Helaman 9

(November 12, 2014)

                Both in and out of the Church, we are far too often like the people who gathered at the death of the chief judge.  The Lord had revealed what took place, the prophet had spoken on the subject, and here they were (and, symbolically, here we are) pontificating as to how and why things happened the way they did and arriving at the precise wrong result.  Rather than speculate based upon our own limited human wisdom, it would be a better idea to at least familiarize ourselves with the statements of the prophets on a given issue before forming an opinion – and to be extraordinarily cautious about forming an opinion in opposition to the statements given by our Priesthood leaders.

                The other thought I had was on the five men who ran to the chief judge.  On the road, they thought to themselves that they would believe – and when they were confronted with the chief judge being dead they collapsed in fear.  But what was noticeable to me in all of that was Mormon’s commentary about the situation – even after all of that, Mormon said that they were converted in prison (not before).

                I have experienced that in my own life.  I received witnesses and viewed miracles, and yet while I had a testimony I wasn’t converted as I should have been.  It was only some time later that I actually became converted to the Gospel – and I am constantly striving to deepen that conversion even now.  Miracles do not convert.  They may convince, but they often don’t even do that.  Eventually we have to make a choice – a moral choice – as to which side we are on in the War in Heaven as it continues here on Earth.  That choice, should we make it correctly, is our conversion – it starts the process of allowing the Lord through His miraculous Atonement to begin to change our natures and sanctify us.