Skip to main content

9 - 15 Mar - Learn With Joy and Not With Sorrow - Jacob 1 - 4

Jacob 1 - That We Might Persuade Them to Come Unto Christ I'm taking an online economics class right now, which prompted me to think of the definition of economics in the context of the scriptures. Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. In the case of Nephi and his successor Jacob, the plates upon which they engraved their record was a scarce resource. They were costly to make and difficult to engrave, and instilling a tradition of passing them through generations was surely cumbersome.  Recognizing the great importance of spiritual things and the challenge of maintaining records, Nephi instructed Jacob to prioritize religious instruction saying, " if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:4).   This priority was not only reflecte...
1 comment

Alma 1 - Therefore They Were Liberal to All


After King Mosiah's reign Alma took his place as the chief judge over the people. He came to power at a time when there was polarization and contention among the people, and church membership entered a period of decline. At the root of these challenges was pride: "There were many among them who began to be proud, and began to contend warmly with their adversaries, even unto blows ... and it was a cause of much affliction to the church; yea, it was the cause of much trial with the church. For the hearts of many were hardened, and their names were blotted out, that they were remembered no more among the people of God. And also many withdrew themselves from among them" (Alma 1:22-24).

 What are we thinking and feeling when we "contend warmly with our adversaries?" Usually our defensiveness comes from a place of insecurity. We argue not because of the correctness of our position, or the importance of the issue, but because we believe our worth and identity hang in the balance. There may be times when we rightly defend correct principles under fire, or need to assert personal boundaries, but even these conversations can and should come from a place a personal peace and love. 

 Despite the challenges that these religious and political shifts created, "those that did stand fast in the faith" endured and even prospered. "Now this was a great trial to those that did stand fast in the faith; nevertheless, they were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them" (Alma 1:25).

 Generosity and Wealth

One of the defining characteristics of the church at this time was their commitment to equality, and resultant willingness to work hard and share. "The priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength" (Alma 1:26). Despite these challenging times, the members of the church chose to be generous with their wealth. "And they did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely" (Alma 1:27).

 While the blessings of righteousness are not necessarily tied to material prosperity, because the members of the church in the time of Alma lived according to correct principles they were blessed with provident lives. "And now, because of the steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly rich, having abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need" (Alma 1:29). What is most important to me is not so much that they became wealthy, but what they did with their wealth. "In their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need" (Alma 1:30). Their attitude toward their possessions was a sense of abundance. They demonstrated through their choice to share that they believed that what they had was enough, and was in fact more than enough.
Application Questions 

 What does it look like to "set your heart upon riches?" How can you avoid this temptations and be "liberal with all" with your substance?

 Other than money, how else can you define "substance"

 What can you do this week to help "the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted?"
Image Credit: Money Inc. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

1 Nephi 17 - That I May Find Ore to Molten, That I May Make Tools

Nephi is given the daunting task of constructing a ship to carry his family across the ocean. Like Nephi, the Lord asks us to do things that are beyond our current knowledge and ability with a promise that he will help us: "And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them ( 1 Nephi 17:3 ) From the experience of Nephi and his family, we can also see that the Lord grants us joy in our trials and certainty in his direction when we follow his commandments. When Nephi and his family reached the seashore, a brief respite before crossing the ocean, they enjoyed the break and celebrated their progress: "Notwithstanding we had suffered many afflictions and much difficulty, yea, even so much that we cannot write them all, we were exceedingly rejoiced when we came to the seashore; and we called the place Bountiful, because of its m...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mosiah 16 - Speaking of Things to Come as Though They Had Already Come

Abinidi explains how Christ's atonement heals and redeems the righteous, while the wicked remain in their sins to be judged. The remarkable thing to me about Abinidi's teachings, and the teachings of all the Book of Mormon prophets who lived before Christ, is their level of conviction in what where, at the time, future events. Christ had not come yet. They looked forward to the ministry and atonement of Christ and were fully persuaded of its reality and the eternal impact it would have. It is hard enough to believe in Christ and follow His teachings after the fact, even with records of His life, and hundreds of millions of people who share a belief in Christ's divinity. But all that Abinidi and other prophets of his time had were their own revelations and inspiration from the Spirit.  Abinidi also alludes to Christ's own faith saying, "now if Christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to come as though they had already come, there coul...
Post a Comment
Read more

Matthew 3 - Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord

Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord Isaiah prophesied of the ministry of John the Baptism and described his role as "t he  voice  of him that crieth in the wilderness,  Prepare  ye the  way  of the  Lord , make straight in the desert a  highway for our God" (Isaiah 40:3). John fulfilled this prophesy and commanded the people to  “prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (Matthew 3:3). The way that John prepared for the Savior was by preaching repentance and prophesying of the establishment of the church on the earth: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand“ (Matthew 3:2). In the same way that John helped prepare a people to receive Jesus Christ at his first coming, the preparatory work that we all must do to invite the Savior into our lives is to repent.  I may be taking the metaphor too far to note that our efforts to repent do not in themselves bring the Savior to us, or enac...
Post a Comment
Read more