Read: Moroni 8-9
Mark: Moroni 9:20
"Our capacity to feel controls our behavior in many ways, and by inaction when our feelings prompt us to do good, we deaden that capacity to feel...A sex saturated society cannot feel the needs of its suffering members because instead of developing the love that looks outward, it turns man selfishly inward...we have ears, but cannot hear, not only the promptings of God but also the pleas of men...We shut out people, nature, and God." --Elder Neal A. Maxwell
To ponder:
How do you respond to promptings or feelings that you should do something?
I love these two Chapters! I love that Moroni writes the word of his father, Mormon. I love that Mormon is so concerned about little children and that we understand that little children should not be baptized until they reach the age of accountability, and that little children cannot repent.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I love Mormon's epistle basically to his son, Moroni, in all of Chapter 9; he grieves for the hard things that have happened and prays that Moroni will not let these things discourage him. Don't we all feel this was as parents? We're sorry for those things that our children have had to go through and have seen, and we pray that they will not be discouraged or lose faith, but will be strong and do what is right.
Chapter 8: Children are not accountable or capable of committing sin before 8. They do wrong sometimes but they are not intentionally rebelling and sinning - curious sure, testing even -often, but not sinning. I should keep this in mind with my own children. I need to see them with the right perspective. Too often I'm sure they know better or are purposefully doing mean or wrong things. None of that is true. They are still learning and building their core. I need to look to them & mimic their innocence - their desire to learn what is right. When I have the opportunity to correct a mistake or teach them something (even for the 100th time) I must remember they are still learning what I'm teaching - they are also still absorbing how I teach them.
ReplyDeleteChapter 9: Consider the Lamanites& Nephites & how they are at the end. They either hard their hearts & ignore calls to correct & grow or they are angry with those who try to help them. They are filled with anger and revenge and they have lost love for their fellow men. Watch out for these traits! Do not let them consume you!
To answer the question, I'm really trying harder to feel the Spirit more accurately and fully. There are times when I doubt what I'm feeling, thinking that maybe I'm just being silly or naive, etc. But I really shouldn't discount my own intuition, as it's likely that what I'm feeling many times is prompted by the Spirit. One thing is certain--I do not EVER want to be without the Holy Spirit. As I read through chapters 8 and 9 I was mortified by the level of sin in the society at that time. That's what happens when the Holy Ghost leaves.
ReplyDeleteChapter 8: Christ came to help the imperfect, not the perfect. We need to help those who struggle and be like Christ instead of judging them. Little children are pure--they don't need baptism. Christ's atonement takes care of them, and also those who haven't received the gospel ("all they that are without the law" verse 22--at least that's my interpretation of it.).
I really liked Moroni 8:16 "Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear." What a powerful phrase!
Chapter 9: Verse 5--these people lost their love for each other completely. And verses 8-10 just make me sick. Honestly, we still see this kind of stuff in our world--how terrible is that? And I think that kind of stuff DOES happen, but the problem here is that it was prevalent, as opposed to rare. How awful, though. And it's pretty deplorable that the Lamanites made the Nephites eat their father's and husband's flesh. Yet we see how much the Lord honors chastity when Mormon tells us that the Nephites were even worse because they raped, tortured, murdered, and then ate their prisoners. Then we see verses 18-19. They are SO far gone. Mormon was a man of respectability, but even he couldn't convince or command anyone anymore.
How do people get like that? I mean, I would even think that just good, human values would keep people from getting like that. But when Satan gets a hold, he really takes control. That's why it's so important for us to maintain our values and let people see our good works.