Helaman 14:11-13 -- On Belief and Repentance

"And ye shall hear my words, for, for this intent have I come up upon the walls of this city, that ye might hear and know of the judgments of God which do await you because of your iniquities, and also that ye might know the conditions of repentance;
And also that ye might know of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and that ye might know of the signs of his coming, to the intent that ye might believe on his name.
And if ye believe on his name ye will repent of all your sins, that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his merits."
Helaman 14:11-13


I like the direct connection here between belief and repentance. If we believe we will repent... which I think should probably make us all take a step back and think about what we really believe. Today, let's turn to God and learn the "conditions of repentance," and if we really do believe, let's show it by acting on it, and changing our ways and letting go of past sins. Let's become new, changed people endeavoring to walk in the light of Christ.

Helaman 7:4-8 -- On Wanting and Working

"And seeing the people in a state of such awful wickedness, and those Gadianton robbers filling the judgment-seats—having usurped the power and authority of the land; laying aside the commandments of God, and not in the least aright before him; doing no justice unto the children of men;
Condemning the righteous because of their righteousness; letting the guilty and the wicked go unpunished because of their money; and moreover to be held in office at the head of government, to rule and do according to their wills, that they might get gain and glory of the world, and, moreover, that they might the more easily commit adultery, and steal, and kill, and do according to their own wills—
Now this great iniquity had come upon the Nephites, in the space of not many years; and when Nephi saw it, his heart was swollen with sorrow within his breast; and he did exclaim in the agony of his soul:
Oh, that I could have had my days in the days when my father Nephi first came out of the land of Jerusalem, that I could have joyed with him in the promised land; then were his people easy to be entreated, firm to keep the commandments of God, and slow to be led to do iniquity; and they were quick to hearken unto the words of the Lord—
Yea, if my days could have been in those days, then would my soul have had joy in the righteousness of my brethren."
Helaman 7:4-8


I like this story where Nephi is praying in his garden (which is by a busy street), and the people gather together to find out why he is so upset. God definitely had a hand in that, and in what happens later. And I think it shows that God can work with us even when we are sad or going through really hard things, if we are open to the Spirit.

Nephi wanted to live in a different time, when things were better. And I think we, too, sometimes wish that we could live in a time or place where there wasn't so much corruption and greed, or where there were more people who listened to God and did good things.

The thing is, I think part of it is looking back with rose-colored glasses. We've read about the time that he is wishing for, and I think he might be overlooking the fact that Nephi had to flee with a bunch of others so that his brothers wouldn't murder him. It's similar with us. We long for different things, but every time and place in mortality has its challenges, and its difficult work.

The other part of that longing I think is for something we all want, but is something we partially have to build and something that is also waiting for us in the resurrection... a united, faithful, group that we can be part of. People who lift each other up and help each other succeed. This is something we can have in families and friendships, and in wards and branches as we work for them. We can spread good, and lift others, and we can make a difference in the world as we do good to others, no matter how they treat us in return.

Today, let's direct our longings into building good and uplifting relationships and spaces. Let's listen to God as he whispers in our hearts about what we can do and build and be. Let's make a difference despite the wickedness in the world, and be God's hands to help others and make things better.

Mark 1:14-20 -- On Being Called

"Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.
And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him."
Mark 1:14-20


It's really cool that so many of Christ's diciples came just because Christ asked them... leaving their regular lives and jobs behind for his sake. They made a huge committment well before they understood all that it would require.

The Lords calls us similarly. We don't always know what God will require of us ahead of time, but we willingly follow. Whether or not God asks us to leave our jobs and families behind for a particular mission, he always asks that we leave the philosophy of the world behind, in order to learn a new and better way of thinking and being.

Today, let's hear God's call, and desert our bad habits and sins, and learn a new way. Let's learn how to love and serve each other rather than buying into the selfishness and heartlessness of the world. Let's hear God's call to be peacemakers and to shine as lights and examples of goodness. We won't know how at first, but as we talk to God, he will teach us of his ways, and we will learn to walk his path.

Matthew 25:31-33 -- On Sheep and Goats and Reaching Out to Help

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left."
Matthew 25:31-33


The difference between sheep and goats in this parable is the way that they treated each other, for as Christ says later in the parable, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (verse 40), and tellingly, "Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me" (verse 45). The idea is taking care of the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked (presumably because of poverty), the sick, and the incarcerated. All too often these are exactly the people that we dismiss, even when it is people close to us, because we are uncomfortable when things get messy.

God doesn't expect us to become sheep superheroes overnight, but today, maybe we can shed some of our goat tendencies, and take more time to consider the people in the world around us. Let's work on finding ways to help, because we help God when we are helping his children. As we find ways to reach out to others to assist, we'll look less and less like goats, and hopefully find our way into God's sheepfold on that great day referenced above.

D&C 60:7 -- On Holiness

"And in this place let them lift up their voice and declare my word with loud voices, without wrath or doubting, lifting up holy hands upon them. For I am able to make you holy, and your sins are forgiven you."
Doctrine and Covenants 60:7


This comes a few verses after God explains that if we hide our talents because of the fear of man, they can be taken away (similar to the parable of the talents), and with that context this seems to be a message of hope... that God has our back and that we don't need to be afraid. When God tells us to do something, he will help us find a way to do it (as we learn with Nephi as well). I love the line "I am able to make you holy" ... recognizing that we are afraid of our own imperfections and failings, but God can forgive us and make us holy, if we stick with him and make the effort to do his will. Today, let's find a way to do what God asks, despite our fears and worries.

Helaman 3:35 -- On Sanctification

"Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God."
Helaman 3:35


All of this is good of course, but what struck me today is the idea that sanctification (to purify or make sacred) comes through yielding our hearts to God. The whole idea of sending us into the world in one way is to create individuality... to give us physical presence and the ability to make choices that are not overly influenced by God. Unforced individuality... the ability to do whatever we want to do, and realize who we are, separate from other voices. And yet we, like mortal children, can make so many mistakes that put us in physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual danger. We're flailing about here, often not understanding fully the consequences of our own actions, and so easily influenced by other things. God keeps us free, which I am sure is a crazy balancing act keeping Satan out to the extent that we can still choose. Mortality puts us purposely out of Eden, and heaven, and encourages us to be independent and learn to be individual people.

Sanctification though... sanctification is the point where we realize that we want back in. It's us learning to be like God, not because he forced us into it, but because we have experienced individuality, and learned to make our own choices, and knowing what we now know, we understand why God does what he does (at least to an extent), and why heaven is the ideal... a perfect society without all of the corruption of mortality. So the idea of sanctification in some ways is a return to the idea of an Eden-type paradise, but now with the understanding of why it is a paradise, and with sanctification replacing innocence, which is part of why it is Heaven rather than Eden that we strive for. We follow the example of Christ, who knows all things, and yet is pure and uncorrupted. Today, let's work on that for ourselves as well. Let's ask God how he does it, and listen and learn from him. Let's give him our hearts and discover what he can make of us, with our participation and blessing. We can be more loving and kind and good than we could become by ourselves, with God to show us the way. :)

Helaman 3:29 -- On the Strait and Narrow Bridge

"Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked."
Helaman 3:29


This verse makes the strait (strict/rigorous) and narrow path seem like a bridge over a vast gulf of something very bad... a symbolic ocean of misery, perhaps filled with the sharks of sin who can chomp us full of extra holes for the misery to get in. Thinking of that "everlasting gulf" makes the plan of happiness seem ever so much more important, when we know that ocean or cloud or fog or storm is ready to engulf us. Just like in Lehi's dream, we know that darkness and storms will come, but if we stick with God, holding to his word, we can get through the hard parts. Today, let's not play at straying off the path, but take it seriously and keep the guard rails up, knowing how dangerous it is down there underneath.