Ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me

“If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenants, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for the earth is mine.” (Exodus 19:5)

God made the heavens and the earth. He understands the natural laws that cause the earth to rotate around the sun, how moisture collects in the clouds and causes it to rain on the crops and the trees and flowers. He also made us, and he understands the laws of health and procreation and so on. He has given us laws to help us live in our environment to be healthy and happy.  Unfortunately, we often choose to go against the natural laws and in that sense we bring upon us our own judgment. God doesn’t punish us. We punish ourselves when we break the natural laws. For example when we indulge in anger, dietary sins, forget our prayers or our scriptures we pay the price. We do it to ourselves. It does get complicated with the sins of the fathers visited upon the children, and problems we are born with, or things done to us as children.  Nevertheless, our God is a fair God. He does answers our prayers and heals us if we will let him.

For my soul delighteth in plainness

“For my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men. For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding.” (2 Nephi 31:3)

When Christ was on the earth he spake unto us in parables using examples from walks of life we could understand. The gospel of Christ then is so simple even a child can understand it. As we believe, as we have the desires to learn we are taught by the Holy Spirit. The book “Jesus The Christ” written by Talmage is a thick book. When I first opened it, it was so far above me I was lost. I leafed through it until I came to a scripture story I recognized. I started there and read to the end. When I went back to the beginning it was simple to understand. We are all in various stages of learning and experiences.  I’m sure Talmage in all his knowledge and experiences did not realize he started in a tough place for an old Baptist like me. He had to start somewhere and so do we. The Lord wants us to learn about him and to draw near to him both in learning and experiences. Start where you are with a desire to learn and he will open to you his marvelous truths.   

The Mighty God shall deliver his covenant people

“Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered got the terrible shall be delivered for the Mighty God shall deliver his covenant people.For thus sayith the Lord: I will contend with them that contend with thee—.” (2 Nephi 6:17) this is Nephi quoting straight from the book of Isaiah, which they brought with them when they fled Jerusalem.

Who are God’s covenant people? Baptism is a covenant with God and he also says, “None will he destroy that believe in him.” (2 Nephi 6:14)  That’s me and it is probably you otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this. So smile today. God is there for you. Use this wonderful gift of power you have.   

King Benjamin did not set hiself above his people.

“In the book of Mormon days King Benjamin called all his people to gather at the Temple and taught his people. After much speaking the people cried with one voice, Yea we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us: and also we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” (Mosiah 5:2)  

To have no more disposition to do evil?  Wow! What a great achievement?  Don’t you wish you could create that feeling, not only in yourself but in someone else? Maybe a child, your boss, a co-worker, or your neighbor. I want to look at how King Benjamin brought them to this point.

First of all he was a humble man. He did not set himself above his people. He says, I’m like you and subjected to all manner of infirmities in body and mind, and yet, I have been chosen by the people to be your king. I have labored with my own hands to so that you would not be laden with taxes. I didn’t do this to boast, “for I have only been in the service of God.” (Mosiah 5:2) Do you get the feeling that Kind Benjamin loved the people? He did, and more than that he loved the Lord, and the Lord loved the people as well.  

I truly believe that Christ-like Love is always the answer.

There is one God and one Shepherd over all the earth

 “There is one God and one Shepherd over all the earth, and the time cometh that he shall manifest himself unto all nations, both unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles.” (1 Nephi 13:41-42)

Christ is the answer to overcoming all handicaps

Sometimes it is hard to realize that the Old Testament and the New Testament are about the same God. The OT is so negative in dealing with the wickedness of the people.

“Thou shalt not bow down thy self to them, (graven images) …for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me…” (Exodus 20:4) then in the very next verse he says “and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:5)

Wow! Is that ever harsh?

 Then Christ came and talked about “love one another as I have loved you,” (John 15:12) Yet Christ also said some pretty hard things against the Pharisees. My point is that the true and correct words of God are there in the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, other books, magazines, sermons from pastors, missionaries, your neighbor, and all of us. God speaks truth, but it depends on how we feel about ourselves as to how we receive it. The very scripture that speaks peace to me makes another feel condemned. The really sad thing about it is that often is not from fresh mistakes. It is often from the sins of the parents, things that are we are born with or things that happened to us because of our parents who were also affected by their parents.

I have known babies who are born angry. It wasn’t taught to them. They came out of the womb that way because of their DNA.  I truly believe that when we lived in heaven our spirits were pure and holy, but in the process of becoming mortal (human) we received handicaps. As I have many times told my visually impaired son, everybody has handicaps of some kind and they are not always visible on the outside. Some handicaps are hidden deep inside and Christ is the answer to overcoming all of them.