Thursday, November 24, 2011
(111) 3 Nephi 19:24 “And it came to pass that when Jesus had
thus prayed unto the Father, he came unto his disciples, and behold, they did
still continue, without ceasing, to pray unto him; and they did not multiply
many words, for it was given unto them what they should pray, and they were
filled with desire.” When we have the
Holy Ghost, we can know the things for which we should pray, which are right.
(112) 3 Nephi 22:14 “In righteousness shalt thou be
established; thou shalt be far from oppression for thou shalt not fear, and
from terror for it shall not come near thee.” When you are established in
righteousness, you have no cause or reason to fear. Isn’t that a wonderful
thing? I think this is something that I, especially, need to remember more
often. If you feel fear, it is perhaps time to evaluate your standing with the
Lord, and decide if you are “established in righteousness,” or if, perhaps, you
may have wavered a little.
(113) 3 Nephi 27:24 “Write the works of this people, which
shall be, even as hath been written, of that which hath been.” It is important
for us to write down all the manifestations from the Father that we witness. It
is also important that we keep a record of our own works.
(114) Mormon 4:2 “And it came to pass that the armies of the
Nephites were driven back again to the land of Desolation. And while they were
yet weary, a fresh army of the Lamanites did come upon them; and they had a
sore battle, insomuch that the Lamanites did take possession of the city
Desolation, and did slay many of the Nephites, and did take many prisoners.”
Remember that the Nephites no longer had the Spirit with them. I believe that the
Spirit will help to strengthen us and help to keep us from being defeated by
our enemies.
(115) Ether 2:25 “And behold, I prepare you against these
things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the
waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which
shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may
have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea.” It’s nice to
know that the Lord will prepare us to overcome every challenge that we face.
That is a pretty empowering thought, actually. I think we should also notice
that the word “if” is not present anywhere in this verse. There is no “IF there
are waves” or “IF the floods come.” They will
come, but the Lord will have already prepared a way for us to cross through
them.
(116) Ether 3:26 “For he said unto him in times before, that
if he would believe in him that he could show unto him all things –it should be
shown unto him; therefore the Lord could not withhold anything from him, for he
knew that the Lord could show him all things.” We should remember that this
promise applies to us as well. If we believe in him, he can show us all things.
We just need to have that believe and the faith to have our eyes (and hearts)
opened.
(117) Ether 12:19 “And there were many whose faith was so
exceedingly strong, even before Christ came, who could not be kept from within
the veil, but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with
an eye of faith, and they were glad.” I think the last three words of this
verse are my favorite: “they were glad.” Our faith helps us to feel glad.
(118) Moroni 7:3 “Wherefore, I would speak unto you that are
of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have
obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord,
from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven.” Note the word
“sufficient.” We don’t need to have a perfect amount of hope; we just need to have
enough.
(119) Moroni 10:31 “And awake, and arise from the dust, O
Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and
strengthen they stakes and enlarge they borders forever, that thou mayest no
more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made
unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.” Confounded means to be angry
or annoyed. When we make and keep sacred covenants, our ability to remain happy
increases and we are actually guarded against unhappiness.
The End.
Labels: Book of Mormon, Church, Religion, Svithe
Sunday, November 20, 2011
(95) Helaman 5:47 “Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world.” When we have faith in Christ, we can have peace.
(96) Helaman 10:4 “Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.” How often do we think about our own lives instead of thinking about God’s will for our lives?”
(97) Helaman 10:5 “And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless the forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.” There are some pretty amazing promises given to us here if we seek God’s will with “unwearyingness,” suck as being blessed FOREVER and being mighty in all things.
(98) Helaman 12:1 “And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him.” This is something that I have seen in my own life, especially here in Taiwan. It is amazing the blessings you can see when you do put all your trust in God, and when you are looking for those blessings.
(99) Helaman 12:15 “ And thus, according to his word the earth goeth back, and it appeareth unto man that the sun standeth still; yea, and behold, this is so; for surely it is the earth that moveth and not the sun.” I think that similarly we can say that it is the world that moves and not the Son. It is pretty easy to see the shift in values of the world throughout history, yet what the Lord expects of us and what he wants for us stays the same. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not move away from us, but sometimes we move away from him.
(100) Helaman 15:6 “Yea, I say unto you, that the more part of them are… striving with unwearied diligence that they may bring the remainder of their brethren to the knowledge of the truth.” What I learned from this is that we should never tire of being persistently righteous.
(101) Helaman 15:9 “And ye know also that they have buried their weapons of war, and they fear to take them up lest by any means they should sin, yea, he can see that they fear to sin –for behold they will suffer themselves that they be trodden down and slain by their enemies, and will not lift their swords against them, and this because of their faith in Christ.” I think that this (burying our “weapons of war… [for] fear to take them up lest by any means [we] should sin”) is a very important principle for us to apply to our own lives. I feel like we can also see how faith in Christ makes us afraid to sin and gives us more desire to live righteously.
(102) 3 Nephi 4:33 “And their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many tears, because of the great goodness of God in delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; and they knew it was because of their repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction.” Can you imagine so much joy and gratitude? Maybe you have experienced it before, but I hope that it is something that all of us will be able to have in our lives.
(103) 3 Nephi 6:14 “And thus there became a great inequality in all the land, insomuch that the church began to be broken up; yea, insomuch that in the thirtieth year the church was broken up in all the land save it were among a few of the Lamanites who were converted unto the true faith; and they would not depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord.” This is how we need to be (firm, steadfast, and immovable in our faith in Christ), especially as the world would have us depart from our conversion.
(104) 3 Nephi 7:19-20 “And in the name of Jesus did he cast out devils and unclean spirits; and even his brother did he raise from the dead, after he had been stoned and suffered death by the people. And the people saw it, and did witness of it, and were angry with him because of his power, and he did also do many more miracles, in the sight of the people, in the name of Jesus.” Can you imagine being angry with someone for performing a miracle? I think the devil would have to have complete hold over a person’s heart for them to be so hard.
(105) 3 Nephi 11:7 “Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name —hear ye him.” To glorify is to reveal or make clearer the glory of God. What is God’s glory? It is his work, which is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. I feel like there is a great deal that we can learn from this verse.
(106) 3 Nephi 11:11 “And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.” Glorified or revealed the work of the Father. Work=purpose?
(107) 3 Nephi 15:19 “But, verily, I say unto you that the Father hath commanded me, and I tell it unto you, that ye were separated from among them because of their iniquity; therefore it is because of their iniquity that they know not of you.” This makes me wonder how many things are kept form us because of our iniquity?
(108) 3 Nephi 16:2 “For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them.” One of the brothers in the high council in the Taichung North Stake gave a talk in our branch. His talk was about scripture study and coming to know the Lord. It was a very powerful talk, and even though the majority of it was given in Chinese, it still put me in tears. Anyway, something he said really struck me, something which I feel, is relevant to this verse: though none of us have actually seen God the Father or his son Jesus Christ, by studying the scriptures constantly, we can hear God’s voice. That is what he said, and I think it is true. So while we have not yet seen God the Father or Jesus Christ with our physical eyes, through the scriptures they can and will manifest themselves to us and we will hear his voice and see the marks in his hands, his feet, and sides.
(109) 3 Nephi 18:10 “And when the Disciples had done this, Jesus said unto them: Blessed are ye for this thing which ye have done, for this is fulfilling my commandments, and this doth witness unto the Father that ye are willing to do that which I have command you.” Part of the purpose of the sacrament is to show that we are willing to keep all the commandments and to do everything that God has asked us to do.
(110) 3 Nephi 18:12 “And I give unto you a commandment that ye shall do these things. And if ye shall always do these things blessed are ye, for ye are built upon my rock. “ We will also be blessed for parting of the sacrament.
Labels: Book of Mormon, Religion, Svithe
Friday, September 23, 2011
(85) Alma 60:16 “Yea, if we had gone forth against them in the strength of the Lord, we should have dispersed our enemies, for it would have been done, according to the fulfilling of his word.” We must be totally devoted to living God’s will if we are to succeed against Satan and his forces.
(86) Alma 61:13 “But behold he doth not command us that we shall subject ourselves to our enemies, but that we should put our trust in him, and he will deliver us.” I love how this is repeated so many times in the Book of Mormon. As we put our trust in God, he shall deliver us of all evil as long as we do our part and work towards our own deliverance. We can’t just sit idly by waiting for our troubles to go away. Part of trusting is doing or acting upon our trust.
(87) Alma 62:49-51 “But notwithstanding their riches, or their strength, or their prosperity, they were not lifted up in the pride of their eyes; neither were they slow to remember the Lord their God; but they did humble themselves exceedingly before him. Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them, that he had delivered them from death, and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions and he had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies. And they did pray unto the Lord their God continually, insomuch that the Lord did bless them, according to his word, so that they did wax strong and prosper in the land.” When we are humble and remember all the things that the Lord has done for us, we too will be blessed and delivered from our afflictions.
(88) Helaman 1:18 “And it came to pass that because of so much contention and so much difficulty in the government, that they had not kept sufficient guards in the land of Zarahemla; for they had supposed that the Lamanites durst not come into the heart of their lands to attack that great city Zarahemla.” We cannot suppose that Satan will never go for that part which used to be the strongest, or that he will never go for our hearts. Whatever happens, we cannot let our guard down.
(89) Helaman 1:28 “But when Moronihah had discovered this [that the Lamanites had come into the center of the land and were taking possession of many cities], he immediately sent forth Lehi with an army round about to head them before they should come to the land Bountiful.” I like how it says he immediately sent an army to defend the land Bountiful. Instead of waiting for the enemy/Satan to arrive at our threshold, the moment we are warned or become aware of the threat of danger we should send out our armies and our defenses. Luckily God has provided us with many means by which we can learn of the things that Satan will and does try to attack.
(90) Helaman 3:25 “And so great was the prosperity of the church, and so many the blessings which were poured out upon the people, that even the high priests and the teachers were themselves astonished beyond measure.” Have you ever been astonished beyond measure by the number of blessings you have received? Or even just astonished to receive a certain blessing? I know I have been, especially as I have been living in Taiwan.
(91) Helaman 3:27 “Thus we see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name.” I have witnessed this of myself many times. I think that this is something that everyone needs to try to gain a testimony of, and perhaps several times. It is sometimes easy to forget.
(92) Helaman 3:35 “Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.” I feel that this verse contains the ingredients for joy, namely: fasting, frequent prayer, humility, and faith in Christ. I think also that this is one of the most beautiful verses in the Book of Mormon. “Joy and consolation.” What does it mean to be consoled? Consolation is to receive comfort after a loss or disappointment. God and Christ recognize that there will be losses and disappointments in our lives, but because of Christ and because of faith in him, those losses can be made up to us. We can find comfort and joy through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is through the Atonement that we are also able to become pure and holy. For all of this to come to pass, we must “[yield our] hearts unto God,” or comply with the desires of God. We must give our hearts to Him and keep his commandments (all of them) completely.
(93) Helaman 5:6 “Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when re remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.” We that have been baptized have been given or take upon us the name of Christ. When we remember our name, then, we should remember him and His works, and try to live up to that name. We should do all that we can to be good as He was and is good.
(94) Helaman 5:42 “And it came to pass that they did all begin to cry unto the voice of him who had shaken the earth; yea, they did cry even until the cloud of darkness was dispersed.” I love this. I love that when we pray, our faith in Christ can be increased. I also am reminded, in regards to the cloud of darkness, of Joseph Smith when he was in the Sacred Grove. It was through the power of prayer that the cloud of darkness was lifted from him, and it is the same thing here. I think that it is important, though, to remember that a cloud of darkness doesn’t have to be caused by sin. Joseph was not sinning when he knelt to pray. Sometimes darkness is caused by evil trying to obscure our view of the light. It is important that we don’t allow that to keep us from praying. We should always pray.
Labels: Book of Mormon, Religion, Svithe
Sunday, August 28, 2011
I've been slowly typing all of my notes up onto my computer, but it's taking a while. Even after spending a good 40 minutes on this, I'm still way behind.
(74) Alma 41:2 “I say unto thee, my son, that the plan of restoration is requisite with the justice of God; for it is requisite that all things should be restored to their proper order. Behold, it is requisite and just, according to the power and resurrection of Christ, that the soul of man should be restored to its body, and that every part of the body should be restored to itself.” The Church, in a way, can be seen as being resurrected. For a time, it was no longer on the earth (dead), but it has now been “restored to [its] proper order,” or “resurrected.”
(75) Alma 43:50 “And they began to stand against the Lamanites with power; and in that selfsame hour that they cried unto the Lord for their freedom, the Lamanites began to flee before them…” When we pray to the Lord for strength against or freedom from temptation and the devil, He will help us as long as we have been living our lives in accordance with His will.
(76) Alma 46:18 “And he said: Surely God shall not suffer that we, who are despised because we take upon us the name of Christ, shall be trodden down and destroyed, until we bring it upon us by our own transgressions.” Isn’t this comforting to know? The only way we can be destroyed is if we bring it upon ourselves.
(77) Alma 47:3-6, 18 “And now it came to pass that the king was wroth because of their disobedience; therefore he gave Amalickiah the command of that part of his army which was obedient unto his commands, and commanded him that he should go forth and compel them to arms. Now behold, this was the desire of Amalickiah; for he being a very subtle man to do evil therefore he laid the plan in his heart to dethrone the king of the Lamanites. And now he had got the command of those parts of the Lamanites who were in favor of the king; and he sought to gain favor of those who were not obedient; therefore he went forward tot eh place which was called Onidah, for thither had all the Lamites fled; for they discovered the army coming, and, supposing that they were coming to destroy them, therefore they fled to Onidah, to the place of arms. And they had appointed a man to be a king and a leader of them, being fixed in their minds with a determined resolution that they would not be subjected to go against the Nephites… And it came to pass that Amalickiah caused that one of his servants should administer poison by degrees to Lehonti, that he died.” Notice that there is no neutral ground between good and evil. In verse 6, these Lamanites did not want to fight the Nephites, but they would not join them, either. I suspect that if they had joined the Nephites, they would have been offered some protection. Instead, their newly appointed king was “poison[ed] by degrees” and died.
(78) Alma 48:7 “Now it came to pass that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God.” The devil tries to tempt us into claiming a false power whereas when we rely on God, it is then that we are given true power, as long as we live righteously and only use that power to act in His name.
(79) Alma 56:8-9 “But I would not suffer them that they should break this covenant which they had made, supposing that God would strengthen us, insomuch that we should not suffer more because of the fulfilling the oath which they had taken. But behold, here is one thing in which we may have great joy…” God will not make us to suffer for keeping our covenants. IN stead, he will find ways to strengthen and protect us. It is in keeping our covenants and the oaths that we make to God that we find great joy.
(80) Alma 56:46 “For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall, then let us go forth;” I really like this reminder that God does not and will not set us up for failure. If he asks us to do something and we go forward in faith and righteousness, we will succeed.
(81) Alma 56:47 “Now they had never fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.” My mother has tried to teach me this, too.
(82) Alma 57:21 “Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith was it done unto them; and I did remember the words which they had said unto me that their mothers had taught them.” It is good to remember that with faith and complete obedience we can be preserved.
(83) Alma 58:35 “Behold, we do not know but what ye are unsuccessful, and ye have drawn away the forces into that quarter of the land; if so, we do not desire to murmur.” I learned two things from this: sometimes you just really don’t know why things are happening, and, secondly, it is not murmuring to ask for help.
(84) Alma 59:9 “And now as Moroni had supposed that there should be men sent to the city of Nephihah, to the assistance of the people to maintain that city, and knowing that it was easier to keep the city from falling into the hands of the Lamanites than to retake it from them, he supposed that they would easily maintain that city.” It is easier to remain on the straight and narrow than to fight your way through to get back on it after you’ve strayed.
Labels: Book of Mormon, Religion, Svithe
Saturday, August 06, 2011
It's been way too long since I last updated this "segment" on my blog. I am way behind! Hopefully I can get caught up and it won't take me very long. Here are just a few thoughts that I've already managed to type up.
(66) Alma 34:4 “Yea, even that ye would have so much faith as even to plant the word in your hearts. That ye may try the experiment of its goodness.” Remember that another name for Christ is “the Word.” Therefore, it is Christ what we need to plant in our hearts. Is there anything in this world that has more goodness than the word of Christ?
(67) Alma 34:26 “But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.” Another definition of wilderness is a position of disfavor, so when things are seemingly not going in our favor, or when we have fallen out of favor with God, we should cry unto him in prayer.
(68) Alma 34:35 “For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.” I think this makes it pretty clear why “deathbed repentance” is such a bad idea. When you procrastinate repenting, you do lose the Lord’s Spirit, and so you will also lose the desire to repent and to make peace with God. Once that desire is fully gone, you will already belong to the devil.
(69) Alma 37:8 “And now, it has hitherto been wisdom in God that these things should be preserved; for behold, they have enlarged the memory of this people, yea, and convinced many of the error of their ways, and brought them to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation of their souls.” Reading the scriptures and the word of God enlarges our capacity to remember many things.
(70-72) Alma 37:41-42 “Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works. They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey, therefore, they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course, and were afflicted with hunger and thirst, because of their transgressions.” Before now, I had never thought of not being faithful as being slothful. What does it mean to be slothful, anyway? Some dictionaries define it as being “disinclined to work,” which to me suggests that being faithful requires real work. So, when we cease to exercise faith and diligence, we are no longer able to grow and progress in our own journeys back to the Lord. Not only is our progression stunted when we become slothful, but our spirits are also afflicted with “hunger and thirst” when we transgress the laws of God.
(73) Alma 40:3 “Now, I unfold unto you a mystery; nevertheless, there are many mysteries which are kept, that no one knoweth them save God himself. But I show unto you one which I have inquired diligently of God that I might know…” I’ve noticed something of a trend where people ask a lot of “speculative doctrinal questions” and I think it is just silly and a waste of time to ask and spend any time or energy about questions to which no one except God has the answers to. It is important to note that God has given us all the answers and information we need, pertaining to our salvation and bringing souls of others unto Christ, he has given us enough information that, if we were to spend all our times and energies understanding this information, this true doctrine, and implementing that knowledge and wisdom with action, then we would find immortality and eternal life right there before us, ours for the taking. We should therefore seek after those things which God has revealed and, when needful, ask for guidance in understanding those things which maybe haven’t personally revealed themselves in our hearts.
Labels: Book of Mormon, Religion, Svithe
Monday, June 06, 2011
(50) Alma 13:20 "Behold, the scriptures are before you; if ye will wrest [to distort meaning] it shall be to your own destruction."
(51) Alma 15:8 "And Alma said: If thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed."We discussed in Sunday School a little bit what it means to be healed a few weeks ago. Sometimes when we are afflicted with something, even though we have faith in Christ and the Atonement, our affliction doesn't go away. This doesn't mean that we won't be healed, we just have to remember that it is in the Lord's time, but also it was brought up that gaining a full understanding of our tribulation might be another form of healing. When we understand why it is that we might suffer with something, and maintain an eternal perspective as well as live worthy of the Lord's Spirit, our burdens can be made light or alleviated, or, in other words, we become healed.
(52) Alma 17:10 "And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: be comforted. And they were comforted." I just think that this is one of the most beautiful verses in the Book of Mormon!
(53) Alma 17:11 "And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls." I like this verse, too. To me, the Lord is saying, "I want you to go and do this thing, but it is not going to be easy. In fact, it is going to be really hard. But if you do your best and if you are patient, I will reward you with success."
(54) Alma 23:7 "For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more, neither against any of their brethren." I sometimes wonder what our "weapons of rebellion" are. I think these can range from very small things to very large things, and some weapons may be more obvious than others. I also believe, however, that we can somewhat measure the extent of our conversion by how much we "fight against God... [and our] brethren."
(55) Alma 23:17 "And it came to pass that they called their names Anti-Nephi-Lehies, and they were called by this name and were no more called Lamanites." I have always wondered about the whole "anti" part of the name the people chose. Typically when we see this word, it is used as a term that opposes something, so we might think "against Nephi-Lehi." Yet, when I looked it up in my dictionary, I noticed that it defined "anti" as also meaning "reversing or undo," which leads me to think of the term "Anti-Nephi-Lehies" as the "repentant Nephi-Lehies," or those who were once opposed to the truth but have now reversed their ways and returned.
(56) Alma 25:16 "Now they id not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses; but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ" I think that this still applies to us today; when we obey the laws and commandments, our faith in Christ is strengthened.
(57) Alma 26:27 "Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success." This verse has a lot of meaning to me, especially lately as I've been trying to get everything in order for my upcoming adventure in Taiwan. It was very hard for me to wait as long as I did to hear back as to whether or not I was going to go. It was hard some days for me to not lose hope and just assume that things would fall through and that I wouldn't be accepted (especially when I first heard back and was told that, to be given a second chance, there was more work that I needed to do; ask Dad, I was distressed that night!), But, through the power of prayer and fasting and going to the temple, I, too, felt the comfort of the Lord. "Bear with patience thine afflictions,
and I will give unto you success."
(58) Alma 29:5 "Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless..." I am glad that we are not held accountable for the things that we have not learned!
(59 & 60) Alma 30:44 "But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough;" This I think is true. We have all had enough signs in our lives to testify to us the existence of a loving Heavenly Father. However, God will never force us to recognize His hand in anything. "Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, event eh earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." To me, I see the solar system as a great witness that there is a God and also as a type. Earth orbits the sun, and the sun exercises a hold on each of the planets while the planets, to a somewhat lesser degree, in turn have an influence on each other.
(61) Alma 30:47 "But behold, it is better that thy soul should be lost than that thou shouldst be the means of brining many souls down to destruction, by thy lying and by thy flattering words..." I think it is important to remember that Alma used to be a lot like Korihor. Remember that he, too, sought to lead others astray when he was younger. I think that by remembering this, we can get a feel for how deep his repentance was and we can get a better sense for how much Alma had changed since then.
(62) Alma 30:55 "But Alma said unto him: If this curse should be taken from thee thou wouldst again lead away the hearts of this people; therefore, it shall be unto thee even as the Lord will." Korihor never showed any willingness to repent. If he had, I think that the curse probably would have been removed. Instead, even though he wanted to be rid of his curse, he was unwilling to change that which needed to be changed. He was too prideful to allow the Lord to save him. I hope that I am never so prideful and unwilling to change that I throw away the chance to be healed of my "curses!"
(63) Alma 32:12 "I say unto you, it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may be humble, and that ye may learn wisdom;" We learn wisdom when we are humble.
(64) Alma 32:22 "And now, behold, I say unto you, and I would that ye should remember, that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name" Notice that it does not say here that God is only merciful to those that are perfect. Thank goodness for that!
(65) Alma 32:27 "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words." I like this. If all you can do is to
want to believe in something and to try to believe in it, then that is enough. By nourishing this desire, eventually you will believe, and that believe will turn into something more. It is out of a desire to believe that our faith grows.
Labels: Book of Mormon, Religion, Svithe
Thursday, May 05, 2011
(40) Alma 5:14 "Have ye received his image in your countenances?" Did you know that "countenance" can also be defined as "support," not only the definition that we traditionally associate with this scripture? I like the effect that has on this verse, too. Have you received his image in your support? Do you do those things which allow the Lord to support you?
(41) Alma 7:23 "always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive."I noticed that this doesn't say to only give thanks for the things that we received that we wanted/asked for. Sometimes we "receive" or are given things and opportunities that we didn't really want, yet we should still be thankful and express our gratitude for these things, too.
(42) Alma 7:27 "And now, may the peace of God rest upon you, and upon your houses and lands, and upon your flocks and herds, and all that you possess, your women and your children, according to your faith and good works, from this time forth and forever." If we have faith and do good works, we will be blessed with peace.
(43) Alma 9:11 "Yea, and if it had not been for his matchless power, and his mercy, and his long-suffering towards us, we should unavoidably have been cut off from the face of the earth long before this period of time, and perhaps been consigned to a state of endless misery and woe." This is one of those verses that I feel is important to relate to us as individuals and make more personal. When we do so, we are reminded of God's matchless love for us (individually) and how merciful He is.
(44) Alma 9:17 "And at some period of time they will be brought to believe in his word, and to know of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers; and many of them will be saved, for the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his name." I think this is a beautiful thing to remember that God is merciful to those who turn to him and rely on him.
(45) Alma 9:29 "Now behold, this is the voice of the angel, crying unto the people." This actually reminded me of the talk that Elder Holland gave this past General Conference when he said,
My brethren and sisters among the general officers of the Church will be uneasy with [this] description, but that is how I seem them- mortal messengers with angelic messages...Now, these mortal angels who come to this pulpit have, each in his or her own way, sounded “the trump of God.” Every sermon given is always, by definition, both a testimony of love and a warning, even as nature herself will testify with love and a warning in the last days.
(46) Alma 10:6 "Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear." This caused me to wonder how many times each of us (me, specifically) have been called yet refused to hear or to listen to the council of the Lord.
(47) Alma 10:11 "For behold, he hath blessed mine house, he hath blessed me, and my women, and my children, and my father and my kinsfolk; yea, even all my kindred hath he blessed, and the blessing of the Lord hath rested upon us according to the words which he spake." When we listen to the prophet of God and take his words into our very homes and implement those words, we are blessed, and our families are blessed with us.
(48) Alma 10:23 "But it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared; now therefore, if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand, but in his fierce anger he will come out against you." We often only think about this in context of a population (like Sodom and Gamora), however, if we as individuals were to "cast out" our own righteousness, if we were to cease to do good or to keep the commandments, then we individually would be ripe for destruction. Just because you may be surrounded by other people that are good, that doesn't mean that you are safe from the judgement of God. I think an entire population could be righteous but for one person, and that one person could and probably would experience the fierce anger of the Lord if they refused to repent.
(49) Alma 12:13 "Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word..." Do you remember how Jesus is the Word? If we read this verse with that in mind, then it takes on a deeper meaning. "If we have hardened our hearts against Jesus Christ, insomuch that he has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned." See also verse 11, because I think this is also applicable to that verse. (Verse 11 says, "And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries..."
Labels: Book of Mormon, Religion, Svithe
Sunday, April 24, 2011
(32)
An Account of Alma and the people of the Lord, who were driven into the wilderness by the people of King Noah... Mosiah 23:1-2 "Now Alma, having been warned of the Lord that the armies of king Noah would come upon them, and having made it known to his people, therefore they gathered together their flocks, and took of their grain, and departed into the wilderness before the armies of king Noah. And the Lord did strengthen them, that the people of king Noah could not overtake them to destroy them." I think it is fair to say that we have also been continuously warned by the Lord of the armies that are come up against us. Ever General Conference we are warned about Satan and his armies. Do we also take heed and flee from the danger when directed? If we do, the Lord will similarly strengthen us so that the armies of those that seek to destroy cannot overtake us.
(33) Mosiah 23:9 "But remember the iniquity of king Noah and his priests; and I myself was caught in a snare, and did many things which were abominable in the sight of the Lord, which caused me sore repentance." Isn't it interesting how Alma terms it "sore repentance." Repentance was and is not meant to be comfortable or easy. I think it is the "soreness" of it all that makes it a true true repentance.
(34) Mosiah 23:21 "Nevertheless, the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith." Even when we are living righteously we are not exempt from tribulation. It is the way that our faith is tried so that it may continue to grow.
(35) Mosiah 27:9 Discusses Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah, but mostly Alma the younger. In verse 8 it says that "he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people," Verse 9 goes on to say, "And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissention among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over them." I find it interesting that the word "chance" is used here. The only way that Satan was able to gain power over an individual was if that person chose to enable him to be able to exercise his power over them. Alma could not give Satan power over all the people, but only a chance at that power. It is the same thing now. If we feel that Satan is exercising power over our own individual lives, it is only because we are allowing him to do so.
(36) Mosiah 27:29 An angel of the Lord has just appeared to Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah. "And now the astonishment of Alma was so great that he became dumb, that he could not open his mouth; yea, and he became weak, even that he could not move his hands; therefore, he was taken by those that were with him, and carried helpless, even until he was laid before his father." Laman and Lemuel also had angels appear to them, yet that never resulted in any permanent change. Why do you think it is that the appearance of an angel to Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah had such a lasting and positive effect on them, and not on Laman and Lemuel?
(37) Alma 1:30 This verse lists a lot of Godlike qualities that we should strive towards. "And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need."
(38) Alma 4:11-13 "Alma saw the wickedness of the church, and he saw also that the example of the church began to lead those who were unbelievers on from one piece of iniquity to another, thus bringing on the destruction of the people. Yea, he saw great inequality among the people, some lifting themselves up with their pride, despising others, turning their backs upon the needy and the naked and those who were hungry, and those who were athirst, and those who were sick and afflicted. Now this was a great cause for lamentation among the people, while others were
abasing themselves..." This word (abasing) comes in part from the Latin word that means to lower in stature. The righteous, then, were willing to be lowered in their worldly stature, I think, to be made equal with Christ (I am probably not wording this very well). If we remember correctly, Christ did not gain very high regard from the world, but he did from the poor, needy, and afflicted, because it was to them that he administered. If we are to become Christlike, we must do the same and not forget to be humble.
(39) Alma 4:14 "Looking forward to that day, thus retaining a remission of their sins; being filled with great joy because of the resurrection of the dead, according to the will and power of deliverance of Jesus Christ from the bands of death." I just found it ironic that I would read this verse for Easter. Also, I was thinking about this the other night at the Relief Society meeting we had for my ward where we went to the Temple Visitor's Center. While we were there, we watched the movie
Lamb of God. There is a part in that movie that shows Pilot asking the people, essentially, who he should release from death: Barabbas or Jesus Christ. Truly, Barabbus probably deserved to die (we read in the New Testament that he was not really a great guy. The Bible Dictionary says that he was an insurrectionist and a robber), but because Jesus was chosen to be crucified, he was thus released of his bands and set free from prison. Through the Atonement, Christ has offered to do the same for all of us.
Labels: Book of Mormon, Easter, Holiday, Svithe
Friday, April 08, 2011
(26)Mosiah 4:8-10
"Neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you. Believe in God; believe that he is and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them." These verses describe in very simple terms how it is that we come about our salvation: believe in God and his matchless power; believe that you must repent, forsake your sins and be humble; act on your beliefs.
(27)Mosiah 9:11 "Therefore it came to pass, that after we had dwelt in the land for the space of twelve years that king Laman began to grow uneasy, lest by any means my people should wax strong in the land, and that they could not overpower them and bring them into bondage." This is the same thing with Satan. As we begin to prosper, he does what he can do bring us back into bondage, for fear of not being stronger than we are. Guess what, though? Satan is
not as strong as us. He can do very little of his own power for lack of a body. It is through our actions that he can, sometimes, gain power. When we are strong (in the gospel), he cannot overpower us or bring us into bondage.
(28) Mosiah 10:1 "And it came to pass that we again began to establish the kingdom and we again began to possess the land in peace. And I caused that there should be weapons of war made of every kind, that thereby I might have weapons for my people against the time the Lamanites should come up again to war against my people." Even though there was peace in the land, Zeniff knew that the Lamanites were still out there and that they were prone to fighting. Because of this, he prepared his people for the day that the Lamanites would come up against them to battle by forging weapons. In our day, even though we experience relative peace, we cannot afford to forget that the devil is still out there and so we should also prepare ourselves to defend against him and all of his angels.
(29) Mosiah 12:6 "they shall also be smitten with the east wind" I wonder why it is specifically the east wind and not the west. Do you think it has something to do with
Matthew 24:27?
(30) Mosiah 12:30 I feel like this verse contains a very good definition of what wisdom is. It says, "Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise." Wisdom is, then, more than knowledge, because with wisdom you apply your heart to what you have learned or come to understand.
(31) Mosiah 16:14 "Therefore, if ye teach the law of Moses, also teach that it is a shadow of those things which are to come." Shadow: weak and inferior, insubstantial or fleeting. So if the law of Moses was a shadow of things to come, then he is saying that the law of Moses is inferior, even insubstantial in comparison to that which Christ would bring. This really makes perfect sense, as Christ came to fulfill the law and brought to the world a greater law in the process.
Labels: Book of Mormon, Svithe
Sunday, March 20, 2011
I missed last week (couldn't get the internet to connect from my house on Sunday, and then I went to San Fransisco and wasn't exactly spending much time on the computer), so this is for two weeks' time.
(18) Jacob 5:73 This is the parable of the olive trees, specifically the part where they are grafting in the wild tree with the "tame one:" "they did keep the root and the top thereof equal, according to the strength thereof." We should not branch out further than that which our roots can support. Or, in other words, do not force yourself to take on more than that which you have strength to bear.
(19) Jacob 6:5 "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would... cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you." I thought it interesting that one of the definitions of "cleave" is to "become emotionally attached to" something.
(20) Enos 1:3 "... the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart." This one I just linked to Mosiah 2:41 which says, "I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to theend they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."
(21) Omni 1:21 "Yeah, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him" I remember learning that your soul is your body and spirit combined, so to offer up your whole soul would be to offer up all that you physically and spiritually have.
(22) Mosiah 2:14 contains the description of what is, to me, a nearly perfect form of government. I'm not going to type it up here, but feel free to
read it yourself and see what you think!
(23) Mosiah 2:33 talks about everlasting punishment. I think that part of the reason this punishment is everlasting is because we can never pay back all of our blessings. As stated in a previous verse, we are indebted to our Heavenly Father from the very beginning, from the time that we are given our bodies until the end of time we are indebted to him. There is nothing that we can ever do to pay back this great debt, save that we serve Him. Yet even after doing this, we are blessed with even more, and so our debt becomes greater, thus bringing about an endless debt.
(24) Mosiah 3:15 "And many signs, and wonders, and types, and shadows he showed unto them, concerning his coming" Look at the dictionary definition of this word (a person or thing symbolizing or exemplifying the ideal or defining characteristics of something; a symbol or an emblem). Do you think that the people all noticed all the types that they were given? For example, do you think that the Israelites noticed when Moses and some of the things he did was given as a type? Do we notice the types in our own lives? For if God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then it stands to reason that the Lord still shows us many signs, wonders, shadows, and types to this day.
(25) Mosiah 3:19 "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." What exactly is a saint? I think this verse gives us some pretty good defining characteristics of sainthood. Read back over it again.
Labels: Book of Mormon, Religion, Svithe
Sunday, March 06, 2011
This week, I finished 2 Nephi fairly early on, and so we also get a few of my thoughts on Jacob. (For my own reference, my notes are now going to be numbered in accordance with the way they are numbered in my kindle, just so that it makes it easier for me to find where I've left off from the week before. I will still include the scripture reference.)
#9. 2 Nephi 30:5 "And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them; wherefore, they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their fathers." I think part of the restoration of all things is also restoring the descendants of Lehi as well as the Jews to the knowledge which their forefathers previously had.
#10. 2 Nephi 31:16 "...unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved." I am pretty sure that this is a no-brainer, but unless we actually follow the Savior's example, we are not really enduring to the end.
#11 2 Nephi 31:20 "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope..." What do you think it means to have a perfect brightness of hope? I suppose that part of enduring to the end is to have this kind of hope. I also think that, for hope to be perfect, it cannot be false or misplaced.
#12 Jacob 2:13 talks about riches and pride. Pride comes when we have more, have done more, or perceive ourselves as being more than another individual. The sin didn't come from getting riches; the sin came from seeking riches because of pride and a desire for being more than someone else.
#13. Jacob 2:19 "seek [riches] for the intent to do good" It is OK to seek riches as long as you first seek the Kingdom of God and as long as your intent is to better the lives of others and to do good, not for the benefit of yourself (your pride) only.
#14 Jacob 3:1 "Look unto God with firmness" The dictionary defines this as being solid and unyielding. If we are looking to God with firmness, then there is nothing that can distract us from him.
#15 Jacob 4:5 This verse discusses the account of Abraham and his sacrifice in the wilderness. Sacrifice brings us closer to God by giving us some sort of understanding of God's love. While we do not offer up animal sacrifices anymore, we are still commanded to sacrifice our time and all that we have to the Lord to bring us closer to Christ.
#16 Jacob 4:10 "seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand." I think it is OK to tell the Lord what we hope for, but it is more important that we inquire after His will.
#17 Jacob 4:14 "blindness came by looking beyond the mark..." What do you think this means and how does it apply to us? How does a person look beyond the mark?
Labels: Book of Mormon, Religion, Svithe
Sunday, February 27, 2011
As a disclaimer, I have absolutely no idea how many "parts" this series of 2 Nephi will have. I suppose it all depends on how many weeks it takes me to get through the book.
You may remember that, once upon a time, my family started reading the Book of Mormon and sharing our thoughts on our readings with each other. I've recently begun again, and decided that I will attempt to post my thoughts weekly (hopefully not weakly), probably on Sundays, because that seems appropriate.
Also, I've got a Kindle now (and I love it), so I've been reading and making notes on that. However, by the time I actually got my Kindle, I was already partway through 2 Nephi, so that's where I'm starting this whole thing.
Now, onto the meat of my post:
2 Nephi 25:1 This comes after a lot of chapters of Isaiah. Isaiah was hard for the people of Nephi to understand, too. I don't think we should feel too discouraged when we do not understand his prophesies. Maybe instead we should learn the manner of prophesying among the Jews of that day.
Verse 7 We will have no reason to doubt that the prophecies of Isaiah have been fulfilled.
Verse 28 "And the words which I have spoken shall stand as a testimony against you; for they are sufficient to teach any man the right way; for the right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not;" Does this mean that words of Nephi alone should be enough for the convincing of the truth contained in the Book of Mormon?
2 Nephi 26:1 "And after Christ shall have risen from the dead he shall show himself unto you" If we are meant to liken the scriptures unto ourselves, then I think that we should remember that Christ has shown himself unto us, too. Maybe we have not physically seen our Savior, but we can see those things which make manifest glory.
Verse 29 I like how it is that Nephi tells us precisely what priestcrafts are, so that there can be no question in our minds when we are confronted with them. "Priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion."
2 Nephi 29:8 "Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word?" I was thinking specifically of the early days of the Church, but I am sure there are instances in our day, too. How many people become angry, or upset, or defensive (ie murmur) when they hear that the Lord has given more scripture in these latter-days?
Verse 11 "I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them" Doesn't this make you wonder how much more scripture there is out there (from other nations) that we have yet to receive?
Labels: Book of Mormon, Svithe
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Alma 7:11-13
11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and aafflictions and btemptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will ctake upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. 12 And he will take upon him adeath, that he may bloose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to csuccor his people according to their infirmities. 13 Now the Spirit aknoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the bflesh that he might ctake upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.
I like that he first mentions that Jesus will suffer our pains, infirmities, and illnesses, before he mentions that He will also suffer for our sins. While I do believe that Jesus suffering for our sins is a very important part of the Atonement, I think that far too often we overlook the fact that He also suffered our weaknesses, our pains, our illnesses, our infirmities, too. We do not suffer anything by ourselves, save that Jesus suffered it first, with us. I find comfort in that. Hopefully you guys do, too.
15 Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth abeset you...
First, according to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, "beset" means "trouble or harass." Second, I really like that Alma says "come and fear not." Don't be afraid to set your sins, those things which maybe you are troubled about but are not sure you want to give up, don't be afraid to set them aside. It's OK (and good!) to not do things the way the World does them.
23 And now I would that ye should be ahumble, and be bsubmissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive. 24 And see that ye have afaith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.
This is a good road-map of what we need to do to stay on the Strait and Narrow. I believe that to be submissive means to give your will over to the will of the Father without argument. If you entreat someone to do something, you ask them very politely and seriously to do it. (That's Google's definition.) Some sources also say that being easy to be entreated means to be agreeable, and teachable (which goes along with being humble?) I also like that God wants ask to ask for those things which we stand in need of, and not just the spiritual things. He wants to take care of us in all ways possible, like a good Father does. And if we have faith, hope, and charity, we can do little wrong. I like that.
As far as Alma 10 goes, I've always wondered where the story is of Aminadi (Amulek's great something) "who interpreted the writing which was upon the wall of the temple, which was written by the finger of God." I'd love to read about that.
Labels: Book of Mormon, Religion, Svithe
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Alma 4:14 "Looking forward to that day, thus retaining a remission of their sins; being filled with great joy because of the resurrection of the dead, according to the will and power and deliverance of Jesus Christ from the bands of death." I think if we are "looking forward" to a day, then we are also preparing for it. Like Christmas. We prepare for Christmas by decorating the house, buying gifts for those we love, watching Christmas movies, reading in Luke 2... So if we are "looking forward to that day" (the day that Christ shall come again), then we will be retaining a remission of our sins, because we will be repenting and trying to live righteously. We will be taking care of each other, the sick, and the needy, we will be doing all of those things that we have been asked to do.
Labels: Book of Mormon, Religion, Svithe
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Mosiah 29:19&20
"
19 And were it not for the interposition of their all-wise Creator, and this because of their sincere repentance, they must unavoidably remain in bondage until now. 20 But behold, he did deliver them because they did
ahumble themselves before him; and because they
bcried mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of
cmercy towards them that put their
dtrust in him."
I just really like these verses. I also have written in my scriptures "What am I in bondage to?" I think that is a good question for us to consider. Maybe it is a TV show or staying up too late, or eating too much (or too little?), or maybe we have that "favorite" sin that we need to be delivered from. If we sincerely repent, humble ourselves before God, and "cry mightily unto him," he will deliver us from that bondage.
Labels: Book of Mormon, Religion, Svithe
Sunday, July 18, 2010
In Mosiah 21, the Nephites go up to battle against the Lamanites 3 times and are beaten back 3 times. At this time, they did not have the the blessing of the Lord with them (Abinadi has just recently been slain, and Limhi is king. The people are in bondage to the Lamanites at this time). By so going into battle, the Nephites are also breaking an oath which they had just barely made with the Lamanites. I start to think, is it any wonder the Lord was slow to hear their cries? But at the same time, I'm thinking, why isn't the Lord rushing to help them, as they seem to have turned their hearts back to him? Maybe it is because the Nephites need to learn something about keeping oaths? Or maybe the Lord is waiting to see if they really, truly have repented of their ways? I also wonder why it was that Ammon thought himself an "unworthy servant" to baptize the people of Limhi.
In chapter 23, I like verses 21 and 22. It says, "Nevertheless, the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith. Nevertheless -whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yeah, and thus it was with this people." Remember that chapter 23 is about Alma and those people of King Noah that had fled with him and had been baptized and entered into sacred covenants with the Lord. These people are righteous, they are not wicked. Yet the Lord still allowed for them to come into bondage with the Lamanites (and the wicked priests of King Noah), that He might deliver them in the future. I think also the Lord allowed them to experience trials so that they could learn about themselves and about their relationship with God. How often has God tried our patience and our faith? Do we remain faithful, despite our difficult times, and do we continue to cry unto the Lord, or do we chose to believe that God does not love us any more and try to do things on our own? I like the response of Alma and his people in verse 15 (chapter 24) "And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." When we continue to trust in the Lord, He will strengthen us, that we, too, may "bear up [our] burdens with ease."
Labels: Book of Mormon, Religion, Svithe
Sunday, July 11, 2010
I don't have a whole lot to share tonight. Just something that I found interesting in Mosiah chapter 9 (well, at least that is where I started reading tonight. It could have been in chapter 10). Zenniff states that he was over-zealous in obtaining the land of their inheritance. Zealous is synonymous with ardent, enthusiastic, eager, fervent, keen, earnest... When I read this, I think that he felt some remorse? for his over-zealousness because it led to heartache for many. I also found it interesting that Zenniff kept a record of his people. I think he must have been a pretty righteous man and knew the words of the prophets. The last thing I found interesting was that he listed the different kinds of seeds the planted. I wonder what neas is/are? (Hey, cool article.)
Labels: Book of Mormon, Religion, Svithe
Sunday, July 04, 2010
This is from Mosiah Chapter 8:20 "O how marvelous are the works of the Lord, and how long doth he suffer with his people; yea, and how ablind and impenetrable are the understandings of the children of men; for they will not seek wisdom, neither do they desire that she should rule over them!"
When I first read this verse, I took it to understand that the Lord suffers because of his people's stupidness (for lack of a better word). I think this is partially true. When we are dumb and sin/transgress the Word of God, He suffers (that's part of what the Atonement is about, isn't it?), But I don't think that is exactly what King Limhi meant when he said this. I think he meant that the Lord literally suffers with us. When we are suffering from transgression or bondage or from our own weaknesses- whatever it is that ails us- God suffers the pain with us, whether because of a decision we made or just because sometimes Life Hurts, God will not make us suffer alone. I am sure Mom and Dad understand this much better than I do, but it kind of reminds me of how, when Elliot broke up with me and I was aching, Mom and Dad wanted nothing but to see me happy again, and I think they were suffering with me. Sometimes I think we forget to see God as our loving heavenly Father. He is our parent.
Also, Happy Fourth of July!
Labels: Book of Mormon, Religion, Svithe
Sunday, June 27, 2010
My parents and I have begun reading the Book of Mormon every day (well, trying to), and we email the family insights which we pick up in our readings. I've decided to post some of my own, personal insights here, in an effort to get back to the Svithe cycle thinger. Some days reading provides a lot more inspiration than other days, so I hope you'll forgive me if some of my posts seem lame or not very well thought out. For more information on the Book of Mormon or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), please visit Mormon.org orscriptures.lds.org (both are hyper-linked, so feel free to click away)
Mosiah Chapter 2:34 "There are not any among you... but what knoweth that ye are eternally indebted to you heavenly Father, to render to him all that you have and are..." I find it interesting, I guess, that we are to render to God all that we are. I guess this is something that I haven't thought of before? God gave us life, he made us who we are, and I think if we are to repay him in any way, shape, or form, and to do so successfully, the only way to repay him is to give ourselves back to Him. And he knows who we are. If we are not sure what else we can give, we can ask Him, and I think He will tell us.
Then verse 41 (which I used to have memorized) "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it." I kind of think that if we are being truly obedient to all the commandments of God, then we are "render[ing] to him all that... [we] are." I think it is also important for us to remember that our weaknesses are part of us, part of what makes us Us. If we give our weaknesses and everything else over to God and "hold out faithful to the end" then God will provide for us in ALL things. He will take care of those weaknesses. He will bless us spiritually; He will bless us temporally. Everything we stand in need of, we will be provided with. I also like how King Benjamin said "hold out faithful to the end" instead of "endure to the end." I don't know, something about the phrase "endure to the end" just really bothers me. I guess this is because so often it is used in a "you just have to live through this moment" type of way instead of a "don't give up and keep working!" way. To me, "hold out faithful" means we never lose our faith or hope, and, as it says in James 1, faith without works is dead. Holding out faithful means that we continue to work towards that end. We trudge on, if we must, but we do go on. There is a quote from a movie that I like that I often repeat to myself when I get discouraged. It says, "We are intrepid; we carry on!"
Labels: Book of Mormon, Religion, Svithe
Sunday, June 20, 2010
My parents and I have begun reading the Book of Mormon every day (well, trying to), and we email the family insights which we pick up in our readings. I've decided to post some of my own, personal insights here, in an effort to get back to the Svithe cycle thinger. Some days reading provides a lot more inspiration than other days, so I hope you'll forgive me if some of my posts seem lame or not very well thought out. For more information on the Book of Mormon or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), please visit Mormon.org orscriptures.lds.org (both are hyper-linked, so feel free to click away)
Talking about when the people of Mosiah net up with the people of Zarahemla in Omni, it says that "their language had become corrupted; and they had brought no records with them; and they denied the being of their Creator..." This, to me, is proof against what is said in 1 Nephi, that if they had not gone back to get the plates, Lehi and his family would have dwindled in unbelief, and they would have perished, but because they did keep the commandments of God, their family was spared. I think that this is something that is very important and there are two things we can learn here. 1 is that the scriptures protect us. The other is that it is important for us to keep our own records, so that our future posterity does not "dwindle in unbelief."
Labels: Book of Mormon, Religion, Svithe
