Chapter 49 Verses 11–15 give us Moroni’s character, and verses 18–19 show that his brothers were laboring for the same cause. What kind of men were they?
· Strong
· Of perfect understanding
· Did not delight in bloodshed
· Rejoiced in agency, liberty, and the freedom of their country
· Thankful to God
· Labored for the welfare of others
· Firm in the faith of Christ
Do you want to know what a man of God looks like? A real man? Study Moroni.
Moroni rebuilt the city of Ammonihah and fortified the surrounding cities. That thought stopped me: What does one do to rebuild themselves?
I have some experience with that.
You shield yourself. You establish borders.
How? It’s a process much like Moroni’s.
We surround ourselves with good people who have the same goals — to be true disciples of Jesus Christ. Place reminders of the Savior inside the borders of your home. Read scriptures and keep them where they can be seen as a reminder. Have pictures of temples and Jesus Christ within sight.
Pray—a lot.
Be diligent in keeping the commandments.
Follow the prophet.
Serve — Help to build the kingdom of GodI tried to become a Zion person
Become a Zion person.
That’s how you rebuild. That’s how you fortify.
What would I teach my children today? I would teach how deeply they are loved by Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ who have paid a tremendous price for you. The Father watched His Son suffer for every person on this earth—for every imperfection of every kind. You were worth that. A topic for another day is that he suffered for this world as well. It too will be cleansed when Jesus returns.
Jesus loved His Father and loved us enough to make that sacrifice. Did it hurt? Of course it did—more than we can comprehend. When I feel pain, I sometimes think of Him experiencing that same pain for millions upon millions. I’m just one person. Imagine it.
In these chapters, the Lamanites prepare for war. They believe “might makes right”. They copy the Nephites’ armor—breastplates, helmets, thick clothing—and think they are ready. Their goal? To slay and massacre.
I marvel at that. Why the desire to harm? They did not understand who they were, and they did not understand their enemy. What did the Nephites want? Peace in the land—the kind of peace that comes from righteous living. They wanted the agency to worship. They wanted safety for themselves and their families.
Moroni had prepared his people. Their borders were secure. They gathered within their walls. Every city was fortified. When the Lamanites saw this, they were astonished. They thought they were ready. They were not.
What is the war we are waging today?
It is the same war against agency that began before this world. Now it shows itself in moral decay and opposition to righteousness—to those simply trying to live like Jesus Christ.
The Nephites were “shielded by their shields, and their breastplates, and their head-plates,” and though they were wounded, their wounds were not deadly. There is a lesson there. When we are fortified spiritually, we may still be wounded—but we are not destroyed.
What do we learn?
Peace comes from obedience—from heed and diligence to the word of God. We have prophets today to guide us so we can withstand the battle being waged against truth and righteousness. We must give heed to their counsel. There is no other way.
And after the Nephites’ victory, what did they do?
They were thankful.
Are we?
No comments:
Post a Comment