The Magi responded faithfully to the light they were given. With limited understanding, they recognized a sign from God, undertook a costly journey, and honored the Christ child without understanding all the implications of their journey. Their example teaches that we can accomplish much by acting decisively in faith on revelation from God.
Confession
Confession is liberating. The Hebrew word for confession—yadah—means literally to throw something. We confess not to obsess over our sins and our weaknesses but to externalize them and let them go. We also confess the goodness of God which is the complement to our acknowledgement of our shortcomings, since He can heal us.
A Book of Mormon Nativity
To celebrate Christmas Day, I created a nativity scene using Book of Mormon scriptures.
Samuel the Lamanite and Occam’s Razor
The people who chose not to believe Samuel after seeing his miraculous avoidance of their stones and arrows concocted far-fetched theories to explain away what they had seen. The simplest explanation isn't always right, but it's a good place to start.
“If Ye Will Repent…”
Samuel the Lamanite came to Zarahemla with a stern warning, coupled with a hopeful promise. He repeatedly promised his listeners that God would rescue them from their bad decisions if they would choose to repent. God always forgives those who repent.
“I Only Remain”
Elijah was lonely. After initiating a famine, he went into hiding, living in the wilderness with ravens bringing him food (1 Kings 17:1-7), and then traveling to the Phoenician city of Zarephath and staying with a poor widow and her son (1 Kings 17:8-9). After three years evading the servants of King Ahab, who had... 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 →
Signs and Wonders – 3 Nephi 2:1-3
I wrote last week that we all have signs in our lives—reasons to believe that God lives and loves us. The question is whether we are willing to recognize those signs or whether we choose to ignore them. As Samuel the Lamanite revealed to the Nephites in Zarahemla the signs which would correspond with the... Continue Reading →
Reasonableness
As they grappled with "signs and wonders" which called into question their unbelief (Helaman 16:4, 23), many of the Nephites, and even some of the Lamanites, resorted to high-pressure arguments to rationalize their inflexibility. Here are some of those arguments: "Some things they may have guessed right, among so many" (Helaman 16:16). If you predict... Continue Reading →
How Does the Gospel Bring Us Joy?
The angel who appeared to King Benjamin declared that his message would bring joy to Benjamin and to his people: I am come to declare unto you the glad tidings of great joy. For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that... Continue Reading →