission and my first thought was "heck yeah I am doing good" but as
time has gone on and I have settled back into my post-mission life they have
taken a new meaning, it is no longer the battle cry of prevailing against the
forces of "earth and hell" but rather it is now a comfort in
how the Lord calls to me, with the call to do good "MY SON" and the
comfort the he provides when says "little flock". These are the words
of a loving father who is comforting a scared child, and is that not what we
are at times? In fact I would venture to say is that not how we are at most
times?
Before my mission I always knew what my purpose in
life was, if you would have asked premie Spencer what he was doing in life you
have heard the resounding response "going on a mission of course" I
knew who I was and where I was going, but the thing that most premies don't
understand is that missions end and adulthood begins and it is like you are
constantly in a state of uncertainty, questions constantly surround you such
as, what will I study, who will I marry, where will I go to school. and then as
you start to answer these questions they are replaced with new questions,
"ok now that I am in school how will I pay for this"... I had one
institute teacher who called this the greenie principle, we are always in a
state of learning because right when we think we got it all figured out life
changes and we are back as a greenie. with this in mind it is no small wonder
that as we face this life we a re filled with a certain amount of fear.
But fear is not of the Lord, it is something that
satan has established to hold us back from our full potential. it says in 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given
us the spirit of fear..." there it is right there! fear is not of the
Lord, in fact in is the opposite of what he teaches us. The Lord has on many
occasions told us to "fear not", or "be not afraid" we
should all take courage for the Lord is with us and he does not forget his
children. But as any loving father would, the Lord wants us to grow and see the
power and potential that we have in ourselves the Lord has given us a spirit
"of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Tim 1:7) with that in
mind it is no wonder that the Lord often does not allow us to see the blessing
after the trial of our faith, after we have taken courage and faced our fear.
remember how the children of Israel under the direction of Joshua faced the
daunting task of transporting the Ark across a river? They stood on the banks
of the river for sometime, waiting for something to happen, and why wouldn't
they? they had seen Moses part the Red sea! surely a river would be no problem,
right? but it was not until after the trial of their faith by first stepping
into the river and getting their feet wet did the Lord make a way (Joshua 3:7-17). I would that I could be like
Nephi who when searching for the plates went forth "Led by the spirit not
knowing beforehand the things which I should do. Nevertheless I went
forth..." (1 Nephi 4:6-7). as a parting thought I love
the Experience that Elder Packer shares, it is about a time when he did not
know how to accomplish some counsel that he received from President David O.
McKay. not knowing how to move forward he sought further counsel from then
elder Herold B. Lee who stated the following.
“The trouble with you is you want to see the end
from the beginning.” I replied that I would like to see at least a step or two
ahead. Then came the lesson of a lifetime: “You must learn to walk to the edge
of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will
appear and show the way before you.” (Boyd K.
Packer "The Edge of Light")
Trust the Lord that he knows what lies ahead and
will light the way only when we step into the darkness, we have no reason
to fear for the Lord is with us and we are his children. "It is our light,
not our darkness that most frightens us. our deepest fear is not that we are
inadequate. our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is in
our light not our darkness that most frightens us. we ask ourselves, who am I
to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? you are a child of God...
we are born to make manifest the glory of God that is with in us." (Marianne
Williamson)
Reading the Book of Mormon this time I have been impressed with how much the book is tailored to our day. Near the end of the book Mormon and Moroni seem to know that their civilization's time is up and include several messages specifically to us in our day. This book helps us to know of our relationship to God and his love for us. It warns us of spiritual dangers that we face today. In Mormon 8 Mormon warns that "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." (Mormon 8: 31) These and other spiritual dangers are shown to teach and warn guide us of them to help us today.
If we follow the teachings contained in the Book of Mormon I know that we will be safe from these dangers. Elder Holland testified, "God always provides safety for the soul, and with the Book of Mormon, He has again done that in our time." (Safety for the Soul) I know that the Book of Mormon can help us as we study it and that it does provide us safety and comfort in our lives.
In the Book of Mormon there was a period of where the people were one. In describing this period Mormon says, "There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God." (4 Nephi 1:17) Henry B. Eyring has testified that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can allow hearts to be made one. (That We May be Made One) As a church we have been asked to be unified with the Lord saying that if we were not one we were not his. (D&C 38:27) In our personal lives we should desire unity in our families. David O. McKay testified, "I can imagine few, if any, things more objectionable in the home than
the absence of unity and harmony. On the other hand, I know that a home
in which unity, mutual helpfulness, and love abide is just a bit of
heaven on earth. I surmise that nearly all of you can testify to the
sweetness of life in a home in which these virtues predominate." (Conference Report, Oct. 1967, 7) The Gospel of Jesus Christ can bless us with greater unity in our associations with others. As we do we will experience greater strength and peace in our families.
Henry B. Eyring gave several suggestions to us in developing greater unity in our lives:
1) Invite the Savior into our lives. In talking about the people of Alma in The Book of Mormon President Eyring shared,
"Everything
Alma and his people were inspired to do was pointed at helping people
choose to have their hearts changed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. That is the only way God can grant the blessing of being of one heart.
In Mosiah we read:
“And
they were called the church of God, or the church of Christ, from that
time forward. And it came to pass that whosoever was baptized by the
power and authority of God was added to his church. …
“And
he commanded them that they should teach nothing save it were the
things which he had taught, and which had been spoken by the mouth of
the holy prophets.
“Yea,
even he commanded them that they should preach nothing save it were
repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people.
“And
he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another,
but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one
baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.
“And thus he commanded them to preach. And thus they became the children of God.”
That
is why Alma commanded the people to teach faith and repentance. That is
why my children came to expect in every lesson in family night that I
would find a way to encourage someone to testify of the Savior and His
mission. Sometimes the parents did it. On our best nights we found a way
to encourage the children to do it, either by presenting the lesson or
answering questions. When testimony about the Savior was borne, the Holy Ghost verified it. On those nights we felt our hearts being knit together."
2) Invite revelation into our lives. President Eyring testified that "Revelation is the only way we can know how to follow the will of the Lord together." The Lord gives us revelation as we are worthy and receive his commandments. As we do the Spirit will guide is in what to do and what to say in being more unified.
3) Be humble. President Eyring testified that pride is the enemy of unity. The first sign of the downfall of the Nephite civilization was that they began to be more prideful. (4 Nephi 1:24) Ezra Taft Benson taught about pride, "The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.”" (Beware of Pride) If we are in a state of enmity towards our fellow men it is unlikely that we would be able to be unified with them.
4) Speak well of one another. A common saying is that if you can't say something nice you shouldn't say anything at all. The Lord has commanded us to "cease to find fault one with another". (D&C 88:124) This means that we should look for the best in others around us. We should seek to love others as Christ loves them. As we do we will become more unified.
I know that the Gospel blesses lives. As we choose to look for the good in others, be humble, invite revelation into our lives, and keep the Savior in our lives we will be blessed with unity in our homes, and in our relationships with others.
P.S. Here is President Eyrings talk where he gave these suggestions "Our Hearts Knit as One"
(Keil's note: I have been busy with finals and school so I have been asking some people to help me with this blog to give me time to worry about finals. Today my dad volunteered to share what he read in the Book of Mormon as well as his testimony.)
As father it is my hope that I have taught my sons the correct
principles to follow in their lives. Like Alma of old I often ponder the
trails that I have experienced and wok,d hope that I can give the same
sound advise that Alma gives to his sons. So K, S, T, P, A and of course
M I bear my solemn testimony of the Book of Mormon, Alma 36 is the
beginning of a powerful section in the Book of Mormon where Alma imparts
fatherly advise to his sons. Alma gathers his sons that he might give
unto them every one his charge, separately (Alma 35:16). Accordingly,
the next seven chapters deal with his advice and commandments to his
three sons, Helaman, Shiblon, and Corianton. Helaman as the oldest was
entrusted with the records; Shiblon was so righteous that Alma had
relatively little in the way of advice for him; and Corianton gets an
earful. For four chapters Alma counsels and instructs this third son on
the evil of his ways. The main focus is that the sinner will not escape
punishment in the resurrection. In these seven chapters, many priceless
gems of doctrinal insight are given. We should be thankful to Alma for
his diligence in teaching his sons. We should follow his example of
fatherhood in teaching our own.
I was overwhelmed by the love of our Savior Jesus Christ in these chapters. After teaching the people and spending time with them, the Savior says:
"my time is at hand" (3 Nephi 17:1)
Essentially, "it's time for me to go". Yet after doing so observes the multitude to be sad at His departure. This is a stark contrast from the shunning, persecution, and eventual crucifixion He had recently experienced. He responds with compassion, stating:
"Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? (3 Nephi 17:7)
The addition of "afflicted in any manner" implies that ALL were invited to come unto Him and be healed. The same is true in our day as the Atonement's effect is ever reaching, having no limits. We are invited to come unto Him, today and everyday and find peace and healing in our lives.
