Friday, January 29, 2016

Wars

For this week our reading assignment was in the chapters of Alma that talk about the wars the Nephites had with the Laminites. One of the most interesting things that stood out  was the amount of trust their military leaders put in the Lord. If you study military history, you will find most armies operate on cunning and strategy. Almost never do you find a leader that says, i need to seek the lords council before we make a plan to invade. I can't help but wonder how history may have been changed if all our leaders would have had the faith Moroni had when he put all his trust in our Heavenly Father. How peaceful would the world be today if every time we felt like fighting or getting belligerent we fell to our knees and asked God to guide us in a more perfect path. What a great example Moroni is to all of us today.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Pride and Humility

As we were reading in our assigned chapters this week (Alma 30-35), It struck me as more than prideful when the Zoramites got on their Rameumptom to tell the Lord that they know they were better than everyone else and they were the only ones that were going to be saved. Now I have at times felt like we as members of the church have a kind of prideful declaration when we say we have the only true church. but to tell God that you are all that, WOW. I have read this story a bunch of times and I keep waiting for the lightning bolt to come out of the sky and strike them all dead.
 On of the things that stood out to me this time reading these chapters was the distinction of the different kinds of humility. I had not thought about that before. To humble yourself naturally or to be forced into humility. It seems to me we would all want to do the first because it seems to have no consequences, but when you stop and think about it, it really is easier to be forced into humility. There are normally unfavorable circumstances that make us humble, but i believe we usually learn far greater lessons by going through the refiners fire so to speak.