2 Nephi 2:4-5
Spiritual Survival
What
4 And
thus did pass away the ninety and sixth year; and also the ninety and
seventh year; and also the ninety and eighth year; and also the
ninety and ninth year;
5 And
also an hundred years had passed away since the days of aMosiah,
who was king over the people of the Nephites.
Why
At
the time of king Mosiah everyone had repented and become righteous.
In 96 years there were many doing great wickedness. They were coming
closer to the day the Savior would be born.
Pattern
Mosiah
29:46 (46–47)
46
And it came to pass that Mosiah died also,
in the thirty and third year of his reign, being sixty and
three years old; making in the whole, five hundred and nine years
from the time Lehi left Jerusalem.
47 And thus ended the reign of the kings over the people of Nephi; and thus ended the days of Alma, who was the founder of their church.
47 And thus ended the reign of the kings over the people of Nephi; and thus ended the days of Alma, who was the founder of their church.
APOSTASY
A
turning away from the truth by individuals, the Church, or entire
nations.
General apostasy
- Many members of the Church became proud and persecuted other members:Hel. 3:33–34; (Hel. 4:11–13; Hel. 5:2–3; )
- When the Lord prospers his people, they sometimes harden their hearts and forget him:Hel. 12:2;Hel. 13:38;
Apostasy of the early Christian church
Christ
these
two verses are actually counting down the time until Christ's birth.
Conference
By
President Russell M. Nelson President
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
My
dear brothers and sisters, today I would like to discuss a principle
that is key to our spiritual survival. It is a principle that will
only become more important as the tragedies and travesties around us
increase.
These
are the latter days, so none of us should be surprised when we see
prophecy fulfilled. A host of prophets, including Isaiah, Paul,
Nephi, and Mormon, foresaw that perilous times would come,1 that
in our day the whole world would be in commotion,2 that
men would “be lovers of their own selves, … without natural
affection, … lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God,”3 and
that many would become servants of Satan who uphold the adversary’s
work.4 Indeed,
you and I “wrestle … against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, [and] against spiritual wickedness in high places.”5
As
conflicts between nations escalate, as cowardly terrorists prey on
the innocent, and as corruption in everything from business to
government becomes increasingly commonplace, what can help us? What
can help each of us with our personal struggles and with the rigorous
challenge of living in these latter days?
The
prophet Lehi taught a principle for spiritual survival. First,
consider his circumstances: He had been persecuted for preaching
truth in Jerusalem and had been commanded by the Lord to leave his
possessions and flee with his family into the wilderness. He had
lived in a tent and survived on what food could be found on the way
to an unknown destination, and he had watched two of his sons, Laman
and Lemuel, rebel against the teachings of the Lord and attack their
brothers Nephi and Sam.
Clearly,
Lehi knew opposition, anxiety, heartache, pain, disappointment, and
sorrow. Yet he declared boldly and without reservation a principle as
revealed by the Lord: “Men are, that they might have
joy.”6 Imagine!
Of all the words he could have used to describe the nature and
purpose of our lives here in mortality, he chose the word joy!
Life
is filled with detours and dead ends, trials and challenges of every
kind. Each of us has likely had times when distress, anguish, and
despair almost consumed us. Yet we are here to have joy?
Yes!
The answer is a resounding yes! But how is that possible? And what
must we do to claim the joy that Heavenly Father has in store for us?
That’s
it! Saints can be happy under every circumstance. We can feel joy
even while having a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad year!
My
dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the
circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our
lives.
When
the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation, which
President Thomas S. Monson just taught us, and Jesus Christ and
His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not
happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is
the source of all joy. We feel it at Christmastime when we sing, “Joy
to the world, the Lord is come.”9 And
we can feel it all year round. For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is
joy!
Apply
Focus
on the gospel. It will bring joy. The Savior brings joy to our
lives and hope and purpose. We have control over our own thoughts
and attitudes (barring severe mental illness which brings innocence).
A testimony of Jesus Christ will guide us on the path to eternal
joy. Commune with Heavenly Father in prayer and He will guide you in
the very smallest of details in your life and especially in the big
ones. Faith and trust brings joy.
Hymns
Lyrics
- 1. You can make the pathway bright,Fill the soul with heaven's light,If there's sunshine in your heart;Turning darkness into day,As the shadows fly away,If there's sunshine in your heart today.
And his burden you will shareAs you lift his load of care,If there's sunshine in your heart today.4. You can live a happy lifeIn this world of toil and strife,If there's sunshine in your heart;And your soul will glow with loveFrom the perfect Light above,If there's sunshine in your heart today.
8 Finally, be
ye all
of aone mind,
having bcompassion one
of another, love as cbrethren, be dpitiful, be ecourteous:
9 Not arendering bevil for
evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that
ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a cblessing.
10 For
he that will love life, and see good days, let
him arefrain his btongue from
evil, and his lips that they speak no cguile:
12 For
the aeyes of
the Lord are over
the brighteous,
and his ears are
open unto
their cprayers:
but the face of the Lord is against
them that do devil.
Mosiah
2
17 And
behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn awisdom;
that ye may learn that when ye are in the bservice of
your cfellow beings
ye are only in the service of your God.
Children
60
Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam
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