I Don't Have Anything to Add

I Don't Have Anything to Add

Have you ever felt like you have nothing to add? Have you felt like others do a better job at teaching or expressing themselves, so you decide to hang back and stay quiet? Maybe you even doubt that your point of view has any value. That is what I would like to talk about today. I am going to start off by sharing my personal experience. It has been a while since I posted and I felt some doubt that my message had any value. I stopped posting right before General Conference, thinking that the spiritual messages for those days was covered. Of course, the messages were great and inspired. I did not need to add anything. However, that feeling lingered for days. I began to feel like Chemish. In the Book of Omni, Chemish contributes only one verse, and it basically says, “I got these records and now I am passing them on.” It’s not a very inspiring message and I have often judged Chemish because of it. However, I have felt like him lately. What more could I say that has not already been said by someone more important than I? Well, I felt like I wanted to give it a try again today, if only for those few that gain something from my perspective. President Susan H. Porter reminded me in her talk of the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. A young boy brought only five loaves of bread and two fishes. This was not much in comparison to the 5000 hungry people. Yet, Jesus accepted the offering with gratitude, blessed it, and used it to feed all the 5000 hungry people, leaving an abundance to spare. Like this young boy, maybe all I have to do is bring the little that I have to share. Maybe Jesus can take it and bless others with it. Another example of someone who unexpectedly contributes is Amulek. The prophet Alma visited the people of Amonihah and was rejected. Alma left the city, but an angel told him to return and preach repentance again. Alma returned and found Amulek ready to receive him, feed him, and nurture him. Amulek had also been visited by an angel and told to receive a prophet into his house. After some time, Alma and Amulek went out together to preach to the people. Alma was rejected again and the people wanted to cast him into prison, but then Amulek stood and spoke. Amulek started to share his personal background and his conversion experience. The scriptures say that “the people began to be astonished, seeing there was more than one witness....” There are other examples in the scriptures of someone providing that extra voice that makes all the difference. Perhaps you have experienced something like this, where it just took that one extra voice from an unexpected source to get you to move in a certain direction. I know I have had these experiences in my life multiple times. Your voice matters, your experience matters, and your testimony matters. I challenge you to share your testimony today. I want to testify that the Lord can work through you. I know He lives and He helps all of us be a part of His great work. Even those of us that feel like Chemish have something important to provide. God’s work is great and complex, but also beautifully simple.

My Favorite Book of Mormon Prophet

I love Abinadi. I am grateful for Alma for being the one to tell his story. Abinadi was a martyr in the Book of Mormon and one of the most powerful stories of a prophet facing opposition in all scripture. Similar to John the Baptist, Stephen, and even the Savior Jesus Christ, Abinadi willingly gave his life in defense of truth. Every time I read about the prophet Abinadi, I am struck by the power of his words. He so bravely stands up to the wicked king Noah and his priests, warning them that their wickedness will lead to their destruction and captivity. Abinadi seems fearless against this opposition and he is extremely confident that he is sent from God. One of my favorite moments in his story is when King Noah orders his priests, “Away with this fellow, and slay him; for what have we to do with him, for he is mad.” They thought he was crazy and nothing more than a nuisance, but then the power of God really showed up: See Mosiah 13:1-10 I love it! What amount of faith and power would have to be over you to speak up like that to the very people that held you captive and wanted to kill you? Ultimately, after Abinadi delivered his message, he was killed, and his death was a type and a shadow of the death of Jesus Christ. On a personal note, I can remember discussing this story with my mom when I was a kid. I don’t remember how old I was or where exactly I was, but I remember that she asked me if I had enough faith that I would be willing to die for the gospel. In my childish innocence, I probably said yes, but more importantly, that planted in my heart a desire to be like Abinadi. If I did not yet have the faith to give up my whole life to God, maybe one day I would, and I could work towards that. My mom’s question changed my life. It helped put me on the path to truly valuing my testimony more than my own life. Abinadi’s story converted only one man in King Noah’s court, but his story has also played an important role in my personal devotion to Jesus Christ and His church. I am so grateful for all the players in this chain of events: for Abinadi, for Alma, for my mom, and ultimately, for my Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ also willingly gave up His life. He did it to overcome death for all of us. Because of Him, we will all live again. One day I want to be able to see my mom again. I would also love to meet Abinadi, and Alma. Because of that Easter morning so long ago, I will be able to meet all of them, but most importantly, I will see my Savior. I will end with a question. Would you be willing to give up your life in defense of your testimony?

God's People Love Him

There are so many examples of how serving God is a way of loving God. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” He also said, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus also taught us how our service to others is really service to Him. He said: “35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” As I recently attended a special Palm Sunday Sacrament Meeting, I was touched by just seeing so many people gathered together that love our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Members of the church love Him. They try to serve Him. They try to follow Him and repent. No one is perfect, but these people are sincere. Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ requires sacrifice, time, effort, and a humble heart. If we are full of pride and selfishness, we won’t last in the church. It requires too much from us. Do we have to serve God? Can’t we just be saved? Let’s look at what God wanted from the people of Israel during the time of Moses. Moses told Pharaoh, “Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me.” God wanted a people that would serve Him and offer sacrifice to Him. Even though the Law of Moses was fulfilled in Christ, we are still required to sacrifice in the form of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Christ still wants us to serve, as noted before. He still wants us to repent. In a spiritual sense, I think many people are in bondage today. I think many people struggle with addiction to multiple stimuli. I think many of those things drive us down into terribly harmful thoughts and actions. I also believe that through Jesus Christ, we can be liberated from bondage and become a people that serves Him. Also, remember that God does not need us to serve Him. He can do anything. He wants us to choose to serve Him because of how it blesses us and others around us. He first loved us and served us. As we love and emulate Him, we become His people.

Effectual Door Effectual Struggle

I had a friend once tell me of a phrase in the Doctrine and Covenants, that “an effectual door shall be opened for them.” (D&C 118:3) For some reason those words just stuck out to me as a comforting thing. The message was that God would open up an opportunity for me to have the success I sought.  Let’s look at the whole verse: “Let the residue continue to preach from that hour, and if they will do this in all lowliness of heart, in meekness and humility, and long-suffering, I, the Lord, give unto them a promise that I will provide for their families; and an effectual door shall be opened for them, from henceforth.” (D&C 118:3) A door might mean an opportunity in this case. An effectual door could mean an opportunity that actually works and is effective. I love the imagery of seeing the Lord open up a path for us. To me, this concept is much easier to see in hindsight. It is easy to look back and see how the Lord’s hand was in my own life. He put many wonderful people and experiences in my path. He gave me many opportunities to grow in wonderful ways. Looking back at my life, I feel grateful for the many ways God opened effectual doors for me and my family. In contrast, there is another interesting use of the word effectual that I found in Mosiah 7:18. In this verse, King Limhi, the leader of a group of Nephites in bondage, is given hope that they might escape and find help in Zarahemla. He praises God for this opportunity, and then says, “yet I trust there remaineth an effectual struggle to be made.” An effectual struggle sounds like there is hard work ahead, but it has a sense of hope. Effectual seems to mean that the struggle will eventually pay off. It’s kind of the message that it will be hard, but we will make it. There are trials we have in life that require an effectual struggle. Sometimes prayer, church attendance, scripture study, etc. are really not enough. I know in difficult circumstances, like addiction or trauma recovery, or in struggling with loss, abuse, or mistreatment, it is helpful to have many resources to help out. A very spiritually minded person might wonder if they can just handle something by trusting in God alone. I have wondered that. In my personal life, it took me time to realize that I just needed more help from experts and people around me to overcome some difficult challenges. It’s my personal opinion that God wanted me to learn to rely on His children for help. I believe that God sent us here to help each other out, and that He can give us the help we need through others. So, in both circumstances, effectual doors and effectual struggles, I believe that God delivers us by means of other people. We can also be that door or help for other people. We are not meant to struggle on our own. Jesus Christ organized a church so that people could work together and lift each other. He wants us to learn to give and receive help. I encourage you to look for those effectual doors and struggles in your life. How has God sent that help or opened doors for you? How can you open doors or provide help in someone’s struggles? Ultimately, we are servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. He enables us to be His disciples.

Why Moses Was Chosen

I just started into the story of Moses in Exodus, and I am intrigued by what kind of a person he was. What do we know about his background? He was saved by his mother sending him in a small raft or arc to Pharaoh’s daughter. He became the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, yet when he grew up, he saw his own people, the people of Israel, in bondage. Moses took action and killed an Egyptian in defense of two Hebrews being smitten. Because of this, Moses had to flee and he ended up in Midian. There he impressed Reuel by being a helpful person, and Reuel gave Moses a daughter to be his wife. That is about all we have to go by for Moses’s background before he saw the Lord. Apparently Moses was brave enough to oppose injustice, and he was considerate enough to help out the people around him. Then the Lord appeared to Moses and called him to be the deliverer of His people. Moses showed reluctance and doubt in his own abilities, but the Lord showed Moses that it was the Lord who would work through Moses. At one point the Lord almost seems annoyed at Moses for doubting, so He appoints Aaron to be a spokesman for Moses. The more I think about this, the more I realize that there are nuances that are unknown. We don’t really know what Moses was like. We don’t totally know his feelings, fears, or strengths. Still, we can imagine being in his shoes.  In what way can I be more brave and stand up against injustice and evil? How can I be truly helpful to the people around me. Lastly, how can I make myself ready to receive the call from the Lord? Not everyone is a prophet, but I do believe we can all hear the voice of the Lord and find out what He wants from us. Maybe some of Moses’s early actions were driven by the Lord’s inspiration. Maybe Moses felt guided to help the slaves and help the shepherds of Reuel. Maybe his willingness to act upon promptings was his proving ground before the Lord called him to greater things. We do know that Moses was a type and shadow of Jesus Christ. He was a Savior, like Christ. Maybe his attitude reflected Christ’s willingness to follow “not my will, but Thine be done.”