Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.Proverbs 11:14 Alma was troubled. As the high priest over the church, he had taught church members "that there should be no contention one with another," but that they should have "their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another" (Mosiah 18:21). He taught them... Continue Reading →
Impart
The wealthy man passed the beggar every day, but he never felt sufficient compassion to share. In the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Jesus provided a name for the beggar but not for the wealthy man, indicating where His sympathies lay. The rich man lived comfortably, even extravagantly. He "was clothed in purple... 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 →
Needs and Wants
When Alma organized the church at the waters of Mormon, he instructed members to "impart of their substance, every one according to that which he had." They were to give "both temporally and spiritually according to their needs and their wants" (Mosiah 18:27-29). The word "want," when used as a noun, usually refers to a... Continue Reading →
Feeble Knees
The prophet Isaiah said, "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees" (Isaiah 35:3). The apostle Paul paraphrased this admonition in his epistle to the Hebrews: "Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees" (Hebrews 12:12). And in March 1832, as the Lord called Jesse Gause to serve in a leadership role in the... Continue Reading →
Willing
Yesterday, I wrote about King David's final sermon, in which he acknowledged God's power and glory. Earlier in that sermon, he had a message for his son, Solomon, who was to succeed him as king: And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a... Continue Reading →
Principles
Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord instructed members of His church to "teach the principles of my gospel, which are in the Bible and the Book of Mormon" (Doctrine and Covenants 42:12). This echoes the instruction given by Alma to the newly ordained priests when he organized the church at the waters of Mormon:... Continue Reading →
“With One Voice”
When King Benjamin called his people together at the end of his life, he had a receptive audience. They loved and respected him because of the way he had served them for many years. That collective love and respect led to unity. After he reminded them of their need to have their sins forgiven, "they... Continue Reading →
“Temporal and Spiritual” – Mosiah 2:41
Don't underestimate the value of temporary things. On at least two occasions, Nephi's brothers, Laman and Lemuel, asked him whether the principles of the gospel related to temporal things or only to spiritual things. They seem to have wanted to keep different parts of their lives separates, with their daily decisions being disconnected with their... Continue Reading →
Immersion
The word "baptism" comes from the Greek word baptisma (βάπτισμα), which refers to dipping or submerging something. Jesus instructed His disciples on the American continent how to perform baptisms. They should stand in the water with the person being baptized, call the person by name, pronounce some specific words, and then "immerse them in the water,... Continue Reading →
