Tag: King Benjamin

Ye Are Indebted unto Him

~ Richard Rowley

King Benjamin teaches of our reliance on God for everything we have.

“…In the first place he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him. And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast? And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves: I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you.” (Mosiah 2:23-25)

Questions:

-How does God see our indebtedness to Him? As a perfect Being with perfect love for His children, would he ever use the indebtedness for anything other than a means for good?

-Is it possible to allow God to lift you to your full potential if you don’t recognize your indebtedness to Him?

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?

When Ye Are in the Service of Your Fellow Beings Ye Are Only in the Service of Your God

~ Richard Rowley

While teaching the Nephite people, Benjamin, a prophet king, recounts the service-oriented nature of his reign and the relationship between serving others and serving God.

“I…have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne—and all of these things which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day. Yet, my brethren, I have not done these things that I might boast, neither do I tell these things that thereby I might accuse you; but I tell you these things that ye may know that I can answer a clear conscience before God this day.” (Mosiah 2:14-15)

“Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God. And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” (Mosiah 2:16-17)

Questions:

-If God has perfect and abiding love for His children, what better way is there to show love to Him than to serve His children (our fellow beings here on the Earth)?

Offer Your Whole Soul as an Offering unto Him

~ Richard Rowley

In his old age, before giving the Gold Plates to King Benjamin, Almaleki used the plates to engrave precious keys to obtaining salvation. Joseph Smith translated the engravings as follows:

“…Come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.” (Omni 1:26)

Questions:

-What does it mean to offer your whole soul to Christ?

-How important is our own effort is Christ’s eyes, given that the prophets testify of the importance of enduring to the end after partaking of Christ’s salvation?