Mosiah 7 - Painful Bondage

King Limhi had his problems.  He was not a righteous man, but he remembered the promises made to his fathers that if they kept the commandments, they would be a free people.  He knew the reason his people were in bondage was because of the great sins which they had committed (especially his own).  We know reading further in this book that King Limhi had caused to be put to death many of his servants for their inability to keep his flocks alive.  So, we know he had blood on his hands. 

I’m amazed a person can know they’re doing so wrong and continue to do it.  Limhi is happy to see Ammon and his brothers and treats them royally.  Why does he do this?  He still has some faith.  He knows they have come to save them.  He also knows the conditions whereby they may be saved.  In the last two verses he tells his people that “. . . if they sow filthiness, they shall reap the east wind, which bringeth destruction.”  I have a note in my scripture from Millett Commentary that says the east wind is the most destructive wind there is. 

In the last verse (33) he tells his people that if they will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put [their] trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, they will be delivered from bondage.  He knows!  What’s that all about? 

Well, in my own life, I know I have two sweet daughters who know this very thing, yet continue their lives without the blessings of the gospel.  Is it pride?  Is it laziness?  Is it because of the bondage of sin they have committed?  I know substance abuse is a bondage like no other.  So what is the answer?  At what point does this bondage become too much and they turn (aka repent) their lives over to the Lord.  This is the real question that only the Lord can answer.  At some point, the pain will be so great they will.  Of this, I have no doubt.  I pray with all my heart it is in this life and that they can salvage part of the their lives to enjoy the blessings the Lord has in store for them.  It’s a beautiful thing when this happens.  I look forward to that day with great anticipation.

Mosiah 4 – A World Without Forgiveness!

As I read Mosiah 4 this morning, I could not help but think on the situation of a dear friend who has confided that his wife has not trusted him since before their marriage because of something he did even before they married!  What?  How can that be?  How can you raise a righteous family who are raising righteous families of their own, and not believe in the principle of forgiveness?  How can you withhold that sacred gift from someone you are sealed to for eternity?  How can you not believe Christ enough to know that the forgiveness you seek for your own sins is not something you are required to give to others – especially those you love?  (And we are told to love everyone.) 

King Benjamin makes it clear that we are all beggars. (v19)  Even more than that aspect of forgiveness is the peace and joy that come from truly forgiving.  The first thing the people did when they heard the words of King Benjamin was to fall to the earth and view themselves as unworthy.  Then they cried that the Lord would have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that they would receive forgiveness of their sins so that they would be purified.  They BELIEVED in Jesus Christ!  Then they were filled with joy because their sins were remitted.  This is a tangible thing, folks.  If you don’t believe it, you haven’t experienced it. 

Then King Benjamin goes on to tell them that they must not withhold this same type of forgiveness from others.  Maybe not in so many words, but in content.  If you do these things, you will “. . . retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you. . .”  This is the clincher to me: v13 “. . .ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due.”  Maybe this is a stretch, but I believe not.  Isn’t a husband who is deprived of the love, adoration and affection from his wife being deprived?  Is she not “withholding”?  Is this a lack of faith in the Atonement?  I believe it is. 

And now I will step down from my soapbox.  I know the Atonement is real.  I know forgiveness is a gift Heavenly Father gives to us when we truly repent.  I also know that carrying anger, resentment, disappointment, and hurt over unfulfilled promises is a burden that weighs the spirit down and you become numb to the things of God.  This is a frightening and dangerous place to be.  I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve had throughout my life to forgive.  I have an ex-husband whom I’ve been able to forgive and even become friends with.  I still don’t seek his company, but I have no evil intent toward him and wish him well in his life.  Forgiving a relative guilty of abusing one of my children was a sacred experience.  It was real; it was tangible.  I still wonder how I was able to do that, yet the only answer I have when I think on it is that it was the power of the Atonement.  It is that same gift and power that allows my marriage to be so rich.  Neither of us is perfect – far from it, in fact.  But when we slip up and do something hurtful, forgiveness comes in a sweet way, and our marriage becomes even more precious to us and we continue moving forward.  This is a GIFT of the Atonement, I have no doubt.

I love my Savior, Jesus Christ.  I don’t know how it is done.  It is one of the mysteries of heaven, and I’m okay with that. 

Mosiah 5 – Born Again – "Yup, That's my Kid!"

Let’s see if I can articulate this well enough to share it.

I read Mosiah 5 this morning and saw something in a light I have not seen it before – as a parent!  Whenever our children do something that thrills us to the core, why are we so pleased?  Usually, at the least because it is a really good thing.  Also, sometimes we see ourselves as having done a similar thing.  Or is it because that’s what they were taught to do as a child and we see them picking up that torch and our own passion, and embracing it as their own?  What do we jokingly and with just a little pride say?  How about, “Yup, that’s my kid!”  I’m guilty of that more than a few times.  When I’m busting buttons, it’s because they’ve done something well that we’ve taught them when they lived in our home.

Well, in Mosiah 5:15, King Benjamin says, “Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works (Acts 10:38 says Christ went about doing good),  that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, (Yup, that’s my kid!), that you may be brought to heaven, (He’ll want to have us around Him because we'll be like Him.), that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all (our Father).  Amen."

And we mustn’t forget Mosiah 5:7, “And now, because of the covenant which ye have made (we covenant to do good things), ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; (Yup, that’s my kid!) for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.” 

In Mosiah 27:25-26, we are told that all men (v25)  “. . . must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; (v26) And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.”

As a parent, I see why this is necessary.  It is very difficult indeed to be around those of our children who have embraced a lifestyle that is conflicting to our beliefs.  It hurts to watch them live beneath their privileges and potential and be content with the lesser portion.  It is especially hurtful to see their children be raised without the knowledge of their Savior or even given the choice to know Him.  Although we do love being around them and choose the pain over having them elsewhere, the Lord has made it quite clear that it’s not an option for Him. 

Mosiah 3:25 - It's Not Mine to Judge

I love the words of King Benjamin!  I read Mosiah 3 this morning.  I’ve read this numerous times in the past and written references to other scriptures that reinforce the things of which he spoke.  I think one of my favorite passages is “Have you received His image in your countenance?”  This comes from Alma 5:14.  Actually, my reference took me to Alma 5:16-21 where it talks of how a person is when they have partaken of the gift of the Atonement.  Then I read back to verse 14. 

Repeatedly, I am thinking of my return to activity in the Gospel.  When I look back, it was such a natural progression for me.  I never looked back.  I enjoyed the effects that living the gospel was having on me.  I felt the Spirit guiding me and teaching me and I was overcome more than a few times with awe and gratitude at what was happening in my life.  Why was this so natural for me?  Why was I so blessed?  I watch some of my children struggle and know that I was probably not the “norm” in this regard.  They have issues with the Lord and the Church.  I never did.  Their thinking is this:  If the Church is true, why are there bad people (aka men) who are allowed to hold the Priesthood and make bad calls? 

I wish I had a good answer to that question.  My reading this morning took me to D&C 121: 37 where it clearly states the condition of those men who use their Priesthood unrighteously.  It doesn’t necessarily cover a bishop who doesn’t see that a member of his flock is doing so though.  When a supposedly righteous priesthood holder is abusing a wife, why wouldn’t the spirit alert the bishop?  The absolute only explanation is that perhaps that Bishop wasn’t listening to the Spirit, as he should.  We are all human and make mistakes, even though we are trying to become Christlike.  This I know for sure, a Priesthood holder who abuses or uses unrighteous dominion has lost his power as a Priesthood holder.  D&C 121:37 makes this quite clear.  It would be a natural conclusion to me that this person has also lost the Spirit in his life as well.  So their countenance changes.  I've seen that.  That being said, how in the heck does he continue to pull the wool over a Bishop’s eyes?  Why doesn’t a Bishop see the façade?  It is mysterious, but not an uncommon scenario.

So this brings me back to the words of King Benjamin and the comfort they bring.  Those with evil intent will be “. . . consigned to an awful view of their own guilt and abominations, which doth cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord into a state of misery and endless torment, from whence they can no more return; therefore they have drunk damnation to their own souls.”  If not today, then some day the Judge over all of us (Jesus Christ) will make these judgments.  It is not for us to do so.  This is the beauty of the Gospel!  We don’t have to judge.  We don’t know a person’s heart, nor do we know their heartache.  Something causes poor behavior whether it was incorrect teachings, abuse as a child, mental illness . . . oh the list goes on.  But it is not ours to worry about.  We can put our efforts to better use.  This is for the Savior to carry, and we gladly let him do so. 

Formula to Prosper - Book of Jarom

Book of Jarom

Jarom is obedient to the commandment of his father to keep a record of the people.  He covers some pretty important ideas in a very short 15 verses.

Obedience

Righteousness 

Industrious      

       Preparedness         

=  Prosperity

That’s pretty plain.  And I look at the state of our country and the world today and I can see disaster looming.  This country is not obedient to anything but the whims of their own laws.  Righteousness is something to be bickered about, i.e. who is Christian; who is not.  Industrious seems to be a thing of the past.  Now it is a race to see how much you can get for how little effort.  Being prepared?  I’m afraid we’ve all gotten into the mode of thinking this country is so great, we’ll always be taken care of.  Some very frightening philosophy indeed.  If that’s hard to believe, watch what happens on the news when there is a natural disaster.  Two hurricanes in the past fairly recent years come to mind.  The grocery stores were totally cleaned out and people were desperate to buy water and food and supplies to see them through a storm – one storm!  I do believe we need to do better than that. 

I’m not certain why I felt writing about today’s reading was something I wanted to do.  I just saw the formula for a prosperous life and wanted to somehow record it.  It’s a pretty simple formula, if you ask me.