Moroni 7:45 - Attributes of Christ

This week we were finishing up in our study of the Book of Mormon! It has been such a cool experience studying the deep and marvelous meaning in this book of scripture. Specifically, we talked about the famous Moroni 7 scripture describing charity, one that we have all heard so many times that we perhaps have lost sight of the significance it holds:

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.

So often as I begin to study this scripture, I zone out by the third descriptive word. My professor actually stopped us mid-verse and asked us how many of us had stopped listening, and it was a large group of the class. He asked us to consider the significance of this verse when we no longer see it just as a description of the intangible virtue of charity. He told us to read it as a description of Christ.

Christ suffereth long and is kind. As we picture him in the Garden and on the cross, how can this ever be denied?

Christ envieth not, and is not puffed up. I think of when he was lowly enough to wash the feet of his disciples. Christ was not after material goods or station. He was happy to serve and minister.

Christ seeketh not his own. This attribute can be seen in his immortal words, "If thou be willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but thine be done."

Christ is not easily provoked. I think of when Christ so lovingly said to the woman caught in adultery, "Neither do I condemn thee. Go, and sin no more." Christ was so loving and patient, rebuking only when he deemed it necessary. When possible, he showed mercy and love.

And on it goes. Christ thinketh no evil, He rejoiceth not in our iniquity by rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things (in a way no other man ever could), believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Suddenly, we aren't just seeing the word "charity" with no true image. We see Christ. And if we are to become like Christ, this is the image we should be seeing and following. It's not about being perfect, at least not yet. That is the end goal, but God knows that I can't reach that today. But today, I can learn to cast away envy. He knows that I can be kind. He knows that I can choose not to be provoked. He knows that I can endure the trials placed on my shoulders today. And I know I can.

And so can you. As this study of the Book of Mormon comes to a close, recognize that everything has been meant to direct you to Him. He will accept you lovingly and sanctify you to do something greater than you could do alone. Even if perfection isn't achieved today, you can take a step there. Be kind. Let go of envy. Choose hope. Seek not for yourself but for others. Charity is Christ, and if you become charitable, you are becoming as Christ.

Ether 2: God's Template for Answering Prayers

Well, we were able to discuss one of my all-time favorite lessons in the Book of Mormon this week. I think there are some really cool applications that can be found for our day, but this is by far the coolest application for me. I have always been one to struggle with receiving and understanding answers to prayer. I always feel like there are so many answers, and how could we ever know exactly what God wants us to do? Similarly, how do we know if we are being blinded by our own emotion and desires? How much will God tell us? Should we have faith for a step-by-step plan, or should we have faith for no answer at all? I always feel so lost. Luckily, God has prepared for us a guide for when we are needing answers to prayers. That guide can be found in Ether 2, where the Brother of Jared is preparing his people to cross the ocean to the promised land. The Brother of Jared and his people have prepared barges to cross the ocean, and they are faced with three issues: they have no way to breathe, they have no way to steer, and they have no light. Thus, the Brother of Jared approaches the Lord in prayer and asks what he would have them do for each. The Lord first gives the following response:

20 And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood.

21 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did so, according as the Lord had commanded.

So, God gives the Brother of Jared one piece to the puzzle. It is a step-by-step plan for how he must accomplish his work, and the Lord identifies exactly what he needs to do. Then, the Lord waits for the Brother of Jared to obey before he gives him the next piece:

23 And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire.

24 For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.

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?

So, the Lord gives him two more pieces. First, in essence, God tells the brother of Jared concerning steering, Don't worry about it. I will handle that, and I will take you where you need to go. Second, God asks the brother of Jared what he wants him to do to give them light in the barges. This question is giving the brother of Jared the agency to choose while still giving a few stipulations: no windows or fire. The Brother of Jared then brings the clear stones to the Lord for him to touch with his finger.

So, how does God answer prayers?

1. Step-by-step plan

2. Don't worry about it

3. Agency (with guidelines)

These are God's answers! Sometimes he will tell us exactly how to do something or exactly what to choose. Other times, he will ask us to have faith in not knowing because it is in his hands. Finally, sometimes it is up to us to make our own choices while still following his commandments and guidelines for a righteous life.

When the brother of Jared brings the stones to the Lord, the Lord probably could have had a better way to light the barges. But he blessed the brother of Jared for his faith and sanctified his offering to make it something much greater. It is the same for us. When he gives us the agency to choose, sometimes we will choose something different from the best way because of our limited capacity to understand. But God will sanctify every offering we give to him to something greater. 

I know with greater faith and confidence that God will answer our prayers in one of those ways if we listen and are worthy, and that he will sanctify our offerings for our good. Don't be afraid to trust in the answers you get! Pray, listen, and act! Do your best. The Lord will listen and will answer you.

Praying All the Day Long: A Fourth Watch God

I have been spending a ton of time thinking about why sometimes the Lord allows us to go for so long with no clear answer or direction. Well, I was able to receive enlightenment to that question in a couple different ways. First, a friend of mine offered me a talk about how the Lord is a fourth watch God. He does not come to offer peace and freedom from struggle during the first watch, or the second, or the third. Not until the fourth and final watch does the Lord come. If the Lord has not yet offered you the peace and relief you need, it just means that it is not yet the fourth watch. Then, in our Book of Mormon lecture, we learned of those believers of Christ who were appointed to be put to death if the sign of Christ's birth was not given. As Nephi, the prophet of that time, observed the wickedness and hatred of that generation, he was weighed down with great sorrow. In 3 Nephi 1, it describes the following:

10 Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful.

11 And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.

12 And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:

13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.

What stands out as we learn of Nephi's search for peace is the experience he has in the actual action of prayer. Nephi prayed all that day. He didn't just pray for a few minutes and then go forward hoping that that would be enough. No, he spent all day praying. Why didn't the Lord answer his prayer at the beginning of the day? The Lord already knew the answer he would give, so it would not have been any more difficult for him to answer immediately. No, the Lord had a plan much bigger than just making things convenient for Nephi. Our professor made an insightful statement in class on this point: "God loves you far more than he loves your sense of peace and contentment and well being. He’s willing to let you get reeeaaallly uncomfortable because he’s getting you to stretch to become something that you are not." 

I am quick to wonder if, when the Lord isn't answering, it means he isn't listening. But that isn't the case. God listens to our prayers, and he loves us very dearly. It's because of that love that he waits. God is a fourth watch God. He is an End-of-the-Day God. He is shaping us, not just gratifying our need for immediate results. God has a much bigger plan for you than your current question or your current trial. Hold on, keep praying, keep asking, keep trusting. He knows what he wants to make of you. Let him shape you into the masterpiece you are designed to be.

The War Chapters: God Prepares HIs People

This week in our Book of Mormon lecture, we were able to discuss the war chapters! Apart from being some of the most interesting plot lines of the Book of Mormon, the war chapters have incredible symbolism and value for our lives. I want to specify one meaning that I find significant in the story of Zerahemnah and Captain Moroni. The story begins in Alma 43, and we see both men prepare their armies for battle with various tools. In verses 18 through 20, it describes each man's respective preparations:

 18 And it came to pass that [Captain Moroni] met the Lamanites in the borders of Jershon, and his people were armed with swords, and with cimeters, and all manner of weapons of war.

 19 And when the armies of the Lamanites saw that the people of Nephi, or that Moroni, had prepared his people with breastplates and with arm-shields, yea, and also shields to defend their heads, and also they were dressed with thick clothing—

 20 Now the army of Zerahemnah was not prepared with any such thing; they had only their swords and their cimeters, their bows and their arrows, their stones and their slings; and they were naked, save it were a skin which was girded about their loins; yea, all were naked, save it were the Zoramites and the Amalekites.

Moroni's men were prepared both with weapons of offense as well as with extensive protective gear. He wanted them to be prepared to fight and gain a victory, but he wanted to lose as few lives as possible because he loved his brethren. These were not faceless soldiers being sent to die. These were his friends and his family. On the other hand, Zerahemnah sent his men in with only weapons of offense but no protection. He wanted them to fight and to kill, but he had no concern for their lost lives. Likewise, God is seeking to prepare and protect his disciples. We are not faceless followers to him. He knows us all by name, and he thinks of only our safety and our happiness. Satan, on the other hand, sends his followers out to attack and to destroy. However, any lives lost in the process are meaningless collateral damage to him. He loves no one. He protects no one. In fact, he knows exactly what will happen to all of his followers. And that's exactly what he intends. He intends for our destruction. When we are faced with that truth, why do we struggle to decide who we will follow? The choice may seem hard in a moment, but if we take the moment to look into the future and see what Satan intends with us, we would never choose his path. On the other hand, if we look forward into the future when we are deciding whether or not to follow God, we will always see that he wants our happiness more than anything. For me, that means choosing to follow Him even when it's a hard decision. Because it will always be an easy decision if I take 30 seconds to look eternally rather than temporally.

God loves us all. He knows each of us and wants to protect all of us more than anything and give us happiness. Trust him! Love him! Follow him! Believe that he knows, because he does.

The Lonely End to Korihor: Who's on the Lord Side?

This week was focused on one of the most interesting lessons in the Book of Mormon to me. There are other parts in the Book of Mormon that are more spiritually uplifting and enlightening, but this particular lesson is also very enlightening. It's just through a different method of learning. Rather than studying a hero of the Book of Mormon to learn about goodness, the story of Korihor allows us to study the opposite to learn what is not good. In this way, we are able to more fully appreciate the goodness that is demonstrated.

Specifically, in class we chose to go through and compare the "doctrine" of Korihor to those of Sherem and Nehor. We discussed how Sherem and Korihor both teach that there is no Christ, while Nehor implies in his teaching that the coming of a Christ is still imminent. However, Sherem teaches that there is still a need for the Law of Moses regardless, and Nehor teaches that there is no law and that Christ will save us in our sins. One thing that struck me as we studied the different versions of antichrist "doctrine" presented was that Satan does not care about truth. He isn't trying to present one solid, consistent plan to teach his followers. Really, he does not care at all what happens to his followers. He is purely seeking to make the rest of us miserable by pulling us away from the one source of true doctrine: Jesus Christ. He wants us to turn from him and lose any faith or hope in his Atonement. In the end, Satan must know that his teachings will always fall apart from a lack of foundation. But, if he can pull any souls down with him, he will keep a facade of truth up for as long as possible.

Specifically, we are able to see what happens to those who follow Satan in Alma 30:60 following the miserable death of Korihor:

And thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell.


We need to always have our guard up when we are tempted to listen to the rationalizations and justifications of the devil. He is never, ever looking for our greatest happiness. In the end, his only goal is to see us broken and left alone. He will not stand with us. How often do we listen to Satan's whispers because it's easy or pleasing to the natural man, the way Korihor did? We need to recognize that there will only be one ending to that story. On the other hand, if you choose to listen to Jesus Christ and the promptings of his Spirit, there is joy promised to you. The decision to do so will not always be easy, but there is a promise that we will get down the road and some day look back and see that we made the right choice. In the meantime, we will always find support in Christ. He will strengthen us and always be there to carry us when we are weak. As long as we give ourselves to him in whatever way we can, he will be there with us.

I know as I read this, I feel a greater motivation to discern between what is the Spirit and what is not and make an even greater effort to follow inspiration given by the Lord. I don't want to leave my future in the hands of the being who wants only misery for me. I want to stand with Christ. One comment that my professor made this week about repentance and forgiving ourselves was "When Satan reminds you of your past, you remind him of his future." Eternal happiness is not in the cards for Satan, but it is for me and for you if we follow Christ. Forgiveness and freedom from sin can be ours. He loves us, and there is no greater power than that promise.

King Lamoni's Father: What A Testimony is Worth

This story truly is one of my absolute favorite in all of the Book of Mormon. I love so much seeing the progression made by King Lamoni's father. He goes from hating all Nephites and almost killing his own son for traveling with a Nephite, to being willing to give up half of his kingdom to protect his own life. Then, as he sees the mercy that Ammon shows and the love that Ammon has for his son, Lamoni, he seeks to understand with greater detail the gospel that has changed the heart of his son and built such faith. When Aaron comes to teach him, he expresses that he will give even up to his entire kingdom to know of this truth. As we can see, he goes from valuing his life at half the kingdom to valuing his entire kingdom for the truth of the Gospel. The most beautiful part, though, comes as he begins to pray to God. In Alma, we hear his beautiful prayer and desire:

  “O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee.”

Wow. Do we ever show that kind of faith? We express it, maybe, but when it comes down to giving up that one guilty pleasure or that one habit that is wrong but so enticing, are we really willing to give up all of our sins to know God? I know that I want to come to develop that more. I want to see no sin and no wrong choice above knowing God. Because when we hold on to sin, we can never know God. Only when we have cast off those desires can we truly endure and enjoy the light of Christ and come closer to our father. We need to choose to do that. Love God above the lucre of this temporal world. In doing so, we will find the greatest joy and we will come to know God as our Father in Heaven.

Alma 5: Of What Fold Are Ye?

This week set me on a really interesting self-study, something I have needed. Recently, I found myself wondering who I am as an individual and how I want to choose to direct my life. Sometimes we get so caught up in our daily lives that we sometimes lose track of our own identity and our own state of being. I was realizing recently that I needed to rediscover that so that I could redirect myself down a path that will lead to where I want to end up. This week in Book of Mormon gave me a really great starting point for that quest. Our professor first challenged us to find our own pulse in five seconds. Naturally, most of us were able to do so pretty quickly. He then asked us to find our spiritual pulse. As one might expect, we all sat there unsure of what to do or how to find that.

He went on to say that our physical pulse is relatively easy to find, but we oftentimes feel lost when it comes to being able to measure our health and progression spiritually. He then told us that if we ever need a starting point for spiritual self-reflection, then we should read Alma 5. He counseled us to use that list of questions as an interview of sorts to be able to check ourselves. Following that class, I chose to go through Alma 5 and list out the questions that would apply to this self-interview. These are some of the questions I found:

           

·      Have you been spiritually born of God?

·      Have you received his image in your countenances?

·      Have you experienced this mighty change in your hearts?

·      Do you exercise faith in Christ’s creation and redemption? (with faith in the three pillars and in the Plan of Salvation)

·      Can you stand before God with a pure heart and clean hands?

·      Have you been sufficiently humble?

·      Are you stripped of pride?

·      Are you stripped of envy?

·      If you’ve felt to sing the song of redeeming love, can you feel so now?

Possibly my favorite question is offered in verse 39: “Of what fold are ye?” This makes me stop and ask who I have really enlisted to follow. Not just in word, but who do I follow in deed? Do I seek to use repentance and the Atonement to follow Christ? Or do I use pride and selfishness to fuel a path that will eventually lead to the devil? I think this is a question that we should all ask ourselves everyday. At the end of the day, can we look back and see works that demonstrated that we are of the Lord’s fold? Or are we acting in a way that leads us away from Him?

The beauty is that when we slip up and don’t do these things right, the Atonement is there to redirect us back down the correct path to and with Jesus Christ. We are so blessed with this beautiful truth.

Words of Mormon: Understanding God's Will

This week was a really interesting study for me. I recently made a new goal to have a group study where we have a topic weekly that we take and search for related teachings in our current scripture study. So, this week I focused on understanding God’s will, both in general aspects and in our personal lives. Well, it turns out that reading in the Words of Mormon was perfect for shedding light on that teaching. Specifically, I read the following scripture concerning Mormon’s choice to include the Small Plates of Nephi with his record:

“6 But behold, I shall take these plates, which contain these prophesyings and revelations, and put them with the remainder of my record, for they are choice unto me; and I know they will be choice unto my brethren.

 7 And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will.”

This commentary on Mormon’s choice was a perfect response to my study. Mormon did not fully understand why he was including the record, but he did know that the Spirit seemed to whisper to him that they were good and should be included. Rather than focusing on his own lack of knowledge, Mormon focuses on the Lord’s complete knowledge and obeys as much as he can. It goes on to say that his prayer is concerning his brethren the Lamanites, meaning that he focuses on loving and serving others. As I read this, it taught me to listen to when the Spirit whispers to me that something is good (whether that is the whole answer or not to his will for my future) and do as much as I can with as much knowledge as he has given me. Beyond that, my heart should then be committed to focusing on others, and his will will be revealed as I serve and love others.

It is so easy for us to become so caught up in wanting the Lord to tell us what he wants us to do that we show little faith, demonstrate little action, and serve few people. The Lord directs us down a path as it comes. We are not meant to stand at the starting line and ask what turn we should take 5 miles in.  Trust him. Move forward where you can and learn to put others first. God will always lead us forward as we seek to feel his Spirit and be a disciple of Christ.