WITHOUT A CAUSE

Some years ago I was travelling in my car through the streets of my neighbourhood when a car came suddenly from the street on my right and pulled in right in front of me risking a collision. The incident shook me to my core. My shock quickly escalated into intense anger. The anger reached a crescendo when I noticed that the driver of the vehicle in question was an Asian woman. I could not just let this go by. I am ashamed to say that I chased this woman through the streets of my neighbourhood with intense rage attempting to force her to stop her vehicle so I could heap upon her the full force of my indignation. I could tell the woman was frightened but I was a woman driven by a cause. The cause being that she was negligent and callous rather than that she made a mistake through wrongful judgment. Why didn't I see her actions as a bad call in judgment? Because my anger was fueled by simmering racism. Those close to me back then knew that I was intolerant of the driving skills of Asian people and their seeming unwillingness to assimilate into the Australian culture. I did not see this race of people as fellow citizens of my country but as 'Asians'. This incident has stood out as one of the most un-Christlike acts of behaviour of my life. Not my finest moment....

I have read the Sermon on the Mount many times during my spiritual journey through the scriptures. Each time I have read this sermon I have noticed different things but never before had I noticed the severity of Christ's admonition that I think is the hardest for many of us to live. When the Saviour taught the Sermon on the Mount to the ancient Americas he said this: "But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment. And whosever shall say to his brother Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire" (3 Nephi 12:22). 'Hell fire'??? For considering someone a fool??? On that shameful day that I chased a poor Asian woman through the streets of my neighbourhood I was certainly at risk of 'hell fire'. Here is why: what I never noticed before is that this scripture varies slightly to the one in Matthew 5:22 where the Sermon was delivered to the Jews, which reads: "....whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause....". This difference in directive makes all the difference. JST omits the phrase 'without a cause' as the earliest known manuscript for Matthew 5:22 does not contain that phrase (see Daniel K. Judd and Allen W. Stoddard in How the New Testament Came to Be, p 161). Why would this tiny phrase make all the difference?

To understand this it is important to understand the historical background of the Sermon on the Mount and to know to whom exactly it was given. Beside the city of Capernaum there is a mount where Jesus delivered the lengthiest discourse recorded in the entire Bible and which covers chapters 5-7 of the Gospel of Matthew. As great multitudes of people followed Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea and even beyond Jordan, Jesus ascended the mount leaving the ease of valley travel and leaving behind those who followed Him for cures only, ensuring that only the most loyal of his disciples would follow. And so it came to be that, contrary to popular belief, Jesus did not deliver his most famous sermon to multitudes but only to His disciples (Matthew 5:1) who were no doubt already baptised and had taken upon themselves His name. Taking the disciples to the heights of the mount symbolised higher expectations and commitment of the truly converted.  Those who made the upward journey were willing and prepared to live the higher law leading to exaltation. In ancient Americas, the sermon was delivered by Christ to the 'more righteous' who were spared the destruction of many cities following His death. These people believed and looked forward to His coming. They were ready and willing to embrace His teachings and covenants. From these two groups of people we can surmise that the Sermon on the Mount contains the higher law, the obedience to which is expected of the true disciples of Christ.

What the Saviour was actually saying in the Sermon on the Mount to His loyal followers, is that they should not get angry with their brother no matter what, not even when there is a cause; that they should not consider anyone a fool for their actions, behaviour or the way they are. Why is that? Because we do not know people's hearts. We do not understand their frame of reference, their weaknesses, the complexity of their lives or their true intents. On that fateful day that I allowed my rage to run loose I was driven by a cause, not by a possibility that the driver of the other car might have been distraught, worried, distressed or even lacking faith in her abilities. In this context, when one acts with a cause, one acts with selfishness. They are more concerned about themselves than their fellowman. This selfishness leads to absence of love, mercy, goodwill and lack of kindness. We see an example of this with the Jaredites in the Book of Mormon. Their lack of consideration, kindness and love for one another towards the end of their civilization became so acute that they could not hold onto their possessions. If a man laid down his tool or his sword upon his shelf, in the morning it would be gone (Ether 14:1). Imagine living like this: "Wherefore every man did cleave unto that which was his own, with his hands and would not borrow, neither would he lend; and every man kept the hilt of his sword in his right hand, in the defence of his property and his own life and his wives and children" (Ether 14:2).

On March 7, 1831, Joseph Smith was given a revelation in which he was told of the condition of the world prior to the Saviour's coming. Amidst all the turmoil, wars and commotion we are told that "men's hearts shall fail them" and "the love of men shall wax cold" (D&C 45:26,27). Describing the perilous times of the last days, Apostle Paul described men as 'lovers of their own selves....without natural affection'  (2 Timothy 3:1-3). When we are lovers of our own selves, we can hardly be lovers of others and when we have no natural affection, we have no kindness. We can see the lack of kindness in our society on the roads, in supermarket queues, during telemarketing calls and the love of many waxing cold through jealousies, gossip, ill will,  murder, theft, uncaring and selfishness. One trembles at the thought that we might become like the Jaredites in the last minute of the last hour of this dispensation.

Of course we also have in our day and age great examples of people who do unselfish deeds. My heart leaps when I hear of an individual who sacrifices themselves for the good of others: a retired man who spends his days on a notorious bridge savings those who would suicide; a fashion designer who sold everything she had including her profitable business and opened an orphanage in Indonesia where she now lives; a woman who works with the police to give discarded, dead babies a proper funeral and burial in her home town. These are just some among many inspiring people who perpetuate the positive energy of human kindness and good will that are the saving grace of this planet. These are the unsung heroes to whom the welfare of others matters greatly. At times, it matters to them more than their own well being as is evident in the following story:

"A year ago last winter [1981], a modern jetliner faltered after takeoff and plunged into the icy Potomac River. Acts of bravery and feats of heroism were in evidence that day, the most dramatic of which was one witnessed by the pilot of a rescue helicopter. The rescue rope was lowered to a struggling survivor. Rather than grasping the lifeline to safety, the man tied the line to another, who was then lifted to safety. The rope was lowered again, and yet another was saved. Five were rescued from the icy waters. Among them was not found the anonymous hero. Unknown by name, 'he left the vivid air signed with his honor" (Stephen Spender, 'I Think Continually of Those -' in Masterpieces of Religious Verse, p 291).

When we come to want for others what we want for ourselves we will be considered true Christians and disciples of Christ. It is then that we will be following in His footsteps. He is the perfect example because He wanted for us what He himself had, an inheritance in the Kingdom of God. For this He performed the greatest act of benevolence known to man. For this He stands on the bridge with the suicides. For this He feeds the children at the orphanage. For this He buries discarded babies. For this He never ever considers even one of us a 'fool'.  The unsung heroes mentioned are extreme examples of kindness, love and mercy. We who have Christ's perfect example and who have committed to live the higher law as delivered by Him have no excuse not to be merciful, kind and loving. It is not everyone's path to spend their days saving the suicides or burying discarded babies but it is everyone's duty to love, cherish and help another without a cause.

JOSEPH, THE PROTOTYPE

In early Christian Syriac literature there are 56 comparisons of Joseph's life with Christ's.  They are incredibly explicit and clearly developed and formulated by historians determined to show Joseph as a Type of Christ.  Throughout centuries, Christians have mainly hailed Joseph for his sexual purity turning him into an icon of strength and example to us all.  There are many more lessons, however, that we can learn from his life but even more so from his character which makes him a perfect prototype of the Saviour. Besides his impeccable self control, what I admire most about Joseph is his regard for his fellowman , no doubt born out of Christ like compassion that was central to his character. Out of this compassion was born his willingness to serve his fellowman and his willingness to forgive.   Both of these traits are essential for us to develop in order to be saved in the kingdom of God.

Careful reading of Joseph's servitude in Egypt makes us come to the conclusion that Joseph did not rise to authority by deviousness or self serving tactics but by being mindful of his fellowman which endeared people to him.  I imagine it was not only the fact that the Lord was with him but also his disposition to care about people that made people trust him.  For this reason Potiphar was willing to put all his affairs into his hands (Gen 39:4); the keeper of the prison was willing to put all prisoners into his charge (Gen 39:22); and Pharoah was able to commit all of Egypt into his administration (Gen 41:41).  Even though Pharoah gave credit to God for making Joseph wise enough to interpret his dreams, he surely would have known of Joseph's character and reputation which would have come before him, otherwise he would not have trusted that Joseph's interpretation of his dreams came from God.

I am certain that Joseph's attitude was to be the best of whatever he had to be in whatever circumstances. When he was a slave in Potiphar's house he must have made up his mind to be the best slave he could possibly be.  For this reason he came to the attention of the master of the house and for this reason God made him prosper.  The same was probably true when he was flung into prison.  I imagine when he found himself there, he determined that he was going to be the best prisoner he could possibly be and do whatever he could to alleviate the suffering of his fellow prisoners, to help others bear their burdens, 'to succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees' (D&C 81:5).

When Joseph was in charge of the prisoners, one day he noticed that the butler and the baker were sad (Gen 40:5,6).  Think about this.  They are in prison.  Should they be leaping about being merry instead? Obviously Joseph being in charge, had tried his best to make the conditions as pleasant as they could possibly be for the inmates, to maximise their peace and joy as much as he could, under difficult conditions, so of course it matters to him that two of those inmates are sad.  He obviously cares about their well being. And this attitude of caring works for his highest good as the butler and the baker confide in him and reveal their dreams to him.  And dreams of course, are Joseph's specialty.  Do you think if Joseph was a tyrant prison keeper, looking out only for himself, he would have secured for himself a release from prison through the butler of the king of Egypt?  Instead of being a tyrant, Joseph was a loving man of God who inquired of his inmates: "Wherefore look ye so sadly today?" (Gen 40:7,8)  This one question speaks volumes about Joseph.  This one question was also his path to freedom.

Just as Joseph sought to rescue the physically captive from their emotional burdens, Jesus came to rescue the spiritually captive who languished in prisons of sin and pain, "...to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that were bound..." (D&C 138:42).  The scriptures are replete with accounts of Christ's compassion towards those he served, healed and even raised from the dead.  The man who proclaimed himself to be 'the resurrection and the life' (John 11:25) wept when brought to Lazarus' tomb, not because he sorrowed that Lazarus had died as witnesses supposed but because he had compassion for those whose hearts were breaking.  He knew where Lazarus was,  and was he not in a far better place than here?  It was out of his compassion for his broken-hearted sisters that he brought Lazarus back to life.  For was he not 'a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief'? (Isa 53:3)

"Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
"And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still.  And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise."  (Luke 7:11-14)

Jesus' compassion was not only for this widows's tears but for the hardships she would live with on daily basis had she been left without a son to take care of her. In the day and age where women were totally dependent on men and where a woman without a husband looked towards her son to care for her, this widow whose son had been taken away from her too was facing a very bleak future.  The Saviour knew and he acted and he saved.

"While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master.
"But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.
"And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden.
"And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth". (Luke 8:49-56)

Twice, before he raised Jairus' daughter, the Saviour addressed the parents first for he had concern for them and their sorrow.  The daughter was raised from the dead and Jesus was able to bind the broken-hearted.

Joseph's love for his family activated his ability to forgive his brothers for selling him into a strange land to endure years of hardship and servitude.  The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha which comprises the ancient Jewish and Jewish-Christian documents, tells that Joseph had such high regard for his brothers despite what they had done, that he repeatedly affirmed to the Ishmaelites that he indeed was a slave because he didn't want to bring disgrace upon them:

"For my brothers know how much my father loved me, yet I was not puffed up in my thoughts.  Even while I was a child I had the fear of God in my heart, for I understood that all things pass away.  I did not arouse myself with evil design, but honoured my brothers, and out of regard for them even when they sold me I was silent rather than tell the Ishmaelites that I was the son of Jacob, a great and righteous man.
As I was going with the Ishmaelites, they kept asking me, "Are you a slave?" and I replied, "I am a slave out of a household", so as not to disgrace my brothers.  The greatest of them said to me, "You are not a slave, even your appearance discloses that." (James H. Charlesworth, Ed., The Old Testament Pseudephigrapha, Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, p. 822)

We should be able to relate to Joseph who was taken away from his family that he loved. Would he not want to be reunited with them? Would he let his lack of forgiveness stand in the way of that reunion?   Joseph wept and embraced his brothers and he forgave to the point that he tried to convince them that it was not their fault, but that the Lord brought him to Egypt to save them all  (Gen. 45:5).

Jesus, like Joseph is the 'birthright' son, the first born of the Father, the rightful heir of all that the Father has but Celestial Kingdom can be a lonely place without the ones you love, and He has loved us and wanted us there with him.  Just as Joseph's love for his family activated his ability to forgive his brothers,  Jesus' love for us activates his ability to forgive us of our sins.  We too have been 'taken'.  This telestial life is our Egypt and our slavery.

"In a sense we are all captive 'in Egypt".  Because of the idolatry of Egypt and because it was the place of Israel's captivity, the prophets of old used the land of Egypt as a symbol for the telestial world in which we now live.  The entire world today is a spiritual Egypt, 'the land of our affliction', in captivity to the 'god of this world' (2 Cor 4:4) who is Satan.  The Apostle John spoke of this world as 'spiritual Egypt' because here the Lord was crucified (Rev 11:8)."

The spiritual Egypt we are in has only one Saviour.  Jesus, like Joseph of old, offers forgiveness and the bread of life from which we never need to experience a famine.  When Joseph sent for his father and the rest of the family to join him in Egypt, the Lord told Israel that he need not fear to go to Egypt 'for I will there make of thee a great nation; I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again" (Gen 46:2-4).  The Saviour descended 'into Egypt' to bring us up again if we are faithful.  We miss the mark if we don't recognise the prototypes when we study the scriptures, who can turn our hearts to Him who can quench our thirst with living water and appease our hunger with the bread of life.  Joseph is one such prototype of the Saviour and his power to save.  We too can be prototypes to our children and their children as we walk in the footsteps of Him who knows the way out of 'Egypt' and into eternal life.

ENOCH AND THE WORDS WE SPEAK

"And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them, and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command, and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him". (Moses 7:13)

When Enoch was called of God to cry repentance to the people of his day he, at 65, considered himself 'but a lad' and totally inadequate for the calling.  Not only was he relatively young compared to his predecessors who were well into 3 digits when called of the Lord, he was also highly unpopular and was 'slow of speech' Moses 6:31).  I imagine he lacked a lot of confidence and people thought him weak.  The Lord however, gave him five promises that convinced Enoch he had nothing to fear and enabled him to follow when the Lord told him, 'Therefore, walk with me' (Moses 6:34).  Among the five promises were two I think are worthy of extra attention.  Enoch was promised:

1.  "I will give thee utterance" (Moses 6:32)
2.  "All thy words will I justify" (Moses 6:34)

It is interesting to me that: 1.  the Lord would choose a man who had a stumbling block to the very task the Lord needed him to fulfill and 2.  that He was mindful and sensitive enough to Enoch's insecurity because of his speech impediment to the point that He would reassure him by addressing the problem in his promises. He could have very easily said to Enoch, "don't worry about anything, just walk with me".  This is such a clear indication that the Lord knows us and has compassion for us and how we feel.

Enoch did walk with God and because of it he became an incredibly powerful man.  Because of his trust in God and his promises, the Lord turned his weakness into his greatest strength.  Going from what I imagine was a stutter he went on to become the master of words.  The scriptures record:

"And as Enoch spake forth the words of God, the people trembled, and could not stand in his presence." (Moses 6:47)

There is something very interesting about the power the Lord gave to  Enoch. It would seem this power was not only for him but was to be had by his every descendant.  The interesting thing being is that every mortal is a descendant of Enoch.  Enoch was the Father of Methuselah, who was the father of Lamech, who was the father of Noah.  Everybody that has been born on this earth after Noah is Noah's descendant and therefore a descendant of Enoch.  The Lord made an oath with Enoch regarding this power which is found in Joseph Smith Translation:

"For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself, that every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course; to put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God, to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers, and this by the will of the Son of God which was before the foundation of the world". (JST Appendix in Genesis 14:30, 31)

The oath sworn by God to Enoch and his seed is a promise made to us.  All mortals who receive the Melchizedek Priesthood have power promised to them by their faith to do the very works done by Enoch. (Ted Gibbons, SS Old Testament Lesson 5)  This means the Lord will magnify us in our callings to serve Him and will bless our efforts to bring others unto him by making us powerful even as Enoch.  All is needed is faith on our behalf to make this power active.

I am very fascinated with Enoch and how powerful he became in his speech.  I love words.  I fully believe in their ability to uplift or destroy.  The scriptures tell us that God created the world by the power of His word (1 John 1:1).  The Universe is made up of energy.  Different types of energy have different frequencies. Words also have energy and they resonate at different frequencies.  Words stem from thoughts and thoughts stem from words.  They both produce vibrations which produce emotions which produce action which produce desired results.  When you yell at someone out of anger, your intent is to hurt them by the words that you say and most often than not, you succeed because your words produce emotion in the person you are attacking.  Our words can be like poisonous barbs on the fragile souls of our children when we criticize them and lash at them in anger.

Just as damaging our words can be to others, they can also be damaging to us.  Constantly saying to ourselves that we are no good and that we can't do things would produce terrible emotions in us such as depression, low self-esteem and lack of confidence.  We tend to believe who we tell ourselves we are.  We can however, turn this around and start saying powerful words to ourselves. The Japanese scientist, Dr Emoto, has proved that if water or food is exposed to a written word, it will respond to that word.  Food and water exposed to words such as 'war' or 'hate' deteriorated quickly during his experiment, whereas those exposed to words such as 'love' and 'thank you' had not deteriorated.  Those who speak words of love and encouragement to their plants witness their plants flourishing in conditions where they would not normally thrive.

Our words play a major role in the law of attraction.  Because words have vibration, they attract to us what we talk about.  If we constantly say "I'm always sick", you will most likely be coming down with every infection and cold going around.  If you constantly say, "I never have money", the money that you receive will slip through your fingers like water.   Whatever we constantly say basically determines our reality.

I believe language was given to us not only for communication but to uplift and edify.  There is power in spoken word, especially when those words are words of eternal life.  We are commanded to worship and praise God through prayer and to teach others the doctrine of Christ for the salvation of their souls. When we pray we must address deity with utmost respect, reverence and gratitude. This in turn increases our faith in God and helps us feel closer to Him.  How else can we show reverence and expect the Father to honour our petitions?

When we speak the words of eternal life, these words resonate with the spirit of God and empower us to achieve things we could not ordinarily do on our own.  For instance, the words you speak about Jesus Christ and his Gospel when telling someone about the Church will resonate with the spirit of God which will enable you to proclaim the truthfulness of the Gospel with confidence and boldness you did not previously have. Another example is calling upon the power of the Atonement to enable us to overcome a certain weakness. The vibration of the words with which we plead for help will attract the power we are asking for and need.  I believe this is why we have been commanded to pray.  We cannot receive something we do not invite into our lives through the vibration of words that attracts the thing we need. When we pray, we create a pathway for manifestation of that which we want in our lives.

Immoral language corrodes our spiritually sensitive souls.  Using immoral language and swear words attracts darkness which creates negative emotions within us. They are words which disempower us in many ways. Consider this story by Elder Boyd K. Packer:

"A number of years ago I went with a brother to tow in a wrecked car.  It had been a single car accident, and the car was demolished, the driver, though unhurt, had been taken to the hospital for treatment of shock and examination.

The next morning he came asking for his car, anxious to be on his way.  When he was shown the wreckage, his pent-up emotions and disappointment, sharpened perhaps by his misfortune, exploded in a long stream of profanity.  So obscene and biting were his words that they exposed years of practice with profanity.  His words were heard by other customers, among them women, and must have touched their ears like acid.

One of my brothers crawled from beneath the car where he had been working with a large wrench.  He too was upset and with threatening gestures of the wrench he ordered him off the premises.  'We don't have to listen to that kind of language here' he said.  And the customer left, cursing more obscenely than before.

Much later in the day he reappeared.  Subdued, penitent and avoiding everyone else, he found my brother.

'I have been in eh hotel room all day', he said, 'lying on the bed, tormented.  I can't tell you how utterly ashamed I am for what happened this morning.  My conduct was inexcusable.  I have been trying to think of some justification, and I can think of only one thing: In all my life, never, not once, have I been told that my language was not acceptable.  I have always talked that way.  You were the first one who ever told me that my language was out of order.'

Isn't it interesting that a man could grow to maturity, the victim of such a vile habit, and never meet a protest? How tolerant we have become!
(Boyd K. Packer, "The Clean Voice of Youth", New Era, Jan. 1976, 5)

King Benjamin warned his people about the condemnation that can come upon them if they misuse the power of words.  Why would he mention words?  Because out of words are born deeds and deeds can lead us to destruction. Here is how he put it:

"But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words,  and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith, of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish.  And now, o man, remember and parish not."  (Mosiah 4:30)

Alma in contending with an unrighteous lawyer from Ammonihah called Zeezrom, whose career depended on the craft of persuasion and use of words, had this to say to him:

"For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence." (Alma 12:14)

When Enoch spoke with the power of God,  people trembled.  There is only one way that power could have been given to him and that is through the Holy Ghost, through which all truth and things of the spirit come. We too can have the power of Enoch if we live worthy to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. According to Nephi, it is by this power that angels speak:

"Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels?  And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?

Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore they speak the words of Christ....."
(2 Nephi 32:2,3)

Language is a powerful tool and when we learn to use it properly, especially under the direction of the Spirit, it can be forceful and commanding.  It was so with Enoch for the scriptures record:

"And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him". (Moses 7:13)

We might not be called as Enoch was, to accomplish miraculous tasks.  We might not need power to move mountains or stop rivers in their course.  We, however, can possess power to uplift, beautify, ennoble, encourage, inspire.....all with the words that we speak.  Words that can bring life and joy and peace. And all this with the ultimate language, the tongue of angels.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

My patriarchal blessing cites two significant blessings connected with my name. In the first instance it says my children will grow up to bless and honour my name and in the second it says that my name will always be known among the faithful.  These two blessings are of course predicated upon my faithfulness.  I desperately want both of them.  The first one because it means my faithfulness will have an influence on my children and in some way be instrumental in their salvation and the second because I do truly desire to be known as a faithful follower of Christ.  When I read The Book of Mormon and come across Mormon boldly proclaiming, "Behold I am Mormon and I am a disciple of Jesus Christ...", my heart yearns to say this of myself with the same confidence and boldness with which Mormon did.  So when my patriarchal blessing tells me that I will be known as one of the 'faithful' I know that there will be evidence enough to that fact otherwise I would not be numbered among them.  

Whilst attending our new ward recently, my daughter was introduced on a number of occasions with significant reference to her grandparents who are well known far and wide for their faithfulness and Church service. Her grandmother, who has passed away,  is highly regarded in the Church in Sydney by many saints who knew her. I have heard her name mentioned often in different wards I have attended since her death. It makes me so grateful that my children are associated with her good name. I believe this is the greatest legacy she has left to her grandchildren.  It is my desire that I will leave a good name to my children also.   Adversely, I would be devastated if my name was an embarrassment to them in any way.  So much is associated with the name we bear: our reputation, what kind of life we created, the caliber of the person we have been, our good works, people's perception of us, how loved we are, how much we have helped others and how well we have treated them.  The influence, whether bad or good, is far reaching.

As Church members we are largely known by two significant names: Mormons and Christians.  Some members of the Church resent being called Mormons because more often than not, this name overshadows the fact that we are Christians to the rest of the world.  However, the rest of the world doesn't know Mormon like we know him.  Mormon is my favourite prophet of the Book of Mormon. The obvious reason being is that he is a writer. The other reason is that in my opinion Mormon was one of the most Christ like people to have ever graced this earth. For that reason, being called Mormon to me is just about the same as being called a Christian.  

Mormon 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).  After much unsuccessful effort to turn the society of such evil doers around to repent and trust in God you would think Mormon would be justified in wishing God's justice to come upon them.  But this was not in Mormon's nature.  Mormon knew God and how merciful He is and therefore he never stopped hoping that his people will repent and once again become a righteous people.  Instead of smugly sitting on his housetop and recording their destruction, punctuated with frequent "I-told-you-so's", Mormon continued to urge the Nephites in their battles  and inspired them to consider their wives and their children and their homes. (Todd A Knowles, Gospel Doctrine Lesson 43, Mormon 1-6,9)  Not only did Mormon continue to love and serve the Nephites despite their lack of willingness to repent, he fought along side them knowing they were doomed and when the Nephites went down to complete destruction, he went down with them.

In writing The Book of Mormon, Mormon's one purpose was to bring us 'unto Christ'.  If you asked a classroom of people who wrote The Book of Mormon, everybody would hesitate to answer trying to figure it out.  This is so because when you read The Book of Mormon, you do not hear Mormon's voice, even though he occasionally offers editorial commentary.  The voice we hear when we read The Book of Mormon, is the voice of God.  Mormon makes himself transparent as the writer of this book and succeeds gloriously in helping us draw closer to God.  (Todd A. Knowles, Gospel Doctrine Lesson 43, Mormon 1-6,9)

Mormon lived by an eternal perspective that enabled his life long service among his fellowmen. : "...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)  I often quote this scripture during my lessons as a means of inspiration to help us be focused on winning the battle that we began so long ago.  The more I know about Mormon, the more I want to be like him.  It makes me feel good to say that I am a Mormon, to be associated with his name.

In Mosiah 5:7-12, the word 'name' occurs 11 times.  These particular scriptures contain King Benjamin's address to his people who were willing to enter into a covenant with God 'to do his will and to be obedient to his commandments in all things....all the remainder of our days' (Mosiah 5:5).  What is interesting is that King Benjamin responds to their willingness to enter into this covenant by talking about the importance of taking upon ourselves Christ's name.  He specifically says that:

• our hearts are changed through faith on his name (verse 7)
• there is no other name given whereby salvation comes (verse 8)
• whosoever enters into this covenant shall be known and called by the name of Christ (verse 9)
• whosoever is not called by the name of Christ shall be found on the left hand of God (verse 10)
• His name will never be blotted out of our hearts except through transgression (verse 11)

By virtue of our covenant to be obedient to His commandments, we become Christ's, his sons and his daughters and thereby we take upon ourselves His name, much like we take upon ourselves our earthly father's name when we are born into mortality.  In this instance however, Christ becomes our spiritual father and we thereby become Christ-ians. What we do with Christ's name speaks volumes about our integrity and character. Being Christian means being like Christ and behaving as He would behave. It reminds me of that saying:  "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" 

King Benjamin closes his address admonishing his people to be steadfast and immovable and always abounding in good works for the greatest of  all blessings depends on this: "....that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life..." (Mosiah 5:15)  The Saviour will hold us responsible for His name when we face Him at the judgment bar.  As his children, it is our duty to bring honour and glory to his name through the life that we live.  For this He will exalt us so that we can have all that He has and be all that He is. Alma spoke of being spiritually born and thereby receiving His image in our countenance (Alma 5:14).  Let us live so that this image will be recognized by all we associate with and that we will be known by His name more readily than by our own.  Does He not deserve this? 

For "behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands...." (1 Nephi 21:16)