(October 21, 2015)
When we
seek out charismatic leaders, leaders who happen to share our current
ambitions, we set ourselves up for failure.
Just as those who sought out the leadership of Amilickiah were destined
to be tossed out the moment they no longer served his interest, we run the same
risks when we allow ourselves to be used by those seeking temporary power out of
a desire to get something out of the arrangement ourselves.
This
could be equated to any number of disputes currently in the political arena,
but it seems far better to view it for the current purposes in an eternal
perspective. We may seek out and follow
the path of Satan because we believe that he will give us what we want in
return. And, in all honesty, if what we
want is selfish oftentimes pursuit of this selfish end is best achieved through
servitude to the Devil.
But, as
the scriptures say, the Devil doth not support his children at the last day but
instead speedily drags them down to Hell.
And that is the inevitable end of those who seek such an arrangement to satisfy
temporal desires. Better to fail to
achieve any worldly aim than to have them all achieved only to experience an
eternity of regret.
Unlike
Satan and Amalickiah, Moroni
and the Savior have as their aims selfless blessings to those around them. Moroni fought for freedom for all, for their
wives, children, and for the Lord. The
Savior completed the Atonement for all – He alone didn’t need to, and yet He
alone completed it. This understanding
of selfishness and selflessness should give us a better capacity to judge the leaders
of our day, and to examine our own behavior in our leadership roles (Church,
family, etc.) as well.
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