The right message at the wrong time can be incredibly unhelpful. When Job's friends learned about his tragic losses, they traveled to his home "to mourn with him and to comfort him" (Job 2:11). At first, they simply sat with him, without saying a word. (See Job 2:13.) When one of them finally spoke, he... Continue Reading →
“Would God My Lord Were With the Prophet!”
She was a young Israelite woman, who had been captured by the Syrian army and was now a slave in the house of Naaman. She felt empathy toward her master, who was captain of the Syrian army but who was afflicted with leprosy. She said to Naaman's wife, "Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in... Continue Reading →
“Give Me to Drink”
Today, I've been thinking about three incidents in which a representative of God, or the Savior Himself, asked a stranger for sustenance: During a severe drought, the prophet Elijah approached a poor widow near the gate of the city of Zarephath. "Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may... Continue Reading →
“Wells…Which Thou Diggedst Not”
It's easy to take the good things in our lives for granted. Gratitude helps us stay humble and reminds us of our obligation bless the lives of others. At the end of Moses' life, as his people prepared to enter the promised land, he warned them not to forget the source of their blessings: When... Continue Reading →
Givers
Adam Grant, a professor of organizational psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, has studied the affect of interpersonal styles on professional success. He divides people into three categories, according to how they approach interactions with others at work: Givers are willing to help others without expecting anything in return.Matchers help others selectively. They try to... Continue Reading →
Purse nor Scrip
It's good to be prepared and conscientious, but it's also important to make room for other people to serve. When Jesus called seventy missionaries and sent them out, two by two, to preach the gospel, He instructed them to travel lightly. "Carry neither purse, nor scrip," He said, "nor [extra pair of] shoes." He told... Continue Reading →
Widows and Orphans
In April 1832, the Lord provided specific instructions to the church on caring for those "who have lost their husbands or fathers." If they lack the resources to support themselves, the combined resources of the church—the Lord's storehouse—is available to them. "The storehouse shall be kept by the consecrations of the church," He said; "and widows and... Continue Reading →
Needs and Wants
When Alma organized the church at the waters of Mormon, he instructed members to "impart of their substance, every one according to that which he had." They were to give "both temporally and spiritually according to their needs and their wants" (Mosiah 18:27-29). The word "want," when used as a noun, usually refers to a... Continue Reading →
Feeble Knees
The prophet Isaiah said, "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees" (Isaiah 35:3). The apostle Paul paraphrased this admonition in his epistle to the Hebrews: "Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees" (Hebrews 12:12). And in March 1832, as the Lord called Jesse Gause to serve in a leadership role in the... Continue Reading →
Love One Another and Serve One Another
During the last week of His life, the Savior reaffirmed the importance of service to others. Listing a number of basic needs—food and water, shelter, clothing, medical care, and emotional support—He instructed us to provide these resources to people in need, saying, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these... Continue Reading →
Book of Mormon Study Notes 