Peanut Brittle Love and Service

When Ye Are in the Service of Your Fellow Beings Ye are only in the Service of Your God.

Mosiah 2:17

In the Book of Mormon King Benjamin was such a great example to his people of service and had great love for his people. King Benjamin was getting old and was soon going to die but before he did he asked his son Mosiah to gather together the people of his kingdom so he could teach them and share the things God wanted him to share with them.  Many people came and King Benjamin’s voice could not be carried to them all so he had a tower erected to project what he was going to say. Even then so many people came to hear their beloved King teach them that they all could not hear the sound of his voice and so he asked his words to be written and taken to all.  These are some of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon.

I want to share one verse that is one of my favorites and why it is. It is Mosiah 2:17

“And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”

The reason this is one of my favorites is that it reminds me of my mom. A woman who was put in and out of an orphan’s home as a child so her mom could run around. She would come back and get them and then when she wanted to leave she would take her kids to the home.

My mom had a hard life. She was married at the age of 14 to her first husband so she wouldn’t have to go back to the home when her mom left again.  Over the years she was married 5 times, she had 10 children that lived past 6 months between the first 4 husbands.  This was a woman who could have been bitter and angry at her lot in life. And maybe she was for a time. Until at the time she became an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  She had joined the church in the late 1950’s but was not a participating member for very long.  When I joined the church my mom after a year or two started going again. She found a purpose in her life and never looked back. She served constantly. Mom had some rough edges but her life of service more than made up for it. Some examples of her service is that she served God by serving in the Boy Scout program for more years than I remember. She was always doing something with Boy Scouts. She received the honor of Silver Beaver. For years she until she got too old she made peanut brittle for every adult in the ward when it was their birthday. She had little earthly things but that didn’t stop her from sharing what she had and serving others. This scripture in Mosiah was so much of my mom that we had the idea of the verse engraved on her headstone.

 People today still when they talk of my mom they talk of her service and her giving even when she gave more than she had.

If we all remember what Mosiah says about when we serve others we are serving God we will serve with more compassion, serve more willingly and as we serve our hearts will love others and we will be blessed with Charity. The pure love of Christ.  I am grateful for the example my mother showed her family of this principle. 

I'm Published!

Our San Juan trip was highlighted in the local newspaper. Now I can say I'm a published photographer. Insert smiley face here.  It was a neat experience to be able to do this and I'm grateful for the opportunity. 

Following Christ our Savior's Example of Baptism

As I was reading the final chapters that Nephi writes in 2 Nephi 28-33 this past week I marveled at Nephi's unwavering testimony of Christ and following Christ example. In chapter 31 he teaches us why Christ was baptized and how we must follow Christ in this ordinance, receive the Holy Ghost after baptism and then endure to the end to be saved.

2 Nephi 31:5 "And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfill all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water. 

We learn here that Christ was baptized. Why?

2 Nephi 31:9 "And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them. 

Christ set the example for us. He showed us the way. We too should be baptized. 

2 Nephi 31:10 "And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?

Nephi is teaching us to follow Jesus and keep his commandments. 

2 Nephi 31:12 "And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying;He that is baptized in my nae, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do. 

Christ received the Holy Ghost after his baptism. We shall receive the Holy Ghost after our baptism.

2 Nephi 31:13 "Wherefore,my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism - yea, by following your Lord and you Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel."

We follow Christ with full purpose of heart, with real intent, repenting, witnessing unto God we are willing to take upon us the name of Christ by baptism.

2 Nephi 31:16 "And now, my beloved brethren I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved."

Follow the Saviors example and endure to the end. Endure is a word that can bring to mind trudging along, hanging in there until it's over. But that is not what endure to the end means. Enduring to the end means being faithful all your life to Christ and his teachings. Being faithful will bring joy to the enduring.

2 Nephi 31:17 "Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.

Nephi is telling us to follow the Savior. Enter into the gate of repentance, baptism by water and remission of our sins by the Holy Ghost.  This path will lead to eternal life. And then he ask us is verse 19 of this same chapter "I would ask if all is done?" Is it done?

Another one of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon tells us...

2 Nephi 31:20 "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ. That is a great visual sentence. 

Pressing forward in Christ in the world today of worldly influences is vital to helping us endure and being faithful always. 

Feasting upon the word of Christ. Another great visual sentence.

Not just read but diligently study the scriptures and the words of the prophets to help you solidify keeping the commandments and solidify your testimony of Christ and his gospel.