Mosiah 7-25

Quotes of the Week:

"We may not be asked to die for our beliefs, but we have certainly been asked to live for our beliefs.  Let us realize that standing, living, and testifying for the truth is our duty."

--Unlocking the Book of Mormon, p. 180

"Faith and character are intimately related.  Faith in the power of obedience to the commandments of God will forge strength of character available to you in times of urgent need."

Richard G. Scott, Ensign, 11/10

Further Reading:
Lance B. Wickman, "But If Not," Ensign, 11/02
"Comfort in the Hour of Death," Teachings of the Presidents of the Church--Heber J. Grant, p. 43
Orson Scott Card, "Three Kings and a Captain, Nephite Leaders in the Land of Nephi,"  Ensign, 1/77
Robert J. Matthews, “Abinadi: Prophet and Martyr,” Ensign, Apr 1992, 25
Arthur R. Bassett, “Alma the Elder,” Ensign, Feb 1977, 5
Richard G. Scott, "The Transforming Power of Faith and Character," Ensign, 11/10 p. 43

Handouts:

Mosiah 8:13-18--Seer

 Theodore M. Burton, CR, Sep/Oct 1961, p. 121-22
The seer can bear personal testimony, not based on books not based on scholarship, not based on tradition, but based on the evidence of things that God Himself can reveal to him in an actual experience with Deity.

Mosiah 13:3--Missions Fulfilled

History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, Lucy Mack Smith, p. 309-10
[A blessing given from Joseph Smith Sr. to his son Joseph, as recorded by the Prophet's mother.]  "you shall even live to finish your work."  At this Joseph cried out, weeping, "Oh! my father, shall I?"  "Yes," said his father, "you shall live to lay out the plan of all the work which God as given you to do.  This is my dying blessing upon your head in the name of Jesus. . . ."

Mosiah 14--Isaiah

Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:23
Now Bible commentators will tell you that this [Isaiah 53] has nothing to do with the life of Jesus Christ.  To them this story is one concerning suffering Israel.  I want to tell you that it is a story, a synopsis of the life of our Redeemer, revealed to Isaiah 700 years before the Lord was born.

Mosiah 14:3--A Man of Sorrows

Jeffrey R. Holland, Ensign, 11/99
I know some of you do truly feel at sea, in the most frightening sense of that term. . . . I testify of God's love and the Savior's power to calm the storm . . . .   Only one who has fought against those ominous waves is justified in telling us in such times to "be of good cheer" (John 16:33).  Such counsel is not a jaunty pep talk about the power of positive thinking  . . . No, Christ knows better than all others that the trials of life can be very deep, and we are not shallow people if we struggle with them.  Surely His ears heard every cry of distress, every sound of want and despair.  To a degree far more than we will ever understand, He was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief."

Mosiah 14:5--Wounded for Our Transgressions

Ezra Taft Benson, The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 14
It was in Gethsemane that Jesus took on Himself the sins of the world, in Gethsemane that His pain was equivalent to the cumulative burden of all men, in Gethsemane that He descended below all things so that all could repent and come to Him.  The mortal mind fails to fathom, the tongue cannot express, the pen of man cannot describe the breadth, the depth, the height of the suffering of our Lord--nor His infinite love for us.

Mosiah 14:10--It Pleased Him

Robert Millet, in Symposium on the Book of Mormon, p. 100
This is a verse which requires careful consideration.  God our Eternal Father loved his Only Begotten and, like any parent, surely anguished with the pain of his child.  And yet, as infinitely painful as it must have been for Elohim, the hours of agony were necessary--they were a part of that plan of the Father of which Jehovah had been the chief advocate and proponent in premortality.  Indeed it was needful that the "lamb slain from the foundation of the world" be slain, in order that life and immortality might be brought to light.  And thus "it pleased the Lord [the Father] to bruise him," in the sense that Jesus carried out to the fullest the will of the Father, in spite of the pain associated with the implementation of the terms and conditions of that will.

Mosiah 15:7--Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father

Lance B. Wickman, Ensign, 11/02
Do not ever doubt the goodness of God, even if you do not know “why.” The overarching question asked by the bereaved and the burdened is simply this: Why? Why did our daughter die, when we prayed so hard that she would live and when she received priesthood blessings? Why are we struggling with this misfortune, when others relate miraculous healing experiences for their loved ones? These are natural questions, understandable questions. But they are also questions that usually go begging in mortality. The Lord has said simply, “My ways [are] higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:9). As the Son’s will was “swallowed up in the will of the Father” (Mosiah 15:7), so must ours be.
Still, we mortals quite naturally want to know the why. Yet, in pressing too earnestly for the answer, we may forget that mortality was designed, in a manner of speaking, as the season of unanswered questions. Mortality has a different, more narrowly defined purpose: It is a proving ground, a probationary state, a time to walk by faith, a time to prepare to meet God. It is in nurturing humility and submissiveness that we may comprehend a fulness of the intended mortal experience and put ourselves in a frame of mind and heart to receive the promptings of the Spirit. Reduced to their essence, humility and submissiveness are an expression of complete willingness to let the “why” questions go unanswered for now, or perhaps even to ask, “Why not?” It is in enduring well to the end that we achieve this life’s purposes. I believe that mortality’s supreme test is to face the “why” and then let it go, trusting humbly in the Lord’s promise that “all things must come to pass in their time” (D&C 64:32).

References used by Elder Wickman:  Abr. 3:24–25; 2 Ne. 31:15–16, 20; Alma 12:24; Alma 42:4–13; Alma 32:6–21; Mosiah 3:19; 2 Ne. 31:15–16; Alma 32:15; D&C 121:8

Mosiah 15:5--Flesh Becoming Subject to the Spirit

Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 9:287-88
We have to fight continually, . . .  to make the spirit master of the tabernacle, or the flesh subject to the law of the spirit.  If this warfare is not diligently prosecuted, then the law of sin prevails. 

Mosiah 17:2--Abinadi

Joseph B. Wirthlin, as quoted in Unlocking the Book of Mormon, p. 179
Abinadi may have felt that he failed as a missionary because he had only one convert, so far as the record shows.  However, that one convert, Alma, and his descendants were spiritual leaders among the Nephites and Lamanites for about three hundred years.  His son Alma became the first chief judge of the Nephite people and the high priest over the Church.  Alma's other descendants who became prominent religious leaders include his grandson Helaman; his great-grandson Nephi; and his great-great-great-great-grandson Nephi, who was the chief disciple of the resurrected Jesus Christ.  All of this resulted from Abinadi's lone convert.

Mosiah 18:8--Baptismal Covenants

Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, p. 106
This declaration by Alma at the Waters of Mormon still stands as the most complete scriptural statement on record as to what the newly baptized commit to do and be.

Robert D. Hales, Ensign, 11/00
When we understand our baptismal covenant and the gift of the Holy Ghost, it will change our lives and will establish our total allegiance to the kingdom of God. . . . It is very important for us to understand the marvelous gift of the remission of sins, but there is much more.  Do you understand and do your children understand that when they are baptized they are changed forever? . . . How many [of us] really understand that when we were baptized we took upon us not only the name of Jesus Christ but also the law of obedience?

Unlocking the Book of Mormon, p. 181
Sometimes we use the terms "commitment" or "promise" as though they were synonymous with the word "covenant." For many people of the world that may be true.  The are meaningful and motivating words of behavior.  But a covenant is much more.  Covenants come from God by revelation, and the authority to bind man and God in a covenant relationship can only be bestowed by those authorized to represent Him in the performing of covenant ordinances.  No one outside the Lord's Church is involved in covenants, though others may make various kinds of commitments or promises.  But a covenant with the Lord  is of far greater significance.  We all need to give serious thought to the Lord's expectations of us and His promises to us as we fulfill our responsibilities.

Mosiah 18:12-18--Alma's Authority

Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 3:203
We may conclude that Alma held the priesthood before he, with others, became disturbed with King Noah.  Whether this is so or not makes no difference because in the Book of Mosiah it is stated definitely that had authority.
If he had authority to baptize that is evidence that he had been baptized.  Therefore, when Alma baptized himself with Helam that was not a case of Alma baptizing himself, but merely as a token to the Lord of his humility and full repentance."

 

Mosiah 23:21--Trials of Patience and Faith

Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, 10/80
Patience is a willingness, in a sense, to watch the unfolding purposes of God with a sense of wonder and awe--rather than pacing up and down within the cell of our circumstance.  Too much anxious opening of the oven door and the cake falls instead of rising.

Mosiah 24:3-4--Language Differences

Unlocking the Book of Mormon, p. 193
Languages were so different that they had difficulty communicating with each other.  During the period of history between 145 and 123 B.C., the king of the Lamanites had Amulon and the priests taught the Lamanites the Nephite language.  Thus the two groups evidently start speaking the same language again.  This fact takes on added significance later in the Book of Mormon when we read about the missionary efforts between these two groups.

Mosiah 24:14-15--Burdens Eased

Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, 5/92, quoting from The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, Dean C. Jessee, 387
Concerning his personal suffering, Joseph was promised, "Thy heart shall be enlarged."  An enlarged Joseph wrote from Liberty Jail, "It seems to me that my heart will always be more tender after this than ever it was before. . . .  I think I never could have felt as I now do if I had not suffered."

Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, 5/92
When we are on the Lord's errand, we are entitled to the Lord's help.  Remember that the Lord will shape the back to bear the burden placed upon it.

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church--Heber J. Grant, p. 47-48
I was thoroughly convinced in my own mind and in my own heart, when my first wife left me by death, that it was the will of the Lord that she should be called away. I bowed in humility at her death. The Lord saw fit upon that occasion to give to one of my little children a testimony that the death of her mother was the will of the Lord.

About one hour before my wife died, I called my children into her room and told them that their mother was dying and for them to bid her good-bye. One of the little girls, about twelve years of age, said to me: “Papa, I do not want my mamma to die. I have been with you in the hospital in San Francisco for six months; time and time again when mamma was in distress you [have] administered to her and she has been relieved of her pain and quietly gone to sleep. I want you to lay hands upon my mamma and heal her.”

I told my little girl that we all had to die sometime, and that I felt assured in my heart that her mother’s time had arrived. She and the rest of the children left the room.

I then knelt down by the bed of my wife (who by this time had lost consciousness) and I told the Lord I acknowledged His hand in life, in death, in joy, in sorrow, in prosperity, or adversity. I thanked Him for the knowledge I had that my wife belonged to me for all eternity, that the gospel of Jesus Christ had been restored, that I knew that by the power and authority of the Priesthood here on the earth that I could and would have my wife forever if I were only faithful as she had been. But I told the Lord that I lacked the strength to have my wife die and to have it affect the faith of my little children in the ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ; and I supplicated the Lord with all the strength that I possessed, that He would give to that little girl of mine a knowledge that it was His mind and His will that her mamma should die.

Within an hour my wife passed away, and I called the children back into the room. My little boy about five and a half or six years of age was weeping bitterly, and the little girl twelve years of age took him in her arms and said: “Do not weep, do not cry, Heber; since we went out of this room the voice of the Lord from heaven has said to me, ‘In the death of your mamma the will of the Lord shall be done.’ ”

Tell me, my friends, that I do not know that God hears and answers prayers! Tell me that I do not know that in the hour of adversity the Latter-day Saints are comforted and blessed and consoled as no other people are!

Richard G. Scott, Ensign, 5/96
Sadness, disappointment, severe challenges are events in life, not life itself. 

Marianne Willaimson, Return to Love, 1992

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?  Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.  We are all meant to shine, as children do.  We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.  It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.  And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Mosiah 1-6

Quotes of the Week:

"Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence of what sort of man he is.  Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth."

--C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p. 164-65

"Sins are personal, belonging to sinners and no one else."

--Unlocking the Book of Mormon, p. 154

Further Reading

I apologize for this incomplete list.  I inadvertently erased some of my information this week, and, unfortunately, the "Further Reading" list was the main casualty.  Again, apologies.

J. Devn Cornish, "Learning How the Atonement Can Change You", Ensign, Apr. 2002, 20
Jeffrey R. Holland, "None Were with Him", Ensign, May 2009, 86–88

Handouts

King Benjamin

Sydney S. Reynolds, “Book of Mormon Principles: King Benjamin on the Atonement,” Ensign, Apr 2004, 13–17
In my opinion, if King Benjamin had uttered only the words in Mosiah 3:19, the verse would still rank among the great gems in all our scriptures.”  The message King Benjamin gave to the families who listened to him in those long-ago days is clear and current for us today.

How wonderful that Mormon, the faithful abridger and compiler of the Book of Mormon, gave us King Benjamin’s “last lecture,” one of the most powerful in scripture, in King Benjamin’s own words. It is beautiful, succinct, simple, yet amazingly complex. Here is another wonderful Book of Mormon witness that the ancient prophets, even before the time of Christ, knew of His coming and His mission. Time and again they assured the people that even though Christ had not yet come to the earth and they must still keep the law of Moses, His promises were sure and His Atonement was effective for them. These glad tidings of great joy were had among the people of Nephi long before He came to visit them after His Resurrection.

Reading King Benjamin’s sermon may cause us to reflect once again on our indebtedness to the Lord for giving us such scripture. The Book of Mormon came to us from the hands of ancient prophets through the hand of a modern prophet who translated it by the gift and power of God. What a blessing it is to have the Book of Mormon as another testament of Jesus Christ and of His great atoning sacrifice.

Mosiah 2:3-4--Preparation

Unlocking the Book of Mormon, p. 146

It would be a worthwhile practice for us to kneel in prayer as part of our preparation and prior to our going to our meetings.  We could thank the Lord that He has prepared a meeting, that we have been invited to attend, and then pray for those who are responsible for the content of the meeting.  Think of the impressions and impact on children who hear such prayers from parents who provide these patterns in their homes.

Mosiah 2:17--Service

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church--Spencer W. Kimball
On one occasion [Gordon B. Hinckley] tried to slow [Spencer W. Kimball] down a little, and he said, 'Gordon, my life is like my shoes--to be worn out in service.'  He so lived.  He so died.


Teachings of the Presidents of the Church--HJG
The true key to happiness in life is to labor for the happiness of others.  I pity the selfish man who has never experienced the joy which comes to those who receive the thanks and gratitude of the people whom they may have aided in the struggle of life. . . . Service is the true key to happiness.

Nell K. Newell, Welfare Services, Church News, 1/8/05

The bandage for  a sufferer of leprosy arrived at LDS Humanitarian Center in an ordinary plastic bag.  It looked like the many hundreds of others: made by hand from white, cotton thread, three inches wide by four feet long.

Like other similar bandages, this one was sturdy, designed so it would not stick to sores like flat bandages can, and could be sterilized for reuse.  These bandages, while relatively easy to make, can take more than 40 hours to complete.

But there was something special about his bandage.  At the top, the stitches were tight and orderly.  About halfway down, the stitches became increasingly uneven and loose.  After another few inches, the stitches once again became even.

Attached to the bandage was a small note written by hand that said:  "Just a note about this bandage.  I know it's not the most perfect bandage you've ever seen, but it was made by my younger sister (age 46) who died of breast cancer in February.  She worked on this right up till the end. . . . She was determined to finish it, but died before it was finished.  I finished it for her.  Even though it looks a little funny, no bandage was ever done with more love, effort or perseverance."  The letter was not signed.  There was no indication of who this woman was or where she was from.

All that can be surmised is that during her time of greatest affliction, this woman performed a simple act of kindness, something that would bring relief to a stranger.  One stitch at a time--hour after hour--in her final and most troubling hours, her thoughts and hands were devoted to easing the pain of another.

In the great events of world history, the making of a bandage for a leprosy patient may not merit a mention.  But perhaps beyond the veil, angels rejoice in a simple act of charity that serves as a symbol of all that is best within us.

Gordon B. Hinckley, Standing for Something, p. 56
The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired.  One of the great ironies of life is this:  He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served.

Robert J. Whetten, Ensign, 5/05
Every unselfish act of kindness and service increases your spirituality.

Mosiah 2:17-21, 34--Service and Gratitude

Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign , 5/04
How can we ever repay the debt we owe to the Savior?  He paid a debt He did not owe to free us from a debt we can never pay.


Jeffrey R. Holland, " Because of Your Faith," October 2010
I have struggled to find an adequate way to tell you how loved of God you are and how grateful we on this stand are for you. I am trying to be voice for the very angels of heaven in thanking you for every good thing you have ever done, for every kind word you have ever said, for every sacrifice you have ever made in extending to someone—to anyone—the beauty and blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  
And to the near-perfect elderly sister who almost apologetically whispered recently, “I have never been a leader of anything in the Church. I guess I’ve only been a helper,” I say, “Dear sister, God bless you and all the ‘helpers’ in the kingdom.” Some of us who are leaders hope someday to have the standing before God that you have already attained.


Thomas S. Monson, "The Divine Gift of Gratitude," October 2010
My brothers and sisters, do we remember to give thanks for the blessings we receive? Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love.
My beloved friend President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives.”

Mosiah 3:7-8,11, 17--The Atonement

Jeffrey R. Holland, "None Were with Him", Ensign, May 2009, 86–88
Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path . . . Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: “I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].”


Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, p. 91-92
He who most deserved peace and was the Prince of Peace had peace taken from him.  He who deserved no rebuke, let alone physical abuse, went under the lash that his taking of such stripes might spare us such pain if only we would repent.  The total cost of such combined spiritual and physical suffering is incalculable.  Yet the iniquities, including the sorrows and sadness, of every mortal being who ever has lived or will live in this world were laid across one lonely set of shoulders.  In the most magnificent display of strength ever known in the world of human endeavor, they were carried until full payment had been made.

Mosiah 3:16, 18-19, 21--Becoming as a Little Child

Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, 5/06
King Benjamin describes that change with a beautiful comparison, used by prophets for millennia and by the Lord Himself. It is this: that we can, and we must, become as a child—a little child.
For some that will not be easy to understand or to accept. Most of us want to be strong. We may well see being like a child as being weak. Most parents have wanted their children at times to be less childish. Even the Apostle Paul used these words as he was about to urge us to incorporate charity, the pure love of Christ, into our lives: “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
But King Benjamin, who understood as well as any mortal what it meant to be a man of strength and courage, makes it clear that to be like a child is not to be childish. It is to be like the Savior, who prayed to His Father for strength to be able to do His will and then did it. Our natures must be changed to become as a child to gain the strength we must have to be safe in the times of moral peril.

David B. Haight, Ensign, 11/83
Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years.  People grow old by deserting their ideals, their faith.  There is always the love of wonder, a childlike appetite for what is next, the joy of your life.  You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear or despair.  In the center of our heart is a recording chamber, and so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage, and faith, so long are we young.

Mosiah 3:19--The Natural Man

Unlocking the Book of Mormon, p. 153A

Robert Millet:

1. The natural man cannot or does not perceive spiritual realities

2.  The natural man allows into his life those things that are harsh, vulgar, and crude.

3. Instead of seeking to do the Lord's will, the natural man pits his own will against that of the Lord--wishing, ultimately, that the Lord would agree with him.

4.  The natural man seeks to have more, do more, and be more than those around him; this competitive nature eventually saps the joy out of accomplishment and causes the natural man to focus on elevating himself at the cost of diminishing those around him.

Mosiah 3:19--Inflict

Neal A. Maxwell, One More Strain of Praise, p. 13

Use of the word inflict suggests customized challenges and tutoring that require an added and special submissiveness.

Mosiah 4:2-3--Repentance

Gospel Principles, p.107
We come to earth for the purpose of growing and progressing.  This is a life-long process.
The privilege of repenting . . . sometimes requires great courage, much strength, many tears, unceasing prayers, and untiring efforts to live the commandments of the Lord.
As we repent, the Atonement of Jesus Christ becomes fully effective in our lives, and the Lord forgives our sins.  We become free from the bondage of our sins, and we find joy.

Mosiah 4:11-16, 26--Retaining a Remission of Sin

Neal A. Maxwell, "King Benjamin's Sermon: A Manual for Discipleship"
Much emphasis was given by King Benjamin to retaining a remission of our sins.  We do not ponder that concept very much in the church.  We ought to think of it a lot more.  Retention clearly depends on the regularity of our repentance.  In the church we worry, and should, over the retention of new members, but the retention of our remissions is cause for even deeper concern.

Mosiah 4:17-22--Care for the Poor

Joseph Smith, as quoted by Hugh Nibley, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, 9:226

It is better to feed ten impostors than to run the risk of turning away one honest petition.

Mosiah 4:27--In Wisdom and Order

Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, 11/01
My ability to run is not so swift now.  While I am looking forward to that future time when, with a resurrected body, I can once again sprint over a field and feel the wind blowing through my hair, I do not dwell on the fact that I cannot do it now.  That would be unwise.  Instead, I take steps that I can take. . . .
Let me cite a hypothetical example of a dear sister in any ward, the one who has perfect children who never cause a disturbance in church.  She is the one working on her 20th generation in her family history, keeps an immaculate home, has memorized the book of Mark, and makes wool sweaters for the orphaned children in Romania.  No disrespect, of course, intended for any of these worthy goals.  Now, when you get tempted to throw your hands in the air and give up because of this dear sister, please remember you're not competing with her any more than I'm competing with the members of the Quorum of the Twelve in winning a 50-yard dash.
The only thing you need to worry about is striving to be the best you can be.  And how do you do that?  You keep your eye on the goals that matter most in life, and you move towards them step by step.