During His visit to the American continent, the Savior quoted most of Isaiah 52, including this passage: Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:Isaiah 52:13-14 (See 3 Nephi 20:43-44.) In... Continue Reading →
“Faster Than He Has Strength” – Mosiah 4:27
The first movement of Robert Schumann's Piano Sonata number 2 (Op. 22) is labeled "So rasch wie möglich" (as fast as possible). Near the end of the movement, he writes "Schneller" (faster), followed shortly after by "Noch schneller" (even faster). It's an exciting piece to listen to (I recommend this performance by pianist Tiffany Poon),... Continue Reading →
Wise Men
Not all of the wise men in the world at the time of Jesus's birth made the trek to Jerusalem. As Matthew records, sometime after the birth of the Savior, a group of wise men came "from the east" to Jerusalem, seeking a baby whom they identified as the "King of the Jews." They said... Continue Reading →
Wisdom and Knowledge – Moroni 10:9-10
Moroni begins his list of spiritual gifts with two which sound similar, but which he makes clear are not the same: For behold, to one is given by the Spirit of God, that he may teach the word of wisdom;And to another, that he may teach the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;Moroni 10:9-10, italics added The apostle Paul made the... Continue Reading →
Wisdom’s Paths – Helaman 12:5
I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in the right paths.Proverbs 4:11 King Limhi lamented the fact that people are often unwilling to put forth the effort to gain wisdom. He further sorrowed that people often failed to follow the wisdom they had already received. "They will not seek... Continue Reading →
“In Wisdom and Order” – Mosiah 4:27
After teaching his people to care for the poor and the needy, King Benjamin added a caution: "See that all these things are done in wisdom and order," he said, "for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength." He added that it is important to be diligent, "that... Continue Reading →
What Is Wisdom?
Near the beginning of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Jacob gives us the following counsel: "O be wise; what can I say more?" (Jacob 6:12). Near the end of the book, the prophet Moroni advises us, "Be wise in the days of your probation" (Mormon 9:28). The words "wisdom" and "wise" appear exactly 100... Continue Reading →
What Should I Teach My Children?
In the Book of Mormon we read what fathers like Lehi and Alma taught their children. We also read about men and women—including Enos, Alma, and Abish—benefitting from things they had learned years before from their parents. Today, I pondered some instructions from a prophet about what parents should teach their children. After the people... Continue Reading →
Ye Have Not Applied Your Hearts to Understanding – Mosiah 12:27
27 Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise.... (Mosiah 12:27) After prophesying that the people of King Noah would be punished for their sins, Abinadi was arrested and brought before Noah's priests for questioning. During the interrogation, one of the priests quoted a passage from Isaiah—Isaiah 52:7-10—and asked... Continue Reading →
We Were Not Sufficiently Strong – Alma 56:39-40
39 And it came to pass that before the dawn of the morning, behold, the Lamanites were pursuing us. Now we were not sufficiently strong to contend with them; yea, I would not suffer that my little sons should fall into their hands; therefore we did continue our march, and we took our march into... Continue Reading →
