2 Nephi 28

(August 9, 2015)

                We view the blood of the saints crying up from the ground against the wicked as something that happens to other people in other times.  But the Book of Mormon was written for us in our day, and it was written for those who would read it.  So that seems to imply pretty clearly that the blood of the saints is something that we as members of the Church should be fairly worried about crying against us.

                Does the blood of the saints cry against us when we are silent as those who are weak or helpless are slaughtered in foreign lands?  Does the blood of the saints cry against us (metaphorically) as we watch from the sidelines as those who engage in the great cultural battles of our day are pilloried and destroyed?  Most frightening to me, is the blood of the countless little children murdered through abortion going to cry against us because we were insufficiently bold in speaking out against this evil?

                I don’t know what the right answer is, but I do know that I am far too comfortable in my day to day life considering the war that I should be more actively engaged in.

Colossians 3-4; 1 Thessalonians 1

(August 8, 2015)

                I loved the expression concerning seasoning our speaking with Grace, so that we will know how to answer.  Oftentimes I find myself in a difficult situation, not knowing the right thing to say. Sometimes it is with someone who is angry, or someone who is hurting, or even someone trapped (and who may not even recognize that they are trapped).  I will say a silent prayer and wade in – hoping to say the right thing (or, more importantly, avoid saying the wrong thing).

                But I make things far more complicated for myself than I need to.  It retrospect I can clearly see that those times I have said the right thing were the times when my comments focused on His Grace and the Atonement.  Those times when I said the wrong thing were the times when my comments were focused on material action or temporal circumstances.

                No matter our desires to help, we really can do almost nothing to help those around us.  Nothing, that is, except to live our lives in such a way as to constantly point those around us to Christ and His Atonement and to encourage them to partake of Grace in their own lives.  So long as we are doing that, we know how to answer.

2 Nephi 27

(August 8, 2015)

                One thing that is a constant blessing to me is how the Lord can sometimes answer our deepest concerns through the scriptures.  Prior to reading this chapter, I was struggling with making a determination that was weighing heavily on me.  I was praying for help and guidance, and I felt that I didn’t know what to do (or even how to figure out what to do).  I felt, frankly, ill-used in certain respects because the problems were not of my making but a consequence of the hurtful actions of others.

                I longed for comfort from the Lord and an answer to how I was supposed to deal with my struggles.  When I read this chapter, there was a long section that I could apply almost word for word with my current situation.  I don’t think that Isaiah had me in mind when he wrote this (or that Nephi had me in mind when he quoted it), nor do I think that the interpretation I drew was even the ‘correct’ one according to the language of the scriptures.  Instead, I think that the scripture worked as a way for the Lord to open my heart to revelation and give me instructions on my particular set of circumstances.

                That being said, the instruction is very difficult.  Getting the answer is one thing, but being able to follow the counsel is sometimes far different.  I still undoubtedly have a struggle ahead of me to accept and internalize the message I have been given.

Colossians 2

(August 7, 2015)

                Whether you call it the traditions of men or the philosophies of men, it is extremely difficult to see past the assumptions and ‘truths’ of our age and recognize the eternal truths – especially when those eternal truths require reexamination of cultural, traditional, or philosophical ‘truths’ we might hold dear.  But if we seek to learn of an eternal God, we must be prepared to escape a very temporal age – one utterly unprepared to acknowledge or combat its own blind spots.

2 Nephi 26

(August 7, 2015)

                There is a clear contrast drawn here between the way that Satan works and the way that the Lord works.  Satan works through hiding his true intentions, building chains of flaxen cord, and bit by bit drawing someone to their own damnation.

                The Lord, on the other hand, does not work through darkness.  He is open about His intentions (our salvation) and His means (the Atonement) and what He requires of us (everything).

                What becomes interesting is when we start thinking that the Lord must be wrong on how He is operating, and we try to achieve Divine objectives with infernal means.  We try to subtly bind people to the Gospel through flaxen cords, and we determine that being indirect with people (or ourselves) or hedging with the word of the Lord is of a benefit.

                The Lord certainly, were He so inclined, could imitate Satan’s methods and do them far more effectively. That He chooses not to is something that we should notices and imitate.  For how can we say we are about the Lord’s business if we are working from Satan’s playbook?

Colossians 1

(August 6, 2015)

                Once again, do we properly understand the implications of all things being created by and for Him?  This means that cancer was created both by and for Him – it is one of subset of all things.  Likewise lupus, and earthquakes, and on and on and on.

                It is difficult, at times, to wrap our minds around.  But only when we view the purpose of mortality as something other than it really is.  God wants us to be as happy for eternity as we can possibly be, but He also realizes that happiness comes from righteousness and from no other way.  Thus He will send cancer or earthquakes not because He doesn’t love us, but because He does and in His perfect plan they will somehow, some way lead to our happiness.

                I get that I am overwhelmingly Panglossian in my worldview, but I have seen this work out this way too many times.  Things in my life are far from what my mortal eyes would call perfect, but I am able to trust in Him that all things will work out in the end.  When we look at something in the world and criticize it, it is an indication that we are not being properly grateful to an Omnipotent Father who has crafted all things for our benefit.  Our cynicism and our anger needs to be replaced with gratitude towards Him for all He sees fit to give to us (even when what He gives to us is painful).

2 Nephi 25

(August 6, 2015)

                I was struck by Nephi’s comment that his words were sufficient to teach any man the right way.  First thing first, there is some ambiguity as to what words Nephi was talking about (all his writings? his writings in this chapter?), but either way there wasn’t a lot of wiggle room for the honest doubter.  In order to hold to the position that one could study the Gospel honestly and still doubt the truth of it is to contradict not only Moroni but also Nephi.

                I say this, of course, as someone who has doubted the truth of the Gospel myself and gone through my own faith crisis.  A portion of that crisis was relative to my own sins and failings, but another portion was based upon the challenges I was facing in dealing with others and my understanding of the Gospel.

                But notice what Nephi says and doesn’t say.  He doesn’t say that they are sufficient to convince him at first glance, or the words are so overwhelming as to deny any chance to disbelieve.  No, we only know that when we engage with the Book of Mormon and the truth of the Gospel, we eventually come to the point where our doubts can be overcome through the faith which Christ can grant us and through the miracle of conversion.