When members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints partake of the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper every week it reminds us
of the covenants we made at baptism. There
we covenanted 1) to take upon us the name of Christ, which is designed to help
us to act better, 2) to always remember Him, which helps us to appreciate all
He has done and continues to do for us, and 3) to always keep His commandments,
which helps us to stay clean and to build the kingdom of God on earth. Heavenly Father’s part of the baptismal
covenant is to give us the Holy Ghost to always be with us, if we keep our part
of the covenant. Having the influence of
this Heavenly Guide is invaluable to our day to day existence. If you pay attention to the sacrament
prayers, you can hear all these parts of the baptismal covenant during the
blessing of the bread.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Moroni 3
When a man has been called and ordained to the office of
elder in the priesthood, he has the right to ordain priests and teachers. But it appears that laying on hands and
pronouncing the prescribed words may not be enough to pass along priesthood
power. Verse 2 shows us that, first, an
elder must pray to make the ordination efficacious. Then verse 4 shows us how the power of the
priesthood is passed along: “they ordained
them by the power of the Holy Ghost, which was in them.”
The power of the Holy Ghost is the power by which ordinances
and all things pertaining to the gospel of Jesus Christ are effected. It is how any of us can come to know truth
(see Moroni 10:5). It is how we know
that Jesus is the Christ. And in the
next two chapters of the Book of Mormon we’ll be taught how each baptized
member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can obtain and retain
the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Moroni 2
When Christ visited the Nephites, He gave the twelve
disciples power to bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost on others (see 3 Nephi
18:37). Thanks to Moroni, we have the
actual words He spoke to them as He bestowed this priesthood power. Notice that He told them they had to pray
mightily before they could begin using the power He’d given them. It’s a little like receiving a new debit card
in the mail. It is valid for transacting
your bank business when you receive it, but before you do, you have to activate
the card by calling a number on a little sticker on the card. Once activated, you’re free to use the
card. The Nephite disciples were free to
use the priesthood power Christ had given them once they had “activated it”
through mighty prayer.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Moroni 1
I love to watch the special features included with movies I
purchase: deleted scenes, bonus
materials and the director’s commentary, among others. The Book of Moroni is like the special
features section of the Book of Mormon.
Moroni had no idea, as he scrambled to abridge the record of
Ether, that he would be able to add even more to the plates that Joseph Smith
would receive. And thank goodness he was
spared long enough to add these things!
Chapters 2 – 6 are deleted scenes that his father didn't find the time
to add to his abridgment. Chapters 7 – 9 are sermons and letters from our
beloved Mormon that are so nice to have, the bonus features, if you will.
And Chapter 10 is Moroni’s own “director’s commentary” as he takes one
last opportunity to read the book.
In Chapter 1 we get some sense of the life Moroni led as the
last of the believers. The Lamanites had
turned to slaughtering each other, and if they happened across a Nephite who
would not deny Christ, they put him to death.
What an example Moroni was to us in verse 3 where we read, “And I,
Moroni, will not deny the Christ,” even though it meant his death if captured.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Ether 15
Because of the twin restraints of the difficulty of writing
on the plates and being forbidden to share certain things, Moroni shared with
us not even the hundredth part of the Book of Ether (see v. 33). Can you imagine not being allowed to share
all you know about the Savior with others who are interested? I am acquainted with someone who spent part
of her mission in a refugee camp, where she was not allowed to discuss anything
religious, but was only allowed to teach English. She found that restriction very, very
difficult, but was able in her off-hours to spend some very spiritual time in
that situation. I think Moroni’s adding
the Book of Ether to the Nephite record must have given him much comfort. He found himself not alone in being the last
survivor of a people. Verse 34 reads,
“Now the last words which are written by Ether are these: Whether the Lord will that I be translated,
or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if it so
be that I am saved in the kingdom of God.
Amen.”
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Ether 14
This must have been very painful for Moroni to record. Here we have Coriantumr, who the Lord has
cursed with not being able to be killed.
And on the other hand there’s Shiz, who is determined to kill him. The entire land is cursed because of the
iniquity of the people, which is a natural result of the secret combinations
that raged through the land. And
Coriantumr has to survive to see everyone else die.
Moroni, who had lived through very similar circumstances,
warned his readers, “And thus we see that the Lord did visit them in the
fullness of his wrath, and their wickedness and abominations had prepared a way
for their everlasting destruction” (v. 25).
From this man who saw ancient history repeat itself in his lifetime, and
had been allowed to see our day, also, let’s take heed. Let’s understand that just as wickedness and
abomination prepare a way for the everlasting destruction of a society, so
righteousness and good works can prepare a way for the exaltation of a society,
as evidenced by the City of Enoch (See Moses 7:69). But regardless of the type of society in
which we find ourselves, let us, like Moroni, choose Christ and the Father’s
plan of happiness.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Ether 13
This chapter contains a great prophesy of the prophet
Ether. Even though Ether’s prophesy was
written many years before Lehi left Jerusalem, in abridging the record, Moroni
connects the two. Ether described the
future land where Moroni was then living as a land that had become very choice
after the Flood in Noah’s day. Ether saw
the days of Christ and prophesied of a New Jerusalem that would be built on the
land.
Moroni wrote of the life of the prophet Ether, who of all
the individuals described in the Book of Mormon, is the most like Moroni. A follower of Christ, Ether was cast out by
the very people who he was trying to help.
He had to spend the rest of his life alone and in hiding, because they
sought his life. He lived to see his people
completely annihilate themselves.
I’m sure that Moroni, in very similar circumstances, found
comfort in Ether’s writings. I hope that
we can take advantage of that same comfort as we continue to read and study the
Book of Mormon.
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