Twice in the Book of Mormon, we read of times when young people turned away from the faith of their parents: "Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not... Continue Reading →
Day by Day
When it was time for Lehi and his family to begin their journey in the wilderness, God gave them a tool to help them steer a straight course toward their destination. Nephi refers to it as "a round ball of curious workmanship" (1 Nephi 16:10). Alma later explains to his son Helaman that it was... Continue Reading →
“Put on Thy Strength”
In the middle of a passage about the gathering of Israel, Isaiah pleads with the Lord to rescue His captive people: Awake, awake! Put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in the ancient days....Art thou not he who hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths... Continue Reading →
The Stem, the Rod, and the Root
After prophesying that Israel would be conquered, using a metaphor of a tree being chopped down or burned, Isaiah presents an image of rebirth: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. Isaiah 11:1, 2 Nephi 21:1 As he does frequently, Isaiah gives us two parallel phrases... Continue Reading →
“Any of Them”
In his dedicatory prayer for the ancient temple in Jerusalem, Solomon raised a series of hypothetical situations, asking God for specific blessings in each of them. Here is one of those situations: When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and... Continue Reading →
“Strengthen Thy Brethren”
At the Last Supper, Jesus warned Peter that Satan would try to destroy the faith of the apostles. "But I have prayed for thee," He said, "that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:32). Peter might have thought that the warning was to prevent him from succumbing to... Continue Reading →
A Pure People
John wrote that we can become like God. "When he shall appear, we shall be like him," he wrote, "for we shall see him as he is." Then, he added, "[Everyone] that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:2-3). Mormon described a similar future state for those... Continue Reading →
In Darkness at Noon-Day
In a revelation received by Joseph Smith in 1833, the Lord laments the state of church members who fail to recognize what they have. He described them as "walking in darkness at noon-day" (Doctrine and Covenants 95:6). This imagery is reminiscent of the following passage in the book of Job: They meet with darkness in... Continue Reading →
“Prepare the Minds of Their Children”
In 1833, the Lord instructed several church leaders to pay more attention to their families. He told them to teach their children "light and truth," to set in order their homes, and to be "more diligent and concerned at home" (Doctrine and Covenants 93:41-50). The prophet Alma explained to his son Corianton that one reason... Continue Reading →
“A Lively Member”
When Frederick G. Williams became a member of the First Presidency of the church, he also became part of an organization called the United Firm, which had been established to help fund the work of the church. After instructing existing members of the Firm to "receive him into the order," the Lord directed Brother Williams... Continue Reading →
