Did the Nephites rejoicing come
from the deliverance or the gratitude? Probably both, but it has been a long
time since my family has been able to lean in enough to feel “exceedingly great
joy.” It says they worshiped God with exceedingly great joy. I don’t feel like
we fast with great joy. It really does comes down to our attitude of gratitude
to God, and seeing His great blessings for what they are. How do we focus on
that more? How can we be less cynical?
Along with the idea of not being
cynical, Helaman totally trusted Alma enough to say he would keep his
commandments without first hearing what they were. I don’t find myself to be
that humble, or that trusting.
Did the Nephites not have wards
and stakes established? It seems like the leaders of the church were constantly
having to go and reestablish the church among the people, and deal with
dissensions and such. I never realized before what a blessing it is to have an
organized church that meets every week. We constantly have the opportunity to
be preached to, and to strengthen each other. And then when Helaman appointed
local leaders, that didn’t work because they wouldn’t listen to the prophet and
became proud. Is this the warning that makes correlation necessary? I can see
how if I was a leader of the church now, I would read these verses as a warning
of what could go wrong. The balance between individual revelation and local
control, and the need to keep the people of the church teaching and learning
true doctrine is a very tricky place. That makes me feel less cynical about it.
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