Holy Men

I had a very powerful experience this evening at a special regional priesthood leader training meeting on addictions. One of the things that impressed me the most was President Clark's concluding message. He shared this quote from the "Words of Mormon" in the Book of Mormon:

17 For behold, king Benjamin was a ^aholy man, and he did reign over his people in righteousness; and there were many holy men in the land, and they did speak the word of God with ^bpower and with authority;

Elder Clark told us that those gathered there needed to be the "holy men" in our land today. He challenged us to do whatever we needed to increase in holiness and promised us that as we do so we will be able to "speak the word of God with power and with authority." I think it cause all of us there to examine ourselves and inspired us to do better.

Believe in the Lord Their Redeemer

On this Easter Sunday I am newly impressed with the focus on Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon. It shouldn't really be surprising since it is "another testament of Jesus Christ," but in my current reading I am noticing it perhaps more than ever.

Just in my recent reading of 1 Nephi 19, Nephi emphasizes:

18 And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that

perhaps I might persuade them that they would ^aremember theLord their Redeemer.

23 ....but that I might more fully persuade them

to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that

which was written by the prophet ^bIsaiah...

In fact the title page of the Book of Mormon tells us it's primary purpose is:

"And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ"

I am very grateful on this Easter Sunday for the Savior and the hope we have in his resurrection and atonement. I am also thankful for the Book of Mormon, that is an additional reference and inspiration when it comes to His life and work. And while I value the marvelous lessons in the Book of Mormon about faith and hope and deliverance and mighty prayer and tender mercies etc. , I have a goal as I continue my study of this holy scripture this year to look for and appreciate more the teachings about the Lord, our Redeemer.

The Enemy of My Soul

I was reading this week in 2 Nephi chapter 4 - one of my favorite chapters. Nephi mourns the fact that he has weaknesses but then rejoices in the Lord. There are a couple thoughts that come to mind in pondering these verses.

First, if even Nephi, as great a prophet and example of strength that he is, gets discouraged, as in verse 19 where he says "My heart groaneth because of my sins", it gives hope to the rest of us, that even those we look up to face many of the same temptation and problems as we do.

Then later he turns around his attitude and says, "Rejoice, oh my heart, and give place to more for the enemy of my soul." I wonder, what was Nephi's "enemy of his soul." Was anger against his brothers? Then I think what is the enemy of our souls? It's different for each of us - it could be addictions, or inability to forgive, or laziness or pride or covetousness or any number of things. But whatever the enemy of our soul may be, we follow the counsel and example of Nephi to overcome it through calling on the Lord even as Nephi did in faith.

I love the final verses of that chapter:

Oh Lord, wilt though encircle me around in the arms of thy righteousness ... O Lord I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever ...Yea I know that God will give liberally him that asketh."

I was reading today in Jacob 1:8 and was impressed by Jacob's wish that he and his brother, Joseph, could convince all men not to rebel against God but that all men would believe in Christ and bear the shame of the world. It is interesting how often we, as members of the LDS church, have difficulty bearing that shame of the world. Just like in Lehi's dream, we see the people in the large and spacious building pointing their fingers and mocking us when we will not join them in partaking of earthly pleasures and sin. It must be something that is built into our human nature that we seek approval and acceptance by other people to the point, at times, when we compromise our standards or feel ashamed of who we are and what we believe. I hope that I can become the kind of person who is self confident and faithful enough to declare my beliefs in any situation and not ever feel ashamed of my beliefs and standards.

Quotes

Quotes from today's lesson:

Elder James E. Faust shared the following analogy: “Thomas R. Rowan … said: ‘Author and commentator Malcolm Muggeridge once told a story about some frogs who were killed without resistance by being boiled alive in [a] cauldron of water. Why didn’t they resist? Because when they were put in the cauldron, the water was tepid. Then the temperature was raised ever so slightly, … then a bit warmer still, and on and on and on. The change was so gradual, almost imperceptible, that the frogs accommodated themselves to their new environment—until it was too late. The point that Mr. Muggeridge was making was not about frogs but about us and how we tend to accept evil as long as it is not a shock that is thrust on us abruptly. We are inclined to accept something morally wrong if it is only a shade more wrong than something we are already accepting’” (National Press Club Forum).

After sharing this analogy, Elder Faust said, “This gradual process was foretold by ancient prophets” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 40; orEnsign, May 1989, 32).

President Ezra Taft Benson said: “The Book of Mormon exposes the enemies of Christ. It confounds false doctrines and lays down contention. (See 2 Ne. 3:12.) It fortifies the humble followers of Christ against the evil designs, strategies, and doctrines of the devil in our day. The type of apostates in the Book of Mormon are similar to the type we have today. God, with his infinite foreknowledge, so molded the Book of Mormon that we might see the error and know how to combat false educational, political, religious, and philosophical concepts of our time” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1975, 94–95; orEnsign, May 1975, 64).

On the Morrow

I think one of the great sermons of the Book of Mormon is the one Jacob gave to his people in Jacob chapter 2. As I was reading this earlier today I came across something I hadn't noticed about how quickly this sermon was prepared.

"Wherefore, I must tell you the truth according to the^aplainness of the ^bword of God. For behold, as I inquired of the Lord, thus came the word unto me, saying: Jacob, get thou up into the temple on the morrow, and declare the word which I shall give thee unto this people."

What I noticed is that Jacob only had less than a day to prepare this magnificent sermon. But upon closer examination, it actually was not written by Jacob, but he was just passing on the the word which the Lord gave him to declare.

There are two lessons I learn from this. First, that we should not put off promptings from the Lord. We need to follow them in a timely manner. The other lesson is that when we have occasion to speak, we should not rely on our own wisdom, but seek to know what the Lord would have us say.

Go Into the Mount Oft

I have noticed that when Nephi needed revelation from the Lord he would often go up into the mountains to pray. I came across that again in 1 Nephi 18:3 as Nephi was trying to figure out how to build a ship:

"And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things."

It struck me that there's a comparison that can be made to the temple. In fact, mountains in the scriptures are often symbolic of the temple. If the ship can be compared to our lives, and if we want to get answers to life's questions, or any problems we are having, we can go to the temple for direction.

If we are to follow Nephi's example we will to there oft, and just like Nephi the Lord can reveal unto us great things.

One of my biggest personal challenges is to remain positive and faithful when the world seems so wicked and so many people are being led astray. It was interesting to me as we read 2Nephi:4 in Sunday School that this was the same passage that I had been studying the previous week. Nephi begins a psalm-like discourse in verse 17 when he laments over his own sins and weaknesses. The part that was most meaningful to me was in verses 27-29 where Nephi talks about the evil one destroying his peace and afflicting his soul. He asks why he is angry because of his enemies. He mentions that his strength is slackened because of his enemies and tells his heart to rejoice. I realize that it is a tool of Satan to try to make us discouraged about the wickedness of the world. It must have been especially hard for Nephi because his enemies were his brothers and other family members. There is much good in the world, also, and it is important that we try to rejoice and remain faithful and positive.

Continue to Minister

• 3 Nephi 18:32

  32 Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out of your synagogues, or your places of worship, for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them.

  So far I have been posting comments chronologically as I've begun reading the Book of Mormon again from the beginning, but in this post I'd like to break away from that and jump ahead, because the above scripture really impressed me today as I watched the world wide leadership broadcast.

  One of the general authorities quoted this scripture during a discussion on rescuing those who are not actively enjoying the full blessings of fellowshipping with the saints at church. The message that struck me is the importance of never giving up. Whether it's family members or friends or people in our ward, we never stop trying. We continue to minister, because who knows? Perhaps something will change in their lives and hearts; perhaps we will be prompted to say or do something that will make a difference. What joy it is when they come back and maybe we have a little part in it, or as the Book of Mormon says, perhaps we "shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them."

  I know it can and does happen.

  Jay

  
  

  
  

  
  

The purpose of 2 spindles on the Liahona

The purpose of two spindles on the Liahona was to allow Nephi and his family to know if the Liahona was working properly.  When pointing in the correct direction, the spindles would align.  When unaligned they would not know which direction to go.  As such this ball would also serve as an indicator of their level of obedience.

See:

http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=3&num=2&id=59

I was reading 1Nephi16 and was interested in the idea that it is hard to hear counsel or correction when we have done something wrong. Like Laman and Lemuel, it can feel like "more than we can bear" and "it cutteth them to the very center". I think that this is the reason that we sometimes avoid church, going to the temple, or listening to conference when we know that things are not right in our lives. It is so much easier to hear about all the good things we are already doing. We feel justified and righteous! However, it is the hearing and accepting the "hard things" that really moves us to repentance and change if we "hearken to the truth and give heed unto it".

Sally

In Behalf of His People

As I try to glean every bit of wisdom I can from the Book of Mormon, I am struck by verse 5 in 1 Nephi chapter 1. "Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea even with all his heart, in behalf of his people." Two things impress me about the verse- first that Lehi prayed with all his heart. It makes me reflect on my prayers and it motivates me to the pray with more intensity like Lehi. But secondly, I notice that Lehi prays, not for himself, but for his people.

It reminds me too how Alma prayed so hard for his rebellious son that an angel appeared to Alma the younger and told he was there in answer to the prayer of his father. So praying for others apparently works.

The lesson I take from this is the importance and effectiveness of prayer for others- from the prophet praying for the church, to a bishop praying for his ward, to a Mia Maid teacher praying for her girls, to a home teacher praying for the families he visits, to a parent praying for their child. Whatever our calling may be, the message from the Book of Mormon for us is to pray for others, with all our hearts. And those prayers will be heard.

Counseling family members

As my group was reading and discussing 1Nephi 15:25 in our joint meeting on Sunday, I was impressed that Nephi counseled his family members "with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed". As parents of adult children, we sometimes struggle with knowing what our role is in counseling our grown-up children. On the one hand we believe that our role is to "teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves" but, at other times, we still feel prompted to offer some counsel and advice. We see our children counseling and advising each other, as well. This passage of scripture reminded me of the many examples in the scriptures when fathers counseled adult children. Sometimes the children asked their fathers for advice and other times, it was unsolicited. What I learned was that it is good to offer counsel and advice when the Spirit directs. We, as parents, shouldn't avoid those opportunities or feel that it is no longer our role.

Sally Hildebrandt

Sisters in the Gospel

Alma 7:23

When my mother reached the age of 93, she took the challenge offered by her bishop to read the Book of Mormon before the end of the year--a mere two months of action time. In facing final health challenges Norma turned to reading the Book of Mormon as her solace and her strength. To her Bishop's astonishment, she read the Book of Mormon five times in two months. She remained educated, refined, and intelligent to the last, though she had gone through two World Wars, the Depression, and a lifetime of family, health, and financial tests, gaining strength by clinging to her scriptures.

In our last ward, a new move-in was a tiny roughed-edged older woman who, as a new convert, would bear her testimony of the goodness of God at every single opportunity. She was single with children long since out in the world, and her every mannerism spoke of the difficult, manual labor life she had led. One Sunday as the adult Sunday School class was about to begin, I sat by her and commented on her beautiful set of scriptures. She glowed at the comment, and leaned in to whisper to me, "You know I can't read, don't you honey? I bought these so that I could be close to them. Whenever I'm having a hard day, I hold onto them and feel their spirit." This sister had gone through abusive husbands, long hours of back-breaking work, and disappointments that she faced alone in this world, but she too gained strength by, literally, clinging to her scriptures.

Though each of these sisters tread different roads, many of the hardships were similar, perhaps even to some of our own challenges. Each of them crossed the finish line with a beauty of spirit that can only be obtained from a closeness to the Gospel and the scriptures and the Book of Mormon. "And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive. And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works." Alma 7:23-24 Verena

Therefore I Was Taught

How many times have I read those first words of The Book of Mormon, "I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father..." ? Is is possible I could get any new insight into that verse as I begin reading the sacred book once again? Tonight the answer is yes!

As strange as it may seem my new insight is based on the word, "therefore." I looked up the definition and it means, "since the preceding is true" or "for that reason." It hit me that not only were Lehi and Sariah goodly parents, but one of the reasons they were goodly parents is that they taught their children.

It gave me an increased appreciation of the importance of parents teaching their children. Teaching what? Well, Nephi says he was taught in all the learning of his father. To me that means teaching everything from how to cut the lawn to how to develop a budget to how to pray and study the scriptures, because that's what goodly parents do.

by Jay Hildebrandt

Welcome

Welcome to the Shamrock Park Ward Book of Mormon Blog. This blog gives ward members an opportunity to share insights from their reading of this sacred scripture and comment on the posts of fellow ward members. It is my prayer that ward members will strengthen one another and draw closer to the Lord through this sharing process. May the Lord bless us all as we undertake this challenge.

Bishop Hildebrandt