Stephen’s wonders and miracles

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. (Acts 6:8)

I think this is an interesting verse, especially because of its brevity. I wonder why it didn’t go into detail about what these wonders and miracles were that Stephen did. If it was healing, it probably would have said so. If it were teaching, it probably would have said something like what it says about the apostles, that he spoke the word with boldness and many believed because of the Spirit. So it had to be something that he did that was wondrous and miraculous.

Since Stephen and six others had been appointed to oversee the daily ministration of charity to the widows and others in need (see Acts 6:1-6), it is very likely that he was guided by the Spirit to those who particularly needed help…and who probably were reluctant to ask for it.  (We all know people like that, don’t we? We might be those kind of people too…)   So when the Spirit directed Stephen to give something to someone who turned out to need it, his ministry would have been a wonder and a miracle to them. It would have showed them that the Lord knew their situation and desired to succor them. His ministry would have demonstrated the Lord’s tender mercies.

It would take faith to carry out that kind of ministry, to follow the spiritual promptings to help someone who might look like they are doing okay, and only later find out that the service and help given was exactly what was needed.

It still takes faith to do that kind of ministry.

How Tabitha made a difference

36 ¶ Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.

37 And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.

38 And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.

39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.

40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

41 And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. (Acts 9:36-41)

I always used to wonder why the widows were so emotional about the clothes Tabitha had made for them.

Recently I realized that in their widowhood, they had to scramble hard to provide for themselves and any children. If their husbands had been alive, these women would have been at home, weaving fabric for clothing and caring for their families. But since they had been thrust into the breadwinner role, there was no one to do the weaving, and they couldn’t take time from working to weave, and any ready-made clothing at this time would have been far out of the widows’ price range. So Tabitha’s service in providing clothing was truly significant.

The great service Tabitha did for the widows was pretty much indispensable to them, and that’s why the Lord permitted Peter to raise Tabitha from the dead.

The scripture makes me think about the little charitable acts we might do that can help the less fortunate keep their heads afloat. Maybe watching the kids for a single mother. Maybe taking food to a sick person who is all alone.

Big problems among the Scribes, as Jesus points out

After Jesus answers some questions meant to entrap him, we get this bit:

45 ¶ Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples,

46 Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;

47 Which devour widows’ houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation. (Luke 20:45-47)

What exactly is Jesus saying here?

He’s warning the disciples to beware of the scribes who do certain things. It seems to me He’s not telling the disciples to shun them necessarily, but to beware of becoming like them.

So what exactly is wrong with this behavior, and are there modern equivalents that must be avoided?

They desire to walk in long robes – Long robes are not easy to move in, and they get dirty easy. I get the impression that long robes were a sign of status, and hard work was not done in them. People in long robes don’t gird up their loins to serve others; they are usually the ones being served. The modern equivalent might be people who desire to wear suits all day.

They love greetings in the markets – This seems pretty benign at first. Who doesn’t love to run into friends at the market? The problem, I think, is when it becomes a point of pride, when one preens over one’s connectedness and how all those greetings by all one’s acquaintances lead one to say, “Look how important I am! Everyone knows me and loves me! Even people who don’t know me can see I must be special because of all the people who greet me!” It is hard to focus on others, when others are so focused on you.

They love the highest seats in the synagogues and the chief rooms at feasts – High seats in the synagogue are probably leadership seats. They love the best places and aspire to importance and status. They love the visibility more than the opportunity to serve.

They devour widows’ houses – Here’s a sad thing. These scribes will visit widows (thinking they are charitably bestowing their attention and encouraging presence) and then the widows are obligated by the rules of hospitality to feed them a big fancy dinner, so the widows have to spend beyond their means to do it, and of course, those scribes have to do justice to the spread, so they eat it all, and thus the widow is far worse off financially after the scribe’s visit than she was before. The scribe is devouring her house. And she lives at poverty level, anyway, so it is all very bad for her finances. At bottom, this is a lack of awareness of how hospitality is going to affect one’s host. It is inconsiderate, and a lack of charity. If these scribes had any real charity, they would host the widow and not obligate the widow to host them. Or they’d bring a nice big present of grain or something to make up for the burden of their visit.

For a show, they make long prayers – Their prayers aren’t doing them any good if it just a show to impress other people. If there is no real desire or repentance or gratitude behind the words, the prayers mean nothing.

The thing that is the greatest warning is that Jesus says, “the same shall receive the greater damnation.” To me, this is saying these characteristics get disciples more spiritually stuck and stop progression more than some others.

To summarize:

Long robes >> status clothing that precludes service and work

Loving greetings >> status and such connectedness that prevents one from forgetting oneself and focusing on others

Loving high seats and the best rooms at feasts >> obsessed with public shows of status at religious events and gatherings. Preoccupation with position and visibility more than opportunities for service and ministering.

Devouring widow’s houses >> Lack of consideration and charity for those who really need it. Making a show of attention that doesn’t really help and leaves the widow worse off afterward.

Making long prayers for show >> Desire to look holy has overcome any desire to actually be holy.

So, the pattern I see here is that status and show for these scribes has become the most important thing, such that they completely miss the increased opportunities for service and charity and ministering that come with a leadership position. They are stopped in their spiritual progress from becoming more like Christ.

Can we draw any conclusions from what one should do instead?

1)    Wear clothes you can help people in

2)    Focus on others and appreciate the humility of anonymity

3)    Care more for the opportunities to serve than position, status, or visibility

4)    Find ways to give notice and charity without taxing others’ resources to give hospitality

5)    Pray with sincerity

These things tell us that Jesus was strongly aware that if leaders weren’t careful, some of the earthly advantages of status created awful spiritual disadvantages with eternal negative consequences. He wanted His disciples to be aware of those problems and do all they could to avoid those behaviors and attitudes so that their position could be a real blessing to them and to all those around them.

Insanely great blessings to those who fear and serve the Lord

5 For thus saith the Lord—I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end.

6 Great shall be their reward and eternal shall be their glory.

7 And to them will I reveal all mysteries, yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come, will I make known unto them the good pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom.

8 Yea, even the wonders of eternity shall they know, and things to come will I show them, even the things of many generations.

9 And their wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to heaven; and before them the wisdom of the wise shall perish, and the understanding of the prudent shall come to naught.

10 For by my Spirit will I enlighten them, and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my will—yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man. (D&C 76:5-10)

I love these verses. I get the sense that Heavenly Father aches for us to know just how much He can bless us if we will serve Him in righteousness to the end.

He promises mercy, grace (enabling power), and honor from God (not necessarily honors of men), and great revelations, even about things to come. 

When you look carefully, four of those verses are spent just talking about the revelations God promises:

--all mysteries

--hidden mysteries of God’s kingdom from days of old and for ages to come

--the good pleasure of God’s will about all the things of God’s kingdom

--wonders of eternity

--things to come

--things of many generations

--great wisdom

--understanding even heaven itself

--enlightenment by the Spirit

--secrets of God’s will

--things no one has seen, heard, or conceived

The rest of D& 76 is an example of this because of how it reveals the principle of the three degrees of glory and explains the status of those who inherit the various degrees.

I get the sense that if we were to be blessed how v7-10 were described  it would probably be pretty evident that it wasn’t the kind of thing we could go blabbing around.  We’d have to keep it to ourselves.  Thus, you probably wouldn’t hear anything about other Saints being blessed this way either.  So if we were blessed, we would simply have to have faith that there were others that had those blessings too, rather than thinking we were the only ones. (That “I’m the special one” attitude gets us in trouble eventually.)

I have faith that it doesn’t matter what office a Saint holds in the church or how lowly their station. God is no respecter of persons, so if any of us are faithful, those blessing can be ours, whether we’re in leadership or not.

What do you think it means when it says, “before them the wisdom of the wise shall perish, and the understanding of the prudent shall come to naught”?

When Callings Feel Hard

I remember the first time a calling started to feel difficult for me.  It was my first year at BYU. I and another boy in my ward were called to be leaders in a family home evening group of other college students.  We pretty much were to make sure family home evenings happened for our group and to coordinate time and place to meet.

I tended to be the driving force behind our group meeting. I don’t know why that was. Maybe my partner didn’t have regular family home evenings growing up and so didn’t feel strongly about it.  Or maybe he had a heavy load of coursework and it weighed on him such that he didn’t feel as urgently about having family home evening. 

Whatever the reason, I was usually the one calling him to plan what we were going to do.  Once we figured that out, I was the one calling members of our group to let them know meeting details.  (This was before cell phones started to become more ubiquitous, and before texting capability, so there was no sending a group text.)

I remember late one Monday afternoon sitting on my bed, eying the phone with distaste, knowing that I was going to have to push together another family home evening when I wanted nothing more than to relax and be the one pulled for a change.

I knew I needed some motivation, so in desperation I reached for my scriptures and flipped it open to some random page and started reading.  Here is the verse that caught my eye:

And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him, that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received. (Alma 7:22)

That verse gave me a jolt, like an awakening. It seemed to speak to my situation. What was my duty to God?  It was to make sure FHE happened. 

“that ye may walk blameless before him” – I envisioned Judgment day and how I would feel happy if I could look back and say I had done my duty.  And after all, it looking at it from a distant perspective, my duty didn’t seem so hard after all.  A few phone calls. 

That gave me the motivation to go pick up that phone and start.

I look back at that now and I shake my head at how silly I was.  But at the time I was young and it was a big deal. I had a lot of growing to do.

Here are some other scriptures I like that are closely related—good motivators for callings…

Holiness and foreordination

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, (1 Timothy 1:9)

This scripture is probably talking about “holy calling” in the sense of being brought into the church, but I think it also applies to church callings too. They come by revelation. If you are like me, you probably have raised your eyebrows at some callings you’ve been given and thought, I have no idea why I have been asked to do this; there are people who could do a better job than me at this.  That’s when you know Heavenly Father has His own purposes, and the calling didn’t come because of anything we’ve done to deserve it. There’s foreordination in it, and it’s part of the Lord’s plan.

Case in point: I have no idea how my being in charge of that FHE group at BYU fit in the Lord’s plan or what its purpose was, but I have faith that it fulfilled its purpose.  It was the first time I had to push through an aspect of my calling that was hard.

Some of my callings I’ve said to myself, This has to be revelation, because I would not have chosen this. This is not the kind of thing I like.  There was one calling that I was mad about receiving, but I accepted anyway, and it turned out to be a big blessing.  I look back at it now and I see it as evidence that Heavenly Father knew me better than I knew myself. He knew I would love it, and He knew it would stretch me where I needed stretching.

Example: Stripling warriors

And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. (Alma 53:20)

This is about the stripling warriors, but I want that to be about me in my callings. I want to be valiant for courage, be strong, be active, and be true at all times to whatsoever thing has been entrusted to me.

Learning, action, diligence

99 Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence.

100 He that is slothful shall not be counted worthy to stand, and he that learns not his duty and shows himself not approved shall not be counted worthy to stand. Even so. Amen. (D&C 107:99-100)

Two principles there: 1) learning our duty and 2) acting with diligence. If we don’t know what we’re supposed to do, we need to get training and get help until we know what we need to do.  Once we know, we need to do it.  Consistently.

Sometimes diligence is our big test.  Maybe we can pull off the big production once, but it is the tasks that must be done over and over and over again that can become a problem for us because we get so tired of them.  Or maybe we’re more into the calling when it is new and strange, but when it is old we might get a little slack at it.  When my callings feel old, I know I’m being trained to be diligent.

All are Needed to Keep the System Perfect

109 Therefore, let every man stand in his own office, and labor in his own calling; and let not the head say unto the feet it hath no need of the feet; for without the feet how shall the body be able to stand?

110 Also the body hath need of every member, that all may be edified together, that the system may be kept perfect. (D&C 84:109-110)

To me this one says there are no unimportant callings and each one is needed.  The image of the head dismissing the need for the feet teaches by negative analogy that leaders should not dismiss as unimportant the members who have the less-visible callings, because if those less-visible callings were eliminated, there would be hurt somewhere.  (“without the feet how shall the body be able to stand?”) 

By the way, I’ve noticed so many church leaders that are so good at thanking people who put together an event. I used to wonder why they took time for all those thank yous, but now I know that they understand this principle that every person’s contribution is important.

In the abstract, callings are a grouping of tasks that have to be done, but from the spiritual perspective, they are opportunities to practice charity and service for others.  They exist because there is work to be done to build the kingdom of God and to keep it running smoothly.  If we don’t think a particular calling is needed, we only need to think about what would be lost if it didn’t exist.

I also like that v110 says that with every member, all may be edified and the system is kept perfect. We all keep the system perfect!  We all edify each other!

Keep it up, Soldier!

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 2:3)

Sometimes callings are just hard, and we have to endure it. Good soldiers have to endure nasty conditions, and good Saints will too on occasion. 

What scriptures have helped you keep on with your callings?

The Lord sees our labors

D&C 126 is a very short section of revelation for Brigham Young in which Brigham Young was told it wasn’t required for him to travel and leave his family any more.

1 Dear and well-beloved brother, Brigham Young, verily thus saith the Lord unto you: My servant Brigham, it is no more required at your hand to leave your family as in times past, for your offering is acceptable to me.

2 I have seen your labor and toil in journeyings for my name. (D&C 126:1-2)

The part that strikes me as touching is that the Lord tells Brigham, “your offering is acceptable to me” and “I have seen your labor and toil in journeyings for my name.” How precious it is to know that the Lord sees and knows the hard work His servants do in their callings and to build the kingdom.  If the Lord saw Brigham Young’s labors, then the Lord sees the labors of each of us. 

I also love that the Lord speaks of Brigham’s work as an “offering,” which makes me think of it almost in terms of animal sacrifice. Our work for the Lord a sacrifice too.  Some of my recent callings are requiring me to kill some animal, beastly part of my natural woman that I previously didn’t know about and offer it to the Lord to consume it in my labor.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could serve so as to merit the Lord telling us as He told Brigham Young that our offering is acceptable to Him?

Some might quibble with the word “acceptable” on the grounds that it sounds as if the offering is barely adequate, but I think I’d rather give an offering deemed acceptable than one that was rejected. 

Better to be a slave to the Nephites

This is what King Limhi says to Ammon when he finds out that Ammon is from Zarahemla.

For behold, we are in bondage to the Lamanites, and are taxed with a tax which is grievous to be borne. And now, behold, our brethren will deliver us out of our bondage, or out of the hands of the Lamanites, and we will be their slaves; for it is better that we be slaves to the Nephites than to pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites. (Mosiah 7:15)

That last bit about how slavery to the Nephites would be better than paying tribute to the Lamanites struck me recently.  It speaks to how the lowest status among good people who are in harmony with one’s beliefs is better than being an ally or tributary to wicked people who are hostile.

Of course, Limhi seems to have not known that the Nephites didn’t have slaves. (A later Ammon explains the absence of slavery to the Lamanite King Lamoni.) Maybe the Limhi’s people had slaves and assumed the Nephites elsewhere had slaves too.  But the facts were that there were no slaves among the Zarahemla Nephites at that time, so living with the Zarahemla Nephites was definitely to be preferred.

I think this also has a spiritual dimension too.  To be a slave in Zion is far better than to be an ally or tributary of Babylon. 

Do we believe that?  Or do we hold back doing what is required by God, thinking we are being enslaved?  The truth is, if we are not servants of God, then we are slaves of the devil.

Today let’s rejoice in being part of Zion and our privilege of serving there, which brings us so many great blessings.

The disciples reason who should be the greatest

Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest. (Luke 9:46)

The way the scriptures talk about this incident we learn from Jesus’s response that it was kind of an egotistical thing for them to do to reason who of them should be greatest.  But I suppose if we were to think about it, we’d probably see it came out of a different place than ego and then turned into ego.

I bet that it first came out of the consciousness of the amazing things Jesus did and their knowledge that He was the Messiah, the anointed one.  From this they would begin to ponder the high privileged role they each filled in being so close to Him, being of that inner circle.   They knew Jesus was going to be remembered and I suppose they wondered if any of them would be remembered too.  This would cause them to ponder which of them deserved to be remembered for being the greatest, next to Jesus of course.

This is when Jesus tells them that the greatest will be the least, or the servant of all.  I guess one shouldn’t spend time thinking about one’s legacy, but rather concentrating on finding ways to be of service to others.

Shall In Nowise Lose Their Reward

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. 

And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward. (D&C 58:28)

That bit “they shall in nowise lose their reward” at the end caught me for some reason.  It is peculiar phrasing to say that we will “in nowise lose our reward” instead of “we shall be rewarded.”

But I think there is a reassuring quality in the language that implies that it may seem like we are not rewarded in the short term, but in the long term the reward is there waiting for us and can’t be taken away.  That is reassuring.  If we were told “you shall be rewarded,” we would be looking for it to come more immediately, yes?

Malachi Rebukes the Priest’s Polluted Offerings

6 ¶A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?

7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.

8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts.

9 And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the Lord of hosts.

10 Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.  (Malachi 1:6-10)

This block of verses describes a number of ways the priests of Malachi’s day were polluting their service at the temple.

Their contempt for the service they did was the main problem because it led to them giving low quality offerings instead of their best.  Malachi challenged them on whether they thought low quality gifts to a human ruler would receive commendation, and it should have been obvious that if the governor were insulted, God certainly would be.

These comparisons are still useful today.  Do we have contempt for our callings or priesthood service?  If we were to go to our temporal jobs where we make a living and have a bad attitude there, can we imagine our employers being pleased?  Is God any different?  We may think He will not mind, but His greatness and mercy is worthy of our finest and purest devotions.

Malachi reminds the priests that they are the ones who are supposed to intercede for the people and he asks whether God will listen to their prayers if they have polluted their service.  Good question..

Malachi also asks the priests who among them would be so devoted to the service of God that they would “shut the doors” of the temple or “kindle fire” on the altar for nothing (not receiving any part of the offering).  If they would do it even if they didn’t partake in the offerings, then their hearts would be where they should be and their service would be devoted. 

Today our service is without charge, but we still need to be sure that the gift of our service is done with a willing heart, otherwise it is as polluted as Malachi spoke of.

Also, there is the principle Mormon shared in Moroni 7:

6 For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing.

7 For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness.

8 For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God. (Moroni 7:6-8)

I noticed about a month or two ago that my service was starting to get a little robotic, just going through the motions.  I’m trying to better at that, to think of it as an offering and to go into it whole-heartedly, rather than with apathy.  It’s taking some effort, I can tell you.  But I try because I anticipate that great spiritual blessings will come from it, and I want those blessings, particularly greater closeness to God.

David pretends to be mad

10 ¶And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.

14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?

15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house? (1 Sam 21:10-15)

As context for this, David goes to Gath after he has collected Goliath’s sword and the shewbread from Ahimelech the priest, and before that, he took his leave from Jonathan, since it was plain that Saul was evil-disposed to him.

It’s pretty startling he goes to Gath, considering Goliath the Philistine was from there.  Maybe David hoped that Gath would be the last place Saul would look for him and hoped he would be safe there.  He evidently trusted that no one from Gath would have a clue who he was.

Sadly, he was wrong.  Achish’s servants somehow recognize David and connect him with the song the Israelite women had sung of him about how Saul killed thousands and David ten thousands.  It is interesting that they know enough to have heard the song, but not enough to realize it was an exaggeration.  Instead, they interpret it to mean that David has to have become king or succeeded to the throne on the grounds that he is 10 times better a warrior than Saul.

We see from this that the song has some legs to have spread so far.  The only other way the servants could have known about it is if they had been in Israel at the time.  But if they had, they probably would have learned the correct context and true status of David.

So the servants inform their king about David, presumably while David is standing there, and David gets very worried because now he doesn’t know what to expect.  Any hopes of blending in are gone.  But it is unclear what Achish will decide to do.  If he thinks David is king of Israel, he may kill him or enslave him or torture him or deliver him to Goliath’s family for their revenge, or whatever.

The other problem David has is that if he tries to explain the song and argue that he’s not king, he may be disbelieved anyway on the grounds that he is being cowardly out of self-preservation.

What to do?

David pretends madness to demonstrate his harmlessness.  We don’t get a full recitation what all he did, but the text tells us he scrabbled at the gates (which would have seemed really crazy if he pretended he was desperate to get out when he was already out and the gates were wide open) and he let his spittle fall on his beard (essentially drooling).  These two actions show us he pretended histrionic delusions and loss of control of his bodily functions, which would excite both pity and disgust.

They finally are convinced of his harmlessness and he leaves.

What can we learn from this story to help us today?  I think it shows how exaggerated statements about people spread and can eventually cause unintended harm.  The women who sang that song probably never imagined that the lyrics would put David at risk among his enemies.  They would have been horrified if they knew.  Ironic that even exaggerated praise (as well as insults or gossip) can harm.

Another lesson from David’s experience might be from the fear that David had.  It is clear from the story that he wanted to stay anonymous among the Philistines and having his cover blown made him fear what they would do to him.  But suppose he had made an offer like Ammon made in the Book of Mormon, to dwell among them and serve the king perhaps until his death?  In this way, he could have made his notoriety into an asset for service instead of a point of fear.  It is worth noting that later David comes back to Gath with an army of 600 men and offers his services to this same king, so it is possible that he needed a chance to do this over.

How has trying to be of service helped you overcome fear?

Better to be slaves to the Nephites

 

For behold, we are in bondage to the Lamanites, and are taxed with a tax which is grievous to be borne. And now, behold, our brethren will deliver us out of our bondage, or out of the hands of the Lamanites, and we will be their slaves; for it is better that we be slaves to the Nephites than to pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites. (Mosiah 7:15)

It looks like Limhi has an attitude of learned helplessness because of the three previous attempts to free themselves from Lamanite domination by battle.  Yet this changes as Gideon suggests the people escape by night rather than fight their way out.

We also see here that Limhi understands it is preferable to serve those politically and socially friendly and aligned with your values than it is to serve those who are hostile. 

We might also apply this to our lives and say it is better to be a slave of Christ and serve in the church than it is to be a slave to Satan, sin, and the world.  The religious are often called deluded sheep and slaves by those who only see all the work and time we put into our church duties and meetings. They don’t see or feel the great blessings that come, however, so to them it looks like all give and no reward. 

I for one do feel that it is better to be a slave of Christ and the church than to be a tributary to the world.  How about you?

Another Examination of the Third Temptation of Christ, Matt 4:8-10

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Every once in a while I reread through the Gospels and I keep finding things that I hadn’t thought of before.   This time I was thinking about the third temptation of Christ.

8 And again, Jesus was in the Spirit, and it taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9 And the devil came unto him again, and said, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (Matthew 4:8-10, JST included in blue)

5 And the Spirit taketh him up into a high mountain, and he beheld all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (Luke 4:5-8, JST included in blue)

While it is not stated in the account, it is possible Satan may have been trying to make Jesus think of this scripture in Psalms:

7 I will declare the decree:

the Lord hath said unto me,

Thou art my Son;

this day have I begotten thee.

8 Ask of me,

and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance,

and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.  (Psalms 2:7-8)

Satan would see how Christ might apply verse 7 to Himself as meaning the day of His baptism at the hands of John the Baptist (though later Paul would use that verse to apply to Christ’s resurrection instead (see Acts 13:33)). 

Satan may have been trying to get Christ to think that verse 8 meant He could pray for anything and get it, even if it were riches and power.  Satan wanted Christ to think God gave Him permission to have a triumphant life of ease and wealth and complete dominion instead of a suffering servant life.  (Think how the atonement would have been frustrated if Jesus had believed that!)  It could be that Satan was playing upon Jesus’ righteous desire to establish the kingdom of God and was offering Him a chance to have it without suffering, waiting, living in relative obscurity, or allowing others the choice to refuse Him.

So how did Jesus resist this temptation?  

“thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve” –  First, I have to wonder how quick Jesus’s response was.  Was it instinctive and immediate with clear knowledge about who he was refusing?  Or did He have to work through it with reference to righteous principles and confidence in His divine mission?

At any rate, Jesus understood the implications for the salvation of man if He decided to take dominion of the world immediately.  To do so, thinking to avoid the coming suffering and sacrifice of the atonement, would be self-serving to the extreme.  Even though Satan only mentioned worship and not service, Jesus knew that whomever He served He would be worshipping too.  So, if He served Himself by asking for and taking dominion now, it would be as if He were worshipping Himself, but that would put Him in direct opposition to Heavenly Father’s plan for the salvation of mankind, and this would constitute worship of Satan instead.  (This gives us a profound principle—serving one’s self is worship of Satan because it puts us in opposition to God.  Even for Jesus to serve Himself would constitute the worship of Satan.)

This is why Jesus parried Satan’s temptation with quotation of the commandment to only worship and serve God. 

Now, we know that verse 8 must be fulfilled.  We know that Jesus as the King of kings and Lord of lords will someday rule over all the earth, though His authority isn’t universally acknowledged now.   Yet, there is an additional way to interpret verse 8 that would be consistent with Christ’s sacrificial mission, and according to that interpretation it is being fulfilled at this very moment.  According to this interpretation, v8 is a prophecy of Christ’s intercession for all men. 

Ask of me,

and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance,

and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Happily, the Doctrine & Covenants speaks of the intercessory conversation that Jesus has with the Father in which He asks and is given what He wants :

3 Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—

4 Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;

5 Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life. (D&C 45:3-5, emphasis added)

Jesus asks the Father to spare us and give us to Him.  When we come to Christ, we become His possession as His sons and daughters.  Thus it is love, self-sacrifice, and serving God that must bring about the fulfillment of the prophecy in Psalms 2:8.