Ether 9

(June 23 2013)
There is something of poetic justice in this chapter.  Moroni clearly indicates the main reason why the people fall astray throughout this chapter is because of their desire to get gain.  And yet, as is clearly visible, when the people follow the Lord their wealth increased and when people rejected the Lord in pursuit of wealth that same wealth evaporated.

As a father, I can see somewhat the lesson that is being taught here.  I made brownies recently and I wanted the kids to enjoy those brownies.  I knew that they would give the kids happiness, and so I wanted to share with them.  But one of the children got on a chair and climbed up to the brownie dish and stuck their fingers in the icing to get an early taste.  Because of that, they didn’t get any brownies as punishment.  Their desire to get what their father wanted to give them, but to get it themselves rather than have it given to them, resulted in losing out on what I wanted to share with them.

Can we not see that it is just the same with us?  Our Father wants very much to give us the things that will make us happy.  But if we pursue those things outside of the ways in which He stands ready to give them to us, we will lose out on the very blessings we seek.  If, instead, we patiently wait on the Lord we will find that He will give us more than we could ever dream – some in mortality and the remainder in the life hereafter.