Tag: God

O How You Ought to Thank Your Heavenly King!

~ Richard Rowley

King Benjamin seeks to wake those who take God’s blessings for granted. The prophet-king testifies that everything good we have comes from God.

“…O how you ought to thank your heavenly King! I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you; and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.” (Mosiah 2:19-21)

Questions:

-Do you consider yourself a creation of God? Or, do you believe you are a creation of chance?

-Does the Spirit testify to your heart that God is sustaining you from moment to moment?

Harden Not Your Hearts

~ Richard Rowley

Jacob addresses the urgency of turning to God and embracing His will now, during mortality, rather than letting the precious opportunity pass by and fade away.

“…My beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of day, harden not your hearts. Yea, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts; for why will ye die?” (Jacob 6:5-6)

Questions:

-Why does Jacob compare our present condition (mortality) to the light of day?

-How is God holding fast, in loyalty and love, to His children on the earth (even when they are not reciprocating)?

-Why do some harden their hearts against God’s outstretched hands?

Earth Was Created by the Power of God’s Word

~ Richard Rowley

The Book of Mormon testifies (through the teachings of the prophet Jacob) that God created the earth and the life upon it by the power of His word.

“…By the power of his word man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the power of his word.” (Jacob 4:9)

Questions:

-How many see the earth and the life on it as a creation of God?

-Does the fact that it is a fallen creation (including the people of the earth) cause some to feel that God is distant or doesn’t exist?

Latter-day Prophets, Seers, and Revelators:

“Think of our physical sustenance. It is truly heaven-sent. The necessities of air, food, and water all come to us as gifts from a loving Heavenly Father. The earth was created to support our brief sojourn in mortality. We were born with a capacity to grow, love, marry, and form families.

Marriage and family are ordained of God. The family is the most important social unit in time and in eternity. Under God’s great plan of happiness, families can be sealed in temples and be prepared to return to dwell in His holy presence forever. That is eternal life! It fulfills the deepest longings of the human soul—the natural yearning for endless association with beloved members of one’s family.” (Russell M. Nelson, “Thanks Be to God”)

No Man Knoweth of God’s Ways Save It Be Revealed unto Him

~ Richard Rowley

Jacob teaches that revelation is essential to begin to understand God’s ways.

“Behold, great and marvelous are the works of the Lord. How unsearchable are the depths of the mysteries of him; and it is impossible that man should find out all his ways. And no man knoweth of his ways save it be revealed unto him; wherefore, brethren, despise not the revelations of God.” (Jacob 4:8)

Questions:

-How much false belief about God has come into being through the ages due to men and women relying on their intellect more than on revelation from God himself?

-Based on Jacob’s teachings, is a lifetime long enough to understand God intellectually?

-Can the Holy Spirit testify to one’s heart what one’s mind cannot yet understand (so it is possible to develop a meaningful relationship with God within a lifetime)?

-If someone despises the idea of receiving divine revelation, how likely is he or she to gain an understanding of who God really is?

Look unto God with Firmness of Mind and Pray with Exceeding Faith

~ Richard Rowley

The prophet Jacob describes the power that comes to those who are pure in heart, look to God with firmness of mind, and pray with exceeding faith:

“…I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction. O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.” (Jacob 3:1)

Questions:

-What does it mean to be pure in heart? How can one obtain purity of heart?

-Do some expect remarkable blessings without looking to God with firmness of mind and without praying with exceeding faith?

-Do some keep their head bowed stubbornly in sorrow rather than receiving the pleasing word of God and rejoicing in the power of His love?

The One Being Is as Precious in His Sight as the Other

~ Richard Rowley

Jacob teaches that those who have treated others poorly—due to a misguided mindset where wealth and achievement are evidence of being superior to others—are acting sinfully in God’s sight. He then provides the reason why this is so.

“…The one being is as precious in his sight as the other. And all flesh is of the dust; and for the selfsame end hath he created them, that they should keep his commandments and glorify him forever.” (Jacob 2:21)

Questions:

-How many treat others in a way that is consistent with the truth that every person is equally precious in God’s sight?

-What kind of spiritual power comes into a person’s life when they consistently repent to the standard of thought and conduct provided by this verse?

-Do you believe that the highest path in life (and the greatest source of joy and peace) is to glorify God?

With One Glance of His Eye He Can Smite You to the Dust

~ Richard Rowley

When addressing the unrighteous pride and persecution of others that the Nephites were beginning to take part in, Jacob tries to help them understand their true position in relation to God. In so doing, Jacob declares the following.

“O that he would show you that he can pierce you, and with one glance of his eye he can smite you to the dust! O that he would rid you from this iniquity and abomination. And, that ye would listen unto the word of his commands, and let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls!” (Jacob 2:15).

Questions:

-How many believe in a Being this powerful—one that could (if He wasn’t as patient as He is) obliterate humanity with the glace of His eye?

-Do you believe God has eyes to glance with? Or, do you believe He is without body parts, passions, etc.

Tender, Chaste, and Delicate Feelings Are Pleasing unto God

~ Richard Rowley

Before dying, Nephi instructed his younger brother Jacob to continue the sacred record he had begun. Jacob was also called to be a spiritual leader and recorded his teachings to the Nephites at a time when they were beginning to fall prey to wickedness. At the beginning of his speech, he regrets needing to clearly address the sins of some of the people—whose hearts were hardening—in the presence of many of the people whose delicate feelings would be troubled. He concludes his thought by specifically declaring the truth that tender, chaste and delicate feelings are pleasing to God.

“…It grieveth me that I must use so much boldness of speech concerning you, before your wives and your children, many of whose feelings are exceedingly tender and chaste and delicate before God, which thing is pleasing unto God.” (Jacob 2:7)

Questions:

-Why are delicate feelings pleasing to God?

-Does the callousness of the fallen world tend to break down tender and delicate feelings if one is not vigilant? How does the Spirit of God help one maintain a tender heart despite experiencing environments in the fallen world that can often be cruel and insensitive?

-How is chastity tied to maintaining a tender heart that is capable of delicate feeling?

-Did the Father send the Lamb with the most tender heart (capable of the most delicate feeling) to work out the Atonement for His children? Was Christ’s infinite ability to feel and care a key aspect of His ability to complete His mission as our Savior?

I Speak unto You as the Voice of One Crying from the Dust

~ Richard Rowley

As the prophet Nephi records his final words he testifies in no uncertain terms that he has been commanded by God to write all that he has written.

“And now, my beloved brethren, all those who are of the house of Israel, and all ye ends of the earth, I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from the dust: Farewell until that great day shall come. And you that will not partake of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my words, and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God, behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last day. For what I seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen.” (2 Nephi 33:13-15)

Questions:

-What does it mean to partake of the goodness of God?

-What would prevent a person from partaking of the goodness of God?

-What does it mean to respect the words of the Jews, Nephi’s words, and the words of the Lamb of God?

-How many in the world have had a prolonged enough exposure to the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and other scripture to make a meaningful decision about the respect they have for them?

-Is the condemnation Nephi refers to reserved for those who have a witness from the Holy Ghost that these scriptures are of God and then still reject them?