Category Ward

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Brothers and Sisters, I hope you have been doing well this part month and hope you are as excited as I am to hear from our beloved Prophet and other General Officers at General Conference in just two short weeks. This week the Gospel Doctrine is on 3 Nephi 8-11 which is titled “Arise and Come Forth unto Me”. The Nephites who lived nearly 2,000 years ago experienced three days of great tribulation and destruction immediately prior to the visitation of our Beloved Savior Jesus Christ to the America’s following his crucifixion and miraculous resurrection three days later. We too are living in a time of increasing tribulations long prophesied by past Prophets in the Holy Scriptures. In just the past several months, our nation has endured seemingly unprecedented lightning storms, fire tornadoes, flooding, earthquakes, hurricanes and windstorms, violent riots by hateful mobs inspired by the spirit of contention racking our cities and wildfires which have destroyed entire towns. At the same time we have been experiencing a deadly pandemic which has cost the lives of a couple hundred thousand of our fellow Americans and nearly a million people worldwide thus far.

Throughout scriptural history, when the Lord’s people have turned to worldly things and become lax in their adherence to His commandments, picking and choosing which ones they would keep and which ones they transgress, the Lord has sometimes used adversities including famine, pestilence and war to chasten us to turn back to Him as was the case with the Nephites in 3 Nephi 8-10 and as is the case in our time today. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has suggested, the increasing trials and tribulations we are now beginning to experience are meant by the Lord to provide the people of our nation and the people of our world with a spiritual re-awakening to prepare us to endure more devastating tribulations to come. These future tribulations might well resemble those that the righteous Nephites experienced in 3 Nephi 8. I believe our current tribulations are a tender mercy of the Lord to motivate us to turn to Him in prayer and to be ever more exact in our obedience to every single one of His commandments as President Russell M. Nelson counseled us to be in the April 2020 General Conference. If we do so, we will be strengthened spiritually to endure the tribulations many of us have been foreordained to pass though prior to the times of joy and happiness which will immediately proceed and follow the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, which we have been promised will likely occur in our lifetimes.

In 3 Nephi 8-10, we learn that if we repent the Savior will gather protect and heal us even in the face of unprecedented adversities and destructions. As I have re-read the Holy Scriptures and relistened to the beautiful talks offered by the General Officers of the Church during this past April 2020 General Conference over the past several weeks, I have been impressed by how men and women of great faith and righteousness have been called upon by God in times past to endure great tribulations and adversity in their lives. Many of the Prophets even had to seal their testimony with their very lives and have been rewarded with eternal life for so doing. In 3 Nephi 9:20 and 22 it says that we must repent and come unto Christ as a little child and offer as a sacrifice a broken heart and contrite spirit and in verse 14 the Lord promises “if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life.” What a wonderful promise it is that every single person who has ever lived and ever will live on this Earth who comes to Christ can receive the greatest of all gifts God has to give which is eternal life, no matter how humble our circumstances, after receiving the saving ordinances of the Gospel either in this life or the next.

In these chapters, we are taught that the commandment to offer as a sacrifice a broken heart and contrite spirit replaced the Law of Moses which consisted of animal sacrifice as a similitude to the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. We have been told that Jesus Christ is not only the God of this world but, as Elder Neal A. Maxwell stated, the Lord of the Universe and the creator of worlds without number. In order to have a broken heart and a contrite spirit we must sincerely repent and feel remorse for our sins and we must humble ourselves before God and put His will above our own. Sometimes, answers to prayers are withheld until we follow our prayerful petitions to our Heavenly Father with the Savior’s own prayerful saying that “Thy will be done not mine.” Sometimes, the most difficult answers to prayer is the realization that not all of our prayers will be answered the way we want them to be in this life but if we exercise great faith and trust in the Lord, we can be assured that even if they are not answered in this life they may be answered in the life to come. We must trust in the Lord that He knows what is best for us even if we cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel.

We have been told that the Lord gives us adversities to test and to try us and to see whether we will keep His commandments and turn to Him for succor and support or turn against Him and blame Him for our troubles. President Nelson recently stated that “the Lord loves effort” and Church leaders have told us how important it is to follow Heavenly Father’s admonition to “Hear Him.” Sometimes it seems like it can take a lot of effort to receive personal answers to our prayers when we need Him most, but if we turn to Him in fervent prayer, the Lord will bless us with spiritual, emotional and physical healing and will enable us to continue to grow spiritually and become more like Him. No one suffered more adversity in their life than the Savior Himself. We have been told that because He not only suffered for the sins of all those who ever lived and ever will live but endured all of our pains as well, He knows how to succor us in our times of trials because he has personally experienced every single one of them. Just as when the Savior’s light dispelled the thick darkness which encompassed the more righteous Nephites who survived the destruction of their cities by virtually every natural disaster imaginable, so His light can dispel the darkness that now surrounds us in the world today. We just need to turn to Him in fervent prayer and righteous living so that we might transform our homes into Holy Temples and places of refuge where it is known the Gospel is lived and taught to our families.

In 3 Nephi 11:1-17, we learn that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World. In 3 Nephi 11:7, the people heard the voice of our Heavenly Father declaring “Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.” Then the Savior descended from Heaven proclaiming Himself the light and life of the world and showing forth the wounds which he suffered during the Crucifixion and the Nephites fell down and worshipped at His feet.Think of how wonderful it would have been to be among the more righteous Nephites who were blessed to see the Savior in person at that time and begin 200 years of righteousness as described in 4 Nephi during which Satan had no power living in a pre-Millennial society. I believe that the Lord is using our increasing tribulations today to prepare us to live during 1,000 years of Millennial peace and joy here on Earth following His Second Coming during which we will be protected against all temptation and our bodies will be changed to protect and heal us from all sickness and physical, mental and emotional disabilities. How I wish this Millennial Day of happiness would come sooner rather than later but I know there is much for us to do and many more prophesies to be fulfilled before that blessed time.

Think of what experiences have given you a witness of Jesus Christ as your Savior. Sometimes, we may doubt our testimony but if we remember all the times that we have felt the Holy Spirit in our lives when we attended Church or the Temple or were diligent in keeping the Lord’s commandments, it is those very experiences that witness to us that the Lord lives and that this is His Restored Church on the Earth today. In 3 Nephi 11:10-41, we see that Jesus Christ established His Doctrine and His Church. President Nelson recently underscored the importance of calling the Church after His name. While other Churches focus on His crucifixion, Church leaders have taught that we should focus on His resurrection and the living Jesus Christ. While visiting the Nephites following His Resurrection, the Lord taught the importance of priesthood authority in administering the saving ordinances of the Gospel including baptism and the Sacrament. He also taught the importance of being united as one in purpose as he is united and one in purpose with our Heavenly Father. The Lord taught that the spirit of contention and division which we now see so pervasive in our country today is of the devil. He also taught that faith, repentance and baptism are necessary for us to enter the Celestial Kingdom and avoid eternal damnation.

I am so grateful that the Lord inspired Joseph Smith to restore His Church and bring forth the Book of Mormon so that we would have these eternal truths revealed to us. I am also very grateful to have a living Prophet in our day President Russell M. Nelson and pray that we will all pay special heed to the divinely inspired counsel of the General Officers of the Church at this upcoming October 2020 General Conference. I know that if we remain strictly obedient to the counsel of the living Prophet, we will be warned, protected and safeguarded against the difficult trials and tribulations which await us here on Earth in the near future. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Good Morning Brothers and Sisters!  I hope that you are all doing well.  My study this week took me down several paths and I hope that your study was meaningful to you.  I believe that this week’s lesson was meant to help give us time to reflect on our lives and take inventory of the things that we need to correct.  I hope that you were able to find time to peacefully reflect on the promptings that the spirit taught you.  I know that finding quiet time is a hard thing to come by these days.   

In 4 weeks, we will have the privilege of participating in General Conference.  This event excites me, for one because it is an event that will actually happen when it was originally scheduled.  General Conference will continue to be held in a little different manner than I would like, but we will have the opportunity to hear from our prophet and leaders.  I have never in my life been so grateful for a prophet than I am today.  I know that there are things that I would like to have the Prophet tell us (ex. The exact moment that this pandemic will end and life will return to “normal”).  Past experience will tell me that the prophet probably won’t answer this question.  Instead, I will hear messages that I have heard before, but they will inspire me in a different way where my testimony will be strengthened and I will be at peace.  During General Conference, we might be given instruction on updates to church callings, curriculum or policy.  We might hear things that are hard for us to accept because we have always done something a certain way.  We might confuse policy changes as changes to doctrine and get confused on the reason for the change.  In any event, we should follow the prophet.  We should pray for the Spirit to touch our hearts.  We should pray for additional understanding. 

I found a few quotes this week about prophets that I would like to share:

Ezra Taft Benson: “The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.  As a prophet reveals truth, it divides the people.  The honest in heart heed his words, but the unrighteous either ignore the prophet or fight him.  When the prophet points out the sins of the world, the worldly, rather than repent of their sins, either want to close the mouth of the prophet ore else act as if the prophet doesn’t exist.  Popularity is never a test of truth.  Many a prophet has been killed or cast out.  As we come closer to the Lord’s second coming, you can expect that as the people of the world become more wicked, the prophet will be less popular with them.”

Ezra Taft Benson: “How we respond to the words of a living prophet when he tells us what we need to know, but would rather not hear, is a test of our faithfulness.”

Henry B Eyring: “When we reject the counsel which comes from God, we do not choose to be independent of outside influence.  We choose another influence.  We reject the protection of a perfectly loving, all-powerful, all-knowing Father in Heaven, whose whole purpose, as that of His Beloved Son, is to give us eternal life, to give us all that He has, and to bring us home again in families to the arms of His Love.  In rejecting His counsel, we choose the influence of another power, whose purpose is to make us miserable and whose motive is hatred.  We have moral agency as a gift of God.  Rather than the right to choose to be free of influence, it is the inalienable right to submit ourselves to whoever of those powers we choose.”

The Story of Samuel the Lamanite is extremely pertinent to our day.  We find this story in the Book of Mormon after years of intense battles between the Nephites and the Lamanites.  Satan has stirred up the hearts of both peoples to the extent that there are many who do not believe the teachings of the prophets.  However, we find that there is a group of Lamanites that repented of their sins and gave up their weapons of war (see Hel 15:4-10) and are following the commandments.  They have been “steadfast” and honor their covenants “circumspectly” (which means vigilantly) and strive with “unwearied diligence” to teach their families the truth.  

We too find ourselves in a world that is in a similar battle between light and darkness.   It is easy to be confused with what is truth.  There are secret combinations and Gadianton Robbers everywhere.  We have been blessed with a living Prophet on the earth to warn us of such dangers.  The prophet will call us to repentance and lovingly teach us how to find safety.  We have been blessed to be able to make covenants.  Honoring these covenants will keep us safe from the adversary.  Like the Lamanites, we may need to teach members of our families who had been previously taught the gospel how to live the gospel.      

Samuel’s message to the Nephites confirmed what Nephi had taught the Nephites many years previous.  Nephi and Samuel prophesied that the Savior of the World would be born.  Hel 16:14 – Is it no wonder that “angels did appear unto men, wise men, and did declare unto them glad tidings of great joy”?  And how did the people react to Samuel’s teaching?  Hel 16:12, “And there was but little alteration in the affairs of the people”. 

As we hear the messages of the prophets in the upcoming weeks, I hope that our lives will not remain unaltered.  I hope that we will delight in the “Glad Tidings of Great Joy” that Jesus is the Christ.  That Jesus came to earth and died for our sins and that if we believe in and follow Jesus Christ, through “His Merits” (Hel 14:13) we will be forgiven. 

Following the Prophet and heeding his counsel will help us avoid the caution that is given in Hel 13:38 “But behold your days of probation are past, ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; yea, for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head.” 

The words of the prophets will come to pass and it is exciting to be able to see some of those things happen in our own lifetime.  Keep up with your reading!  3^rd Nephi is truly the best rainbow after the storm. 

Sister Rooley

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Brothers and Sisters, I hope you have had a good week this past week and that you and your family are feeling well and staying safe during this difficult time. This week’s lesson is entitled “Preserved by His Marvelous Power”. This lesson focuses on Alma Chapters 53-63, which concern many of the military battles between the Nephites led by Chief Captain (General) Moroni (aided by Chief Captains Lehi and Teancum and followed by his son Moronihah) and the Lamanites led by Amalickiah, his brother Ammoron. Of Moroni, we learn in Alma 48:17 that if all men and women had been and ever were like Moroni the powers of Hell would be shaken and the Devil would have no power over us.

Some members have wondered why the Book of Mormon which focuses on what the Lord wanted us to learn that was most important for our time relating to spiritual matters deals so much with war in these chapters. For others like myself, who have been lifelong students of military history and have served in the military, these chapters are of greater interest. These chapters and others on war in the Book of Mormon, are important because they teach us more about the principles of just war–that wars are only justified by the Lord if they are fought in self-defense or in the defense of others. We have been told by modern Prophets that soldiers are held guiltless by the Lord in killing enemy combatants, however no such promise is given if they deliberately target and kill innocent civilian men, women and children. Some people mistakenly believe that the laws of God forbidding the shedding of innocent blood are somehow suspended during war and that the deliberate mass murder of non-combatant civilians and other great evils promoted by the Devil are somehow justified by God during wartime. Nothing could be further from the truth. The laws of God forbidding the shedding of innocent blood can only be expressly suspended by our Supreme Creator himself who is the author of all life and then only very specifically through the Living Prophet as was the case of the Caananites.

The Book of Mormon also teaches us that initiating wars of aggression are expressly forbidden by the Lord and in Mormon Chapter 4, it states that had the Nephites not started a war of aggression against the Lamanites, the Lamanites could have had no power over them and could not have destroyed them. This is important to understand as our nation has embarked upon many wars over the past couple of decades some of which may have been justified under the laws of God and some of which may be. While the lessons we learn in the Book of Mormon, as well as in Doctrine & Covenants Section 98, concerning the fighting of just wars may seem to be of little application in our own individual lives, I believe that this lesson is especially relevant for us in our time. In Alma 58: 10-11 it states that the Nephites poured out their souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen and deliver them out of the hands of their enemies. Similarly, in our times of great need or tribulation, we can turn to the Lord for support and deliverance from our trials. If we are diligent in our prayers and exercise great faith, He will bless us in our time of need and send the Holy Spirit to comfort us and give us peace and assurance that our burdens will be alleviated and our lot will improve. While Utah has not been as hard hit by the COVID19 pandemic as other states, I believe that the time is soon coming when we will need the marvelous and protective power of the Lord to protect our families from the terrible tribulations that have been prophesied will precede His Second Coming which we have been told will likely occur during our lifetimes. If we are strictly obedient to the counsel of the Prophet of the Lord, God will protect us and our families.

The Prophet Helaman followed the example of his father Alma the Younger in helping to lead the righteous Nephites into battle against the invading Lamanites. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the commanding general of our enemies was appointed by the Prophet of the Lord to lead our troops into battle during America’s past wars as the Nephites had during their times of righteousness and the Lord could fight our battles? I believe our nation enjoyed this great blessing under General George Washington during the War for Independence. While our nation and its people are too unrighteous to have that occur right now, but perhaps one day in the not so distant future we may be blessed to see this happen again.

In Alma 56, it talks about Helaman’s stripling warriors consisting of over 2,000 of the Ammonites who had broken away from the Lamanites and were too young to have taken the oaths their fathers had taken that they would atone for their past killings in the Lamanites past wars of aggression against the Nephites by burying their weapons of war and covenanting to take them up no more even in self-defense. In Alma 53:10-17, we learn that the Ammonites were very faithful in keeping this covenant, so much so that over a thousand of them were willing to be slain by the Lamanites without taking up arms to defend themselves, and were blessed by the Lord for so doing. These scriptures teach us the importance of keeping our own individual Temple Covenants and following President Nelson’s admonition to “Stay on the Covenant Path.”

In Alma 53 we learn that these stripling warriors were young men who “had been taught by their mothers that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them” and thus they had “exceeding faith in that which they had been taught” and were thus protected “by the miraculous power of God.” As a result in Alma 57, we learn that even though they were all wounded in battle, they all survived. We know that God is a God of miracles and if we have similar faith, God will answer our prayers and bless, preserve and protect us. Just as Helaman’s stripling warriors were taught by their mothers to be men of faith and righteousness, so we can teach our children (and other dear family members and friends) to be men and women of great faith, spiritual strength and power who love and serve the Lord. By so doing, we can fulfill the purpose of our creation to save ourselves and our families so that we may be sealed together as families in the Eternities.

In Alma 62:41, it states that many Nephites were hardened by their many wars with the Lamanities but many others were softened and humbled before God because of their many afflictions. When we suffer great trials and tribulations in life, each of us has a choice to respond to our tribulations by drawing closer to God and seeking redress or pridefully using our tribulations an excuse to be angry at Him and turn away from Him and disobey His commandments.

In Alma 58 and 61 it teaches us that we can choose not to be offended. In the case of Captain Moroni, he was not receiving sufficient support for his armies and Pahoran was falsely accused by Moroni of withholding that support even though it was the king-men, who were responsible for blocking that support. Chief Judge Pahoran, who was the leader of the Nephite government, chose not to be offended by Moroni’s accusation. Similarly we can free ourselves of pride and be meek and humble choosing not to be offended by the actions of others which may or may not be intended to hurt or offend us. Most importantly, we must always remember that while the organization of the Lord’s Church is perfect, individual Church leaders and members are not so we must never allow ourselves to fall away and apostatize over their actions/inactions or those of other Church members for which the Adversary might tempt us to take offense. Elder David A. Bednar gave an excellent regard in this regard, entitled “Meek and Lowly of Heart” in the May 2018 Ensign.

In the Come Follow Me Lesson, it compares the Nephites being outnumbered by the Lamanites in their many wars to us being far outnumbered in the war between good and evil that continues on Earth today both in our own individual lives and in the world at large. Even though members of the Church on Earth number less than 17 million today (scarcely more than .0.2% of the population of the world), we have the absolute assurance of knowing that the Lord and His righteous followers, both Church members and all of our brothers and sisters who have faith in God and are striving to live just and honorable lives, will be triumphant over Satan and his wicked followers in the end.

I am very grateful for all the many lessons of the Book of Mormon which we can apply in our time in our individual lives and for teaching us how we might better stay on the Covenant Path which leads to salvation and Eternal life. I am grateful for the knowledge that if we live to see the Lord’s blessed Second Coming, then all of our physical, mental and emotional infirmities and those of our family members will be done away during the Millennium. The war in Heaven was fought not only over agency, but more importantly over whether we would be obedience to the commandments of our Beloved Heavenly Father. This mortal life is the final test of our obedience. I know that if we but remain faithful and keep the commandments of the Lord, and follow the example of the righteous Nephites, and teach our children and other family members to do likewise, the Lord will bless us with joy and happiness far beyond our comprehension, if not in this life than during the life to come.

Brother Pyne

Hello Friends!  I hope that you are all well enough.  I hope every month that we will return to a “normal” church schedule so that I can stop writing my thoughts by letter.  I sincerely miss having an actual discussion with you so that I can hear your thoughts and learn from you.  I feel bad that you have to read my ramblings, however, you are stuck with me!  

There were a few prevailing themes that ran through my head as I read this week’s readings.  The first was “Fathers” and the second was “How the Lord blesses us”.  I will start off by sharing my thoughts about Fathers. 

Ezra Taft Benson said, “The sacred title of ‘Father’ is shared with the Almighty.   …Fatherhood is not a matter of station or wealth; it is a matter of desire, diligence and determination to see one’s family exalted in the celestial kingdom.  If that prize is lost, nothing else really matters.”

Elder D. Todd Christofferson said, “Perhaps the most essential of a father’s work is to turn the hearts of his children to their Heavenly Father.  If by his example as well as his words a father can demonstrate what fidelity to God looks like in day -to-day living, that father will have given his children the key to peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come.”

In this week’s readings we conclude the blessing that Alma is giving his sons with the words that he shares with Corianton.  I noticed that Alma does not give Corianton a long list of how Corianton did not listen to him.  Alma got straight to the point about what Corianton had done wrong (vs 2-4), conveyed to Corianton what the spirit had directed Alma to say (vs 12) and then taught Corianton beautiful doctrine.  This allowed for the Spirit to teach Corianton at a level that Corianton could understand due to his life experiences.  There was a teaching moment in this for me as I parent my children.  I know that the Book of Mormon Videos are artistic interpretations of “What could have happened” but I was touched by the embrace between Alma and Corianton at the beginning of the meeting.  Teaching with Love, Being Submissive and Humble, Allowing the Spirit to guide:  These are all attributes that I feel Alma possessed as I read his words.  The outcome of the meeting with Corianton wasn’t anger or frustration, it was a desire to change.  Alma had a responsibility as the Prophet but also as a father to teach his sons.  He had to correct the behavior and still preserve the relationship with his son.  Alma knew what the ultimate prize was and he had shown his sons by his own actions how they should live their lives.  It wasn’t hard for the sons of Alma to hear the words their father spoke, because they knew Alma had lived what he spoke and thus believed every word. 

Our current climate in the world does not value or hold a high importance on Fathers.  Fathers have a difficult road to travel.   Fathers are responsible for many aspects of family life in a traditional family setting.  We do not give fathers enough credit for the many hats that they wear on a daily basis.  Fathers need to be supported and encouraged by their families.  We often overlook this important piece of the family dynamic.  I did not have a father in my home for much of my growing up years.  I did not have an active priesthood holder in my home until I married.  I am so grateful for the many leaders, ministering brethren and friends who have blessed me and my family through the honorable use of their Priesthood Authority.  I am grateful for The Family:  A Proclamation to the World, which clearly states the purpose and organization of families.  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/the-family-a-proclamation-to-the-world/the-family-a-proclamation-to-the-world?lang=eng

The second theme I felt during my reading this week was “How the Lord Blesses Us”.  I had a strong impression as I read the chapters over the last two weeks that Alma is preparing his sons for what the Lord has told him is coming.  Horrific battles with the Lamanites are imminent.  In the next 74 years, Christ will be born, in a little over 100 years the risen Lord will show himself to the Nephites.  In about 500 years the total destruction of the Nephites will have occurred.  Alma knows his sons and their posterity will be a part in all of these events.  There are many scriptures that talk about how the Lord sends his prophets to warn us and help prepare us for the things to come.  I was reminded of conference addresses over the last few years that brought a remembrance to me of how the Lord has blessed me to prepare for what is happening in our world right now.   (There are about 100 of them, I pulled these quickly for reference!)

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/04/the-sabbath-is-a-delight?lang=eng  The Sabbath is a Delight, President Russell M Nelson

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/04/16eyring?lang=eng  A Home Where the Spirit of the Lord Dwells, Henry B Eyring

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/04/54bednar?lang=eng  Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing, Elder David A Bednar

How blessed we are to live in a time where we are given direction by our Heavenly Father by the guidance of the Spirit through our prophets and fathers and other leaders.  I know they love us!

There are so many great scriptures filled with rich doctrine in these chapters that I would be remiss if I didn’t touch on some of the verses that mean the most to me.  (Here is where I really wish I could hear your thoughts as all of you are in different stages of life!)

Chapter 39: 

Vs. 9 – The word “cross” if you look at the footnote relates to Self Mastery.  I thought it an interesting use of the word as we know it.  This footnote made me think of the cross that the Savior died on and that through our Saviors sacrifice we can overcome our weakness.  It is through the Atonement that we can gain strength and thus Self Mastery. 

Vs. 13 – Humility.  Did Alma and the Sons of Mosiah know a thing or two about this?  Yes.  It would be easy to avoid the land of the Zoramites but Alma knows that Corianton needs to return and acknowledge his faults. 

Chapter 40:

Vs. 23, 26 – To  ”die as to things pertaining to things of righteousness”, “consigned to partake of the fruits of their labors or their works”.  I don’t want to sound trivial but I don’t think this sounds like a good time.  I look forward to having my soul restored to my body and not having my appetites or addictions be a part of my life.  Sometimes, I want to see people here on earth be punished for the pain and anguish they cause to others.  I know this is a fault of mine.  These verses explain that the wicked will be punished in the afterlife and it is severe.  I should remember to leave judgement of a person’s actions to Heavenly Father.

Chapter 41-42:  

I am going to share questions that are raised in our home frequently (it seems weekly):  If we have agency, why do people get punished if they don’t do what God wants them to do?  When we die, if “heaven” is what the scriptures say, why can’t we just repent and get all of the blessings?  Who decides that people are “good”?   Some people do “good” things but don’t believe in our church?  The verses in these chapters have been used to answer some of these questions.  Chapter 41:2-10 ending with “wickedness never was happiness” sums it all up for me.  We can’t try to change what the world says is good for what God says is righteous. 

Chapter 41:14-15:  Our reward in heaven is to have mercy, justice, righteous judgement and goodness restored to us if we practice these things to others here on earth. 

Chapter 42:27: “Whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosever will not come the same is not compelled to come, but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds.”  We do have a choice and the consequence of our choice will be restored to us.

I hope that you have enjoyed the readings this week.  The Book of Mormon is a precious gift.  I hope that we never fail to take the opportunity to share our testimony with our families regarding the truths that we find in the Book of Mormon.  Hang in there, our families depend on it! 

Sister Rooley

Brothers and Sisters, I hope you have been doing well this past month and that your families are staying safe. I know many of us including my own family have been having to endure unique health challenges which we did not have to endure before which have made life more difficult for us. It has been a challenging time for all of us as we have been restricted in attending Church and most especially from attending the Holy Temple during the past four months or so. I hope you are all continuing to enjoy the sweet Spirit that comes from holding Church at Home.

This week the Gospel Doctrine lesson is on Alma 30-31 which is titled “The Virtue of the Word of God.” Alma testified of the powerful effect of the word of God. One of my favorite scriptures is in Helaman 5:17-18 and 51-52 where it talks about how Nephi did speak with such great power and authority to the Lamanites, who were the enemies of the Nephites and had captured and occupied half of the lands of the Nephites in war, that they were converted to the Lord by the power of the word of God and gave up the lands of the Nephites and made peace with them. That is the power of the word of God to change lives and convert individual souls to Christ, convert enemies to friends and replace wars with peace.

In Alma 30, it talks about an anti-Christ named Korihor who tried to deceive as many Nephites as he could to apostatize from the Church. We are taught that an anti-Christ is someone who preaches a counterfeit to the true Gospel or plan of salvation and that openly or secretly works in opposition to our beloved Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is how Satan works to deceive us by setting himself up as a counterfeit to God and his teachings. Sister Julie Beck, former Relief Society General President taught that “Any doctrine or principle we hear from the world that is anti-family is also anti-Christ.

This chapter states that Korihor taught the same teachings as Nehor and not only denied that Christ would come to atone for the sins of the world but denied the very existence of God. Korihor taught that there was no such thing as sin leading many of the Nephites to commit sexual sins in the belief that when we die there was no afterlife and no God to judge us for our sins. Eventually, Korihor was bound and brought before Alma, who was the High Priest or leader of the Church, and also before Nephihah who was the Chief Judge to be judged for his crimes. Korihor told Alma that unless he showed him a sign he would not believe in Christ. Alma responded that all of the Holy Scriptures and Earth and all things upon it testified that there is a Supreme Creator. He then told Korihor that if he denied the existence of God again, he would be struck dumb which he was. Korihor then wrote that he always knew there was a God but he was deceived by the devil who appeared to him in the form of an angel to preach to the people that there was no God. After he was struck dumb, Korihor was forced to go from house to house begging for food and subsequently was trampled to death by the Zoramites showing that the Devil does not support his followers but instead drags them down to Hell.

I was recently contacted by a former member of my ward who called me to ask me what we can do as individuals to combat the ‘doom and gloom’ on social media that are saying the prophecies for the End Times for our nation and the world are set and that there is nothing we can do to change them. He asked me as someone who has served as a political party leader, who has spent much of my life studying how to solve national and world problems, what I think we can do to make a difference at this time of crisis, when we are suffering from the pandemic, a major economic recession and violent rioters seeking to overthrow our freedoms to help save our nation. I told him that I have always been a believer in the power of individuals to make a difference for good but that the most important thing we could do to try to stay the judgments on our nation is to first save ourselves, then our family and then everyone we know by preaching the word of God and converting them to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is nothing more important that we can do.

In Alma 31:5, it states that “the preaching of the word (of God) had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just, yet it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword or anything else.” Studying the Holy Scriptures and heeding the words of the Prophet and the other General Officers of the Church will help us discern truth from error on various issues of contention and concern in our time. The Book of Mormon in particular stands as a guide and an answer to what we should do in our lives today. My favorite modern-day Prophet, President Ezra Taft Benson taught that the Book of Mormon can fortify us against “the evil designs, strategies and doctrines of the devil in our day. The type of apostates in the Book of Mormon are similar to the type we have today. God, with His infinite foreknowledge so molded the Book of Mormon that we might see the error and know how to combat false educational, political, religious and philosophical concepts of our time.”

The Book of Mormon helps us resist the influence of modern-day anti-Christs who preach that the leaders of the Church are deceived and that God’s standard of absolute morality are outdated and must be modified and adapted to the world’s teachings to embrace and even be proud of those who engage in gross immorality which serve as Satan’s counterfeit to God’s laws. The world teaches us that we must abandon our support for traditional marriage between one man and one woman and that families and marriage should be defined anyway individuals want them to be. The world teaches morality is relative rather than absolute morality and that the greatest sin is intolerance of the immoral choices and lifestyles of others. Modern-day secular humanists, such as Communists in China and North Korea, teach there is no God but the all-powerful State and its leaders and that we should worship and obey them not God.

The Lord has declared great and terrible judgments upon the wicked but He has also promised to be merciful to those who love Him and are diligent in keeping His commandments and being strictly obedient to the counsel of the living Prophet. I continue to see misguided friends posting on social media that Church leaders are being deceived on one issue or another and that they are not supporting freedom like Captain Moroni did and therefore they feel justified in ignoring their inspired counsel because they believe they know more and receive more revelation than Church leaders. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Lord leads His Church and reveals His will for us through the Prophet and other general officers of the Church. We have been promised that He will never allow the Prophet to lead us astray. Therefore, we must humble ourselves to accept and obedient to the counsel of the Lord’s anointed Church leaders if we have hope to be saved in the Celestial Kingdom of God and reap the rewards of eternal joy and happiness.

In Alma 31, there is an account of Alma’s preachings unto the Zoramites. Alma taught that God’s word has the power to lead people to righteousness. The leader of the Zoramites, whose name was Zoram taught his people to worship idols rather than God. Alma feared that the Zoramites might dissent away to the Lamanites and join them in military aggression against the people of Nephi. The Zoramites went up to a place called Rameumpton and all prayed the same prayer which denied the existence and divine mission of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Zoramites were focused on the accumulation of the riches of the world and were filled with the pride of their hearts, which we have been taught is the foundation of sin.

Alma took the sons of Mosiah along with his sons Shiblon and Corianton to preach the Gospel of repentance to them to convince them of the errors of their ways. This scripture states that Alma blessed them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. It also says that “the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst and also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ” because Alma prayed in faith This is a wonderful scripture that gives us greater hope and faith that at this time in our individual tribulations relating to the pandemic, health issues, finances and other trials, if we pray in faith, the Lord can alleviate our afflictions as well and bless us with His Holy Spirit of peace, comfort and physical, spiritual and emotional healing especially for our noble children now serving on missions. I pray that it might be so in the Holy name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Message by Brother David Pyne

Good Morning Brothers and Sisters! 

Happy Independence Day weekend!  I hope that you have all recovered from one impressive Firework show last night!  It was wonderful to meet with a few of you last week for Sacrament meeting.  Sacrament meeting definitely filled a hole inside of me that I have been missing.  I look forward to when we will be able to meet together again.  I don’t have a specific story to tell this week, so I am touching on some of the scripture passages from this week’s readings that I found meaningful. 

The story of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies is one of the most beloved in the Book of Mormon.  We often recite the end of the story with the 2000 Stripling Warriors marching into battle with Helaman.   I am grateful that our lesson this week focuses on the events of the parents of these young men who created an environment in their families to develop strong, valiant and brave children. 

Alma 23:  1-4.  I find it interesting that the first thing that the King of the Lamanites does when he is converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ is to proclaim religious freedom to his kingdom.  The king did protect Ammon and his brothers from harm and did allow Ammon unfiltered access to the people to preach freely.  However, the Lamanites were still given a choice on how they wanted to believe. We were just having a conversation in the car yesterday about tolerance and freedom.  I thought of the 11^th Article of Faith, “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.”  We do not have to look far in our current world situations to find examples where religious freedom (or any kind of belief) is not socially acceptable.  If your belief does not match what the world says it should, you could lose your job, your friends and your family to be made a public example.  The King of the Lamanites should teach us that when we are truly converted unto the Lord, we are not afraid to allow others to think differently than we do.  We can do all that we can to teach others about our beliefs but we teach with the Spirit.  We teach with kindness and love.  We teach and allow others to make their own choice.  Converted disciples are an example of the Savior in word and in action.

Alma 23:6-7; 24.  “…as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away.  For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more, neither against any of their brethren.”  For some reason, when I read this passage this time, the order of the words made an impression on me.  When I read that the Lamanites, “… did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more”, it signified to me a spiritual change.  We know the Lamanites physically buried their weapons in the ground but they buried everything that kept them from God.  As I read these scriptures, the word “Conviction” kept coming to mind.  I feel that I am strong about certain things.  Some issues are not even a temptation for me.  However, there are things that I can rationalize about and say that they are not really a big deal.  Anything that keeps us from God should be considered a weapon of our rebellion and should be buried.  “Conversion means changing and becoming a new person through the power of God.”  Spencer W. Kimball said, “In abandoning sin one cannot merely wish for better conditions…He must be certain not only that he has abandoned the sin but that he has changed the situations surrounding the sin.  He should avoid places and conditions and circumstances where the sin occurred, for these could most readily breed it again.  He must abandon the people with whom the sin was committed.  He may not hate the persons involved but he must avoid them and everything associated with the sin.”  Elder Jeffrey R Holland said, “It takes exactly as long to repent as it takes you to say, “I’ll change” and mean it.  Of course there will be problems to work out and restitutions to make.  You may well spend – indeed you had better spend- the rest of your life proving your repentance by its permanence”.  We can see the strength that this group of Anti-Nephi-Lehies had in their conviction to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  They drew strength from overcoming their past, strength from a hope in their future and strength from supporting each other.

Alma 26:15; 29.  “…and we have been instruments in his hands.”  I love reading in Chapter 26 – Ammon and Chapter 29 – Alma, about the testimonies of these great men.  These men had a past that wasn’t in harmony with the gospel.  They buried the weapons of their rebellion and were truly converted unto the Lord.  They spent the rest of their lives preaching the gospel and seeing others lives change because of the truth they had found.  Not only did Ammon and Alma see people change but the tide of the belief of generations turned and was brought back to the teachings of truth.  Ammon and Alma saw things happen by the power of God that everyone said would never happen.  Alma 29:10, “And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he has heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me.”  This is true everlasting, eternal joy.

I hope that as we have read these scripture passages this week that we have been reminded of some of our weapons of our rebellion.  I hope that we will make a stronger resolve (with more conviction) to follow the Savior with more exactness.  We are building strong families not that are free from mistakes but who know how to overcome weakness, sin and rebellion with gratitude, humility and love. 

Brothers and Sisters, I am grateful for the gospel.  I love the Book of Mormon.  I love my Savior and know that I am a daughter of Heavenly Father.  I am so grateful for families for the teaching, healing and strengthening power that they can provide.

Enjoy your week!   The war chapters are coming.  I hope that you have fortified your defenses!

Sister Rooley