Friday, April 27, 2012

Mosiah 4

Until we understand the Fall of Adam, we can’t understand the need for the Atonement of Christ. But when we do begin to get a sense of what King Benjamin calls our own “nothingness,” our “worthless and fallen state,” our status as “unworthy creatures,” then we begin to see that we are completely dependent upon the Savior and his Atonement. This is not to say that we don’t have godly potential as children of God; but speaks instead of our predicament as fallen sons and daughters due to our spiritual and temporal deaths. Sin and death separate us from God forever unless we humble ourselves and become as a little child. Then, like a child who is learning to play the piano, our job is to practice, while God’s role is to pay the price of the lessons. His grace covers the cost. We can’t afford the price of the lessons, but we can, practice every day; that is our part. We are “beggars” meaning that we don’t have the power to save ourselves. We are dependent upon Jesus to give us life and light. Through repentance we renew our covenant to be willing to take his name upon us, always remember him, and keep his commandments. We practice being like him. We must continue to diligently “watch ourselves,” our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. We must catch ourselves in our hypocrisies and try to never hide ourselves from God.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Mosiah 3 Hope in Christ

King Benjamin is visited by an angel who wakes him up and commands him to tell his people what the angel says. The main message is of hope in Christ who will come in the not too distant future. And a major doctrinal clarification for our day is that little children are saved by the Atonement of Christ. As we look to the not too distant future for Christ to come we must put of the “natural man” in preparation for the time when we will be reunited with him.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Mosiah 2

Mosiah 2
When we serve others we are in the service of God. No matter what we do, we can never catch up or repay the Lord for his infinite blessings. We are “unprofitable servants.” All he asks is that we keep his commandments. If we do we can “…join the choirs above in singing the praises of a just God.”

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Mosiah 1 The Large Plates Begin

Mormon’s abridgement of the Large Plates begins with The Book of Mosiah. In this first chapter we see King Benjamin concluding his ministry as the Nephite King and passing the authority to his son, Mosiah. King Benjamin reminds his sons of the power of the scriptures. If they did not have them on the Brass Plates and the Plates of Nephi they would have lost their testimonies and their spiritual way back to God. “For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates….” I hope I will never stop reading the scriptures every day the rest of my life. I hope for the same for my children and grandchildren.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The Words of Mormon

The Words of Mormon
What makes an ordinary man into a “holy man?” Mormon tells us that King Benjamin was a “holy man” and that there were many “holy men” among his people. Together they were able to successfully repel their enemies. Mormon says that King Benjamin and the prophets of his day, “spoke the word of God with authority….” He goes on to say that “…by laboring with all the might of his whole soul,” and with the help of the “prophets,” King Benjamin was able to “establish peace in the land.” What is keeping me from being a “holy man?” Am I using the authority of the priesthood to benefit my family and neighbors? I think lack of humility, selfishness, vulgarity, sloth, aspiring, and less than admirable behavior toward my wife and children are key issues. But I think I can start the development of holy character traits by seeking for and following the direction of the Holy Spirit. I want to be a holy man. I want my children and grand children to consider me to be a holy man.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Omni--The end of the Small Plates of Nephi

Omni
This is the last book written on the Small Plates of Nephi and contains the words of several authors. I tried to picture each of them as they bore witness of the validity of the record. The last author, Amaleki, said this: “And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.”

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Jarom-- Good advice about the Second Coming

Jarom
Jarom, son of Enos, taught that the plan of salvation had been written about sufficiently by Nephi, Jacob, and Enos. He said that the Holy Ghost works by the power of faith. I think his most important contribution was encouraging his people to “…look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he already was.” My students often ask me when I think Jesus will return to the earth. I think I’ll answer them with Jarom’s advice.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Enos Remembers his dad

Enos
When studying the book of Enos, I usually focus on his ”wrestle” in obtaining a testimony of the Lord’s Atonement, and on his very long prayer. However, this time, I noticed the first verse. “Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it—“. My father, David Ray Stone Jr., was likewise a “just man.” He taught me in his unique way, using patience, long suffering, meekness, and love. He was the perfect dad for me. Notice that Enos thanks God for his dad. Implied in the word “just” is Enos’ high praise for his father, Jacob, as well.
Today I would like to thank my dad, David R. Stone, for his goodness, his humility, and his perfect blend of intervention and restraint in parenting me. He loved me, no doubt about it. He took me fishing, or more accurately, he went fishing and took me along. The focus was not on me. The focus was on us being together doing something he hoped would be as enjoyable for me as it was for him. He did not fuss for one minute teaching me proper technique or pointing out how to do it. He just went fishing and eventually I caught on as I watched and tried to copy his method. Eventually, I developed techniques of my own, which worked better for me. I picked up fly fishing, as did my brother Dan, something that dad never bothered with. He assigned one of my brothers, Mark, to take care of my tangles (which were many). In a way, Mark was like the Savior who is there to take care of our tangles in life.