Opportunities to teach

Abinadi teaches some amazing things in this chapter.  Not all will I dwell on.  He tells us how the Father and Son are One and yet separate.  Easy doctrine to understand especially when we consider that we are to be one with the Savior.  We are to be like minded.

He teaches us that the Savior has suffered for the sins of his people.  What did he suffer?  Temptations, mocking, scourging, being cast out and disowned by his very own people!

As I observe the struggle my children have raising their families, I can't help but be transported to my days as a mother.  Oh how helpful it would have been to have had the luxury of actually sitting alone in the morning with my scriptures and studying them.  This morning's efforts would have helped as I struggled with a child who had a "poor little 'ole me" personality.  I would take him to this chapter that I had just read.  I would be excited about it, because it talks about some serious problems the Savior suffered.  I would ask this child "what are your temptations?  Have you ever been mocked by others?  If he thought so, I would talk about that mocking and then recall what I know about the Savior's mockings.  Have you ever been scouraged?  What is scourged?  It is a flogging with a whip that has sharp items woven into it to be sure to leave the skin torn, bleeding and very painful.  Have you ever been cast out?  Cast out of what?  School?  Your neighborhood friends?  Your family?  Community?  The Savior suffered this.  Everybody was mean to him!  Even his apostles turned away for fear of their own safety when he was in the very act of being crucified.  Have you ever been disowned?  Disowned by whom?  Friends?  Family?  Closest friend?   Yes, our troubles are few in comparison.  Yet, for whom did the Savior go through all this?  For us!

There are four groups of people Abinadi teaches are His seed:

• Those who hearken to the prophets (Do I?)
• The prophets
• Missionaries (Am I one?)
• Those who died without hearing the prophets, and little children

Then he says they are the heirs of the kingdom (v11)!  What is an heir?  Someone who inherits all the father hath.

Then Abinadi delivers the bad news.  Those who will not be considered heirs of the kingdom.  Who are they?  Those who perished (died) in their sins, who willfully rebelled against God having known the commandments but would not keep them.  The Savior cannot deny justice (v27).  This is sobering and a grave concern to a mother with a child who denies the teachings of the gospel.

One more teaching even though this entry is probably too long for anyone to hang on to the end.  In v28 we are told that the gospel, aka salvation of the Lord, will be declared to every nation, tongue and people!  They shall all see eye to eye.  This is huge.  And we know there is some serious work left to do before we reach this goal.

So how does this apply to me today?  Obviously, I need to be declaring the word of the Lord to whatever people I have stewardship over.