Wicked King Noah was enraged when he heard of the prophesies of Abinidi. He asked the people, aWho is Abinadi, that I and my people should be judged of him, or bwho is the Lord, that shall bring upon my people such great affliction? (Mosiah 11:27)
It's one thing to ask, "Who is this guy who is prophesying bad things about me and my people?" It's quite another to ask, "Who is the Lord?" I think that's a really funny question. Doesn't the word "god" mean anything to him? Does he, in his great pride, think he is mightier than God?
It seems like in today's world, many people feel the same as King Noah, although they may not express it the same way he did. They think that they are in charge of their lives, and whatever dominion they are over. They don't realize that their life can be snuffed out in an instant, and all their empire-building will be as naught.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Write His Name Upon My Heart
I've been reading in Mosiah 5 and have been pondering on the concept of taking His name on us. At the beginning of his sermon, King Benjamin promised the people that he would give them a new name, and now he tells them that they are now called the children of Christ. For Christ had spiritually begotten them.
We sing and recite and discuss the fact that we are a Child of God, or Daughter of God. In addition to being a daughter of Heavenly Father, as I am baptized I also become a daughter of Christ. He has spiritually begotten me, and I want to always do as He would have me do, and try to be more like Him, to have a family resemblance. In this way, the title "Christian" becomes a family name, and I hope to bear it proudly. The admonition of parents, "Remember who you are", is a good reminder to all of us. I hope people would say, "You act just like your Father", or "Your Father must be so proud of you!"
Benjamin says that if I would belong to the family of Christ, I must "hear and know the voice by which [I] shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call [me]." In other words, I must have such a close relationship with Christ that I recognize His voice whenever or wherever I hear it, as I would that of my children or husband. And when He calls my name, when He says, "My Christian children, come here", I would gladly rush to Him.
That name must not just be tucked away into a pocket somewhere. It must be written upon my heart. Sin can blot that name away, making me forget that I am his daughter. Benjamin says, "take heed that ye do not transgress, that the name be not blotted out of your hearts. "
The promise is that He may seal me His. The cross-references for "seal" go to the Topical Guide results for "Election, Elect" and are glorious and inspiring. Here's one I love, "D&C 132: 49 For I am the Lord thy God, and will be awith thee even unto the bend of the world, and through all eternity; for verily I cseal upon you your dexaltation, and prepare a throne for you in the kingdom of my Father, with Abraham your efather. "
What a promise! It will all be worth it. It is now all worth it. It has always been worth it.
We sing and recite and discuss the fact that we are a Child of God, or Daughter of God. In addition to being a daughter of Heavenly Father, as I am baptized I also become a daughter of Christ. He has spiritually begotten me, and I want to always do as He would have me do, and try to be more like Him, to have a family resemblance. In this way, the title "Christian" becomes a family name, and I hope to bear it proudly. The admonition of parents, "Remember who you are", is a good reminder to all of us. I hope people would say, "You act just like your Father", or "Your Father must be so proud of you!"
Benjamin says that if I would belong to the family of Christ, I must "hear and know the voice by which [I] shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call [me]." In other words, I must have such a close relationship with Christ that I recognize His voice whenever or wherever I hear it, as I would that of my children or husband. And when He calls my name, when He says, "My Christian children, come here", I would gladly rush to Him.
That name must not just be tucked away into a pocket somewhere. It must be written upon my heart. Sin can blot that name away, making me forget that I am his daughter. Benjamin says, "take heed that ye do not transgress, that the name be not blotted out of your hearts. "
The promise is that He may seal me His. The cross-references for "seal" go to the Topical Guide results for "Election, Elect" and are glorious and inspiring. Here's one I love, "D&C 132: 49 For I am the Lord thy God, and will be awith thee even unto the bend of the world, and through all eternity; for verily I cseal upon you your dexaltation, and prepare a throne for you in the kingdom of my Father, with Abraham your efather. "
What a promise! It will all be worth it. It is now all worth it. It has always been worth it.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Enjoy the Words of Eternal Life
I'm finishing up reading through the Pearl of Great Price for the second time this year. Here in Moses 6 Enoch teaches the people by quoting the words of the Lord to Father Adam:
59. That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the aspirit, which I have made, and so became of bdust a living soul, even so ye must be cborn again into the kingdom of heaven, of dwater, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and eenjoy the fwords of geternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal hglory;
As I've been marking my scriptures, I've been marking commandments in green, and blessings in pink. So I have to look at each phrase and decide whether it's a teaching, a commandment, or a blessing, etc. You get the idea. When I got to "Enjoy the words of eternal life", I assumed it was a commandment. Another thing to add to our list of things to do. But looking again, I don't think that's the case. The Lord here is saying that we must be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and be cleansed by the blood of Christ. As a result of doing this, we receive certain blessings. The three Enoch lists here are: 1) Be sanctified from all sin, 2) Enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, 3) Enjoy eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory.
The word "enjoy" here, according to the thesaurus, might mean "take pleasure in", or "be favored with". Either one is interesting in this context. If we are blessed to "take pleasure in" the words of eternal life, then when we are converted and baptized and have the Holy Ghost, we learn to love receiving the words of eternal life, whether we find those in scriptures, in church meetings, in conference talks, or any of the sources of instruction available to us. If we take the latter meaning, "be favored with", then those words of eternal life are a gift to us, a Christmas present, a birthday gift, a source of joy and peace and continual love that we need to treasure every day. When we're counting our blessings, the words of eternal life surely should be right at the top of the list!
59. That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the aspirit, which I have made, and so became of bdust a living soul, even so ye must be cborn again into the kingdom of heaven, of dwater, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and eenjoy the fwords of geternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal hglory;
As I've been marking my scriptures, I've been marking commandments in green, and blessings in pink. So I have to look at each phrase and decide whether it's a teaching, a commandment, or a blessing, etc. You get the idea. When I got to "Enjoy the words of eternal life", I assumed it was a commandment. Another thing to add to our list of things to do. But looking again, I don't think that's the case. The Lord here is saying that we must be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and be cleansed by the blood of Christ. As a result of doing this, we receive certain blessings. The three Enoch lists here are: 1) Be sanctified from all sin, 2) Enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, 3) Enjoy eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory.
The word "enjoy" here, according to the thesaurus, might mean "take pleasure in", or "be favored with". Either one is interesting in this context. If we are blessed to "take pleasure in" the words of eternal life, then when we are converted and baptized and have the Holy Ghost, we learn to love receiving the words of eternal life, whether we find those in scriptures, in church meetings, in conference talks, or any of the sources of instruction available to us. If we take the latter meaning, "be favored with", then those words of eternal life are a gift to us, a Christmas present, a birthday gift, a source of joy and peace and continual love that we need to treasure every day. When we're counting our blessings, the words of eternal life surely should be right at the top of the list!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The Lies of Satan
It's not just that Satan lies, but that he calls God a liar. For example, in the Garden of Eden, he found Eve and tried to persuade her to partake of the forbidden fruit.
Moses 4:10 And the serpent said unto the awoman: Ye shall not surely die;
As I read that, the words "Ye shall not surely die" jumped out at me. He's telling Eve that God lied to her. Of course, faith in God is dependent on the knowledge that we can trust Him at all times.
Later, after they had been cast out of the Garden, Adam and Eve taught their children to believe in God. But Satan again called God a liar:
Moses 5: 13 bBelieve it not; and they believed it not, and they cloved Satan more than God. And men began from that time forth to be dcarnal, sensual, and devilish.
Whenever we're tempted to doubt the things that the Lord is telling us, we need to remember that the doubt is a tool of Satan's. Whether we're doubting that things will really turn out to bless our lives, or that Christ has truly atoned for our sins, or that we can be exalted with Him someday, Satan would have us believe that God lies. He whispers, "God doesn't care about you and what happens to you. You can't do everything that's required of you, so why try? It's just too hard, and the standards are too high. The Terrestrial Kingdom is good enough and you don't have to work so hard to get there."
But the Lord won't leave us alone with Satan when we call on Him for help. In Moses we read that immediately after Satan had told his lies,
Moses 4:10 And the serpent said unto the awoman: Ye shall not surely die;
As I read that, the words "Ye shall not surely die" jumped out at me. He's telling Eve that God lied to her. Of course, faith in God is dependent on the knowledge that we can trust Him at all times.
Later, after they had been cast out of the Garden, Adam and Eve taught their children to believe in God. But Satan again called God a liar:
Moses 5: 13 bBelieve it not; and they believed it not, and they cloved Satan more than God. And men began from that time forth to be dcarnal, sensual, and devilish.
Whenever we're tempted to doubt the things that the Lord is telling us, we need to remember that the doubt is a tool of Satan's. Whether we're doubting that things will really turn out to bless our lives, or that Christ has truly atoned for our sins, or that we can be exalted with Him someday, Satan would have us believe that God lies. He whispers, "God doesn't care about you and what happens to you. You can't do everything that's required of you, so why try? It's just too hard, and the standards are too high. The Terrestrial Kingdom is good enough and you don't have to work so hard to get there."
But the Lord won't leave us alone with Satan when we call on Him for help. In Moses we read that immediately after Satan had told his lies,
14 And the Lord God called upon men by the aHoly Ghost everywhere and commanded them that they should repent;
15 And as many as abelieved in the Son, and repented of their sins, should be bsaved; and as many as believed not and repented not, should be cdamned; and the words went forth out of the mouth of God in a firm decree; wherefore they must be fulfilled.
He will help us, if we just call on Him and believe in him and repent. We don't need to believe the lies of Satan.
He will help us, if we just call on Him and believe in him and repent. We don't need to believe the lies of Satan.
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