27 And they did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely.
28 And thus they did establish the affairs of the church; and thus they began to have continual peace again, notwithstanding all their persecutions.
As Mormon describes the members of the church under the reign of the judges, he points out an important principle: peace and happiness come from what we choose to do, not from what happens to us. These people were experiencing significant persecution from those who didn’t belong to the church. Some of the members of the church had reacted to this persecution and even resorted to physical violence to defend the church, but as we saw in yesterday’s post, those people had lost the Spirit and fallen away. The members who remained chose to walk humbly and to be kind toward the people around them. Mormon tells us that they didn’t wear “costly apparel.” They didn’t emphasize class differences or put their prosperity on display. He also tells us that they were generous, sharing what they had with those who were in need. This humility and charity resulted in “continual peace,” even as they continued to experience persecution.
Today, I will strive to be humble and generous. I will remember that I can enjoy peace and happiness by choosing to live the gospel, even when I experience adversity.
Leave a Reply