The Brother of Jared

The Brother of Jared was a great example of following the Lord.  Of course he had his struggles, but he worked through them just as we all must.

After leaving the Tower of Babel, the Brother of Jared and his family were led to the place Moriancumer, by the sea.  Four years passed and the Lord chastened him for three hours because he "remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord."  He repented and then was commanded to build eight barges so they could reach the promised land.  The Brother of Jared did what he was asked to do and then was asked to make holes in the tops and bottoms of all the barges.

"And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did so, according as the Lord had commanded."

He then enquired of the Lord how they would have light on their journey.  The Lord asked him to come up with a way and he got to work making 16 smooth and clear stones for the Lord to touch.  He went up to Mount Sherem where the Lord touched the stones with His finger.  The Lord then said:

"Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shall take upon me flesh and blood; and never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast; for were it not so ye could not have seen my finger."

The Brother of Jared had such a great faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that he was able to see the antemortal Messiah.  He could not be kept from within the veil and it was then shown unto him all of the inhabitants of the earth.

"And when the Lord had said these words, he showed unto the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be; and he withheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth."

I believe that it was because of the Brother of Jared's willingness to serve and obey the Lord that he was able to see all of the things he did. If we are faithful with the things that we have been entrusted with we will be blessed with more opportunities.  The Lord then waits to see what we do with those things and blesses us some more.  Eventually, if we are faithful, we will receive all that the Father has and inherit a fullness of joy.  May we all continue and progress on our journey to become like our Heavenly Father.

"Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ... In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters."  Ether 2-3

The Small and Simple Things

In the Old Testament, Naaman was the captain of a Syrian king’s army. He was also a leper.  He sought out how he could be cleansed from his leprosy and an Israelite maid told him to seek out the prophet Elisha.

"So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.

And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean." (2 Kings 5:9-10)

Personally, if I had this horrible disease I would try anything that I could to get rid of it.  I found Naaman's response interesting:
 

"But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage." (2 Kings 5:11-12)


Naaman thought that Elisha would just come out and heal him.  He also questioned the cleanliness of the Jordan river and wondered why he didn't have him wash in cleaner water.  How many times do we question what our leaders ask us to do?  I like the response one of his servants gives him.

"And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?

Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean." (2 Kings 5:13-14)

Naaman was asked to do a simple task and his servant reminded him how easy it was.  How many of us want to do the big things, but skip over the little things?  In closing, I would like to share a scripture from the Book of Mormon that complements these verses from the Bible.

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.
And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls." (Alma 37:6-7)

I testify that small and simple things bring to pass the greatest things.  How do we gain a bigger testimony in the Gospel?  We gain it by doing the small things: reading scriptures, praying, going to church.  It doesn't all come at once just like when Naaman had to dip himself seven times.  It takes diligence and motivation.  I know that if we do these simple things that we will be greatly blessed.


Small and Simple things

Obedience

As missionaries we are "expected to maintain the highest standards of conduct and appearance by keeping the commandments, living mission rules, and following the counsel of [our] mission president."1  There is a power behind keeping all of God's commandments and it is illustrated in this quote by President Benson:


“When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power”2


We should be obedient even when this isn't the popular thing to do.  This can be hard at times, but we will still receive the promised blessings.


"At times we may rationalize that the Lord will understand our disobedience because our special circumstances make adherence to His laws difficult, embarrassing, or even painful. However, faithful obedience, regardless of the apparent size of the task, will bring the Lord's guidance, assistance, and peace."3


Let us all remember the great blessings that come from being obedient and enjoy living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.


"When we are obedient, we receive blessings; when we are perfectly obedient, miracles occur."4


"Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days."5

1.  Missionary Handbook pg 3-4
2.   President Ezra Taft Benson.  http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view&a=2232  
3.  Bruce A. Carlson.  http://lds.org/ensign/2010/05/when-the-lord-commands?lang=eng  
4.  President Larry. H Gardner
5.  Doctrine and Covenants 64:34.  http://lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/64.34?lang=eng#33

Zone Conference

Yesterday we had our zone conference up in Helena with all of the other missionaries.  The theme of the conference was having a Christ Centered Christmas and some other topics.  One of the topics we discussed as missionaries was the winter blues and how to overcome them.  It seems that the holiday season is a time for a lot of happiness with some and severe depression with others.  As we discussed it we talked about different ways to overcome these feelings, not only during this time of the year, but year round.  The first solution we talked about was being exactly obedient.  As missionaries, we have a lot of rules that help us to be better in tune with the spirit.  The same applies to everyone that follows the commandments that God has given us.  Elder Mervyn B. Arnold relates the following story about his wife when she was younger and how she learned a valuable lesson about keeping the rules:

“When I was 15 years old, I often felt that there were too many rules and commandments. I wasn’t sure that a normal, fun-loving teenager could enjoy life with so many restrictions. Furthermore, the many hours spent working on my father’s ranch were seriously dipping into my time with my friends. 

“This particular summer, one of my jobs was to ensure that the cows grazing on the mountain pasture did not break through the fence and get into the wheat field. A cow grazing on the growing wheat can bloat, causing suffocation and death. One cow in particular was always trying to stick her head through the fence. One morning, as I was riding my horse along the fence line checking on the cattle, I found that the cow had broken through the fence and gotten into the wheat field. To my dismay, I realized that she had been eating wheat for quite some time because she was already bloated and looked much like a balloon. I thought, ‘You stupid cow! That fence was there to protect you, yet you broke through it and you have eaten so much wheat that your life is in danger.’

“I raced back to the farmhouse to get my dad. However, when we returned, I found her lying dead on the ground. I was saddened by the loss of that cow. We had provided her with a beautiful mountain pasture to graze in and a fence to keep her away from the dangerous wheat, yet she foolishly broke through the fence and caused her own death.

“As I thought about the role of the fence, I realized that it was a protection, just as the commandments and my parents’ rules were a protection. The commandments and rules were for my own good. I realized that obedience to the commandments could save me from physical and spiritual death. That enlightenment was a pivotal point in my life.”

Not only do we have rules for our protection, but they also give us an added measure of the spirit of God.  It seems backwards to say that keeping the rules makes us free, but it is true.  If you really think about it, what happens if you break the rules?  When you're caught you get in trouble and your freedoms are limited.  Keeping the commandments has been such a blessing in my life and I have been given more opportunities for doing what I'm supposed to be doing.  I no longer look at rules and commandments as hindrances, but another way to obtain blessings.  I love all of the commandments and invite you all to do the same.  You'll find that you'll have more happiness, freedom, and peace of mind.   I know this principle is true and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ.