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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
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Alma 13 - Called and Prepared from the Foundation of the World


It's early in the morning here in Taipei and as I look out my dark office window onto the city nightscape I am reflecting on the calling of a new prophet. I have a deep trust in God's power to reveal His will to his children and the process of prophetic succession, and so President Monson's passing and the eventuality of a new leader seemed to be part of a natural matter of course. To be honest, I hadn't given it much thought. But this morning as I read Alma's teachings on the doctrine of the priesthood and his warning voice to Zeezrom and the people of Ammonihah I had a distinct and personal confirmation that Russel M. Nelson is God's chosen spokesperson on earth today. This unsolicited witness from the Spirit is a testament to me of God's love, and a product of His goodness. Even though I needed no intellectual convincing to follow the prophet, I'm grateful for this moment of spiritual confirmation granted by the grace of God before I had the good sense to ask for it. 

 Alma's discourse on the priesthood to the anti-Christ Zeezrom and the wicked people of Ammonihah is puzzling to me. On first reading it feels like a dramatic aside from his earlier debate with Zeezrom on the nature of God and the mission of Christ, and calls to repentance. So why is Alma teaching about the priesthood to a people that will subsequently imprison him and murder the followers of Christ?

 Alma a teaches that those who hold the priesthood were "called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea (Alma 13:3). In Sunday School last week, the idea of foreordination was a major theme of our class discussion. We talked specifically about the difference between foreordination and predestination. I was sitting by two members of our congregation who speak English as a second language and together we could not come up with suitable translation for these words in Chinese. None of the equivalent Chinese terms we could think of could capture the difference between these two ideas. 

 Foreordination is the process by which "God appointed certain spirits to fulfill specific missions during their mortal lives ... Foreordination does not guarantee that individuals will receive certain callings or responsibilities. Such opportunities come in this life as a result of the righteous exercise of agency." The prophets and scriptures actually reject the Calvinist notion of predestination, or the idea that our destiny in the afterlife is set, and cannot be changed by our actions. What finally helped with the translation  and explaining these two ideas to my Chinese-speaking classmates was identifying the roots of these two words: ordination, and destination. Predestination implies that our outcome is fixed. Such a concept, if true, would destroy the principle of agency and the merciful fairness of God. Foreordination by contrast means that many people were set apart to do certain things in life, but does not compel them to do so. In fact, we learn in the Doctrine and Covenants that "many were called, but few are chosen" (D&C 121: 34). 

 Alma explains the criteria that were met by those foreordained to receive the priesthood. He emphasizes that they had no special talent, and that receiving responsibility and authority from God is contingent on humility, willingness to do what's right, and desire to repent. "Or in fine, in the first place they were on the same standing with their brethren; thus this holy calling being prepared from the foundation of the world for such as would not harden their hearts (Alma 13:5). He goes on to explain that "there were many who were ordained and became high priests of God; and it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish" (Alma 13:10). 

 I still do not understand why Alma chose to share these important doctrines with a such a hardened people, but I know they are true. I know that God has prepared me and asked me to do specific things in my life in the same way He has a plan for all of us. Just like He has for His chosen prophet, I know He outlines specific spiritual lessons before we came to earth and throughout our lives to prepare us for the purpose He wants us to fulfill. Whether these promised blessing and responsibilities happen is up to us. To make the best that God has in store for us a reality in our lives, He asks us to "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering. Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest" (Alma 13:28-29). 
Application Questions

 Even if you already accept President Nelson as God's prophet, how can receiving a personal witness from the Spirit bless your life? 

 What has God foreordained you to do in your life? How can you take steps this week to pursue those ends?
Image Credit: lds.org

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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
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