Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God" (Matthew 5:9, 3 Nephi 12:9). And the apostle Paul made this plea in his epistle to the Romans: "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men" (Romans 12:18). The prophet Mormon applied that teaching to... Continue Reading →
Rest
The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years before they were ready to enter the promised land. God was ready to help them enter that land long before they were ready to receive His assistance. One of the psalms quotes God looking back on that time: Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people... Continue Reading →
Peaceable Things
In December of 1830, the Lord promised Edward Partridge that he would receive the Holy Ghost, which would teach him "the peaceable things of the kingdom" (Doctrine and Covenants 36:2). The following month, He made the same promise to James Covill (Doctrine and Covenants 39:6), and a month after that, He extended the promise to... Continue Reading →
Knowledge and Peace
A good friend of mine says that there are only two kinds of people in the world: the people you love, and the people you don't know. If that is true on an individual level, it is also true, tragically, on a large scale. Why do many Christians fear Muslims? Why do many Republicans and... Continue Reading →
How Does the Savior Bring Us Peace?
The angels who appeared to the shepherds expressed their hopes for us with these words: "On earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). At the end of His life, the Savior said to His apostles: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto... Continue Reading →
What Does It Mean to “Publish Peace?”
To publish something is to make it generally known, to make it public (Webster's Dictionary 1828). Isaiah described the joy people feel when a messenger with good news comes running over the mountains: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of... Continue Reading →
What Does It Mean for a Soul to Rest?
We all need a break sometimes. We talk about needing to recharge our battery, unwind, get some R&R, or have some downtime. We have many ways of describing this, but the core reality is universal: we can't drive full-speed all the time without burning ourselves out. If we want to stay at peak performance, we... Continue Reading →
How Can I Find Peace?
The Hebrew word shalom (שָׁלוֹם) appears 237 times in the Old Testament. It is usually translated as "peace," but it is sometimes rendered "safety," "welfare," "good health," or "prosperity." For example, when the sons of Jacob made their second trip to Egypt seeking relief from a devastating famine, their brother Joseph (whom they didn't recognize) tried to... Continue Reading →
The Earth Shall Be Full of the Knowledge of the Lord – 2 Nephi 21:6-9
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall... Continue Reading →
Thy Watchmen Shall Lift up Their Voice – Mosiah 15:28-29
28 And now I say unto you that the time shall come that the salvation of the Lord shall be declared to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. 29 Yea, Lord, thy watchmen shall lift up their voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord... Continue Reading →