Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.... Pilate was merciful till it became risky.C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, 161 Saul may have been the king, but he was afraid of his people. The first time he failed to follow instructions from the prophet... Continue Reading →
Finding Grace
When Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, arrived in Bethlehem, they needed a way to obtain food. Ruth said, "Let me now go to the field, and glean [fallen grain] after him in whose sight I shall find grace" (Ruth 2:2). Even though the law required farmers to leave their extra grain for the poor, she... Continue Reading →
“The Lord Bless Thee, and Keep Thee”
While the Israelites lived in the wilderness, God instructed Aaron and his sons to offer the following blessing on the people: The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.Numbers 6:24-26 I've been focused... Continue Reading →
The Raven, the Dove, and the Olive Leaf, or How Did Noah Know?
After being confined to the ark for many months, Noah and his family must have been anxious for freedom. About five months after they entered the ark, it rested on a mountaintop (Genesis 8:4). A little more than two months later, the tops of some nearby mountains became visible (Genesis 8:5). Noah now faced a... Continue Reading →
Affection
When Enoch saw God weeping, he asked how it was possible for a perfect Being to feel sorrow. God explained by emphasizing the gap between His hopes for His children and their actual behavior: Unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their... Continue Reading →
Why?
When God showed Moses the earth and its inhabitants, Moses replied with a question: Tell me, I pray thee, why these things are so, and by what thou madest them?Moses 1:30 In response, God explained that this earth was created by His Only Begotten Son, that it is one of many worlds which He has... Continue Reading →
“Especial Care”
On July 9, 1841, Joseph Smith visited Brigham Young at his home in Nauvoo—a log cabin his wife had built in his absence while raising and caring for their children alone. Brigham had returned a week earlier from a mission to England and had immediately gotten to work helping her with a job which was... Continue Reading →
“Let Them…Not Tarry”
I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.Psalm 119:60 There is power in doing what needs to be done as soon as possible, without unnecessary delay. When the Lord instructed Alma to return to the city of Ammonihah, “he returned speedily” (Alma 8:18). Sometime later, when Zeezrom asked Alma and Amulek to visit... Continue Reading →
“Lest Ye Become as the Nephites of Old”
Prosperity without pride is a worthy goal. After Lehi and his family abandoned their home in Jerusalem, leaving behind their gold, silver, and precious things (1 Nephi 2:4), the Lord promised them that, if they would keep His commandments, they would prosper in their new land (1 Nephi 2:20). After arriving on the American continent,... Continue Reading →
A Physician
"They that be whole need not a physician," said Jesus, "but they that are sick." Then He added, "I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matthew 9:12-13, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31-32). The prophet Mormon used the same metaphor to explain to his son Moroni why small children do not need to be baptized: Listen to the... Continue Reading →
Book of Mormon Study Notes 