Read: Helaman 6-7
Mark: Helaman 6:3
"Every [convert] needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with the 'good word of God.' It is our duty and opportunity to provide these things." --President Gordon B. Hinckley
To ponder:
What kind of friend are you to converts, members who are new in your ward, or the less-active? What things do you do to nourish others with the word of the Lord?
My goodness! What a back and forth, Ping-Pong game, as to who is righteous and who is not--we seem to be swaying between the Nephites being the righteous followers of God and then the Lamanites being the righteous followers of God--and then sometimes a mixture of both groups (which we see in chapter 6). In Helaman 7:24, though something so important is told: "For behold, they are more righteous than you, for they have not sinned against the great knowledge which ye have received." This is Nephi talking to the wicked Nephites, explaining that the Nephites have been given great knowledge and light and yet they have completely turned from these teachings! As members of the Church, we too have been given this knowledge and light, which places a huge responsibility on each of us, as we are accountable and will be judged for the knowledge we have been given. Stay true!
ReplyDeleteI read that Nephi's talk to those who had gathered around him to discover the cause of his great mourning, has been termed "Nephi's tower sermon." He sure doesn't hold back or leave any room for confusion, does he? He makes it very clear to the Nephites as to what they have done or not done, and as a result of their choices, exactly what is going to happen to each and every one of them. What a strong lesson we can learn from this tower sermon!
Helaman 6: Righteousness and peace = freedom & prosperity.
ReplyDeleteHow can I keep riches from making me more greedy? Better to figure this out now before it happens! Give! Don't spend every penny. Save for kids. Don't use riches to live extravagantly - pay generous offerings.
Do not allow the wicked to remain among you. Choose your friends wisely. Teach your family courageously.
Helaman 7 Take advantage of unexpected audiences. If you are found in the act of righteousness and asked about it - do not shy away from telling them as much as they are willing to listen to.
It's NOT always greener on the other side. Nephi says that he wishes he would have been around when his ancestors came from Jerusalem - when everyone listened and lived the gospel...not so true! Nephi (the first one) had to contend with his own brothers!
I wonder if Gadianton could have changed as Alma the Younger if someone had prayed for him as earnestly as Alma the Senior??
To the question - I am not as good at be-friending converts as I once was. I'm so wrapped up in my children on Sundays I barely see the people around me. :(
Oh my goodness! I thought the EXACT same thing about verses 7-9! I even wrote "Grass always greener--they had their issues, too" in my scriptures next to it. LOL! That's crazy.
DeleteThere is so much to say about Helaman 6-7! So let's go in chronological order, I guess. I loved Helaman 6:3 and am so glad we were asked to mark it. It stood out to me even before I saw it was the one we were meant to mark because I enjoyed seeing the rejoicing and love that the members of the church felt and poured out for the converted Lamanites. I definitely don't reach out. I barely notice anyone new and I'm always so busy with my three music callings that I never have a chance to really talk to anyone, let alone someone new. But I do love reaching out through my callings when possible.
ReplyDeleteIn Helaman 6:20 I made special note--the Lamanites' reaction to having robbers among them was so righteous and great. They were "exceedingly sorrowful" and "did use every means in their power to destroy them off the face of the earth." This really stuck out to me because in our world today we're pretty apathetic. We just kind of ignore the crime and evil around us and keep our eyes to the ground. But aloofness and indifference are not righteous! We really need to stand up for what's right and do "everything in [our] power to destroy them off the face of the earth".
Continuing, in Helaman 6:21-23, as I read this I thought, okay, what are modern-day examples of all of this? KKK, Nazis, Mafia, Gangs, Skinheads, and other evil groups. They have secret signs, laws, symbols, etc. It's insane and it's BAD, and it sometimes goes very high on the chain. The Nephites took theses people IN! The Lamanites worked hard to eradicate the evil, and the Nephites became corrupted and sought to get gain by sheltering the robbers and becoming part of their "secret combinations".
To go along with this, I also made note in Helaman 7:5 that this sounds really similar to our world (yet again!). I TOTALLY see "condemning the righteous because of their righteousness" and "letting the guilty and the wicked go unpunished because of their money". And not only THAT, but these same people go on to run the government . They steal, kill, commit adultery, seek to get gain, and do "according to their own wills". (And all this happened in the space of "not many years", as has been written probably three or four times in the last few chapters). We definitely have Gadianton robbers amongst us today!
I was thinking, especially about the "in the space of not many years" (Helaman 6:32, and Helaman 7:6), that it really doesn't take long, once you've abandoned God, for your soul to spoil, quite literally like leaving meat or milk on the counter. God is our preservation. He keeps us cool. He keeps our souls from spoil and helps us feel fresh in our faith. Not to compare God to a refrigerator, but hey, why not.
In Helaman 7:21 it gives the robbers reasons--to get gain and be praised of men. Why do we care SO much about what other people think of us? Why do we care to be rich? Why do we care about the "vain things of this world" (yes, YOU, People magazine!, LOL). When it lists their sins at the bottom, it really sunk in. Not only do they murder and steal, they also blame it all on someone innocent, who probably gets killed for it. Wow... that's pretty bad. Terrible actions, and for bad reasons, too.
Lastly, Helaman 7:23-24 stuck out to me, as well. God only shows his strength (I assume they mockingly wanted signs from God) to the righteous. I like verse 24 especially because we really ARE held to a higher standard with the knowledge we've received. Analogy--a "good samaritan" won't be held accountable by the law for trying to save someone, even if they might do something wrong that prevents the saving of the person's life. Whereas, if the same thing happens on a doctor or EMT's watch, there's going to be a malpractice suit. There's always greater expectation with greater knowledge. We have to be careful not to let what happened to the Nephites happen in our own lives.