Moroni 10

Besides his marvelous challenge to “ask God, the Eternal Father, if these things are not true,” Moroni next positions his plea for us to seek the Gifts of the Spirit; the essential gifts being faith, hope and charity.  My dad told me once to pay attention to the position of that plea.  It is so important it is the next to the last thing he wants us to do, coming after our praying to know if the Book of Mormon is true.  Finally, Moroni posts this marvelous invitation echoing all of his fellow prophets:  “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ…that ye become holy without spot.”  Farewell Moroni; I can’t wait to meet you.

Moroni 7

Moroni records the words of his father, Mormon, in this beloved chapter most often quoted for the doctrine of charity; therein, I found an intriguing question:  “And now, my brethren, how is it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing?”  Mormon repeats the words, “every good thing” four times.  He answers his own question, “If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me…Repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name and have faith in me, that ye may be saved.” It is fun to ponder what “every good thing” means to me.  Every good thing means my wife and family, my grandparents, my parents, my grandchildren.  Every good thing means a Christ-centered life.  Every good thing means a comfortable home and food to eat.  Every good thing means friends and friendship.

Ether 12

Ether 12:6 and Ether 12:27 are rich and deep and wide.  But Ether 12:39-41 gives us a glimpse of Jesus that I find profound.  Moroni, after having an interview with the Lord Jesus Christ says this:  “And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things;”  and then he adds this humble invitation: “I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever.”

Friends, we have it from an eye witness that if we were to see and talk to Jesus that he would talk to us in plain humility!  I love Jesus.  I also commend him to you.

Mormon 8

Here is a wonderful verse about Joseph Smith and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon recorded by Moroni who took over the record keeping after his father, Mormon’s death:  “And blessed is he that shall bring this thing to light; for it shall be brought out of darkness unto light; according to the word of God; yea, it shall be brought out of the earth, and it shall shine forth out of darkness, and come unto the knowledge of the people; and it shall be done by the power of God.”

“Behold, the Lord hath shown unto me great and marvelous things concerning that which must shortly come, at that day when these things shall come forth among you. Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not.  Behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.”

Moroni saw that we would struggle with pride. “Doubt not, but be believing,…and come unto the Lord with all your heart…strip yourselves of all uncleanness…ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God.”

Mormon

The saddest book in the Book of Mormon is written by its abridger, Mormon.  Yet, in the account of the downfall of the Nephites, there are magnificent words and phrases to lift us up in the latter days:

“I know that I shall be lifted up at the last day.”

“I did even as the Lord commanded me.”

“…believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, which ye shall have among you.”

“…clasped in the arms of Jesus.”

“…they had Christ for their shepherd.”

“Repent ye and humble yourselves before him.”

Mormon leaves us with the keystone of our faith.  We are forever in his debt.

4 Nephi

"And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people."  This blissful time in the history of the Americas lasted 200 years.  The gospel that Jesus had brought with him had sunk deep into the hearts of the people.  Let his love sink deep into my heart.  Bless me with the gift of charity--the pure love of Christ.  I want my family to know how much I love them.  That love is eternal--no matter what.

More of My Book of Mormon Testimony

Christ's visit to America, documented in the Book of Mormon, settles the question "Is this book true?" completely for me.  I picture Him here.  I see Him invite the 2500 onlookers to come and feel the prints of the nails in His hands, wrists, and feet.  I see Him heal their sick and afflicted.  I hear Him blessing and praying for the children.  I see the angels ministering to the little children.  I believe, as pictured in the Minerva Tiechert painting, that the angels brought food baked in heaven, and Celestial Sprite to drink (out of the containers if they wanted to).  In her painting, the angels brought barrels of yummy drinks, platters of baked goodies, and probably games to play. I feel that somehow those of us yet to be born on the earth were allowed to witness and perhaps participate in this glorious event.  I love the Book of Mormon.  I know it is true through the confirming voice of the Spirit of God speaking to my soul and heart.

Testimony

This past week end was General Conference.  We didn't see much of it because of travel.  But during the travel time I had confirmed over and over in my heart the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.  The words, "What are you going to do about the Book of Mormon?" came into my mind followed by a flood warm feelings and memories of reading it, teaching it, sharing it, and testifying of its truthfulness. I also felt the need to continue telling everyone I know that it is true.  So I started today with my seminary students.

Alma 56

Helaman led his 2000 sons into battle.  We know them as the “Strippling Warriors.”  When their first battle was to commence, Helaman shouted this question: “What say ye, my sons, will ye go against them to battle.”  And their response was, “Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth.”  After the battle, Helaman said, “Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.  “And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: ‘We do not doubt our mothers knew it.’”

Alma 51

Teancum and Nephi have an experience in common: They are both compelled to slay a wicked man.  Nephi slew Laban to get the Plates of Brass, thus preserving the written word of God for an entire nation.  Using a javelin, Teancum assassinated Amalickiah, the king of the Lamanites, to end his reign of terror.

Unless we are soldiers or cops, we will probably never have the Spirit direct us to kill anyone.  But we can kill the evil habits and thoughts we are beset with. Swift amputation of connections to pornography, selfishness, and pride are sometimes needed.  Wickedness never was happiness. 

Alma 48

“Moroni was a strong and mighty man; he was a man of perfect understanding…a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country…a man who was firm in the faith of Christ…if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.” I see these traits in my older brothers.

Alma 43

Chief Captain Moroni: He is one of our Book of Mormon heroes.  We admire his courage, his hard-nosed valiance in leading the army.  We picture him tearing his coat and writing upon it: The Title of Liberty.  He inspired his people by reminding them that their cause was worth fighting for: family, country, faith in God.  When his army started to fear their enemy and shrink, he reminded them forcefully of their reasons for fighting.  He inspired them!  He successfully led his army because their cause was righteous.  We are in a battle for our spiritual lives.  We are “being raised in enemy territory with a declining standard of morality,” President Boyd K. Packer said.  “But as a servant of the Lord, I promise that you will be protected and shielded from the attacks of the adversary if you will heed the promptings that come from the Holy Spirit.” (Ensign, Nov. 2011, 18). 

Alma 38

Faithful Shiblon is a wonderful example to us of the ever faithful rank-and-file member of the church.  Alma praises his middle son for his steadiness, diligence, and long-suffering making specific reference to Shiblon enduring a stoning while on his mission.  As Shiblon’s father, Alma exhorts him to bridal all of his passions so that he can be filled with love.

Alma 37

Alma’s parting words to his oldest son Helaman include his exhortation to take good care of the sacred plates and to keep all of the commandments.  Helaman is reminded of the Liahona which directed Lehi and his family.  He draws a comparison to the words of Christ being a director/compass to follow.  If followed, the words of Christ will tell us all things that we should do.  

Alma 36

“Now as mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.  And now, behold, when I thought on this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.  And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain.”

With these words, Alma captures the very center of the gospel message.  Indeed, this masterful chiasmus (the whole chapter conforms to this Hebrew poetic style) is the very center of the Book of Mormon message.  Jesus is the very center of everything that is important in our lives.  He is first and last in each day we walk here.  We owe everything to him. 

Alma 32

Note some of the important words and phrases Alma uses in this chapter:

Awake and arouse your faculties

Experiment upon my words

Exercise a particle of faith

Even if ye can no more than desire to believe

Let this desire work in you

Give place for a portion of my words.

Each of these phrases encourage us and motivate us to just try; start small and build; wake up to spiritual things in a way that doesn’t get us discouraged and defeated before we get going. 

The most important scripture study skill we will ever master is this: open the book!  Let me repeat, OPEN THE BOOK.  Once the scriptures are open it is surprising how easy they are to read.  But first we must summon the courage to open them.  Awake, arouse, exercise the tiniest particle of faith, desire, give the words a chance to sink in, then the miracle of the word will lead us to the Word who is Christ.

The word is like a seed.  Plant it; water it; nourish it; be patient; don’t quit; let happiness and faith spring from within your heart.  The goodness of Jesus Christ will push out doubt and fear.

Alma 31

As Alma and his brethren went forth to reclaim the apostate Zoramites, Mormon adds this commentary: “And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.”  Alma laid his hands on his companions, blessing them and setting them apart as missionaries.  As they went forth, they had many afflictions, but their afflictions were “swallowed up in the joy of Christ.”  This was due to the Alma’s prayers of faith in their behalf.  I have had the joy of standing in when my sons were set apart as missionaries for the Lord Jesus Christ.  I testify that those blessings had great efficacy in the lives of my sons.  Prayers of faith change our lives and our hearts.

Alma 30

Korihor was taught by Satan what he should say to entice the people to do evil:

1.  You cannot know something is true unless you see it.  Therefore, you cannot know that there will be a Christ.

2.  There is no such thing as sin.  There is no universal standard of what is right or wrong.

3.  People prosper by their own efforts alone.  There is no such thing as an atonement.

4.  It is impossible to know about things that will happen in the future, so you should not believe in Christ or follow the words of people who say they are prophets.

5.  Forgiveness of sin is a crazy idea that comes from false traditions.

6.  There is no life after death, so there is no need to worry about a judgment after this life.

In the end, Korihor admitted that he had taught things that were pleasing to the carnal mind.  He admitted that he knew what he was teaching was false. 

Alma preached that all things testify that there is a God.  I know, like Alma that God lives.  We are led by his prophets today.  The Atonement of Christ is real.  Forgiveness of sin is possible through repentance.  The Book of Mormon is true.

  

Alma 23

“I say unto you, as the Lord liveth, as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away.” They called themselves the “Anti-Nephi-Lehies.”

Chapter 24

The Lord speaks to the minds of the people of Alma in their afflictions: “Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.  And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.” 

Chapter 23

I marvel at Alma’s faith and patience as the bitter crust of irony crushed his people’s peace and happiness.  The bumbling Lamanite army, having lost their way after not finding the people of Limhi, stumble across Amulon the worst of the wimpy priests of Noah, then upon Alma and his people who had established themselves in a place of safety.  Not only don’t the Lamanites punish the wimpy priests who stole some of their daughters, they make Amulon a captain in their army to rule over Alma.  Alma’s great faith calms his now captive people and he gives them hope through his example of courage.

Chapter 22

What caught my eye with the escape story this time was how the tracks of hundreds if not thousands of people plus their animals could be covered up so that the Lamanite army could lose them.  My thought was, even though we think we are leaving a big trail behind us in our sinful wake, the Lord through his loving kindness erases the tracks. 

Chapter 21

The effects of wicked King Noah’s reign continued to plague his son Limhi as he tried to make due under Lamanite bondage.  King Limhi’s people are a classic case of the sins of the fathers being passed on with severe consequences to the next generation.  Innocent suffering is perplexing to believers and non-believers alike.  Yet, believing in the wisdom of a loving Father in Heaven allows the righteous who believe and exercise faith to make it through life’s most bitter ironies.  When Ammon came with his little band of rescuers we see a type and a shadow of Christ’s loving and delivering hand.  King Limhi’s explicit faith in Ammon’s ability to save them through God’s delivering power allowed the miracle to happen.  Likewise, if we exercise faith in Christ’s saving and redeeming power we can weather our most difficult tests, including suffering for the sins of the fathers. 

Chapter 20

The character traits of Noah’s wicked priests are despicable.  It seems they are rewarded for cowardly and lasciviousness behavior.  Their abduction of the Lamanite girls (after they have deserted their own wives and children) leads to an intense battle and loss of many lives on both sides. Yet their leader, Amulon becomes a Lamanite chief through his marriage to one of his abductees.  In a twist of bitter irony, Amulon enslaves Alma who repented along with his 450 followers. Yet, Alma and his people endure the hardship of their slavery by remaining faithful to God.  Eventually, they are freed by the Lord and they escape to Zarahemla, thus uniting all of the Nephites (except the wicked priests). 

Sometimes it seems that the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer.  This perspective must be challenged through the lens of the Plan of Happiness.  The Lord is the perfect administrator of agency.  He will guide us through our hardships and eventually we will see that all these things give us experience.

Chapter 19

Just before I left on my mission to the Navajos, my dad took the new Triple Combination he and mom had purchased for me and he found a blank page in the back and wrote: “The Lost Expedition.”  Then he proceeded to explain and draw a diagram for me of the adventures of a group of Nephites that left Zarahemla to go back to their homeland in Nephi-Lehi.  It was a fascinating and complex tale.  The story begins with the overzealous Zeniff who caught the adventuring spirit from his days as a spy among the Lamanites in Nephi-Lehi.  He wanted to move there and live among the Lamanites thinking they weren’t so bad after all.  The adventure includes two major escapes, an assassination attempt, and the discovery of an extinct race of people called the Jaredites who left their bones and a record on metal plates behind.  It involves a wicked king, two righteous kings, an amazing prophet named Abinadi, a zealot high priest group leader named Gideon and a rescue party led by the other-not-the-arm-chopper-offer-guy named Ammon.  Alma immerges as the hero prophet and the whole adventure ends with all of the Nephites back home in Zarahemla!

Hearing my dad complete the tale helped me see that he believed the Book of Mormon was true and that Joseph Smith could not have possibly made up such an intricate story.  I wonder how excited he was to send another son off to preach among the Lamanites.  My oldest brother Dave had done so ten years earlier. Maybe he was telling me that my older brother escaped and if I had faith I’d make it back alive too.  

Chapter 18

The beautiful scene of Alma teaching and baptizing at the Waters of Mormon in the Forest of Mormon has been etched into our minds by the artist Arnold Friberg.  In the background of his oil painting are majestic mountains with cascading waterfalls.  In the water, Alma baptizes a worthy saint.  Coming forth out of the water is a newly baptized sister.   In the foreground, a brother who has been assigned to watch for their enemies stands ready to warn and defend. This is a sacred place.  The covenant of baptism is the gateway to heaven.  Jesus Christ covers us by his atoning sacrifice.  When we are baptized we take upon us his name and his protection.  We become his sons and daughters.

Sacred places become sacred to us because of the righteous acts of God that take place there.  As we look at our own sacred experiences there is often a sense of place accompanying those experiences.    

Chapter 17

King Noah sentences Abinadi to death for saying that God himself would come down to earth, live and die for the people.  Abinadi’s response was that he would not recant his words and for them to carry out the sentence but know that if they did they would be guilty of murder and that they would be punished by God and suffer death in a similar way.  Later, King Noah would die the same way, that is, being put to death by fire, fulfilling Abinadi’s prophesies.

As we begin a new year, we must consider that wickedness never was happiness.  There is never any joy in sin.  Brief pleasure only blurs the reality of the misery that comes from disobedience to God’s laws.  God’s plan of happiness requires us to stop rationalizing our sins and humbly submitting ourselves to God, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light compared to the awful pain and suffering that comes from sin.  We can make sacred resolves and ask God to give us the strength to keep our promises.  He won’t fail us.  Trust Jesus.