Ether 4 – Come Unto Me

For quite some time I have been pondering the thought that there have been so many people who come to earth, get their body, have lives and then they died without ever hearing the gospel.  I know they will be taught in the Spirit World the things of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be given an opportunity to accept or reject.  I have no problem with that.  What I struggle with is the mass elimination of a society.  Surely there is someone within these societies that was good.  Why did they have to be eliminated as well?  Okay, in writing it, I have answered my own question a little.  So really, the purpose in coming to earth is to gain a body.  Everything after that is just for our experience.  We can have a good one or a bad one.  Some of this is because of our choices; some is because of the choices of others.  We’ve been told in the Doctrine and Covenants that:

D&C 130:18-19:  Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.

And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.

That doesn’t mean we can’t learn after this life.  So what is lost if we “choose” not to learn in this life or to at least be a good person?  Will we be given the opportunity to do so in the next?  We have been told that we will rise with the same . . . – - Alma says it best in Alma 41:13-15 when he speaks to Corianton about resurrection:

 13 O, my son, . . . . the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish—good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful.

 14 Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again.

 15 For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored; therefore, the word restoration more fully condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all.

To me, this paints a picture of what we call “Spirit Prison” as maybe a bit of a frightening place.  Even though we rest from our labors and the burdens of this world we have left, we’ll be dwelling with some wickedness if we have not attended to the ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, i.e. faith in the lord Jesus Christ, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.  To me, that would be hell in itself and I would be waiting ever so anxiously for my ordinance work to be done by some merciful saint who is still living.

Another thought from this scripture is to be sure I’m who I want to be when “the music stops” (aka death). 

Am I satisfied that I know what happens to the good people who lived at the same time and same place as the wicked who died in their sins?  Well, I know what becomes of them.  My concern is the same though.  Does the Lord turn on an entire civilization?  Well, yes He does.  But he has provided a Savior for us to do for us those things we did not have the opportunity to do for ourselves.  This is a blessing that goes so much deeper than what I can comprehend.  If I had never heard of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it would be huge!  Because I don’t fit in that category and have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life, the responsibility is even greater for me to continue in righteousness and endure to the end.  If I missed my mark and somehow wound up in Spirit Prison because of poor choices after I had had the Gospel in my life, where would I be then?  I guess I would still be in Spirit Prison because “no unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God”.

Alma is speaking to Corianton again in Alma 40:26:

26 But behold, an awful death cometh upon the wicked; for they die as to things pertaining to things of righteousness; for they are unclean, and no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of God; but they are cast out, and consigned to partake of the fruits of their labors or their works, which have been evil; and they drink the dregs of a bitter cup. 

There is much more in Alma Chapter 41 about the resurrection, but I won’t bother to quote it.  Suffice it to say; I must watch carefully that I don’t fall into the category of wickedness.  I don’t think I would be happy when I reach my next life.

So what does all this have to do with Chapter 4 of Ether?  Maybe I’ve gone on a tangent.  But Christ himself is the author of verses 6 through the end of the chapter.  Moroni is quoting them, of course.  He asks us to “Come unto [Him] me”.  The invitation is to the Gentiles and all the house of Israel – everyone!  All of God’s children. 

Ether 3 – Pray in Declaration

I’m not so certain why I was fascinated with the Brother of Jared’s prayer as I read it, but I wonder if it was put in the scriptures as a guide in prayer.  What does the brother of Jared declare?

• He declares the word of the Lord as it pertained to why he had approached the Lord (v2)
• He declares his own weakness.
• He declares that the Lord is holy.
• He declares that he dwells in the heavens.
• He declares his own unworthiness before the Lord.
• He declares his knowledge that his unworthiness has as much to do with the Fall of Adam as it does his own nature. 
• He declares that he’s been commanded of the Lord to call upon Him in prayer.
• He declares his faith in receiving according to his desires.
• He declares they have been smitten because of their iniquity (v3).
• He declares he knows they’ve been left to wander in the wilderness because of their iniquity.

After all these declarations, he then asks the Lord to touch the molten rocks and cause light to shine from them.  We know the miracle from this prayer was that he saw the finger of the Lord and when he declared he had seen this much of the Lord and knew now that He had a body and flesh and blood, the Lord showed him his entire body. 

One of the most beautiful prayers I’ve heard was in sacrament meeting as Sister Harley petitioned the Lord’s presence to attend us at that meeting.  It was as if she were talking face-to-face with the Lord.  She declared our purpose in assembling.  She declared our desire to be made perfect in our Savior and to be forgiven.  I wish I could remember more of what she said, but it was a powerful prayer and I wasn’t the only one who noticed it, as it was mentioned in Sunday School afterward. 

I’m not certain where I’m going with this except to record the thought that perhaps wonderful things would happen if I begin my prayers in a spirit of declaration and let the Lord know what I know – including enumeration of my blessings -  and then let him know what I need. 

Mormon 1 – Then and Now

The Nephites are in a terrible state of wickedness – so much so that the disciples of Jesus who had been given the opportunity to tarry until the second coming of Jesus Christ were taken away and there were no more miracles in all of the land (v13). 

How blessed we are that in spite of the wickedness surrounding us, the Lord has promised that the gospel of Jesus Christ will remain on the earth until He returns.  There will be awful trials and tribulations; of this we can be sure.  We are currently going through trials.  There isn’t a home in my own small world that isn’t suffering trials of some kind – and these are all wonderful and active people serving the Lord continuously.  So what is the difference between then and now?

We have apostles and prophets showing us the way – teaching us the things we must do to be worthy of the Lord’s guidance through these rough and turbulent waters.  It was just this morning as I was listening to my daughter lament about the terrible injustice of our health system and the burdensome premiums that have been hiked again – even with the legal mandate that all people will be insured and have access to medical care.  There are options, and if a person had a crystal ball to know what medical issues their family will be dealing with in the future, it would be a walk in the park.  But we don’t have that crystal ball.  However, I told her the Lord knows what their future holds and she needs to do her homework on what she knows, put the figures on a piece of paper and weigh it out for herself.  When she thinks she’s found the right solution, take it to the Lord and get His approval.  When His approval comes, trust the outcome.  When the Lord puts His approval on something, you can rest assured that it is the best option and NEVER second-guess your decision.  (D&C 6:23)  This is the most valuable tool we have to see us through these trying times.

In v14, Mormon tells us that “. . . there were no gifts from the Lord, and the Holy Ghost did not come upon any, because of their wickedness and unbelief.”  Since we have been promised we will never be without these gifts, it is my firm conviction we must do everything in our power to not lose them. 

It is my firm testimony that the Lord has a Plan and we are part of that Plan.  We can trust that He wants to bless us.  We must live worthy so that He can do so. 

3 Nephi 29 & 30 – Consequence or Invitation

In Chapter 29, Mormon tells us that when the Book of Mormon comes forth, it is the beginning of the gathering of Israel.  It is not a difficult thing to see the Lord’s hand in the events of the world currently.  We have been warned and forewarned of the calamities and trials of the last days.  We’re there, folks!  At times I think it’s going to be okay; we can deal with this.  At other times I wonder if I have what it’s going to take to be among those left standing when the Savior returns.  But then when I ponder the words of these two chapters, I realize there are only two choices. 

We can scoff at the calamities and troubles of the world and shake our fist at the Lord, aka “spurn at the doings of the Lord”, or we can “ . . . turn from evil doings, lyings, deceivings, whoredoms, idolatries, murders, priestcrafts, envyings, strifes, and from all wickedness and abominations, and come unto [Christ], and be baptized in his name, that ye may receive a remission of your sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, that ye may be numbered with my people who are of the house of Israel.”

To me, the choice is clear.  To “spurn” means to condemn the ways of the Lord, to contend against the word of the Lord, and to deny Christ.  I could never go there – ever!  So the only thing to do is to carefully go through the list Mormon describes in Chapter 30 v2 and overcome each one individually and completely – as soon as humanly possible.

Will I accept the consequence of poor choosing, of respond to the invitation to follow the Savior?  The choice has never been clearer.

3 Nephi 27 – At the Ready

V1 – “United in mighty prayer and fasting.”  Do I know what that looks like?  I believe I’ve seen it numerous times in my life.  I know that whenever there is a need in our ward, and we are asked for the faith and prayers of all the members in the behalf of someone, we see amazing things happen.  We’ve had missionaries who were sick and ready to be sent home be able to complete their missions in good health.  We’ve had a young girl in our ward with limes disease that has been prayed back from death’s door.  The result of these united prayers led her to a service mission in Africa that was a tremendous blessing to her and her family.  These are only recent examples.  It’s a beautiful thing, and a tool we probably don’t use often enough.

V29 – “Ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened.”  This is one of my favorite scriptures because I experienced it in a most profound way.  As I was far removed from the path leading back to my Heavenly Father, my life really was quite miserable.  I was living in an evil environment without much hope of improvement.  I had stopped going to church or practicing my religion in any way (scriptures, prayer, meetings, etc.).  One night as I felt I could not go on another moment, I threw myself on my bed and said aloud, “Heavenly Father, whatever it is my parents are praying for me, I’m ready.  I’ll do whatever it takes to not live like this anymore”.  Almost at that exact moment, I could feel myself being led to the light.  People had been placed in my path “at the ready” to help me.  Miracles were happening and I felt the angels guiding me back to the path of full fellowship in the church.  It was a beautiful thing and one that I do not take lightly.  I have felt the responsibility to be there for others in the same way – to watch for those who were in need of “light” in their lives.  I have always taken my commitment to visit teach seriously, and have made amazing friends along the way.  My life has been filled with opportunity to grow not only in the gospel, but also in ways that have made me a better person with more to offer others and to help build the kingdom.

It is this experience, and watching a very similar experience in my daughter’s life that give me great hope for others who are struggling with their testimonies.  I know Heavenly Father loves his children and wants to bless them.  He is “at the ready” to bless us whenever we are ready to receive His help.  The “rub” is obedience to God’s laws.  The Savior told His disciples to watch him and do as he did.  Then in v13 he tells them that this is His gospel:  “. . . that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.”  Are we to do anything less?  Keep the commandments.  Be obedient to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and we will have eternal life.  It is called the Plan of Salvation.  

This morning's reading reminds me that I must be “at the ready” to help others.