Come Unto Christ

This is the final post in this blog before I publish it for Christmas gifts for those who contributed. I have titled this post "Come Unto Christ," because that admonition is given in the final verses of the book and it is what the purpose of the Book of Mormon is- to help us come unto Christ.

Little did I know when I issued the challenge in December of last year what a blessing it would be in my life. For me, personally, to study daily in the Book of Mormon and then share my insights increased my faith. My testimony increased additionally as I read the what family members gained from their reading.

There is no doubt in my mind that the whole experience better prepared me for the humbling calling this past July to be bishop of the Shamrock Park Ward. It increased my spirituality and put me in a better position to accept the calling. The amazing thing is that as I talk with ward members who need comfort and council, the scriptures that I have underlined and written about in the blog from the Book of Mormon have come powerfully into my mind and have proven to be just what was needed.

I have a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and join Joseph Smith in proclaiming that it is the most correct book on earth and that a man or woman will come closer by abiding by its teaching than from any other book. It is the word of God.

Great Fathers in the Book of Mormon

Today is Father's Day and I have been thinking about lessons we can learn from the great fathers in the Book of Mormon.

My thoughts go first to Father Lehi. Right in the first verse of the Book of Mormon Nephi pays tribute to his father, as he writes about being born of goodly parents who taught him. I am impressed throughout the account of their wanderings in the wilderness and journey to the promised land with Lehi's love for his children, even when they were not all behaving very lovable. I have always been touched by the phrase in 1 Nephi 8:37 "And he did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent." That's something I think only parents can experience when they want their children so badly to understand the lessons of the gospel.

King Benjamin is another example of a parent who taught his children in the gospel. In Mosiah chapter one we read how he taught his three sons in the language of their fathers so they could read the plates. His most important advice to them is advice I would pass on to my children,

"And now my sons I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land." (Mosiah chapter 1)

Alma the elder teaches us the value of faith and prayer on behalf of children. When an angel appears to Alma the Younger to chastise him the angel says: "Behold the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant Alma, who is they father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth.." (Mosiah 27:14) Sally and I know what's it's like to pray daily for the welfare of our children with all our hearts, and are inspired by the example of Alma.

And finally I'm sure that Mormon must have been a wonderful father to Moroni. We don't read about it specificially, but at a time when just about everyone had abandoned their faith, Mormon is somehow able to keep his son, Moroni obedient and true to the faith. We read how Moroni fulfills the commandments of his father to take the plates. With very little room left on the plates, Moroni chooses to write in Moroni Chapter 7 the great discourse of his father, Mormon, on faith, hope and charity. We can surmise that there must have been a very loving relationship there.

There are other fathers mentioned with inspiring stories. Father Adam who chose to fall that man may be. Father Abraham who was willing to sacrifice his son to be obedient and with whom the Lord made the Abrahamic covenant - a covenant that we are a part of and can pass on through celestial marriage.

I'm grateful for my father who taught me as did Lehi and for the opportunity to be a father and grandfather. I'm grateful for my children and grandchildren - each with their own special spirits and talents and gifts that bring me great joy. And I'm grateful for the Book of Mormon and the lessons it teaches about fatherhood.

2 Nephi 4:27-30

We have reached our 100th Post. There have been so many great things written on this blog and I am so excited to continue to read it!

Last night as I was reading in 2 Nephi 4:27, it says,

"27: And why should I yield to sin because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?"

"28-30: Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.

Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.

Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord. and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God and the rock of my salvation."

How true this all is. There are so many times I get caught up in the busy world and instead of rejoicing and being happy everyday, I dwell on things that have gone wrong in my life. The part that stood out to me was "the enemy of my soul" Now this was a little strong for what I was thinking because it's not really that someone it is my enemy but sometimes in my life I dwell on what someone did to me, or the way someone made me feel. When we do this I feel like this only makes it harder for us to be happy and enjoy our day. We are going to go though out lives where someone may hurt us or make us frustrated but we need to remember the important things in life. The Savior and what he has given us to enjoy: His Son Jesus Christ that sacrificed for us and that we can remember and be more like everyday, family, friends, homes, nature, and so much more. I hope that I can be better each day by rejoicing about what I have and what I have been given and let the non important things roll off and enjoy the happy things in life.

King Benjamin

I love listening to or reading about King Benjamin's talk to his people. I was reminded again this week about how we are all beggars. We have had several beggars set up on the street corners lately here in Idaho Falls. I saw one of them smoking the other day and was tempted to think that if I gave him money, he would probably buy cigarettes. I have a tendency to judge the motives of these people and try to decide how needy they really are and wonder why they don't just get a job. King Benjamin teaches that it is not my place to judge. I cannot always stop in the middle of a busy intersection to give a beggar some money but I am going to try much harder not to be critical or judgmental. As the scriptures remind us, "With what judgement ye judge, ye will also be judged". Maybe in God's eyes, I am just as needy and helpless as those beggars on the street corners!

Agency

I have been pondering agency lately and would like to share a few thoughts, although it does not have to do specifically with what I am reading in the Book of Mormon. I was listening to a CD with songs from the 2005 primary program the other day and there was a phrase that stuck out to me from the song Agency which was an Ensign song picked for that year. IT goes something like, "I will use my agency to choose the right today." Now this may seem simple, but I was struck with the thought as I listened; my agency is a tool. It is something that I have been given to help me return to my Father. I always had viewed agency in the past a gift, or even a privilege, but never as a tool.

Amazingly, I was flipping through my gospel principles manual last night and turned to lesson 4, a lesson I had missed and never read, so I decided to take a few minutes and look over it. It is entitled Freedom to Choose. (Do you think Heavenly Father is trying to tell me something?) The following paragraph jumped out at me.

Agency makes our life on earth a period of testing. When planning the mortal creation of his children, God said, 'We will prove them herewith to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their Gos shall command them.'

I have been taught before that this life is a test, but as I read this paragraph, I viewed things in a way I never had before. I think that someimes rather than trying to excell at keeping the commandments and living righteously, I just try and glide by. I would never do this on a test for school or personal training, etc. My nature is to excel. The tool I can use to excel on the test of life is agency. Every day I am faced with dozens of choices; how to spend my time, how to treat my family, am I going to go visitng teaching, etc. Sometimes I choose good things, but not the best things and sometimes I make downright poor choices. The key word being my. Agency means not only that we are able to make choices, but that we must own them and be graded on them!!!! I pray that I will get an A and that I will be able to hear the words, "Well done thou good and faithful servant."

The Vineyard (Annabelle)

For behold, thus saith the Lord, I will liken thee, O house of Israel, like unto a tame olive-tree... jacob 5:3. In this chapter there is a vineyard, olive-tree, a master, and a servant. In the vineyard there is good soil and bad soil. The vineyard represents the world. There are some places better set up for the teaching of the gospel than others. Such as the promised land/the americas. The olive-tree is also the world. At first it brings forth good fruit, representing that the gospel is on the Earth. It begans to decay, the gospel is still on the Earth but not as much. The master and the servant try to prune the tree and nourish it for some time. Then they try to graft in branches from another tree. The tree starts to bring forth evil fruit, none of it is good, the gospel is no longer on the Earth. The branches have over come the roots of the olive tree, the gospel has been totally removed from the Earth. They yet again try to save the tree. This time they graft in branches from the mother tree. It starts to bring forth good fruit, the gospel has been restored to the Earth. Then it talks about how after a long time of good fruit the bad will come into the vineyard yet again, and he will gather up the good and the bad branches, and preserve the good branches, while he will burn the bad branches in a fire.

He Will Take Upon Him the Pains of His People

I had an experience this week that helped enlighten me about the atonement. We read in Alma chapter 7 how the Son of God would take upon him the pains and sicknesses and infirmities and sins of His people. We sometimes focus mostly on Him taking on Himself our sins, but he also took upon Himself our pains and sicknesses and infirmities.

Here's my experience. Monday Michael was driving from Boise to Logan for a very important modeling job. He had told me before that being late to these things was not even an option so he always gave himself plenty of time. I learned from Mom that Michael's tire blew out near Mountain Home. He called Mom to express how distraught he was by the whole ordeal - not only was there the expense of the repair, but the problem would delay him enough that he would be late to his appointment. I felt so bad for Michael. In fact, I sometimes think when our children are in distress, the parents feel it worse than the children.

Then I made the connection. Just as I felt so bad for Michael, even though the experience wasn't happening to me, the Savior has suffered that same pain for all of us. Not only that, he took upon himself Michael's pain and my pain, and multiply that by millions, because the Savior has experienced the pain and suffering of every human being who has lived, who is now living and who will yet live upon the earth. He did it all the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. The magnitude of what Jesus Christ did for us through the atonement struck me by that simple comparison.

Not only did He do it, but he did it willingly. In addition, we don't even need to bear our burdens, because if we are suffering in mind or spirit he invites us to "cast our burden upon the Lord and he will sustain thee." I am, and forever will be so grateful for the atoning sacrifice of our Lord, Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.