6:3-4; 7:8
When I was on my mission, I remember complaining to my companion. I was frustrated with someone who we were teaching that just wasn't following through on any commitments. I remember saying, "I just can't wait to be home and worry about myself instead of these people who never do what they say." It wasn't my finest moment. I was growing exhausted with anxiety for the people I was teaching. Jacob may have been having similar feelings.
"Nevertheless, I speak unto you again; for I am desirous for the welfare of your souls. Yea, mine anxiety is great for you; and ye yourselves know that it ever has been. For I have exhorted you with all diligence; and I have taught you the words of my father; and I have spoken unto you concerning all things which are written, from the creation of the world." He was concerned about their spiritual welfare and felt great anxiety for them and always had. I get it.
What had he done about it? He used his mouth.
He exhorted them with all diligence.
Taught them the words of Lehi.
Spoken to them from the scriptures.
Our words are powerful and can have an effect on those we care about.
He continued to speak. "I would speak unto you concerning things which are, and which are to come." For all of us, to know where we are and what's coming is a huge blessing. Most of us are out of touch with what is really happening around us. Our version of reality isn't reality. Jacob is attempting to speak to help them see things clearly. "I speak unto you for your sakes, that ye may learn and glorify the name of your God."
Jacob later testifies, "And the Lord is near, and he justifieth me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? Let him come near me, and I will smite him with the strength of my mouth." Jacob is confident that no one can contend with him with words. He has been given a powerful gift and Jacob has faith in this gift. He sounds arrogant here but he is simply declaring the strength of his gift from God - emphasis on the "from God" part.
6:5
The goal of the scriptures is see how they apply to our lives, right now. The scriptures "may be likened unto you." Herein is the value of the scriptures. They will liken differently a year from now. That's how it is meant to be.
6:7, 10, 15
"Thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me." We know that "waiting on the Lord" are those who are following what he taught and living by his example. To openly be a disciple of Jesus may be a source of discomfort to the world. The world looks down on the faithful. Some of the faithful may even feel shame. It will not be that way when the Lord returns. It will turn. All of the world will feel ashamed for their worldly deeds.
Those who have been waiting for the Lord will not be ashamed. The act of waiting for the Lord is the one thing that will NOT bring shame to a person. All perspectives will shift in that day. What was important will no longer be important. What was looked down upon and mocked will suddenly be respected and admired. It will be a great and terrible day - when people's paradigms will shift completely.
Will it take words to cause this shift? Nope. It'll take a lot more than that. "And they that believe not in him shall be destroyed, both by fire, and by tempest, and by earthquakes, and by bloodsheds, and by pestilence, and by famine. And they shall know that the Lord is God, the Holy One of Israel." Unfortunately for many, it will take destruction to change minds. Even then, it is likely that their destruction will not change their hearts. It will only change what they know. I'm afraid that too many have "hardened their hearts and stiffened their necks" beyond piercing or bending - even by their destruction.
6:17
It is not up to us to overcome the wicked. We are not meant to conquer the world. We don't have to fight an army of the abominable church. The Lord will fight that fight for us. "I will contend with them that contendeth with thee." How does that make you feel? It gives me so much comfort and confidence that this overwhelming, worldly army of aggressively violent people will not need to be overcome by me. It is the Lord's place to contend with them. Disciples of Christ will need to endure persecution from them - but we won't need to overcome them.
7:1
"Yea, for thus saith the Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever? For thus saith the Lord: Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement? To whom have I put thee away, or to which of my creditors have I sold you? Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away." God will not go back on his promises. He never breaks a covenant.
A separation always begins with us. We allow the temptations of the world to coerce us into walking away from our promises. Giving into a temptation is the beginning of the separation. Through our weakness, it is us who turns our backs. We are the ones who divorce from the bridegroom. We sell ourselves.
We must have faith that we will not be abandoned. We will never be left unsupported. Even if our lives spiral out of control and we face the largest of trials, God has never turned his back.
7:4-5
All the good that we have and the talents we possess came from the Lord. Our abilities are gifts. "The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season unto thee, O house of Israel." Jacob knew how to speak. He was given wisdom. He recognizes that his talent is a gift. "The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back." Even the ability to listen is a gift. We can take credit for nothing except for our decision to follow. To choose to match our will to God's is the true purpose for our ability to ACT.
The good news is that God is an awesome person to follow. "When ye are weary he waketh morning by morning. He waketh mine ear to hear as the learned." When we tire, we can have faith that God is RELENTLESS. He doesn't take a break from giving us strength and gifts and blessings and instruction and increases in faith. He doesn't get tired. He's up and at em every morning we open our eyes.
7:11
There are so many who are living by their own compass. Their gaze is inward. They see themselves as the only source of what is right for them. They believe that their purpose can only be discovered from inside. They see their uniqueness as their God - whom they worship. It's becoming more and more normal to see life this way. I think this is the kind of person that Jacob was seeing when he wrote this. "Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand—ye shall lie down in sorrow." The most we can do is kindle sparks. There is no blazing fire that comes from inside of ourselves.
What good does a light on a ship do to avoid the rocks? The light must be on a fixed point that we can sail to. No light in a lighthouse and a flurry of sparks on a ship doesn't do a bit of good!
Also, sparks don't truly illuminate anything. We can see them. They can catch and hold our attention. But sparks do not have enough light to illuminate a path. Sparks can easily be swept away by a breeze. They have a short life and then die. They can be snuffed out with little effort.
All of the squirming that I see of people attempting to find their way from looking deep inside matches what I'm reading from Jacob. We cannot walk by sparks that we have kindled ourselves. We do not trailblaze the straight and narrow way.
8:1
It's possible that we often forget who we are - who we truly are. We identify as many things:
What we see in the mirror.
Our race and age.
Where we were born.
Our job.
The education we received.
Our marital status.
Our income.
These things are very secondary to who we really are. We are sons and daughters of God with divine potential. As we keep that FACT in the forefront of our mind, we will be more able to follow righteousness. "Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness. Look unto the rock from whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from whence ye are digged." The world, and Satan, does not want us to think about that at all.
In fact, Satan doesn't even want us to remember our parents or grandparents or great grandparents. He wants you isolated as a single person in a single generation. He doesn't want us to think about our heritage and the many sacrifices that our ancestors made for us to have the blessings we enjoy. He doesn't want us thinking about how we are a part of the house of Israel with the same inheritance as Abraham himself. If Satan can get me to forget all of that and just think of myself as Eric the Photographer, it's much more likely that he can influence me to do anything.
8:6-8
This principle of perspective is so powerful for us to remain on the covenant path. One of Satan's biggest tools is to get us to lose perspective. If we think worldly instead of eternally, we are so much more vulnerable! "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment; and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner. But my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished." This world, that seems so permanent and awesome, will "vanish away like smoke." All of the important people who seem so in control, will die. The most powerful people that live, have lived, or will live all end up as dust. If we see this world through that lens, we will be less captivated, and captive, by it.
He continues, "Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool. But my righteousness shall be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation." We certainly shouldn't be concerned about the opinion of worldly, incredibly temporary beings. The criticism of the world is like wisps of smoke in a strong breeze - completely meaningless. The only thing that remains is God's righteousness and his salvation. That will truly last forever.
We all know this cognitively. Do we keep this in the forefront of our mind is the question.
He continues in verse 12. "I am he; yea, I am he that comforteth you. Behold, who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of man, who shall die, and of the son of man, who shall be made like unto grass? And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth, and hast feared continually every day, because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor?" Why should we be afraid of man and forget the creator of the universe? It sounds ridiculous that anyone would do that. But, the challenge with this world is that all of the meaningless things are visible! All of the silly, misled people can do us physical, emotional, financial harm.
We can be ostracized. We can lose our job. We can be driven from our home. All of these things have immediate impact on our lives. Of course it is easy to keep them in the forefront. It takes a disciplined and faithful mind to set all of that aside and focus on the invisible. If I don't have any money, it's easy for me to see my bank balance or be rejected at a cash register. The evidence of my poverty is perfectly visible. However, the evidence of the plan of salvation must be seen with spiritual eyes. Sure, evidence of God's plan is everywhere but it has to be discerned. It takes effort where my empty wallet doesn't take any effort to perceive.
I think this is why Jacob is quoting this. The Nephites are in a challenging environment, in a new world, with enemies that want to destroy them. It would be easy for them to lose perspective and forget God.
8:24
"Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city." Our strength doesn't need to be earned or bought or found. We just have to "put on thy strength." We can have unlimited strength to endure bestowed on us, we just have to receive it. As sons and daughters of God, we already have "beautiful garments." We must ACT and put what we already have on.
9:4
Jacob knew the scriptures. He has been reciting Isaiah so that his family would "know concerning the covenants of the Lord." He knows that his family has also studied. "For I know that ye have searched much, many of you, to know of things to come; wherefore I know that ye know that our flesh must waste away and die; nevertheless, in our bodies we shall see God." It's cool that this group was into the scriptures. "Searching" compared to "perusing" or even "reading" suggests serious study.
Jacob knew that his family knew about the resurrection. He knew the eternal nature of our physical bodies. Even though we all get old and weak and sick and our bodies continually deteriorate, we all will receive an immortal body at the resurrection. I think this scripture will get more meaningful as my body continues its downward spiral...
9:5
"...it behooveth the great Creator that he suffereth himself to become subject unto man in the flesh, and die for all men, that all men might become subject unto him." Jesus, at any time, could have struck down any person who ever uttered an unkind word towards him. We all need to know that Jesus was never forced to do any element of the atonement. His choice wasn't limited when he was arrested and held. He had the opportunity to NOT go through with any of it. He could have saved himself.
Ignoring his godly powers for a second - he literally could have prevented his execution by interacting differently with Pilate. If he spoke up for himself, he may have been immediately freed. He held his tongue. He submitted to the worldly judgment that would lead to his death. He was willing to be subject to man while he was a mortal. Knowing that he could have chosen otherwise throughout his torture and execution makes me love him more. He willingly did all of that.
Now, we are the ones that are subject to him.
9:6-11
The moment that Adam and Eve transgressed the law, we needed Christ. "The resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord." We were stuck. We were separated, cut off. God couldn't force us out, we had to choose/transgress - which Adams and Eve did. That transgression caused a "permanent" change. In a way, mortality was now an infinite condition...which required an infinite atonement.
"Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more." This wasn't some hypothetical condition. It was our reality.
We would be separated from God in the flesh and, without a resurrection, our spirits would continue to be separated. That continued separation would put us in the same condition as Satan himself. "O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more. And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness." A permanently disembodied spirit is the same living conditions as the devil and his angels. Apparently, we would be with him. We would "remain with the father of lies." Being in his presence would not be good for us.
Jacob illustrates the problem so we appreciate the solution. We were in desperate need. Our future was dark and without hope. It was on Jesus whether this would be our condition throughout eternity. "O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit. And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave." We can escape Satan's grasp because of Jesus. Because of Jesus Christ, the death of our bodies and our spirits does not last.
Again, we must consider that Jesus wasn't a robot with superpowers. He was a man who experienced weakness and anxiety and frustration the same as us. He was mortal. He struggled. God knew that Jesus would all the right decisions - but that doesn't mean that Christ didn't still have to make those decisions. God knew he would overcome his mortal struggle - but that didn't render the struggle one bit easier. Jesus truly carried the weight of the universe on his shoulders. He bore that weight on his mortal shoulders. He still does on his, now perfected, broad shoulders.
9:14
"Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness." Knowledge isn't the same word as memory. I don't think this verse is talking about that we will remember every mistake or sin that we've made. It is more about our current state at that time.
We will see ourselves clearly. We will have a perspective on ourselves that is not based on our biases. It will not be a warped perspective. I think that we will see ourselves as God sees us. This is a big deal. We all have a twisted view of reality. We all see things through rose (or brown or blue or black or red or yellow) colored glasses. To see ourselves in reality will be important.
9:16
"And assuredly, as the Lord liveth, for the Lord God hath spoken it, and it is his eternal word, which cannot pass away, that they who are righteous shall be righteous still, and they who are filthy shall be filthy still; wherefore, they who are filthy are the devil and his angels; and they shall go away into everlasting fire, prepared for them; and their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever and has no end." The judgment will not change our character. The spirit world will not change our character. In fact, our character will likely be amplified. We will be able to do exactly what we want to do without the limitations of work, sleep, finances, etc. The spirit world will be a place where we will rest from all our worldly labors and trials - that empty space may be filled with righteousness or filthiness.
I believe there will still be the opportunity to repent in the spirit world. Our current filthiness will not be permanent. Those who choose to be filthy will separate themselves permanently from God and will "go away into everlasting fire." Obviously, this isn't an actual fire but a "fire of torment." Those will be filled with regret and guilt and remorse. Their FOMO will be huge!
9:18
"But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever." This verse says that those who have:
"Believed in the Holy One of Israel." This is about faith and following his example. This is about relying on Him and his merits. Our faith must be built - we will rely on it throughout eternity.
"Endured the crosses of the world." This is about working through the many trials and tribulations that are a part of mortality and the natural man. There is a lot to endure and how we endure it purifies and strengthens us. As we "wait patiently on the Lord," we progress. If we can experience affliction with patience and not blame God, we develop humility. We will also rely on this humility throughout eternity.
"Despised the shame of it." To reject all of the tempting temptations of this world is what further develops us. All temptations are mini purifications if we resist. If we despise wickedness rather than simply avoid it, we have demonstrated that we have progressed beyond what the world has to offer.
Shall "inherit the kingdom of God."
Believing, enduring and overcoming temptation is the sure path to joy. Truly, our "joy shall be full forever."
9:23-24
"And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God. And if they will not repent and believe in his name, and be baptized in his name, and endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it." So what is it that is doing the damning? Is it God who damns or the people who damn themselves? I think the damnation is a natural consequence to not having faith and being willing to repent and endure. This who are faithless, unteachable and unwilling to endure automatically damn themselves. It is they who refuse to continue to move forward. They are stuck. They are damned.
9:27
"But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state!" What does it mean that his state is awful? Does it mean his punishment is awful? Or does it mean that his state of being is awful? Why is his state awful?
It's awful because he knows what is right and he doesn't care. He knows what is right and still wastes his time. Every day that he blows off the plan of salvation is a day that his character diminishes. His desire to repent and progress subsides until it doesn't exist. When this happens, he is definitely in an awful state.
We shouldn't think of this awful state as anything other than one that is self-imposed.
9:28-29
"O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God." Men are vain and frail and foolish. We're easily deceived - especially by our own selves. We are easily distracted. We are easily swayed. We give into temptation easily. We are, generally speaking, weak.
When we receive blessings, it often works against us. If we are good looking, we are arrogant. When we are strong, we feel superior. When we are educated, we think we are wise. When we feel wise, we see ourselves as the source of wisdom. We feel we can "set aside" any wisdom that didn't originate within ourselves.
If we think that we are so wise that we don't need wisdom from any outside source, our "wisdom is foolishness." Our strength becomes our weakness. This is human nature - with every blessing comes responsibility and temptation. The weak of character will usually succumb to a blessing's pitfalls.
9:30
Another example of this is to be rich. "But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. For because they are rich they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their god. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also." The two big problems with being rich is:
We think we are superior. We develop pride. We see ourselves as better than others. We think that wealth is the scorecard for righteousness and intelligence. If we are in the top 1%, why should we grow? How can we improve if we are already at the top of society? If we are already the best, what do we have to repent of?
We worship our riches. We care about our money. Our time is spent acquiring more. We don't need God because WE provide all that we need. We fall in love with what we can provide.
If we could see reality clearly, we would see that our riches are almost meaningless. Sure, we need to provide for ourselves but, beyond that, riches are generally a distraction and a temptation and do more harm than good. It's a small percentage of the population that can successfully handle riches. Extreme wealth seems like an unwinnable condition.
9:38
"And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins." What does this mean exactly? Does it mean that if a person dies in a sinful state, then they will remain in that sinful state forever? I don't think so. Why? Because EVERYONE dies in a sinful state in some way or another!
Our sins are not permanently imprinted on us if we die being sinful. To die in our sins means to give up on repentance. To die in our sins means to turn away from righteousness. Those who die in a sinful state (everyone), will have continuing opportunity to repent. That opportunity will be long enough to give them every opportunity to repent. Some will reject each and every opportunity to repent and then, and only then, will their sins remain indefinitely.
9:39
Jacob explains death a little more in this verse. "O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal." So, death isn't about getting hit by a bus. Death is to be "carnally minded." To be spiritually dead is to turn your back on righteousness. It is to seek after the pleasurable.
In every situation, we can look at it from a carnal or spiritual point of view. If we see every day as an opportunity for carnality, then we have spiritually died. If we see every day as an opportunity for spirituality, than we are on the path to eternal life.
9:41
"Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him." Sure, the way is narrow, but it is straight. This is an advantage. There is no trickery. There is no bait and switch. There aren't any blind turns. There aren't dark switchbacks. It's just a straight path that leads directly to Jesus. That's good.
Satan's path is much different. It is not straight. It is crooked and ill defined and rocky. There are risks everywhere. It is never what it appears. If you think it's safe and well-maintained, you'll find that it is the opposite. It's a rough road that destroys everyone who travels on it.
9:42
The path to perfection is paved with humility. "And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them." Again, the rich and the wise and educated will not progress on this path. How could they? You cannot start on a road of perfection if you think you've already arrived! The only way to improve is to first believe that you CAN improve! We must be humble to progress. That's just the way it is.
9:45
"O, my beloved brethren, turn away from your sins; shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast; come unto that God who is the rock of your salvation." It's important for us to understand that sins aren't just fiery darts that hurt us. They are sticky things that attach that alter our course! Turning from sin is a course correction. To "repent" is to "turn." When we remove sins from our lives, we are actually affecting our progression arc.
When I think about shaking off the chains of sin, I picture a dog when they shake water off. It isn't a subtle move. They're putting a lot of effort into it. They shake from head to tail. It is complete. Shaking the chains from us should be just as effortful.
These chains aren't just isolated, independent objects that attach to us on their own accord. There is an actual wicked weasel who is binding us. They are "the chains of him." He has no compassion. He wants us to suffer like he is. When I personalize the chains of sin like this, it makes it more personal to me. I don't like the idea of a little man binding me with chains.
9:46
"Prepare your souls for that glorious day when justice shall be administered unto the righteous, even the day of judgment, that ye may not shrink with awful fear; that ye may not remember your awful guilt in perfectness, and be constrained to exclaim: Holy, holy are thy judgments, O Lord God Almighty—but I know my guilt; I transgressed thy law, and my transgressions are mine; and the devil hath obtained me, that I am a prey to his awful misery." I want to see Jesus feeling like I did my best to follow him. Of course I have weaknesses but I'm striving to overcome them. Some days I'm better at overcoming than others but I am diligently following. My faith and consistent effort are preparing my soul.
I am not preparing a resume. I am not preparing a report card. I am not preparing a checklist. I am preparing a soul. There's a big difference. Our soul is a constantly updated representation of our faith in Jesus Christ, decisions, gifts given from God and love for others and God himself. Every decision we make prepares our soul for that day.
9:51
"Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy." Most things that are valuable in this world ARE things that can be bought with money. This can be confusing. It's misleading. All worldly possessions and positions and power are all temporary facades. They are props on a stage for a show that, sooner or later, inevitably ends. Yet they are before our eyes so their value is easy to overestimate.
Because they are eternally worthless, they can not truly satisfy. It would be fun to buy a huge house and a luxury car and a private jet. Those things can make life easier and more convenient but they cannot make you happy. Consider all of the wealthy people who attempt to fill their lives with drugs and alcohol. The only source of lasting happiness is righteousness.
10:5
"But because of priestcrafts and iniquities, they at Jerusalem will stiffen their necks against him, that he be crucified." Religious leaders in Jersusalem didn't accept Jesus Christ because of priestcrafts and iniquities. What does that mean?
I think that their livelihood was based on their position in the church. I don't know how the Pharisees and Sadducees were compensated but it appears it was a full-time job and I'm sure they were paid. Being paid to be a religious leader makes it tempting to do what is necessary to maintain your position. Rather than the driving motivation being the welfare of others' souls, it may be the financial gain connected to your influence. When Jesus threatened their position, everything they had was on the line. They weren't about to give up their livelihood because a strange man was teaching strange thoughts.
The financial thing was a problem. But, I suspect that a greater temptation to aspire to positions of authority was pride. Jesus said, "Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets." They loved being better than others. This was their priestcraft.
This can be ours too. If we aspire to positions of leadership in our church, that is a form of priestcraft. Rather than serving for the right reasons, we can serve for compensation in the form of respect and reverence.
I suspect it was more about priestcrafts than it was about iniquities that kept the leaders from embracing Jesus as the Messiah.
10:20
Often, we have to sacrifice something as we progress as disciples. "And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off; nevertheless, we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance; but we have been led to a better land, for the Lord has made the sea our path, and we are upon an isle of the sea." Of course we must sacrifice our sins. We must lay aside our will. We sacrifice what we want for what God wants. There is always something to give up in the process of purification.
What we give up is always smaller than what we receive. The Nephites gave up the land of their inheritance but were "led to a better land." We may not recognize the upgrade in the middle of the sacrifice - but we almost always see it once we arrive in the promised land.
10:23
Our agency is a gift that is reserved only for children of our Heavenly Father. We are the only ones who are free to act. We should be happy about that. "Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life." No one can ever take away our ability to act, to choose. Satan wanted to destroy the agency of man and we fought a war over this ability. We should not take for granted our agency. We should appreciate and respect it and use it to bless others and to progress.
10:24-25
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved." This is a great verse. We are meant to match our will to God's.
There are two forces that are tempting us to choose another way. They are:
The will of the devil. There are beings actively working to tempt us. I believe they shout and whisper and our souls can hear them.
The will of the flesh. Our bodies tempt us. Whether it's our hormones, chemicals in our brain, soreness of our muscles, etc - our bodies want us to choose any easy, pleasurable path.
If we understand that we're battling on two fronts, we will be better able to avoid both types of temptation. We will be better able to reconcile our will to God. However, we are reminded again that it isn't us who save ourselves. "It is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved." Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:18, "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation."
How does Christ reconcile us? "Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine. Amen." It is the resurrection and the atonement that saves us. However, those two powers do not force us. It IS up to us to be reconciled.
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