Mormon 5

(December 13, 2014)

                So many of our problems in life come from the same source as the one that destroyed the Nephites.  We have our aims and goals, and they may even be righteous ones (the Nephites wanted to survive, and we might want to provide for our families).  The problem comes when we forget that we are in the hands of God.  When that happens, we struggle for our goals without calling on God for the blessings we stand in need of.  If we do that, we have lost what is truly important regardless of whether we acquire or lose what we sought instead.

                So if we devote ourselves to our work and struggle at our jobs, but we fail to call upon God for help, then one of two things will happen.  Either we will achieve our work-related goals (destroying ourselves in the process), or we will fail to achieve our work-related goals (the better of the two options, because it puts us in mind to call upon the Lord).  If, instead, we seek that goal but rely upon the Lord to magnify our efforts, then one of two things will happen.  Either we will achieve our goal (as a blessing from the Lord), which will enlarge our faith, or we will fail to achieve our goal, which can only happen if the Lord in His wisdom and mercy knows that failing to achieve that goal would lead to a greater blessing for us (thus we are protected from the wrong goals).

                In other words, if we rely on the arm of flesh there is no way to succeed regardless of what happens.  If we rely on the arm of faith, there is no way to fail regardless of what happens.