This week we are studying the story of the righteous Nephite leader, Captain Moroni, and the wicked Lamanite leader, Zerahemnah, who "stirred up his people to anger” against the Nephites, which resulted in a very bloody war.
I love this story! Not just because Captain Moroni is the star of it, (one of the great heroes of the Book of Mormon and Mormon’s hero, which is why he named his son after him), but because it has such a powerful message for our day.
First—notice what the two sides are fighting for.
The Lamanites:
1. To eliminate the religion of the Nephites
2. To put the Nephites in bondage and exercise power and authority over them by stripping them of their rights.
The Nephites:
1. Their freedoms/rights
2. Their religion
3. Their families
It is easy to see the parallel with our lives today. We too are fighting a spiritual war for our freedoms, our right to worship and the protection of our families. However, it is no longer just a spiritual battle; it has also become a political one as judges and politicians try to destroy the family and strip us of our rights of worship.
With that in mind, it is interesting to see how Captain Moroni fought this battle for freedom and how we might apply what he did to our own lives. (Alma 43)
They made armor and weapons of war.
The Nephites wore breastplates, arm shields, helmets, and thick clothing. They also had many weapons of war. The Lamanites, on the other hand, wore loin cloths. Now, I wouldn’t want to wear a loin cloth anywhere, ever, but especially going into a war. It wouldn’t take much to cause great physical damage if that is all I had protecting me. And realizing their disadvantage, the Lamanites ran when they saw the Nephites coming.
So what does that teach me? Well, that in a war I want to arm myself and my children the best I can. I want to be sure every morning we walk out the door we are wearing our spiritual armor and carrying our swords and shields. I want to be sure we are reading our scriptures, saying our prayers, having family night and keeping our covenants.
But it also teaches me that Satan’s forces are naked in comparison and that a righteous person is more powerful than a wicked one.
They asked the prophet for direction
When the Lamanites ran, Moroni did not know where they went. He could not see the enemy, so he turned to Alma, the prophet at the time, and asked for help. Alma asked the Lord and came back and told Moroni where the enemy was and where he would strike.
Now the lesson from this is an easy one. The prophet knows where Satan is hiding. He knows where he will strike. He knows that pornography, and immorality are the enemy and they are hiding behind the internet, cell phones and early dating. He knows debt can lead to bondage and many laws currently being instituted will lead to the destruction of the family. If we heed his counsel he can help us avoid being attacked. And if we are attacked, he helps us have the tools to fight back.
They fortified their weakest areas.
Any general will want to attack you where you are your weakest, and Satan is no inexperienced general. Why do we have seminary every day, mutual, stake/regional youth dances, church on Sunday? We have them to protect the youth while they are young and inexperienced in fighting evil. What are the weakest areas of our lives? What can we do to fortify them?
They united in faith.
This is part of the story I found the most interesting. The Nephites are far outnumbered by the Lamanites and at one point are about to give up and accept defeat. Moroni rallies his troops by reminding them why they are fighting. The story then says they cried out “in one voice” in prayer to God. At that moment the battle changed. Instead of being on the verge of destruction they pressed forward, armed with courage and faith and in the end they won the battle.
How many battles are easier to fight when we all are united in our defense and call upon the Lord for help? How does being united with the Lord as parents help in our parenting? How does being united with those we serve help in our church calling? We all know that any project you undertake will go much more smoothly if everyone working on the project shares the vision and equally contributes. How much better can we be at fighting evil if we all stand strong together. And how much better even still, if we are on the side of the Lord.
And that reminds me of the theme for the youth this year, “Be Strong and of Good Courage.” This story demonstrates the importance of the theme. We are fighting this battle against evil and only as we bravely stand together, united in purpose, and on God’s side, will we conquer the enemy.
Such wonderful lessons all from one small chapter!
One more reason . . . I love the Book of Mormon!
Showing posts with label Book of Mormon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book of Mormon. Show all posts
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Why I Love the Book of Mormon . . . or How Long Can You Carry A Grudge?
While reading the Book of Mormon a couple weeks ago, I was struck by the length of time the Lamanites could carry a grudge. Four hundred and thirty years after Lehi brought his family to the Promised Land, they were still angry over perceived injustices that occurred during their travels.
In Mosiah 10 we learn the Lamanites believed they were forced to leave Jerusalem due to the evil doings of Lehi, wronged in the wilderness, and wronged again while crossing the sea --all because of the iniquity of Nephi, who also unjustly stole the record of their people when he fled into the wilderness (to preserve his life). From generation to generation they taught their children to hate the Nephites. And so hate was spread from parent to child year after year, decade after decade, resulting in death and sorrow for many people.
My first thought was, "Wow! I am pretty sure I have no idea who offended any of my ancestors over 400 years ago. " I was amazed a legacy of hate could have been preserved for so many generations. But then of course, I was reminded of the problems in the middle east today as well as in other parts of the world and realized I was being a bit naive.
But what I also realized was the impact our teachings can have on our children for generations. We can teach them to hate and distrust, or we can teach love, faith and compassion. We can teach selfishness or we can teach service and charity.
My parents are great examples of teaching good qualities. My father is the most obedient and hard working person I know, and he has diligently tried to instill those qualities in his children. I remember well one Saturday morning when I was twelve and it was our stake's turn to pick cherries at the stake welfare farm. Sleeping late sounded so much better to me than getting up at 5:30 to work in an orchard. So when my father came to get me, I told him I couldn't find my shoes and therefore could not go. He suggested I wear another pair. So I told him directly, I did not want to go.
I will always remember his very unsympathetic response. He said, "Sometimes in life we have to do things we don't want to do, but we do them anyway because it is the right thing to do." That seems like such a simple and basic comment, but it and his example, have stayed with me and been the impetus behind my completing some very unsavory tasks.
I also appreciate the example of selfless service set by my mother. She has a very tender and kind heart and often reaches out to the poor and needy. While visiting my parents in Guatemala a few years ago, we were leaving to go on a sight seeing journey when I noticed my mother filling her purse with food and coins. And then as we traveled across town, she would give the food and money to the little beggar children holding out their hands at the stop lights.
So my thought these past few weeks is this, "What kind of legacy am I leaving my children?" Is it one of anger, hostility and selfishness? Or is it love, kindness and service? Am I teaching them to hold a grudge against those who might offend them, or does my example teach forgiveness?
I am sorry to say, I realized I need to do a lot better. But, that is one reason why I love the Book of Mormon . . . it helps me to see where I need to improve and improvement always brings . . . joy to my journey.
In Mosiah 10 we learn the Lamanites believed they were forced to leave Jerusalem due to the evil doings of Lehi, wronged in the wilderness, and wronged again while crossing the sea --all because of the iniquity of Nephi, who also unjustly stole the record of their people when he fled into the wilderness (to preserve his life). From generation to generation they taught their children to hate the Nephites. And so hate was spread from parent to child year after year, decade after decade, resulting in death and sorrow for many people.
My first thought was, "Wow! I am pretty sure I have no idea who offended any of my ancestors over 400 years ago. " I was amazed a legacy of hate could have been preserved for so many generations. But then of course, I was reminded of the problems in the middle east today as well as in other parts of the world and realized I was being a bit naive.
But what I also realized was the impact our teachings can have on our children for generations. We can teach them to hate and distrust, or we can teach love, faith and compassion. We can teach selfishness or we can teach service and charity.
My parents are great examples of teaching good qualities. My father is the most obedient and hard working person I know, and he has diligently tried to instill those qualities in his children. I remember well one Saturday morning when I was twelve and it was our stake's turn to pick cherries at the stake welfare farm. Sleeping late sounded so much better to me than getting up at 5:30 to work in an orchard. So when my father came to get me, I told him I couldn't find my shoes and therefore could not go. He suggested I wear another pair. So I told him directly, I did not want to go.
I will always remember his very unsympathetic response. He said, "Sometimes in life we have to do things we don't want to do, but we do them anyway because it is the right thing to do." That seems like such a simple and basic comment, but it and his example, have stayed with me and been the impetus behind my completing some very unsavory tasks.
I also appreciate the example of selfless service set by my mother. She has a very tender and kind heart and often reaches out to the poor and needy. While visiting my parents in Guatemala a few years ago, we were leaving to go on a sight seeing journey when I noticed my mother filling her purse with food and coins. And then as we traveled across town, she would give the food and money to the little beggar children holding out their hands at the stop lights.
So my thought these past few weeks is this, "What kind of legacy am I leaving my children?" Is it one of anger, hostility and selfishness? Or is it love, kindness and service? Am I teaching them to hold a grudge against those who might offend them, or does my example teach forgiveness?
I am sorry to say, I realized I need to do a lot better. But, that is one reason why I love the Book of Mormon . . . it helps me to see where I need to improve and improvement always brings . . . joy to my journey.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Why I Love the Book of Mormon or . . . What is Wrong With My GPS?
I have decided each weekend to post something about how the Book of Mormon applies to my life. This is not intended to be deep doctrine or even profound (as you will soon see if you continue reading :-) but it is meant to be a way to express my love for the book to my children who hopefully will read this.
So . . . This past week I was studying about wicked King Noah and how his evil doings influenced the people in his kingdom to become wicked as well. (Mosiah 11)The Lord sent the prophet Abinadi to warn the people that if they did not repent, they would end up in bondage. The people refused to change and the prophecies were fulfilled.
I found it interesting that the people were initially righteous under King Zeniff (Noah's father) but then got off the right path and started down a path that led to their captivity. They were sent a warning by a prophet to "turn around" and get back on the right path, but they ignored the warning--and in fact, killed the messenger.
That thought reminded me of a mountain biking trip I once took with my friend Lisa to Moab, Utah. Neither of us had been to Moab before, but armed with a map and a GPS system, we were confident we knew the way.
Some where along the trip, however, we got on the wrong road. Okay, I know you are wondering how that was possible with both a map and a GPS system, but now I will tell you something about myself you may not know. I am totally directionally challenged. And there was a little detour in the road that confused us. So there we were going in the wrong direction, but not knowing it.
Although our GPS system did try to warn us. In fact it kept telling us to "go forward 200 feet and make a legal U-turn." We couldn't figure out why we would have to go forward and then backward so we ignored the warning. Once Lisa did pull out the map and checked it, but the road we were on was very close to the road we wanted to be on , and our road was not marked, so we assumed we were where we wanted to be. . .
Despite, the repeated GPS warnings.
And eventually we turned off the GPS.
Then we saw smoke stacks in the distance. That is when we knew we should have listened. The smoke stacks are in Page, Arizona, which was definitely NOT the direction we should have been traveling.
After a quick lunch we made the hour trip back to the main road, continued forward a bit and then got on the path we needed and finished our journey to Moab, arriving two and a half hours later than planned.
What struck me was how Lisa and I were much like King Noah; so convinced we were doing what was right, we refused to listen to the warnings to turn around. And just like King Noah, we ended up in a place we didn't want to be. Luckily for us, we corrected our mistake and eventually arrived safely--which of course, is much better than the king who ended up being burned to death.
But my lesson for my children is this . . . as you journey through life, listen to those warning signals and make the corrections needed. It is easy to get so busy that we don't realize we have strayed from the path we want to be on. So, heed the promptings of your conscience, the Spirit and the words of the Prophets because the right path is the only safe way to travel.
And that little lesson from the life of King Noah, is one reason why I love the Book of Mormon.
So . . . This past week I was studying about wicked King Noah and how his evil doings influenced the people in his kingdom to become wicked as well. (Mosiah 11)The Lord sent the prophet Abinadi to warn the people that if they did not repent, they would end up in bondage. The people refused to change and the prophecies were fulfilled.
I found it interesting that the people were initially righteous under King Zeniff (Noah's father) but then got off the right path and started down a path that led to their captivity. They were sent a warning by a prophet to "turn around" and get back on the right path, but they ignored the warning--and in fact, killed the messenger.
That thought reminded me of a mountain biking trip I once took with my friend Lisa to Moab, Utah. Neither of us had been to Moab before, but armed with a map and a GPS system, we were confident we knew the way.
Some where along the trip, however, we got on the wrong road. Okay, I know you are wondering how that was possible with both a map and a GPS system, but now I will tell you something about myself you may not know. I am totally directionally challenged. And there was a little detour in the road that confused us. So there we were going in the wrong direction, but not knowing it.
Although our GPS system did try to warn us. In fact it kept telling us to "go forward 200 feet and make a legal U-turn." We couldn't figure out why we would have to go forward and then backward so we ignored the warning. Once Lisa did pull out the map and checked it, but the road we were on was very close to the road we wanted to be on , and our road was not marked, so we assumed we were where we wanted to be. . .
Despite, the repeated GPS warnings.
And eventually we turned off the GPS.
Then we saw smoke stacks in the distance. That is when we knew we should have listened. The smoke stacks are in Page, Arizona, which was definitely NOT the direction we should have been traveling.
After a quick lunch we made the hour trip back to the main road, continued forward a bit and then got on the path we needed and finished our journey to Moab, arriving two and a half hours later than planned.
What struck me was how Lisa and I were much like King Noah; so convinced we were doing what was right, we refused to listen to the warnings to turn around. And just like King Noah, we ended up in a place we didn't want to be. Luckily for us, we corrected our mistake and eventually arrived safely--which of course, is much better than the king who ended up being burned to death.
But my lesson for my children is this . . . as you journey through life, listen to those warning signals and make the corrections needed. It is easy to get so busy that we don't realize we have strayed from the path we want to be on. So, heed the promptings of your conscience, the Spirit and the words of the Prophets because the right path is the only safe way to travel.
And that little lesson from the life of King Noah, is one reason why I love the Book of Mormon.
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