Read: Mosiah 29 - Alma 1
Mark: Alma 1:6, 16
"The Nephite prophets repeatedly identified the wearing of costly clothing with apostasy and failure to live by gospel standards." --Elder Bruce R. McConkie
To ponder:
What might your way of dressing say about you?
Today's reading was so interesting. We find Mosiah creating the first democratic government. He effectively created a great order for judges and higher judges, and then if the higher judges were bad, the lower judges could get together and as a group take care of things.
ReplyDeleteThen we see this new government enforced by Alma. Nehor teaches priestcraft and kills Gideon! Gideon who did so much good for the people, who really stood for what is right and true! So Nehor kills Gideon, and the law says if you kill someone, well you will be killed and so Nehor died. I wonder if we did this today in our world, if so many of the killings would stop?
Not sure how to answer today's question; I'll be interested to hear all of your thoughts. I do think that the way we dress says a TON about us and who we are. I think simply being neat and clean in our clothing speaks volumes about who we are on the inside and the outside. It shows respect for our own bodies and for us as individuals.
How interesting that Mosiah set up a kind of democracy like government. This is the furthest I've read the Book of Mormon. I'm excited to see how this works out with the judges.
ReplyDeleteThe world says not to judge a book by its cover, but that's not the action of the world. Kids are picked on for not wearing certain brands or types of clothing. People are judged by their attire and appearance. I have never had the latest and greatest. I have always been happy with my butt being covered. Not by what name was on the cover. Thankful for shoes on my feet. I love that my daughter has to wear uniforms. Most of my clothes come from Goodwill. I'm definitely not the type that if I came into a lot of money would spend it on my clothing.
I love that Heavenly Father teaches us that it's more important what's inside than out.
When people see my girls with me, they know that my money goes to what my girls wear! They are so cute! I'm so drab! LOL
ReplyDeleteI would say that wearing dirty or ruined clothing could be as much associated with NOT living gospel standards as wearing costly apparel. You'll never find me in a $100 pair of jeans, but you'll also never find me in clothes that are dirty or torn (at least if I'm aware!). We should care about our appearances but without becoming selfish or overly self-conscious. Dress your best in the morning and forget about it the moment you step out of your room! It's not so much the costly apparel (or rags) that is the problem - it is the priority - are you spending crazy amounts for something you could find much less? Are you taking care of what you do have and presenting yourself in the best possible light or are you being cold and uncaring, unkempt and unclean? Where is your heart!?
The proud and the humble are both capable of becoming rich. The proud view their riches as self-won and must rely on their own talents and skills to keep their money. They also view their money as solely theirs. It is used to indulge and gain favor in the world's eyes. The proud are bound by their riches and dependent on them for their happiness and find misery in all the loneliness their money brings them. The humble know from whom their blessings come and share where & when they can. The humble can be truly grateful for their riches without being attached or dependent on them. The humble find peace and joy in their prosperity because their peace and joy come from the source and from the service they are willing to give. There is no loneliness in this type of prosperity.
Patti, I love your comments for today. I have a soap box when it comes to capital punishment. I fully believe in it and think it's ridiculous we don't enforce it very well in our world. We have such overcrowded prisons where we keep people for "life". Meanwhile criminals keep getting released early due to overcrowding! If there were ACTUAL consequences for crime, more people would think twice before committing crimes.
ReplyDeleteI also like Alma 1:31--those who were faithful prospered and became more wealthy than those who sought the riches and wore the costly apparel. In all honesty, this is exactly how things are today in the world. Many celebrities and big business owners have so much debt that I'm not sure their net worth is in the black. Whereas in the church we're encouraged to be debt-free, making us more wealthy as a whole than most people because we have more actual assets.