"And it came to pass in the commencement of the fourteenth year, the war between the robbers and the people of Nephi did continue and did become exceedingly sore; nevertheless, the people of Nephi did gain some advantage of the robbers, insomuch that they did drive them back out of their lands into the mountains and into their secret places.
And thus ended the fourteenth year. And in the fifteenth year they did come forth against the people of Nephi; and because of the wickedness of the people of Nephi, and their many contentions and dissensions, the Gadianton robbers did gain many advantages over them."
3 Nephi 2:17-18
This reminds me of the story from the Old Testament about Moses watching over a battle and when he raised his hands they won, and when he got tired and lowered his hands they started losing. Symbolically, I think this is the same idea, but instead of just being a symbol, the winning and losing is tied to actual behavior, of being good or evil. God is going to fight on the side of good, but if both sides are equally evil, then all we have to rely on is our own strength, and we can't expect miracles. ... The cool thing is that we CAN expect miracles if we are doing good and doing God's will, and following his commandments.
Today, let's live in a way so that God can tell the difference between us and evil. Let's listen to God and take his advice. Let's pray and learn and live the gospel, avoiding contention and dissensions as much as is possible, so that we can be worthy of God's hand in our lives and his protection.
No comments:
Post a Comment