INHERITANCE

 

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”  (3 Nephi 12:5)

“As things are now constituted, the meek do not inherit the earth; even He who said of himself, “I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matt 11:29) had in fact no place of his own to lay his head. This world’s goods were of little moment to him, and he had neither gold nor silver nor houses nor lands, nor kingdoms……The meek – those who are the God-fearing and the righteous – seldom hold title to much of that which appertains to this present world.

“But there will be a day when the Lord shall come to make up his jewels; there will be a day when Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the faithful of ancient Israel shall dwell again in old Canaan; and there will be also an eventual celestial day when ‘the poor and the meek of the earth shall inherit it.” (D&C 88:17)

There are some of us, if not many of us who do not own a house and therefore not an inch of this earth is ours. As much as some of us try to cling to our earthly abode and our possessions, we are all, regardless of our possessions, just passing through. We are like the people of Enoch’s city who felt like strangers and pilgrims on this earth (D&C 45:11-13). Jacob described the early Nephites as ‘a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem and born in tribulation and wilderness (Jacob 7:26), and Paul described the faithful ancients who ‘died in faith, not having received the promises…and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth’ (Hebrews 11:13).

This is not our true home but there will come a day when all that will change. In the Millenial reign for one, there will be no poor among us and we will all own something of this earth. But that is just the beginning, when the Millenium ends, this earth will be sanctified and celestialized and ‘crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father….that bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever….(D&C 88:18-20). I want to own a parcel of that earth.

I have not owned a home for the past 30 years. Some years ago when I was drowning in self-pity trying to figure out where I could live next, I remembered the Saviour and His lustre-lack earthly life. It gave me so much comfort to know that I was not less because I had no home of my own. I wrote the following poem in gratitude of His loving care of me for He has provided for me better than I could ever have done on my own. Until I kneel at His feet on the celestialized earth, I will wander….

 

You send me wherever You want me to go;

Over plains, seas and roughest roads.

I am dismayed I have

To wander in search of my bed;

Then I remember foxes had holes

And the birds of the air had nests

But You had nowhere to lay down Your head.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art by Joseph Brickey)

BLESSEDNESS

 

 

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people….and His fame went throughout all Syria…..and there followed Him great multitudes of people…..and they brought unto him all sick people…and he healed them all….and seeing the multitude He went up into a mountain, and his disciples came unto him” (Matthew 4:23-25).

“It was a day of miracles. Those vexed with unclean spirits were healed; multitudes thronged near seeking merely to touch Him; faith was in every heart; He responded to their pleas…..It was in such a setting of miracles and healings and worship – that Jesus spoke the Sermon on the Mount both in Galilee and in the land Bountiful” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 2, p 120-1)

Unto such he preached the glories of the kingdom while rejection yet awaited Him and the unjust death idled on the Hill of Calvary waiting silently. How full His heart must have been with gratitude and compassion for those who sought Him and wanted to hear the words of salvation. How grateful He must have been for the believers who were spiritually attuned, who received the Beatitudes as they fell from His lips.

President Harold B. Lee taught that the Beatitudes embody the “constitution for a perfect life” (Decisions for Successful Living [1973], 57,60). Bruce R. McConkie stated that “beatitude is a state of utmost bliss, and the Beatitudes are our Lord’s declarations for the blessedness and eventual eternal glory of those who obey the various principles recited in them” (The Mortal Messiah Book 2, p 118).

The word ‘Beatitude’ comes from the Latin ‘beautus’, meaning to be fortunate, to be happy, to be blessed. Imagine if it was spelt with an extra ‘t’ and it read BeATTITUDE…..imagine if we always fostered such an attitude of being fortunate and happy and blessed for having been taught the path to eternal life….Imagine honouring our beloved Saviour by living in such an attitude of gratitude for the path to eternal life He has given us.

What Beatitude is the most important? This one: Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 12:6): “As starving men crave a crust of bread, as choking men thirst for water, so do the righteous yearn for the Holy Ghost….. the greatest of all the gifts of God, as pertaining to this life; and those who enjoy that gift here and now, will inherit eternal life hereafter, which is the greatest of all the gifts of God in eternity” (Bruce R McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 2, p 122).

 I pledged my life into Thy hands

When by Thy words you taught me how;

You fed me truths I needed to know

And feed me still even now.

 

As I promised to obey,

You promised we’d never part;

I remember, I remember

And carry it all

In the shadow of my heart.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Compassion and Grace by Greg Collins)

WHO COME UNTO ME

 

In my last post I wrote about unity with Christ through baptism. The Saviour sought to impress this upon the people of ancient Americas and upon us today who have the privilege of holding the Book of Mormon in our hands. I am once again grateful for the clarification of scriptures that this book offers us. The account of the Sermon on the Mount in the Book of Mormon testifies of this.

In the Book of Mormon, the Saviour began His sermon making it clear that the teachings that were to follow only applied to those who are willing to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost for remission of their sins (3 Nephi 12:1,2). In other words, the Sermon on the Mount was ever only directed to the members of His Church, those who are willing to accept Christ and keep his commandments. (See also Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to the Book of Mormon, p 263-4)

This significant point is reiterated through the Beatitudes. The very first one promises that the poor in spirit will be blessed but with a significant addition in the Book of Mormon that does not exist in the New Testament. That addition reads: who come unto me. The following Beatitudes all begin with the word ‘and’ connecting them to the previous Beatitude and all the way to this first one which is the reference to the introductory verses to the Sermon which deal with baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 12:1,2)….in other words, who come unto me.

Following the Beatitudes come two other confirmations that the Sermon is for baptized members. The first is the admonition to be the salt of the earth (3 Nephi 12:13). In the Mosaic sacrificial ritual, salt was a reminder that we should remember and preserve our covenants with God (Old Testament Institute Manual, p 165)

The second is to be a light to the world (Matthew 5:14). As members of the House of Israel and of the household of faith under the Abrahamic covenant, we are to take the gospel to the world and to bring the light of Christ’s gospel to the world of darkness.

It can be argued that the blessings promised throughout the Beatitudes are biased since they are only for baptized members of Christ’s church but I believe the suggestion is that these blessings are   more readily assured for those who are willing to accept Christ and that invitation is extended to all.  They are promises and assurance of what Christ can do for us.

The thought that only those who come unto Him are more blessed might seem like elitism but in my opinion, He has the right to bless those who believe in Him and accept Him and He has the right to ask anything of us, most especially to believe and accept. He has suffered for the just and the unjust, for the grateful and the ungrateful. He is the only way to salvation, the way that was decreed in the realms of heaven long ago. Let us be that light on a hill that we might bring others under the umbrella of His blessings. That is our responsibility, that is our privilege.

If I had the might to plant Thee in each heart

Of all that breathes,

In pursuit of such a quest I would walk the earth

With apparent ease.

As I can do so little this desire to meet,

I lay my loyal love at Thy holy feet.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Send Forth Labourers by Greg Collins)

ONE WITH CHRIST

 

 

Imagine the Saviour appearing and you are among the multitude to witness that appearance and He calls you by name to come to Him: “And Nephi arose and went forth, and bowed himself before the Lord and did kiss his feet” (3 Nephi 11:19). Imagine the honour, the overflowing of your heart, the tears that would flow, the expression of humility and deepest gratitude for your salvation that would propel you to kiss His feet……it makes me feel the moment….

Right from the start of His visit to the Americas, the Saviour made it plain He was there to teach the members of His Church. Hence immediately after calling Nephi to come forth, He gave him and  the Twelve that He chose, authority to baptize with specific instructions as to how it is to be done.

From 3 Nephi 11:21 to 12:3, the Saviour mentioned baptism 19 times and reiterated 7 times that His doctrine is: faith, repentance, baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. So insistent was He that this is the only path to salvation, that He emphasized that ‘whose does not believe in Him, and is not baptized, shall be damned’ (3 Nephi 11:33,34).

Worthy of mention is the concept of unity which baptism grants to all who believe in Christ and His doctrine. I have a fondness for noticing repetition in scriptural teachings. It speaks ‘importance’ to me.  In the block of scriptures regarding baptism, the Saviour mentions the Father 16 times.

The sense of unity between Him, the Father and the Holy Ghost is unmistakable…..”the Father will bear record of me,  and the Holy Ghost will bear record of Him and Me, for the Father and I, and the Holy Ghost are one” (3 Nephi 11:35,36).

I am reminded of the intercessory prayer that was uttered by Christ where He prayed ‘not for the world but for them which the Father had given Him’, meaning His disciples (John 17:9). And then for the rest of the Church membership, meaning us: “Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe on me through their word, that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us….” (v 21).

Thus baptism, a covenant of obedience, which makes us Christ’s, becomes also a covenant of unity, with the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. As we come into the fold of God and become ‘the body of Christ’ we also become one with one another. The baptismal covenant reads thus (Mosiah 18:8):

·        We come into the fold of God;

·        We are being called His people;

·        We bear one another’s burdens;

·        We mourn with those that mourn;

·        We comfort those who stand in need of comfort;

·        We stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all places;

·        We enter into a covenant to serve God;

·        We covenant to keep His commandments.

I was baptized when I was 18 years of age. The moment I was raised out of the water, I was so overcome by the spirit which descended upon me that I wept uncontrollably. I knew I was one with Christ and that I was home. I know if I ever left the Church, I would be betraying my covenant of baptism, even if I continued to live the commandments….because I would no longer be Christ’s. I would not wish to lose that….ever.

How godly You were

When You planted the heavens

And laid the foundations of the earth;

How noble and honourable

When You gave me hope

Through the water’s gate;

I bequest to You my earthly deeds

And fly to You

With my arms of faith. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Holy Ghost Descended Like a Dove by Greg Collins)

A SURE PATH

 

 

Mormon tells us that the people who survived the devastation of the American continent at the time of Christ’s visit are those who were more righteous and who ‘received the prophets’ (3 Nephi 10:12).

I reflected upon all the people who have rejected Joseph Smith and still reject him today. I am astounded when I read Section 121 of Doctrine and Covenants to see how serious a sin it is to reject the prophets of God. Consider the consequences of such a rejection that the Saviour promised would come upon the people who rejected Joseph and charged him with falsehoods (vs 11,16,19,20,21,22,24):

·        Their prospects shall melt away as the frost melts away before the burning rays of the sun;

·        They who shall oppose the Lord’s anointed shall be cursed;

·        They shall be severed from the temple ordinances;

·        Their food supplies would perish;

·        They themselves shall be despised by those that flattered them;

·        They and generations of their posterity shall not have the right to the priesthood;

·        It would be better for them if a millstone was hanged about their necks and they drowned in the depths of the sea….yikes!

·        The Lord has reserved a swift judgment for them all….double yikes!

Why such a harsh punishment for those who reject the prophets? Here is a story that might help us see the importance of their leadership: “On one occasion, Karl G. Maeser was leading a party of young missionaries across the Alps. As they reached the summit, he looked back and saw a row of sticks thrust in the snow to mark the one safe path across the otherwise treacherous glacier.

“Halting the company of missionaries, he gestured toward the sticks and said, ‘Brethren, there stands the priesthood [of God]. They are just common sticks like the rest of us,…but the position they hold, makes them what they are to us. If we step aside from the path they mark, we are lost’ (in Alma P. Burton, Karl G. Maeser, Mormon Educator [Deseret Book Co., 1953] p 22).

Why are we lost if we don’t follow the prophets? Because ‘the voice of warning is for all people by the mouths of all Christ’s disciples whom He has chosen in these last days’ and ‘they who will not hear the voice of the Lord through His servants or give heed to the word’s of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people’ (D&C 1:4,14). They will be cut off because they will resist the truth and lose their way to salvation.

The path is sure, the path is secure….”whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (v 38).

 

Your words through Your prophets

Like a lamp unto my feet

Bid me to follow Thee.

I dare to follow the path through

 the highest mountains,

I dare to sail dangerous seas,

Ever trusting what you speak to me

Will lead me back to Thee.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Prophet and Seer by Simon Dewey) 

GOD'S WINGS

 

I find it very endearing that following the chastisement and prior to His immediate appearing on the American continent, the Saviour compared His love and care for the House of Israel to that of a mother’s greatest attribute of protection, and accompanied that statement with anguish of rejection: “…..O ye people of the house of Israel….how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens and ye would not” (3 Nephi 10:4,5).

The Saviour would have us know that his heart is like a mother's: loving to the point of self-sacrifice, relentlessly caring and aggressively protective. He would have us know that within the shadow of His wings, He gathers us and protects us from the world which seeks to tears us down.

Consider the characteristics of a mother hen that the Saviour used as an example of His care:

“Keeping Safe by Mother’s Side:

·        After the first three days, the chicks develop a fear of new things, an instinct that keeps them safe from danger. However, mother hen’s presence makes them feel secure, and she provides a safe base from which they can explore and learn about the world.

·        A mother hen gives special alarm calls when she senses danger relevant to her brood’s age. She adjusts these calls as chicks mature, so that she only calls for small predators when they are a danger to them.

·        In addition to providing warmth and protection, researchers have found that a mother hen provides an important source of social learning for the chicks she is raising. Three important tasks are guidance over food, synchronization of resting and active periods, and mitigation of fear.

·        It appears that the security offered by a mother hen promotes the healthy behavioural development of the chicks she is raising. A confident mother can help her chicks to grow up with appropriate behaviour for their environment, leading to a happy and healthy life.” (Tamsin Cooper, Raising Chicks with Mother Hen, 18 Aug 2021)

Can you see the Saviour in what you have just read? Does He not provide knowledge that can lead to a happy and healthy life? Does He not send prophets to warn us of present danger? Does He not offer security through His commandments and His gospel? Does He not dispel fear and offer protection through the power of His spirit? Does He not make us feel secure in the knowledge He has given us of our eternal nature and eternal destiny? Has He not provided everything that is needful for us through the power of His creation? Does He not promise us safety from the calamities that are yet to engulf the world and its wickedness when He appears? Could He possibly do more in His capacity as a saviour to ensure our ultimate success?

Notice that His lament was directed at the House of Israel only. The Saviour came to minister to the lost sheep of this chosen race whose privilege it is to receive the blessings of the priesthood and who are charged to bring the gospel to the nations as pertaining to the Abrahamic covenant. As such we belong in the shadow of His wings, protected and preserved to bring the knowledge of the truth to the world.

 

Thou art our everlasting God

Jehovah, our King,

Who has loved us and chosen us as Thine own;

We bow before Thee and bend the knee,

In solemnity we offer our hearts to Thee.

Keep us as the apple of Thine eye,

Hide us under the shadow of Thy wings

That we might never stray again

And cause Thee sorrow;

And help us wait for Thee

In the dawning of tomorrow.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: I Would Gather Thee by Liz Lemon Swindle)

THE CROWNING EVENT

 

I wondered the other day what I would answer if someone asked me what may favourite Book of Mormon story was. I reflected on the most impactful ones such as Alma’s conversion and Captain Moroni, Helaman and his 2,000 stripling warriors but I could not deny that Christ’s visit to America was the crowning event of the Book of Mormon.

I cannot read of the three-hour physical disturbance and destruction without imagining how terrifying that would have been, especially experiencing three days of total and utter darkness (3 Nephi 8:5-23). The crying and howling of the people would have been horrifying to listen to for that long: the sorrow and anguish over the dead, the regret of disobedience and stoning of the prophets, the loss of loved ones, the panic of not being able to locate your children or receive help if you were hurt. No wonder the righteous will be caught up to meet the Saviour at His coming, because I imagine the destruction that will happen at that time will be gruesome.

Many people today who believe in Christ imagine He will come with mercy bearing a bouquet of roses but this is far from the truth. When the inhabitants of the Americas heard the Saviour’s voice following the destruction that occurred, He articulated 12 times that He was the one that caused the death of all the people naming 15 cities which He destroyed (3 Nephi 9:3-12). Notice He spoke in first person in every instance saying “I” did this, leaving no doubt as to who or what caused the destruction.

It was only after the more wicked people were disposed of, that mercy was extended to the remaining population (v 13, 14). And with extended mercy came an abolishment of animal sacrifice and a request for a broken heart and a contrite spirit instead (v 20). In other words, mercy is only extended to the repentant.

Every time we repent of a sin or a weakness, we place it on the altar of sacrifice. Just as the fire consumed the animal placed thereon, the Holy Ghost purges that sin from our souls and purifies our hearts, making us anew. We will want to be ‘new’ when Jesus returns and we will want to be caught up to meet Him. The time to offer our hearts on the altar of sacrifice is now.

No event in the Book of Mormon is more impactful and powerful than the three days of darkness at the onset of Christ’s visit, witnessing that ‘the light and the life of the world’ conquered death and darkness on the hill of Calvary (v 18). And because He had conquered, He could then say: “….come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved.” (v 13)

 

Where is the sting of death,

The enemy of righteousness,

And humanity’s foe?

The fire of its power lies in ashes

Quenched at Calvary long ago.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: One Shepherd by Howard Lyon)

THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

 

I want to testify of the sacred role of the Holy Ghost who reveals all truth to the true followers of Jesus Christ……the Revealer, the Comforter, the Spirit of God, by whom all revelation is given to the children of men through his power.

It came to me recently to understand something that has corrected my misunderstanding of the Saviour’s nature. For a while now I have been of the opinion that the Saviour is excessively merciful and tolerant towards us. This error was brought to my attention unexpectedly through the story of King David. I don’t know why, but this story flooded my mind, in the middle of the night as I slept, and taught me something I had not seen before.

To recap…..there was not a king who loved the God of Israel more than King David. When he conquered Jerusalem he brought the ark of the covenant into the city ‘with gladness’ and led a procession of Israelites playing instruments, shouting, singing and dancing ‘before the Lord with all his might’ in praise of the God he worshipped (2 Samuel 6:12-15). No king of Israel was more free from idolatrous inclinations or practices than David. Because of this, he became the standard of excellence that all subsequent kings came to be measured by.

David’s valour and his accomplishments as a king were outstanding. His reign is known in the annals of history as ‘the golden age of Israel’. His love for the God of Israel can leave you breathless through the psalms he wrote about him. And who can forget his valiant Israelite spirit as he slew Goliath exclaiming: “Is there not a cause in Israel?”

David’s fall from grace we know well. What is less observed in that moment of history is his godly sorrow and repentance. Equally impressive is his rejoicing and his hope of a lesser degree of eternal reward praising God because ‘He will not leave his soul in hell’ (Acts 2:25-26). This hope of the resurrection of the unjust is known as ‘the sure mercies of David’ (see Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, p 272).

I can think of no one who would have wept more when this tragedy unfolded than the Saviour himself. To lose someone with so much promise and faithfulness would have been agonizing to Him. If there was anyone the Saviour could have been excessively merciful to, it would have been David. But where would that have left Uriah, and his innocent blood that was spilt? One truth remains….mercy cannot rob justice (Alma 42:25).

I always thought I understood the relationship between mercy and justice but now I understand it at a deeper level because I was taught through the medium I would understand. David’s story has always tugged at my heart.

Can you see the perfect nature of a God that we worship and trust through this story? On Judgment Day, the balance between justice and mercy will be so perfect that we will not be able to question it…..for our God knows all: He knows our hearts, our capabilities, our intents, our souls, our pains, everything that could induce mercy….but yet He obeys all the laws that He himself is governed by and ensures there will be no one left without justice.

This understanding of the Saviour’s perfect character came to me through the power of the Spirit. My intent is to bear witness that the Holy Ghost can teach us what we need to know and more importantly, he can broaden our vista of knowledge of God. And this is why it is important for us to know Him: “Three things are necessary in order for a person to exercise faith in God unto life and salvation: 1. The idea that He actually exists; 2. A correct idea of His character, perfections, and attributes; 3. An actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to His will.” – Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith, Lecture Third.

 

ODE TO THE GOD WHO SEES MY SOUL:
You who know me well
Teach me all that I need
And send me Him
My soul to feed.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Spirit of God by LDS ART)

A DISCIPLE

 

 

“Behold, I am Mormon…..I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God…”  (3 Nephi 5:12,13, 20)

I don’t know that anyone in the Book of Mormon deserves the title of the ‘disciple’ more than Mormon. Consider the meaning of what being a disciple means:

“To be a true disciple [of Christ]…..is the most demanding regimen known to man. No other disciple compares…in either requirements or rewards. It involves the total transformation of a person from the state of the natural man to that of a saint, one who loves the Lord and serves with all of his heart, might, mind and strength.” (Chauncey C. Riddle, ‘Becoming a Disciple’, Ensign Sept 1974, p 81)

A Christ’s disciple is someone who possesses absolute, unrestrained devotion to His teachings and a sacrifice of all that is necessary to maintain such a commitment. It is someone who is willing to take up his cross and follow Him up the hill of their own Calvary for being a disciple of Christ can bring to us a certain special suffering. Only the cross has the power to transform  us into the likeness of Him whom we follow.

Consider the life of a man called Mormon, who was faithful to the latter in one of the most evil societies that have ever existed. A people who were so wicked that the Holy Ghost was entirely withheld from them (Mormon 1:14); who 'willfully rebelled against their God' (Mormon 1:16); who, in their extremities 'cursed God and wished to die' (Mormon 2:14); who were consumed with revenge (Mormon 3:9-10); who forcibly deprived women of their virtue, killed them, and 'devoured their flesh like unto wild beasts' (Moroni 9:10).

Not only did Mormon continue to love and serve his people who had descended into the pit of hell and who refused to repent, but he fought along-side them knowing they were doomed and when the Nephites went down to complete destruction, he went down with them.

This alone is exemplary but the spiritual warrior within him is more so. His driving force should inspire us all the days of our lives to fight the battle to the end remembering the echo of his words to Moroni, his son: ”for we have a labour to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness…” (Moroni 9:6). 

Is this not being a disciple of Jesus Christ????

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Master's Call by Phil McKay)

A HOLY PLACE

 

 

What would your answer be if someone asked you what you would do to prepare, if you knew the Saviour was coming tomorrow? I know what it should be: NOTHING! What could you possibly do in one day to make up for years of not doing it?

Consider what Elder Dallin H. Oaks said we should be doing in preparation for the Saviour’s return: “Are we following the Lord’s command, ‘Stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly’? (D&C 87:8).

“What are those ‘holy places’? Surely they include the temple and its covenants faithfully kept. Surely they include a home where children are treasured and parents are respected. Surely the holy places include our posts of duty assigned by priesthood authority, including missions and callings faithfully fulfilled in branches, wards, and stakes” (in Conference Report, April 2004, 7-8 or Ensign May 2004, 9-10)

How many of the things he has mentioned could we cram into one day? Could keeping the temple covenants for one day obliterate years of neglect? Could loving and respecting our children and parents for one day wipe away all the impatience, intolerance, anger, abuse, disobedience or animosity that we might have been inflicting on each other for a prolonged time? How about fulfilling a mission in one day or faithfully fulfilling a calling?

In the abovementioned talk, Elder Oaks says that “we need to make both temporal and spiritual preparations for the events prophesied at the time of the Second Coming”. He also said that the preparation most likely to be neglected is the spiritual one. The Book of Mormon teaches us the importance of this.

Sixteen years after the signs of the Saviour’s birth, the Nephites faced a huge threat of extinction by the Gadianton robbers. The governor of this band, Giddianhi, made a lofty demand of the governor of the land, Lachoneous, that the Nephites surrender all their lands. Lachoneous refused and made elaborate preparations for defense arming his people to the teeth (3 Nephi 3:13,14).

 By all accounts they should all have felt incredibly secure. But lucky for them Lachoneous was a God-fearing man and he warned his people that no matter how much physical protection they had, if they did not repent and turn to God, they will in no way be delivered out of the hands of Gadiantons (v 15). So powerful was this man that great fear came upon the people and they did all in their might to do exactly as he said (v 25).

Two other things most worthy of mention are these: 1. They appointed as the chief captain of their army someone who had the spirit of revelation and was a ‘great prophet among them’ and; 2. They gathered themselves together in ‘one land, and one body’ (v 19, 25). In other words, they were united and they had a prophet at their head. Does it remind you of the Church? Because it should.

When the most perilous times come, we will not want to be found in the world, but the most important holy place, in the Church, following the counsel of the Prophet…..only we can’t wait until the calamities strike. We need to ensure our place in the Church now and be in tune with the voice of the Prophet, now. Because after all, the calamities have already started……

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Second Coming by Brent Borup)