Testimony of Christ

As I read through Moroni 10 this week, I was struck by the frequency in which Moroni used the name of Christ as he bore his final testimony. Before sealing up this ancient record, his thoughts and his focus are undeniably on our Savior, Jesus Christ. Moroni is a great example of talking of Christ and it is evident in these verses:

• the coming of Christ (10:1)
• the name of Christ (10:4)
• having faith in Christ (10:4)
• nothing that is good denieth the Christ (10:6)
• the Spirit of Christ (10:17)
• every good gift cometh of Christ (10:18)
• Christ truly said (10:23)
• the words of Christ (10:26)
• come unto Christ-twice (10:30, 32)
• be perfect in Christ-three times (10:32, 33)
• ye are sanctified in Christ (10:33)
• through the shedding of the blood of Christ (10:33)
• the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah (10:34)

I think the reason this stood out to me was because of a recent general conference talk we studied together as a family. The talk was given by Elder Neil L. Andersen in Oct. 2020 called "We Talk of Christ". The part of his message that really resonated with me was his admonition to speak of Christ more in our homes. He said "when your children ask you questions, consciously think about teaching what the Savior taught." As I've intentionally tried to do this in my home, I have found it so much easier to answer the hard questions my kids ask because my mind knows where to immediately go to answer their questions. And being able to answer those hard questions, with my testimony of the Savior, has been a rewarding and spiritual experience.

Reading the words of Moroni as he bears his final witness of Jesus Christ is such a fitting way to wrap up our study of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. I know that my testimony of Jesus Christ continues to grow as I study the words of the prophets written in the Book of Mormon. I'm grateful for this inspired book of scripture that testifies of the plan of salvation and the central role Jesus Christ plays in that plan. I'm grateful to better understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how my choices affect my standing before God. I also understand more fully how merciful God is and how often He will forgive us as we repent and turn back to Him. I love that the character of Christ is that he never gives up on us. He is always waiting for us to repent and return to him. I'm so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. I'm grateful for the peace, comfort, hope, excitement, and joy I feel as I study, serve, and share the things that I continue to learn from others and from the Spirit.

Real Intent

There were so many great phrases in the Come, Follow Me chapters of Moroni 7-9 this week that I thought about discussing, but the one that kept coming back to me was “real intent” (Moroni 7:6,9).

The word "intentional" is something I have focused on for a few years now and it’s amazing to me how much more motivation I have to do good things when I focus on doing things with real intent. It turns out, when I couple my responsibilities with real intent, those tasks becomes more rewarding - they profiteth me something. And, as we do things with real intent, we are more likely to see the tender mercies of the Lord in our lives. 

Elder Gong recently shared the story of a family that earnestly prayed that their family would be welcomed into their new community. After their house burned down, the community finally opened up to this family and showed kindness and acceptance to them. Because of this families' intentional prayers for people’s hearts to be softened towards them, they were able to recognize the house fire as an answer to their prayers and not just as a terrible tragedy. (All Nations, Kindreds, and Tongues)

Another story I read had the opposite effect. This story was shared by Randall Ridd, who was serving as Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency when he shared it. "I learned the importance of real intent when I was a young seminary student. Our teacher challenged us to read the Book of Mormon. To keep track of our progress, he created a chart with our names down one side and the books listed across the top. Each time we read a book, a star was placed by our name. At first I didn’t put much effort into reading, and it wasn’t long before I found myself getting further and further behind. Spurred by a sense of embarrassment and my innate competitive spirit, I started reading. Every time I got a star, I felt good. And the more stars I got, the more motivated I was to read—between classes, after school, in every spare minute. This would be a great story if I could tell you I finished first in the class—but I didn’t. (I wasn’t last either, by the way.) But do you know what I did get by reading the Book of Mormon? I know you are thinking “a testimony,” aren’t you? But I didn’t. I got stars. I got stars because that was why I was reading. That was my real intent." (Living with Purpose: the Importance of Real Intent)

Being intentional with the small things takes diligent effort but provides the greatest rewards. Elder Bednar compared this process to looking closely at a painting of a wheat field. As you look close, you can see all the tiny brushstrokes (small, simple), and as you slowly back away you see the magnificent painting of a wheat field (great reward). The lesson is that we can't immediately see the effect of all the intentional things we do everyday, but overtime those small and simple things end up creating a beautiful landscape for us to enjoy. (More Diligent and Concerned at Home)

According to Brother Ridd's and Elder Bednar's talks, some of the small and simple things that we need to be intentionally doing are...

• remembering Jesus Christ

• praying (personal and family)

• studying the scriptures (personal and family)

• having family home evening

• expressing love and showing it

• bearing testimony and living it

I know that as I step back and think of the reasons why I’m doing something then my perspective changes and I have a renewed energy for the task at hand. I know that as we focus on being intentional in our efforts to become more like Jesus Christ that our enjoyment for life can increase. The mundane tasks we are asked to complete on a daily basis will have more purpose and meaning to them as we look for the real intent behind our all actions. 

The One

I've recently been noticing how Jesus Christ finds it important to minister to the one. I first started noticing this in 3rd Nephi 17 where Christ heals every one that was brought before him (notice how the word is not everyone, but every one - I think it makes a difference in how you read that) (vs 9), and that he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them (vs 21). In the New Testament Jesus taught about the importance of leaving the ninety and nine to find the one (Matthew 18:12). And, in one of my favorite scriptures in the Doctrine and Covenants, 18:15, Jesus teaches about how great our joy will be in bringing even one soul unto him. 

It should be no surprise that when Christ organizes His church, he places a high importance on knowing each one of its members because that is consistent with His teachings and His character. And that's exactly how Moroni describes the church during his day. "They were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken." (Moroni 6:4 italics added). So one characteristic of the true church of Jesus Christ would be a church that knows, by name, all of its members. Why? Because Jesus Christ knows each of us. And he wants to make sure that we are known and numbered as one of his disciples. Sister Michelle D. Craig said "Jesus Christ sees people deeply. He sees individuals, their needs, and who they can become...Even in our busy lives, we can follow the example of Jesus and see individuals-their needs, their faith, their struggle, and who they can become." (Eyes to See)

The way the church is organized gives us not just a way to commune with God, but to connect with other saints. It is a way to follow the two great commandments: first, love God, and second, love your neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39). Many of us (including myself) have enjoyed the opportunity of receiving permission to have Sunday Meetings in our homes and have been reluctant to embrace a full return to church. Even though we've still been able to keep that connection with God during this time, our ability to connect with others has been severely limited and it has made keeping the second great commandment more difficult. So why has the return-to-church process felt so haphazard? Why don't we just wait until we have the "all clear" and can resume our meetings as normal? Why are we trying to stumble along through this process of gathering each week when it's weird and uncomfortable to wear masks and have classes on Zoom and when home church is so nice? It's because of the important and sacred nature of the second great commandment. We need to be watching out and caring for others. And one of the best ways to do this is by meeting together as often as we can (Moroni 6: 5-6). Moroni uses chapter 6 to talk about all the wonderful blessings that come when we worship together...

• we are remembered (6:4)
• we are nourished by the word of God (6:4)
• we can be kept in the right way (6:4)
• we can be watched over through prayer (6:4)
• we can fast and pray together (6:5)
• we can speak to one other concerning the welfare of our souls (6:5)
• we can partake of the sacrament together (6:6)
• we can feel the power of the Holy Ghost through talks, prayers and music (6:9)

"It is true that we attend our weekly Church meetings to participate in ordinances, learn doctrine, and be inspired, but another very important reason for attending is that, as a ward family and as disciples of the Savior Jesus Christ, we watch out for one another, encourage one another, and find ways to serve and strengthen each other... stop, look around, and ask yourself, “Who needs me today?” You may be the key to reaching out and touching the life of a peer or to giving encouragement to a friend who is quietly struggling...I can guarantee that there will always be someone at every Church meeting you attend who is lonely, who is going through challenges and needs a friend, or who feels like he or she doesn’t belong. You have something important to contribute to every meeting or activity, and the Lord desires for you to look around at your peers and then minister as He would." Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson (The Needs Before Us).

Jesus Christ knows us personally and remembers us and we need to know Him personally and remember Him. The sacrament prayers (the scriptures we hear repeated more than any other scriptures) remind us that we need to "always remember him" (Moroni 4: 3, 5:2). One way we can do this is to look for ways to connect with the one, because that is what He would do if He were here. Additionally, we can't forget that the one needing our love could be someone in our own home. If we are intentional about finding the one, God will put people in our paths, and we will see these people as someone to connect with and not as someone to avoid or ignore.

As we strive to become more like Jesus Christ, let us not only minister to those we are assigned to, but look for opportunities to see others who are in need of our love as well. To reach out to the one, to serve the one, and to focus on the one, that we might be the Lord's hands in making sure that every one is cared for and remembered. "Now, as we enter the Christmas season and celebrate the living Christ, one of the most powerful ways we can show our gratitude is by serving His children. Let us follow His example to 'Light the World' by loving and serving others, one by one." (Pres. Russell M. Nelson, Instagram Post, Nov. 29, 2020; italics added)

 

Faith

In one of the podcasts I listened to this week (Unshaken Saints), the host of the show mentioned something about Ether 12 that was very insightful to me. He pointed out the during the Jaredite civilization, the prophets prior to Ether cried repentance unto their people (Ether 7:23, 9:28, 11:12, 20), but it seems that Ether took a different approach by first “exhorting the people to believe in God” (12:3), or in other words, to have faith. 

Faith has to come before repentance (vs 3) because faith in Jesus Christ is the catalyst for us to see the changes we need to make. Pres. Nelson recently said "When coupled with faith, repentance opens our access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ."(We can do better and be better). So having faith first will open our eyes to see the things we need to change/repent of in our lives.

Seeing our need to repent is one gift we receive when we have faith in Jesus Christ. Ether 12 also lists many other gifts that come to us when we have faith.

Gifts of faith:

• By faith all things are fulfilled (vs 3)
• Faith gives us a sure hope for a better world and that we will dwell with God someday (vs 4)
• Faith will anchor our souls, and when we are anchored we are sure and steadfast. (vs 4)
• Faith motivates us to good works. (vs 4) 
• Faith leads us to glorify God (vs 4)
• Faith gives you hope for things you cannot see (vs 6)
• Faith allows us to see the hand of God in our lives-working miracles both large and small (vs.7-8, 12, 16, 18)
• Faith makes it possible for us to be partakers of the heavenly gift (vs 8-9). According to "The Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families"(page 636), the heavenly gift is "receiving forgiveness of our sins and the companionship of the Holy Ghost."
• Faith allows us to have the priesthood here on earth (vs 10)
• By Faith the Atonement of Jesus Christ was fulfilled (vs 11)
• By Faith we obtain promises from the Lord (vs 17, 21-22)
• Faith allows us to understand His word (vs 20)
• By Faith we can be made mighty in word (vs 23)
• By our Faith the Lord can work through us to bring about righteousness (vs 29)

So what are some ways we can increase our faith? In Preach My Gospel it states that "your faith will increase through diligent study, prayer, dedicated service, and obedience to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and the commandments. Your faith in Jesus Christ grows as you become better acquainted with Him and His teachings" Also, as we work to develop any Christlike attribute, we will also gain other Christlike attributes. "By focusing deeply on one needed attribute, as you progress in obtaining that attribute, other attributes begin to accrue to you." (Elder Scott D. Whiting Becoming like Him). So, even if you're focusing on another Christlike attribute like becoming more patient or more obedient, your faith can also increase during that process. 

The principle of faith can sometimes be an abstract concept to understand and hard to quantify, but as we recognize the gifts of faith in our lives, then our faith becomes somewhat easier to measure. For example, if you can recognize God's hand in your life or feel motivated to do good works, then those are gifts that are coming to you because of your faith in Jesus Christ. 

Gratitude

I loved reading Ether 6 this week and thinking of all the analogies that exist between the Jaredites’ ocean voyage and our own lives. The verses that stood out most to me in this chapter were 8-10. 

That furious wind that god caused (vs. 5) to blow their barges to the promised land, never did cease (vs. 8) and yet they did “thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord.”(vs. 9) Wow. I don’t think I’d be able to find much to be grateful for if I was stuck in a barge-with animals-being tossed in the waves day after day. So I wonder for what were they thanking and praising the Lord during those 344 days? Maybe one thing they gave thanks for was that “they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water” (vs. 10). I think there's a lesson we can learn from those verses. No matter how furiously we're being tossed around in life by trials and challenges, there is always something to be grateful for which is the light of Jesus Christ in our lives.

I love this quote about gratitude given by Pres. Monson in Oct. 2010. He said: "When we encounter challenges and problems in our lives, it is often difficult for us to focus on our blessings. However, if we reach deep enough and look hard enough, we will be able to feel and recognize just how much we have been given."

I hope that during this season of trial and challenges that we can take the time to look deep enough and see how the Lord has truly blessed us. I know I am grateful for the many blessings and tender mercies that, if I look deeply enough, I can see everyday in my life. 

Personal revelation

During this week of study, one of the prompts from the Come, Follow Me manual asked us to look more deeply at the principle of personal revelation and what more can we learn about that principle through Ether 1-5.

Pres. Nelson has recently said "I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation". We can look to the brother of Jared as an example of how to increase spiritual capacity before receiving revelation:

1. He repented and prayed to ask for forgiveness (2: 15)
2. He was told to sin no more so that the Spirit could be with him (2:15)
3. He performed the work the Lord had commanded him to do (2:18)

It's the same pattern our leaders ask of us today. Repent, live righteously and do the things the Lord has asked us to do. These are basic principles that allow us to have the amazing gift of revelation.

In Ether chapter 2, we learn that the brother of Jared had a problem. With the Lords instruction, he built these awesome barges that were so impenetrable that the best way to describe them was “tight like unto a dish” (vs. 17). But because they were so “tight like unto a dish” the passengers wouldn’t be able to breathe or see while traveling inside them. So, the brother of Jared prays to the Lord and asks for some guidance on what he should do about these two problems. His subsequent interaction with the Lord helped remind me that that revelation can come to us in different ways. 

First problem - no air. The answer from the Lord for this question came directly and with step by step instructions on how to solve the problem (vs. 20). This is my favorite way of  receiving revelation because the answer to my question comes directly to my mind accompanied by the method required to get the result. These are also the kinds of revelations that I remember best because they seem to be more dramatic in nature and because they don't happen very often. 

Second problem - no light. The answer from the Lord for this question involved a lot more work on the part of the bother of Jared. The Lord helped him rule out some possibilities (v. 23 - don’t even think about windows or fire!), but after that he had to come up with his own potential solution and present it to the Lord for approval (touch these stones that they may shine in the darkness) (3:1-5). This seems to be the more common way I receive revelation; when I need direction in my life the Lord expects me to put in some effort before that direction comes. 

I would like to share an example from my life about these two different ways of receiving revelation: When I was inspired to start sharing my testimony over social media, I had no idea where to begin. When I asked the Lord what he would have me do, the answer was clear and concise and came with instructions on how I should share and with whom I should share it - an example of the first kind of personal revelation (direct and with instructions). However, the Lord does not instruct me each week about what I should write in my blog posts. I have to put in a lot of effort through studying, pondering, and praying before I know what to write each week. This is an example of the second kind of personal revelation (I have to put forth a lot of effort before presenting to the Lord for his acceptance).

One of my favorite talks about revelation was given by Elder David A. Bednar, (The Spirit of Revelation) in which he compares these two types of revelation to light. The first type of revelation is compared to a light is being turned on in a dark room and the details are immediately in full display. The second type of revelation is compared to the sun rising in the morning where the details start to become clearer over time. I think its reassuring to know that personal revelation can come to us in different ways. It's also comforting to know that the Lord will communicate with us the same way he communicates to his chosen prophets, for "all are alike unto God" (2 Nephi 26:33).

Last words

The Book of Mormon is filled with the testimonies and final words of many ancient prophets. But it is unique that in these three chapters of Mormon 7-9, we get to study the last words of the two last prophets who wrote in this record. It's true that Moroni ends up living longer than he thinks he will and ends up recording more of his testimony, but for all intents and purposes, chapters 8-9 are his farewell words. So what did these two prophets choose to record as their final words, knowing that their testimonies would be preserved to come forth in the latter days?

Mormon

• remember that you are from the House of Israel (7:1, 10)
• repent or you cannot be saved (7:2, 5, 8)
• lay down your weapons of war (7:4)
• believe in Christ (7:5, 8, 10)
• be baptized (7: 8, 10)
• receive the Holy Ghost (7:10)

Promised Blessings*

• dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom (7:7)
• sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above (7:7)
• live in a state of happiness with no end (7:7)
• it shall be well with you in the day of judgement (7:10)

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Moroni

• Search the prophecies of Isaiah (8:23)
• repent (9:6)
• believe in Christ and His miracles (9:11-21)
• preach the gospel to every creature (9:22)
• be baptized (9:23)
• hearken to the words of the Lord (9:27)
• doubt not, but be believing (9:27)
• come unto the Lord with all your heart (9:27)
• work out your salvation before Him (9:27)
• be wise (9:28)
• strip yourselves of all uncleanness (9:28)
• ask that ye will yield to no temptation (9:28)
• serve the true and living God (9:28)
• partake not of the sacrament unworthily (9:29)
• do all things in worthiness (9:29)
• endure to the end (9:29)

Promised blessings*

• the Lord will remember the covenant which he has made with the house of Israel-that they may be blessed forever (8:23, 9:37)
• (whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing) whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him (9:21)
• (he that believeth and is baptized) shall be saved (9:23)
• the gift of protection (9:24)
• (whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing) unto him will I confirm all of my words (9:26)
• you will in nowise be cast out (9:29)
• prayers will be answered according to your faith (9:37)

I find it comforting that the message that was repeated by both both father and son was to believe in Jesus Christ, repent and be baptized.  As you study the final words of other Book of Mormon prophets, they also repeat the same message. Probably the most widely quoted of these is found in 2 Nephi 31. This chapter, written by Nephi, the son of Lehi, is often referred to as the Doctrine of Christ, and Nephi repeats the same principles: follow Christ, repent and be baptized. Nephi also talks about the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end, which are both mentioned in the combined final testimonies of Mormon and Moroni. 

Out of all the words these prophets could leave behind, the most important things they chose to testify of are these five simple principles. So, at times when life starts to feel a bit overwhelming, thinking on these basic principles will bring our focus back to what is most important.

*these are more blessings promised to covenant Israel-you can add them to your list😊