King Noah and Jabba the Hutt

As we study the story of the wicked King Noah and the prophet Abinadi (See Mosiah 11-17.), a scene out of an ’80’s movie comes to mind. From the Star Wars Saga, in Return of the Jedi, one of the opening scenes takes place at the palace of Jabba the Hutt. One of the Rebel freedom fighters, Han Solo, had been frozen and preserved as a prized wall decoration by Jabba. Jabba lived a life of glutton and greed. His palace was the very site of festive parties, with the intoxicating effects of loud music, exotic dancing and disgusting delicacies being devoured. Jabba himself sat in the midst of this scene of gluttonous degradation, passing judgement upon those brought before his court, from around the galaxies, for sentences of punishment.

In the middle of such a courtroom debauchery, the once lightsome, innocent Rebel hero, Luke Skywalker, appeared in front of Jabba, only this time in disguise – under the dark hood of his Jedi cloak. Relying upon The Force, Luke makes his heartfelt appeal to Jabba to free his friend, Han Solo. He also stood there to predict the destruction of Jabba’s evil realm if he would not shun the dark side of The Force, and to change his ways from evil to good.

Just like young Luke Skywalker, the prophet Abinadi had come among the people of Lehi-Nephi to prophesy about the destruction that would come upon the land and people if they didn’t change their ways and turn back to the Lord. After being run out of town the first time, Abinadi returned two years later, in disguise and relying upon his faith in the Lord, to deliver the same message again to the same people. Maybe it wasn’t a hooded Jedi cloak, but Abinadi was in disguise in order to preserve his life long enough to get in front of King Noah. Noah’s predecessor, and father, Zeniff had led the people in righteous living. Upon his passing, his son took over the kingdom and immediately threw out all of the good that his father had established.

When Abinadi appeared in front of Noah and his priests, he made a fervent appeal for them to change their wicked ways and to return to the righteous ways taught by Zeniff - to follow the Lord, to set aside their riches and pride, and to again set their hearts upon caring for each other. When Luke made a similar appeal to Jabba, he was dropped into the pit below to battle the ferocious Rancor. Abinadi was not lowered to the beasts, but was persistent in remaining in front of Noah’s court, rehearsing the dealings of God and His people unto Noah and the priests, and doing everything in his power to bring them to repentance and turning away from their evil ways.

This week, as we continue with the story of Noah and Abinadi, we will see that Abinadi’s missionary success seemed almost disastrous. As he approached his fiery fate, there seems to have been only one who believed his words. Abinadi saw him being chased away by Noah’s guards, and one might assume that Abinadi figured that he, Alma, had been tracked down and also put to death. Little did he know that that one believer of his preachings…that one priest of Noah whose heart was indeed turned from evil to good…that Alma would bring so much good from Abinadi’s teachings, empowering him to establish the Church of Christ in and around the lands of Lehi-Nephi and Zarahemla, and later around many of the other cities of the Nephites and Lamanites.

Abinadi had planted a seed that almost didn’t take root. Yet, because of the faith and light inside of one man’s heart, a nation was preserved for many, many generations. Sometimes we have to ask ourselves about some of the seeds that we have planted:  “Why didn’t my friend want to hear more about the church?” “Am I being a good example to my neighbor?” “Do I talk about the Gospel enough at school…or at work?” If we will but open our mouths, we may be able to plant one of those small seeds, as did Abinadi in Alma, and witness many waves of bringing joy to others in our own community. As it is stated in the scriptures, “And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace!” (See Mosiah 15:16.) Go ahead, plant a seed…or two…or three…or more.

Your Due or You’re Due?

In the opening chapters of Mosiah, we learn some very valuable teachings from the humble, obedient King Benjamin. There are his often-cited discourses on service, being sons and daughters of Christ, and putting off the “natural man”. Each of these lessons merits the time to read and ponder upon Benjamin’s powerful words, and I would encourage you to do so. However, there was yet another lesson that resonated between my ears this time around. In the fourth chapter, besides my wife’s favorite scripture (Mosiah 4:9), I found a verse - actually a word – that caused me to ponder more than I did upon the other verses.

In verse 13, King Benjamin said, “And 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.” This week, the word “due” has caused me to think quite a bit. Initially, I felt that the scripture meant that if I would simply continue to perform well at work, I should eventually be paid as much as I feel that I deserve. Unfortunately, “my due” may not yet ”be due”, although it certainly seems to be “overdue.”.

In baseball - the greatest sport ever! – if a batter “is due”, then according to the generally accepted percentages in the statistics of the game, he should get a base hit in this very at bat. A pregnant woman is given a “due date” for the anticipated birth of her new baby. A book is “overdue” after it has been retained beyond the return date determined by the library. A bill is “past due” if it wasn’t paid by the agreed-upon date. We pay “dues” to belong to a club or organization.

In the above examples, “due” can be subjective, against the odds, or it may even be precise. So, then, was King Benjamin speaking in the subjective form, or was he being quite precise? Was he speaking to the employee, or was he speaking to the employer? I think that the answer to all four of these questions is the same – “Yes!” So, in order for us to be rendered our due, we certainly need to be worth our due. Even if we feel that we’ve been paid less than our due on this Earth, it is a great comfort to know that we will at last be rendered our due when we are brought to that great day of judgement in front of the bar of Christ. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if He were to also render judgement on our behalf during our mortality?  Then maybe we would finally be treated  fairly – if that’s indeed what we want. Am I truly worth my due?

And My Soul Hungered

Searching my memory, I don’t think that I have ever been so hungry that my stomach has actually hurt. My heart has been hurt before because of cross words or actions between close, loved ones and myself. My spirit has certainly been hurt because of a ripple in my faith or hope. But, I don’t think that my soul has ever hurt because of hunger. Thus, it is difficult for me to really grasp the emotion of Enos’ heart-felt, “And my soul hungered.” (See Enos 1:4) What has been the extent to which my soul has indeed hungered? Was it for the safety of our children when they were out of our presence as they grew up? Or was it for the pain of a migraine headache to subside enough so that I could sleep for a few hours and let the prescription drugs work their miracle yet one more time? Maybe it was for the agony and grief of losing my job last year? Either way, I’m just not able to fully grasp how Enos was feeling that day out in the woods. Looking deeper into that one short verse, he continued with, “and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.” Although I probably have not prayed continuously for more than fifteen or twenty minutes very often, I certainly have had the same prayer in my heart and mind all day long; stopping every so often to even formerly express my feelings to my Heavenly Father. Maybe I have come closer to experiencing Enos’ hunger than I give myself credit. After all, isn’t it said that we are our own worst critic?

Often times we judge ourselves too harshly, and become discouraged when we are trying to do better. Do you know why? Well, the adversary is real, and he wants us to doubt ourselves – our dreams, our self-worth, our self-esteem. If he could just get his foot in the doorway to our soul with a little bit of discouragement, he could begin to prop the door open more and more with other thoughts of unworthiness. I was reminded of this by my loving wife a couple of weeks ago…

The weekend had passed, and I was inspiration-less in writing my weekly post on this website, so I let the week go by without writing. When I explained to her that I was quite discouraged because there had only been seven people who had logged into this blog during the previous week, she had a simple reply for me - “Then maybe you should write about fighting off discouragement.” Hmmm? I wonder if the adversary’s constant reminders of my shortcomings or unworthiness are keeping my soul from truly hungering? Discouragement had given him a foothold in the door, and then he proceeded to tear me down in diverse ways, until I truly felt inspiration-less.

Well then, in our daily lives, how can we deal with such discouragement? How can we get back to that good feeling that brings light and joy into our days? Maybe when we don’t feel that hunger, we should still do as Enos did - “and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul.” I think that tonight, before I lay my head on my soft pillow, in my warm bed, under the roof over my head, in this peaceful city, in this beautiful, free country…Maybe it’s time that I really share my gratitude with my Heavenly Father. Oh, there are so many things for which I am grateful, and I should let these thoughts be vocalized in my prayers! Maybe…just maybe…I could develop a hunger in my soul to go to my loving Heavenly Father more often in thanks, praying for the welfare of others around me, as well as praying for my enemies. Enos did just that, and he felt God’s love almost immediately. I would also like to feel that hunger, so I should follow the example that Enos left for us in the Book of Mormon, once again likening all scriptures unto us.

Peace and Prosperity

“The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10)…”It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:25)…”But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God” (Jacob 2:18)…

The scriptures are full of warnings about putting the love of money ahead of our love of God. We aren’t ever told that money is evil, but we are certainly cautioned to keep our priorities straight between the riches of earth and the riches of heaven. History has often demonstrated that times of peace tend to encourage much understanding, progress and prosperity for a community - large or small.

As the caravans would journey through the deserts of the Old World, the nomads would glimpse the city from afar, and anticipate the end of their long, difficult journey. As they approached the city walls, the narrow gate seemed as if it were the eye of a needle, which did not appear to be wide enough for their camels to pass through. These beasts of burden would be heavily laden with saddle bags full of the earthly possessions of the members of the caravan. As they approached their final destination, the travelers concerned themselves with the problem ahead, which looked like a camel having to pass through the eye of a needle. Coming upon the gate, it was sometimes necessary to unladen the camels, dropping the earthly possessions from their backs, and allowing them to pass through the gate into the safety of the city walls. This same scenario will play out for us when we will have to drop our earthly possessions in order to pass through the gate into the safety of our heavenly city walls.

In counselling the Nephites, Jacob said, “But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.” (See Jacob 2:18-19.) Besides tending to the physical needs of our neighbors, we also have the opportunity to tend to their spiritual needs as well. Can we help clothe them with the armor of God? Can we help nourish them with the good word of Christ? Can we help them liberate themselves from the burden of their sins or shortcomings by drawing upon the powers of Christ’s Atonement? Can we administer to them through the power of the holy Priesthood? It doesn’t have to be all about sharing our earthly riches with them, because we have many, many spiritual riches which can be shared, too.

In our home…in our community…in our world…there are many who need our assistance – physical or spiritual. We have many opportunities to assist others attain their own times of peace and prosperity. Our Heavenly Father has blessed us all with gifts that can be shared with others; again, some are of a worldly nature and others are of a spiritual one. Whether we feed others with bread or with the Gospel, the opportunities are there. Peace and prosperity are quite enjoyable when others are at your side. This week, reach out and share your earthly riches, or your spiritual riches, with your neighbor. Make it through the eye of the needle together – that great city in the clouds is waiting for you to pass through its gate!

Join the Feast

As a toddler, a nibble is sometimes all it takes to be satisfied with a new taste. As a teenager, a full serving is often desired. As an adult, the whole meal lends itself to complimenting one taste with the others. But, there’s yet an even more desirous method of satisfying your taste buds, and this is the time of the year that it gets mentioned…a feast. Just those two simple words, Thanksgiving feast, starts your mouth to water and the brain to conjure up the memories of those delightful foods from Thanksgivings past!

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to order a $45 steak from the menu at an upscale restaurant, believing that a steak could never be worth $45. Boy was I wrong! That steak was like a piece of warm chocolate cake that just melts in your mouth. Years later, I vividly recollect experiencing that there is certainly a difference between a $20 steak and a $45 steak – one that is quite tantalizing to the taste buds! My meal was something to remember, but it didn’t measure up to a feast.

Our son is a chef, pursuing his passion for the culinary arts over the past five years of his young life. He recently had the opportunity to dine at a world-renown restaurant within a few miles of where I had my $45 steak. That meal came with a final tab of $1,500 for the four of them. For all intents and purposes, this was truly a feast to be remembered for a lifetime for him and his three visitors from Canada! A feast is so much more than just a great meal, a daily meal or a nibble. It is a totally fulfilling experience, not just a filling one!

In our studies of Second Nephi in the Book of Mormon, we have recounted Nephi’s writings about the scatterings and gatherings of the House of Israel; the rebellion and destruction of the Nephites; the Jews and the Gentiles becoming one in their belief in Christ; and the Gentiles bringing the words of Nephi’s writings “as the voice of one crying from the dust” back to his father’s descendants. In this book, Nephi has laid out intermingling timelines of these great societies and the strength that they will receive from one another in these last days.  At the end of this history – and future history – lesson, Nephi counsels us, the readers of his writings, to “feast upon the words of Christ.” (See 2 Nephi 32:3.)

When we sit down to read about our Savior Jesus Christ, do we just nibble at the stories we read? Do we take small bites of the doctrines taught in His parables and teachings? Do we get a full serving of understanding the great love and grace behind His Atonement? Do we enjoy the whole meal of complimenting courses of His life, teachings, parables and miracles for us to follow? Or, do we sit down, as we do at Thanksgiving time, to feast upon the words that we have at our disposal? Do we truly understand the role that our Lord plays in our lives? There is so much for us to study, ponder and understand, and it will truly take a feast for us to take it all in – providing us with a fulfilling experience, not just filling us up.

Nephi declares, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophecy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” (See 2 Nephi 25:26.) Later, in the closing verses of his history and teachings, he continues to encourage everyone to “…hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good.” (See 2 Nephi 33:10.)

In referring to the Book of Mormon in his October 1986 General Conference address, President Ezra Taft Benson counselled the world, “There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book…When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance.” As you start planning your family’s Thanksgiving feast, use it as a time to reflect upon your personal feast of the words of Christ. It’s time to fulfill your soul with the Spirit of Christ in your life!

Explosion:Implosion

A few years ago on September 11th, four explosions changed the perspective, fear, hope and heart-strings of most of the nation. Our enemy had breached our borders and demonstrated a real threat to our peace and security. For a period that was way too short, the American citizens again turned inwards to their innate, human roots. For a brief time, there was an increased need and desire to raise our hopes for protection from our enemies, and to once again turn to our loving and forgiving Heavenly Father. This return to Deity brought back a sense of unity, and the people had a chance to reevaluate the priorities in their lives. Faith, hope, charity, unity, caring…all of the good humane characteristics, again started to blossom in the hearts of men, women and children. Unfortunately, the nation quickly took an ill-devised plan of action – to attack the enemy from without, rather than strengthening the American people from within. This caused a great division within our borders, and we could not successfully keep the enemy out.

As we’ll be studying in the Book of Mormon during the coming weeks, Americans experience the “pride cycle” just like their predecessors in this very land, the Nephites. When they recognized and followed God, they lived in peace and prosperity. But, when their pride and false sense of entitlement pulled them away from God, they ended up at the polar opposite of the cycle, living in fear and financial crisis. We tend to shake our heads incredulously at the Nephites, thinking, “Why didn’t they get it?” Yet, in less than six years from the invasive explosion on U.S. soil which brought us back to being a selfless God-loving people, the financial collapse has caused a devastating implosion brought on by a very selfish society with a false sense of entitlement. There were thousands of casualties of the explosion experienced; but there are thousands times as many more casualties of the implosion being experienced.

As the pride cycle went round and round, the Nephites were repeatedly in danger of the explosion from the outside Lamanites trying to breach their borders and safety. The casualties and destruction from these wars with their enemy were terrible! But, the implosion of deserters, rebellions and apostates, wreaked the real destruction to the Nephite societies time and again. It was the danger from within that was far worse than the danger from without. Whether it was the Zoramites or the Amalekites, the Amulonites or the Kingmen, the dissenting powers from within the Nephite borders caused much more destruction and death than did the Lamanites in trying to bring the Nephites out into battle.

History has a tendency to repeat itself, if we don’t learn from that same history. This pride cycle - from God-loving and prosperity, to pride and greed, to destruction and suffering, to repentance and change, back to God-loving and prosperity – is very prevalent in our nation today. All too soon after turning back to God after 9-11, we quickly became a prideful people with a strong but false sense of entitlement to those things beyond our earning capacity. We’ve read about the millions of dollar bonuses in businesses that needed financial assistance to continue. We’re living side-by-side to many who felt they deserved bigger, more expensive homes than they could afford. Many of us live on extended credit that we will never be able to pay off, for which we bought “toys” and unnecessary items. This is the false sense of entitlement that runs rampant at this end of the cycle. Yet, somehow it still gets worse. All levels of government are struggling to find a way to lift its head above the water, but only attempt to do so by cutting programs for those who need it most – the programs for the elderly, the single parents, the youth (social programs and educational opportunities), infant care, etc. In our flailing attempts to correct the upside-down economy, we are continuing to turn our backs on those whom we should be helping. Learning from history, and in this case the Nephite history, we could continue the cycle back up to the God-loving and prosperity apex. This would, however, require a change from the selfish overtone so prevalent in society today, to one of unselfish love and caring for others within our own borders.

One of the great teachers in the Book of Mormon was talking about turning back to God. At one point, he states, “And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.” (See Alma 34.)

As we proceed with studying the conflict between the Nephites and the Lamanites, try to identify when it is trouble from without (explosion) that is causing the grief and hardship upon the Nephites, and when it is trouble from within (implosion). We will find that the destruction is worse from the implosions than it is from the explosions. Will it ever be possible for the Americas today to learn from the history of the Americas past? When Captain Moroni was battling the enemy from without, he sent some of his men to, “Go ask Alma what we should do.” (Alma was the prophet at the time.) What if President Obama were to utter, “Go ask President Monson what we should do?” Is it too late for us to be led by a prophet in the world today? I think not! If America would humble itself, act selflessly towards others, and turn to God, setting aside the pride and greed, we could once again rise to the top of the pride cycle and enjoy the peace and prosperity promised to this land by a loving Heavenly Father. If we fixed everything from within our borders, there is not an enemy that could cause us to fear from without our borders.

Nephite General Conference

This weekend, we have the great opportunity to hear from the Prophet and Apostles that live in our day, as they teach, warn and instruct us from the pulpit in Utah. In days long past, it would have been just like listening to Moses and Aaron preach to the Israelites upon their exodus from Egypt. Or maybe like sitting in on Noah’s sermon before the rains came. If the House of Israel would have listened better to Isaiah, they might have been able to avoid dispersion and captivity and losing the land of their inheritance time and again. Prophets and Apostles are indeed the watchmen on the tower, keeping their eyes on the enemy and helping us remain safely distanced from trouble…in the days of Moses, Noah, Isaiah and others, as well as in our very day. Their watchful, cautionary words are there for us to accept and follow, or to reject and mock.

Earlier in our Book of Mormon studies, we were following the journey of Lehi’s family out of Jerusalem and to the promised land. It was an action adventure, interspersed with sound doctrinal teachings by their Prophets and teachers. In our studies this past week, their journey has seemed to grind to a halt. We have followed them to the promised land, and seen that after Lehi’s death, the two sides – Nephites and Lamanites – have divided themselves and headed off in opposite directions.

Once settling away from the Lamanites that were set to hunt them down and eliminate them, the Nephites all seemed to have gathered together to listen to their Prophet and teachers. Nephi addresses them, and then Jacob’s words are also shared with us in the first few chapters of 2 Nephi. Then to further emphasise their points, they spend about fifteen chapters reviewing the words of Isaiah from the brass plates they brought over with them. We may find it difficult to understand the Isaiah chapters in 2 Nephi and its prelude, but it might throw a different light on it if we could read these chapters as if they were from their conference edition of the Ensign!? Their spiritual leaders are simply teaching the Nephites about the importance of being humble and acknowledging God in their fortunes, and reminding them of the covenants and commandments between them and God. These chapters could indeed be an overview of the first Nephite General Conference. We have Nephi’s and Jacob’s teachings that were inscribed upon the plates, but I wonder if their brothers, Joseph or Sam, also addressed the congregation? What would their talks have been like? And then the big question…why were they so intent on sharing Isaiah’s teachings with their people? Besides the fact that Isaiah prophesied much about the coming Messiah, here’s something to chew on…

In our days, how often do we hear the Prophet and Apostles quote from Joseph Smith or Brigham Young? Their teachings are about 150-170 years ago, but we still hold their words dear to our hearts. Well, guess who preceded Nephi by about 150-170 years? It was none other than Isaiah. Nephi and Jacob both often quote scriptures going back to Moses and their exodus from captivity, but they really focus upon Isaiah’s teachings as they were easier to understand and apply to their own lives – much the same way we do with the teachings of Joseph Smith. We may not have been taught after the manner of the Jews, which would make it easier to understand the words of Isaiah. But, we certainly have been taught after the manner of Joseph and Brigham, and therefore we should be able to understand their teachings and apply them in our lives, much like Nephi encouraged his people to do with the words of Isaiah.

Unfortunately, the scriptures describe the captivity and destruction of God’s people who would not hearken to the Prophets – the watchmen on the towers. We shake our heads in unbelief when we read about their refusal to follow God’s lead – how ignorant could they possibly be!? But then, how are we doing with hearkening unto the words of the Prophets in our days? These General Conferences are our opportunity to listen to the religious leaders we have chosen to follow, and we just might need to pay a little more attention to their words. Otherwise, a couple of generations from now, our children’s children might be shaking their heads at us and saying, “How could they have possibly not known? The Prophets were warning them every conference for five years!”

Just like the Nephites of old, this weekend provides a reprieve from our journey, and an opportunity to be spiritually fed. And, hopefully, this nourishment will be enough to carry us, spiritually, emotionally and physically, for the coming six months until we can again pause from our journey, and again “Come listen to a prophet’s voice…”

Spiritually Dead

This past week, we were discussing one of Jacob’s teachings in 2 Nephi 9, and we had an interesting discussion about what it might mean to be spiritually dead. From some of the comments made, it was apparent that some of you thought that being spiritually dead was indeed  a final state from which there is no return. In order to defuse this confusion, we first need to identify what it might mean to indeed be spiritually dead.

What might cause one to become spiritually dead, even if it is just a temporary state? I wish to liken this to something that we are all very familiar with in our days – the cell phone. In the 2004 April General Conference, President James E. Faust said, “Cellular phones are used for much of the communication in our time. Occasionally, however, we find dead spots where the signal coming to a cell phone fails. This can happen when the cell phone is in a tunnel or a canyon or when there is other interference.” We are all too familiar with cell phone calls that are dropped because of these dead spots. Sometimes we come upon these dead spots without trying, but other times we put ourselves there knowing full well what we are doing. The person on the line does not leave us…our signal is simply dimmed because of the interference, and this eventually leads to the call being dropped.

For one who has become spiritually dead, he has simply put himself amid interference which has created a dead spot for the Spirit of Christ to be on the other end of the call. That interference could be something like alcohol, tobacco or drug use. It could be immodest dress or behavior. It could be speaking badly of others. It could be not heeding the laws God has given us for our benefit while down here on Earth. Each one of us creates and tears down his own spiritual dead zones. My dead zone will be different than yours. Yours will be different than your peer’s. President Faust continued, “So it is with divine communication. The still, small voice, though still and small, is very powerful…Perhaps something in our lives prevents us from hearing the message because we are ‘past feeling’ (1 Nephi 17:45). We often put ourselves in spiritual dead spots that block out divine messages.” We have all been given instructions on how to avoid these dead zones, but we do have to be actively involved in reducing the interference when we want the connection with the Spirit to come in nice and clear. Even after we do all that we can do, we may still encounter spiritual dead zones. After recognizing one, we must leave it and get back to where we have a stronger signal.

We just memorized a scripture mastery that would help us know whether or not we are entering a spiritual dead zone or keeping a clear signal with the Spirit of Christ: “For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.” (See Moroni 7:16-17.) Keeping this in mind, we should certainly know whether we are strengthening our signal, or if we are building up interference.

So, back to the original questions in class about spiritual death being final, I would suggest that the answer is, “No!”…but, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can change our ways and return to the strait and narrow path along the rod of iron. There, even the mists of darkness will not interfere with our signal with the Spirit of Christ. If we do encounter interference, then we simply need to press forward out of the spiritual dead zone, and retain the four-bar reception between us and the Spirit of Christ. “Can you hear me now?…Good!”

Distance Yourself from Evil

The story is told about a bank executive in the 1800’s interviewing three candidates for leading his horse-driven wagon from town to town with its precious load. The first candidate spoke up and said, “Sir, I can take your wagon down the trail to the base of the canyon; doing so with the wheels within three feet of the cliff’s edge.” When asked what he could do, the second young man said, “You know what…I can do the same; but I would be able to steer within one foot of the cliff’s edge.” “Both of you are very impressive”, said the interviewer. “And what can you do?” he asked, turning to the third young man. “Sir, sorry to disappoint, but I would get your wagon to the valley floor, staying as far away from the cliff’s edge as possible.” Without thinking anymore about it, the bank executive hired the third man to steer his wagon safely to its destination.

After their father’s death shortly after reaching the promised land, Nephi was quickly aware of the hatred and animosity from many in Lehi’s growing family – led by Laman and Lemuel. The two older brothers continually had a problem with the emergence of their younger brother as the righteous follower of the Lord’s way, and that he was to be their leader in this new land. Actually, they would not have anything to do with that idea, and instead sought to take the life of their younger brother. Led by the Spirit, however, Nephi and all those that also followed the Lord’s ways, fled from danger and left the presence of the older brothers. Their flight into the wilderness was a fast one, and they quickly distanced themselves from the evilness of the ones that sought their lives. When faced with evil, they distanced themselves from it as far as they could go. When driving the precious cargo down the canyon, the better-qualified driver stayed as far from the cliff’s edge as possible.

What do you do when you confront evil - whether small or large? Do you flirt with the edge, or do you distance yourself from it? Would you have stayed close to Laman, or would you have run for the hills? Many times we are stubborn, or just plain ignorant as to how closely we remain to evil people or evil ways in our lives. In my past, I had thought that I could be around my friends as they partook of activities and substances that draw you away from the Spirit of Christ. I was strong enough to flirt with the edge and not go over…at least that’s what I thought at the time! After successfully avoiding certain evils for years and years, I caved in. The adversary did not shove me towards the murky depths of the river seen in Lehi’s vision. Instead, he chose to slowly, gently nudge me towards the river’s edge. Then, while trying to keep my grasp on the rod of iron, I dipped a foot into the water, and pretty soon found myself waist-deep in the middle of the river. Wow! Before I realized what was happening, I had slipped from the strait and narrow path, holding steadfastly to the rod; and then waking up one day and finding myself drenched in the muddy waters away from the path.

Nephi was right! The only way to deal with the evil desires of some of his family was to flee from their presence, and to keep going until the distance was safe. Distancing yourself from evil is simple, but not always easy. You may have to leave behind certain friends. You may have to flee from temptations that present themselves at school. If you’ve already fallen prey to these evil designs, you may have to correct your ways – and this is often very difficult and painful to do. At your youthful age, you will hopefully learn the valuable lesson to keep the wagon’s wheels as far from the edge as possible, rather than flirting with disaster. Using another quote from John Bytheway, “It is easier to prepare and prevent, than to repair and repent.” Seminary is a forum in which you can prepare yourselves emotionally, spiritually, and physically, to take on the evils that you will face every day. Sometimes you don’t even notice this battle going on in your life. At other times, it is as flagrant as ever. By reading from the Book of Mormon every day, and pondering upon what you read…learning from the experiences of the Nephites and Lamanites, you will arm yourself well enough to be strong against the evils that you encounter at school or around town. Don’t get me wrong, there will be times when you’ll need help from your parents and leaders, but that’s okay.  If I could share anything from my personal experience with you, I would just implore you to stay as far away from the edge that you can, and don’t even flirt with evil. Distance yourself from evil…now!

Great are the Words

We have reached the pivotal point in the Book of Mormon when the Nephites and Lamanites have parted ways after arriving in the promised land. Before it actually happened, Nephi had quoted a couple of the chapters of Isaiah from the brass plates to his family, and expressed his admiration for that wonderful prophet; all the while trying to help them all understand these important teachings. Phrases like “liken all scriptures unto us”, “for our profit and learning”, or “plain and precious”pop into mind. So then, why is it still so difficult to understand the words of Isaiah? Even Jesus Christ, when visiting the Nephites after His resurrection declared, “Great are the words of Isaiah.” (See 3 Nephi 23:1.)

If Isaiah’s words are so important for us, why do we struggle so much trying to understand him? In the Old Testament, the 66 chapters of Isaiah provide 1,292 verses for us to ponder. Throughout the Book of Mormon, 425 of these verses (33%) are recounted by the likes of Nephi, Jacob, Abinadi…and Jesus Christ. Of the 425 Isaiah verses in the Book of Mormon, 391 (92%) refer to the attributes or mission of Jesus Christ. Maybe what we can really get out of the words of Isaiah is an appreciation for the importance of the life of our Savior, and the importance of His life to ours. Over the next couple of weeks we will be learning, as Nephi and Jacob cite from Isaiah, many aspects of the Lord’s life and how they affect our lives – at the time of Nephi, as well as in our own day.

This week we learned some of the reasons why it is difficult to understand the teachings of Isaiah:  we have not been taught as the Jews; Isaiah speaks in a poetic form that doesn’t necessarily carry over in the translation from Hebrew to English; and he uses many symbols to describe objects and events that could be taking place in his day, in our day, or in the day of the millennial reign of our Redeemer Jesus Christ.

As we now get set to take on the majority of the 425 Isaiah verses quoted in the Book of Mormon, we do have some guidelines to help us better understand them:  when we study the scriptures, we need to seek the inspiration of the Holy Ghost and the spirit of prophecy; then we can also revert to the ol’ tried-and-tested read, ponder and pray. We are not going to come out of the Isaiah chapters in Seminary with a sound understanding of what he is teaching. It’s a project – maybe even a lifetime project – to understand the words of Isaiah. I have heard it said that, “You can’t teach Isaiah; Isaiah needs to be experienced.” Our studies in seminary are simply the beginning of that experience for you, and your study habits away from class will be indicative of the testimony that you build in your youth, which will serve as the foundation for your adult life and learning.

Last year we studied the life and teachings of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Christ taught in parables, and you had to be in tune to the Spirit in order to understand the meaning of them. Maybe Isaiah was just like Christ in his manner of teaching, and we need to be in the spirit of Isaiah in order to understand his teachings!?!? Let’s just take it one verse at a time through 2 Nephi, and not get too overwhelmed by the symbolism and verbiage used by Isaiah. Over our lifetime, depending upon our efforts, we will gain an understanding soon enough. In the meantime, let’s try to focus upon why 92% of the Isaiah verses in the Book of Mormon refer to Christ. Obviously, Isaiah and Nephi both understood the greatness of His life yet to come, and are simply trying to get us to understand this at their level. Can we do it? Do we want to do it?