When Peter tried to defend Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus taught him an important truth: "All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." Peace and patience can be far more persuasive than contention and hostility.
The Pharisee and the Publican
We don't have to convince God that we are worthy of His love. He loves us and is eager to help us. If we are so focused on proving to Him that we are already good, we may miss the opportunity to let Him help us become better!
How to Love a Samaritan
We tend to develop rivalries with people similar to us. The Jews and the Samaritans, like the Nephites and the Lamanites, had much more in common than the things which divided them. Here are some ways to build bridges with our "Samaritans."
“Not for Thy Righteousness”
As the children of Israel prepared to enter the promised land, Moses warned them not to attribute God's blessings to their own goodness: After the Lord your God has driven [the Canaanites] out before you, do not say to yourself, “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is... Continue Reading →
Spirit
Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.Luke 24:39 Thousands of years before the birth of Jesus Christ, a prophet known as the brother of Jared saw and spoke with Him. After pointing out that He looked like a human being, Jesus explained: Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man... Continue Reading →
How to Worship
In an 1833 revelation to Joseph Smith, the Lord said: I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.Doctrine and Covenants 93:19, italics added Worship is an expression... Continue Reading →
Thanksgiving
The prophet Amulek taught the poor among the Zoramites to be thankful. These people had approached Amulek and Alma specifically because they were oppressed. Not only were they poor, but they were also "despised of all men because their poverty." They had been excluded from the houses of worship which they had built with their... Continue Reading →
Pray in Faith
Nephi believed that his prayers were heard and would be answered: For I pray continually for [my people] by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry.2 Nephi 33:3 Jacob counseled his people to "pray unto [God]... Continue Reading →
“Their Souls Are Precious” – Alma 31:35
As Alma prepared to preach the gospel to the Zoramites, a group of people who "were perverting the ways of the Lord" and who had separated themselves from Alma's people (Alma 31:1-2), he began by praying that he and his missionary companions would have success: Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are... Continue Reading →
The Work, the Sword, the Sickle, and the Prayer
In the first half of 1829, Joseph Smith received a number of revelations on behalf of other people. Four of those revelations begin almost identically, with a set of four biblical concepts, all of which also appear in the Book of Mormon. Why did those four concepts warrant such frequent repetition, and why did the... Continue Reading →