Moroni saw me daily
After watching the video above, what do you think? Have you ever had an experience where you wanted to do one thing for whatever the reason, but God was telling you to do something else. More relatable to some: Have you ever felt like you know the thing you should do but fear or embarrassment gripped you away from doing it? It happens. Moroni Perspective In his farewell address to the modern era, all of those who have and will read this book, Moroni affirms that "nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is. And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever." [Moroni 10:6-7] Just as God gave a command for the faithful followers of Christ to heal or to bless, to serve or to preach, He can give it to us to minister to our brothers and sisters. Fear is not of God. Embarrassment at the word of God is of a dark source. "And again," Moroni pleads, "I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them." [Moroni 10:8] If it is good and persuades to believe in Christ, it is of God Moroni wants us to understand that God gives good gifts to His children as Jesus taught. What has Moroni seen in you? Serving as a missionary in the South Africa Cape Town Mission, I spoke to many men and women who spoke English as a second or third language. Xhosa was the major language of the majority of the people I encounter in the missionary field, and I could not speak the language well enough to discuss the gospel with the passion it creates in me. When it came to speaking about the act of repentance, a wise missionary told me that the meaning of repentance is to change. Inguquko is the equivalent word in Xhosa, but I am glad that I focused on the word Change. God does not want us to change from being individuals, but from being full of, influenced by, and encumbered in sin from thoughts, words, and action= CHANGE! President Russel M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in the April 2019 General Conference, "The word for repentance in the Greek New Testament is metanoeo. The prefix meta- means “change.” The suffix -noeo is related to Greek words that mean “mind,” “knowledge,” “spirit,” and “breath.” Thus, when Jesus asks you and me to “repent,” He is inviting us to change our mind, our knowledge, our spirit—even the way we breathe. He is asking us to change the way we love, think, serve, spend our time, treat our wives, teach our children, and even care for our bodies. Nothing is more liberating, more ennobling, or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular, daily focus on repentance. Repentance is not an event; it is a process. It is the key to happiness and peace of mind. When coupled with faith, repentance opens our access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ." [We Can Do Better and Be Better By President Russell M. Nelson] Repentance means more than apologizing for wrongs we commit or omit in our daily walk, but also change into a better version of ourselves. Little by little we leave the old self behind through small changes we make on a daily basis. Jesus Christ commands, "Be ye therefor Perfect..." Matthew 5:48. He did not say that perfection would come immediately. The tool to obtain perfection is repentance made possible by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Moroni Perspective In his farewell engraving on the Golden Plates that became the modern Book of Mormon, Moroni leaves his testimony and admonishment saying, "come unto Christ, and be perfected in him..." How are we to be perfected in him? Moroni continues with the answer, "deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ." Moroni 10:32 What has Moroni seen of you? There comes a point in life where it seems that the most extraordinary things in it no longer hold that shine. You know... the shine that comes from the next big thing that could happen? You know that one? The possibility of a new adventure over the horizion? That one. Life has lost its shine after so many years of hoping and failing and hoping and failing. It is not that that life is not something still full of hope. No. The shine is gone because all the failure has eaten away at the hope without having the hope replenished because time has a way of wearing people down into what most people call reality. "If you haven't made it by now, you will not make it," comes the well meaning advice of some. "You are too old to be going through this struggle," comes the chastisement of others. "When are you going to wise up and grow up," questions the voice inside. Depression and despair takes the lives of many people. No, not necessarily physically. Dreams die because people let "reality" kill them. Not accomplishing a goal planned before a certain age can cause misery and stagnation in life if the failure is allowed to fester. Moroni Perspective Elizabeth and Zacharias wanted to have a child, but made it to old age before the Lord blessed them with John. Zacharias received word from an angel of God that he and his wife would have a son who would prepare the way before the coming of the Messiah in their old age! As a sign to Zacharias who doubted because of their old age, he could not speak until John was born. Zacharias and Elisabeth surely did what they needed to bring to pass this marvelous thing in their lives to have a child and did not sit around waiting for another visit from an angel to encourage them. They waited many years past the age where child bearing was thought possible with no luck in having a child. Then came John. Do not give up on a righteous dream because too much time may have passed for it to come true. If it is God's will, and we have faith enough to hope, it can still become a reality. "I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." We must have the faith, Moroni instructs, to hope that God will see us through to meet our righteous goals. That means it may take time and resources that seem impossible right now. Let the trial or test of our faith in that good thing not diminish. Following that test, as with Zacharias and Elisabeth's faith, will come the reward. What has Moroni seen of you? |
Rodric AnthonyWriter of the Book Moroni Saw Me and Father of Seven. Archives
November 2021
|