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...
After king Lamoni's father was converted to the gospel, he institute religious freedom in the lands within his control "that they should not lay their hands on [Alma and the sons of Mosiah] to bind them, or to cast them into prison; neither should they spit upon them, nor smite them, nor cast them out of their synagogues, nor scourge them; neither should they cast stones at them” (Alma 23:2). More than that, he implemented an activist policy “that they should have free access to their houses, and also their temples, and their sanctuaries" (Alma 23:2). His intent with this actions was to ensure "that the word of God might have no obstruction, but that it might go forth throughout all the land" (Alma 23:3). When I think of the obstructions that prevent me from sharing the word of God, they are generally subtle, seemingly benign, and look like cultural norms of secularism. Mostly they are self-imposed and rooted in fear of being weird. They sound like, "I don't know that person well enough to initiate a religious conversation," or "If they wanted to come to church, they would." When Lamoni was converted he removed institutional barriers to preaching the gospel. As I become more converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, I am slowly dismantling my reluctance to open my mouth.
The next action the people of king Lamoni's father took was to lay down the weapons of their rebellion. "As many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away. For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more, neither against any of their brethren" (Alma 23:6-7). While this verse may be referencing literal weapons of war, I love the idea of laying down our personal weapons of rebellion, and ceasing to fight against God. For me this has looked like deleting apps, canceling subscriptions, returning purchases, and letting go of counterproductive beliefs. As I continue to identify the implements and symbols of my unrighteousness, I try to weed out the corners of my heart and mind that I hold in reserve for worldly indulgences.
The last thing the people of king Lamoni's father did was to establish a new identity. "And now it came to pass that the king and those who were converted were desirous that they might have a name, that thereby they might be distinguished from their brethren" (Alma 23:16). In selecting a new name (i.e. political identity) Was their intent to alienate the wicked Amalekites and Amulonites they lived among? When we take upon ourselves the name of Christ, or any other identity label, what is our motivation?
Recently a coworker shared with me the idea of writing a user manual for yourself to share with colleagues. It would outline your personal values, communication style, schedule preferences, pet peeves, etc., and expedite the process of getting to know your coworkers. (Check out Katie Costello's song "Cassette Tape" for a hipster version of this idea as it relates to dating). Establishing trust in a company (or ward, or family...) is hard enough, and is only complicated by keeping preferences and expectations a secret. Whether in a written document or not, making your road map explicit can promote understanding and avoid conflict.
For better or for worse, labels are a powerful shorthand to communicate information about our values and beliefs; when someone introduces themselves as a vegetarian, a Republican, an activist, a Hindu, or a banker, we draw conclusions about them. Labels can also be instructions to others on how we want to be treated. As I tell clients and coworkers that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they make (generally positive) assumptions about be. They stop offering me alcohol, tea, or coffee and make sure that orange juice and water are available for toasts. They don't expect or even ask me to participate in events on Sunday. Some even refrain from using profanity when I'm around.
What I love about the name they chose, the "Anti-Nephi-Lehies," is that was an anti-label. Encoded in the name was a challenge to a system that would divide and categorize people based on their ethnicity or political alignment. It rejected the construct of "-ites" altogether. While we can never get away from labels altogether, we should seek to create and project an identify that readily reflects the love of Christ, and reinforces our own commitment to goodness.
Application Questions
What obstacles to the word of God exist in your life and in your sphere of influence? How can you remove them?
What are your "weapons of rebellion" and what would it take to lay them down?
How do you separate yourself from unrighteousness? What personal identity do you embrace and project? Does that identity reflect your core values?
Image Credit: Roberta Yamamoto
Comments
Post a Comment