1 Nephi 18:18
The Canker of Contention
What
18 Because
of their grief and much sorrow, and the iniquity of my brethren, they
were brought near even to be carried out of this time to meet their
God; yea, their agrey
hairs were
about to be brought down to lie low in the dust; yea, even they were
near to be cast with sorrow into a watery grave.
Why
Lehi and Sariah
felt they could not bear any more sorrow over their children.
Pattern
Jacob also flelt
this sorrow
Gen.42:38
2: 36 And
Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of
my children: Joseph is not,
and Simeon is not,
and ye will take aBenjamin away: all
these things are against me.
37 And aReuben spake
unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to
thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.
38 And
he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead,
and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which
ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with asorrow to
the grave.
Christ
Russel
M. Nelson
When
Christ did come to the Nephites, He confirmed that prophecy:
“He
that hath the spirit of contention is not of me [saith the Lord], but
is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up
the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.
“Behold,
this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one
against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be
done away.” (3
Ne. 11:29–30.)
Conference
April 1989- Russel
M. Nelson
The Canker of
Contention
To
understand why the Lord has commanded us not to “contend one with
another,” we must know the true source of contention. A Book of
Mormon prophet revealed this important knowledge even before the
birth of Christ:
“Satan
did stir them up to do iniquity continually; yea, he did go about
spreading rumors and contentions upon all the face of the land, that
he might harden the hearts of the people against that which was good
and against that which should come.” (Hel.
16:22.)
“He
that hath the spirit of contention is not of me [saith the Lord], but
is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up
the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.
“Behold,
this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one
against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be
done away.” (3
Ne. 11:29–30.)
“Alma,
having authority from God, … commanded them that there should be no
contention one with another, but that they should look forward with
one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit
together in unity and in love one towards another.” (Mosiah
18:18, 21;
see also Mosiah
23:15.)Steps to Supplant Contention
What can we do to
combat this canker of contention? What steps may each of us take to
supplant the spirit of contention with a spirit of personal peace?...
To begin, show
compassionate concern for others. Control the tongue, the pen, and
the word processor. Whenever tempted to dispute, remember this
proverb: “He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour: but a
man of understanding holdeth his peace.” (Prov.
11:12; see also Prov.
17:28.)...
Bridle the passion
to speak or write contentiously for personal gain or glory. The
Apostle Paul thus counseled the Philippians, “Let nothing be done
through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem
other better than themselves.” (Philip.
2:3.)...
Shun
contention. Seek godliness. Be enlightened by eternal truth. Be
like-minded with the Lord in love and united with Him in faith. Then
shall “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding”
(Philip.
4:7),
be yours, to bless you and your posterity through generations yet to
come. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
April 1899 Gordon
B. Hinckley
Let Love Be the
Loadstar of Your Life
There
are even those among us whose lives are torn with hate. They lash out
at one thing and another, including the Church. They manufacture and
spread vile falsehoods behind which there is not a shred of truth.
There is nothing new about this, except that there have been those in
each generation, including this generation, who appear to be
possessed of a sickness that so manifests itself. In such
circumstances, we draw comfort from the words of the Master: “Blessed
are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say
all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” (Matt.
5:11.)
We
think also of the mandate of modern revelation: “I, the Lord, will
forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all
men.” (D&C
64:10.)
We
think of a public figure who, when driven from office, said: “Those
who hate you don’t win unless you hate them—and then you destroy
yourself.”
Apply
And
the divine voice of revelation speaks: “Therefore, strengthen your
brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your
exhortations, and in all your doings.” (D&C
108:7.)
Contention is
truly a canker and a cancer. It is something that we want to keep
out of our families and our lives. Although Lehi and Sariah were in
a terrible situation that we seldom see, we can appreciate their
circumstances.
For the most part
a kind word and loving, forgiving spirit can reduce the tension and
contention in our lives.
Let us humbly
bridle our passions and follow the advice of our prophets to reach
out in love,
Hymns
336 School thy
Feelings
Prov. 16:32 32 He
that is slow
to aanger is better
than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh
a city.
Children
145 Kindness
Begins With Me
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