2 Nephi 26:12-22
26:15-16 - I'm not really strong in the prophesies, so I'm going to go with what I understand because I started trying to get into the other verses and I really just go into scripture recitation. The IM discusses verses 15 and 16 as "their speech shall whisper out of the dust." This is a very metaphorical statement. Clearly, no one is literally laying in the dirt talking, but it's implied that those who have died lay low in the earth, and that their words speak to those who are alive. It also talks about "and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit." This is a very bizarre saying in our day here, and honestly I thought that it meant witchcraft, but the IM defines it as "the spirit of a dead person" and explains that even though it's odd sounding today "in the past it commonly conveyed the sense that departed ones can have influence beyond the grave into this life." It even points out that these whisperings were brought forth "through the pages of the Book of Mormon, which Joseph Smith literally took 'out of the ground.'"
26:19-21 - Previously in 1st Nephi during one of Nephi's visions, he saw that the Gentiles were blessed of the Lord because they humbled themselves before him, and that the Lord would smite the seed of Nephi and his brothers "by the hand of the gentiles." But here in verse 20 the Gentiles have regressed in their righteousness and have become "lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling blocks." And I believe that he is talking about our day, and I don't mean "the last days," I mean our day specifically, our generation, from 50 years old and younger, with exceptions in both directions. Are we a humble and meek people? No. Is there anything about us that can even be hinted at as not prideful? Is there a perception of Americans, especially the younger ones, world wide as "ugly Americans?" Do we not except everyone else in the world to speak English and trade with the dollar? Don't we believe that everyone else in the world should be grateful for the gracious gifts of money and food that we give them? Don't we take it upon ourselves to be the world's police, making the rules up as we go? We see this cycle again and again in the scriptures and even our own history, humility leads to blessings, blessings lead to prosperity, prosperity leads to pride, and pride leads to downfall, and downfall leads to humility. We just can't help ourselves, and the Lord never desires a downfall of his people, so he send prophets and scriptures to warn us to quit acting a fool, but we don't listen. And for so long we have been blessed and now we are at a sense of pride, entitlement, a sense of "I want it now and I deserve it." We should be ashamed of ourselves. I know that I act that way more often than I would like to recognize, but I do it, and I try to catch myself, but when I don't I feel like a jerk afterwards. Have we not absolutely become a society that tries to "get gain and grind upon the face of the poor?" Tell me, when was the last time you bought a car and got completely screwed over by a multi million dollar company? When was the last time you saw an elderly person working at Walmart and didn't even speak to them? What do you think when you drive past a homeless man holding a sign? Tell me, how many Fortune 500 companies spend time building up other nations and making sure that their third world factory employees have enough to eat? Do they spend more time focusing on how their work can benefit others? Or are they worried about stock prices? I know that most of us have little influence over the attitude of big companies, but can't we now adopt a philosophy now, in our own hearts, of equality, of the concept that we are all human beings? There are so many different things that we can do everyday in our own lives that don't require lots of time, that are free, that we can do to improve the world around us, so that we will not be guilty of "grind(ing) upon the face of the poor." I can't imagine anything more horrifying than to one day realize that my good fortune was only possible because I made someone else's life worse. And really, does the Lord not command the whole universe? Wouldn't it be possible for him to be pleased with our efforts to love one another enough to rain money out of heaven? Why do we feel like we have any right to treat other people poorly? I'm talking about myself here too, by the way, I am not perfect at this, not even close, I make a fool out of myself pretty regularly because I get into a snit, but I've made an active effort to live in a way where I can look in the mirror and say that I did my best. I came upon the concept of rethinking the way that I treat others by accident several years ago by a book called "Leadership and Self-Deception" by the Arbinger Institute. It was amazing, it changed my life and how I treat people and how I view them. This company and the various different books and authors that they have are amazing, truly life changing, if you'll let it. Sorry, that was a tangent I hadn't planned on going on. I guess I should disclaim here that I have a great job, I live in a nice house, I have clothes to wear, and I have food to eat. I'm blessed beyond measure so I totally see the irony of me sitting on my soapbox and telling everyone else how wrong it is to act stupid because they have money. I get it, I try so very hard to not be a jerk about where I am in life because I know that it was God who gave me all that I have and I know that at any moment if he chooses to he can take it all away, just like he did to Job. But I see so many people mistreated or belittled because they don't have as much money as others or their clothes aren't as nice or they can't go to a good school, and it's heart breaking to me. Anyway, the IM continues talking about "many churches built up which cause envyings, and strife, and malice" and that "put down the power and miracles of God." I feel that there is nothing better to distract from the truth than jealousy and animosity. Where I live, people don't really like Mormons, it's honestly a four letter word, and usually the people who don't like them believe themselves to be Christians. It's sad really, I try so hard to be respectful, even though there are many times that I feel that someone is dead wrong, like I heard the other day in the talk "We Follow Jesus Christ" Elder Quentin L. Cook teaches that "how we disagree is a real measure of who we are and whether we truly follow the Savior." We can disagree on doctrinal points, but we are taught again that "the spirit of contention is of the devil." If we can only deal contentiously with each other, then of course no real truth can be revealed, discussed or shared, so the truth is buried underneath hurt feelings and anger, and it cannot survive or grow there.
26:22 - The IM talks about the "flaxen cords" by quoting Elder Carlos E. Asay "the first wrongdoing is like a single strand of flaxen thread; it is easily broken and thrown aside. But each time the wrong is repeated another strand is intertwined around the first, and on and on it goes until an almost unbreakable cord of multi-strands is woven." There is so much that goes into this, the concept of addiction. There is also a quote in the IM by Samuel Johnson "The chains of habit are too small to be felt unto the are too strong to be broken." And I considered this in my own life with my poor health choices, and honestly if I look deeper, there are many deeply ingrained issues that I have that have been borne of habit. And the Lord is the ultimate breaker of these habits, but it takes a lot of effort on our part. There is a saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," likewise it is so very critical that we not even entertain ideas or behaviors that is warned against by the prophets, because it almost always becomes such a slippery slope. Like today at the park I was walking down an incline, and I knew better but I did it and it was going well until I slipped and fell and now I have a bruise on my butt. We can think that we've got it, that everything is going fine until it becomes to much, we are thrown off balance and we end up falling down, spiritually bruised.
26:19-21 - Previously in 1st Nephi during one of Nephi's visions, he saw that the Gentiles were blessed of the Lord because they humbled themselves before him, and that the Lord would smite the seed of Nephi and his brothers "by the hand of the gentiles." But here in verse 20 the Gentiles have regressed in their righteousness and have become "lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling blocks." And I believe that he is talking about our day, and I don't mean "the last days," I mean our day specifically, our generation, from 50 years old and younger, with exceptions in both directions. Are we a humble and meek people? No. Is there anything about us that can even be hinted at as not prideful? Is there a perception of Americans, especially the younger ones, world wide as "ugly Americans?" Do we not except everyone else in the world to speak English and trade with the dollar? Don't we believe that everyone else in the world should be grateful for the gracious gifts of money and food that we give them? Don't we take it upon ourselves to be the world's police, making the rules up as we go? We see this cycle again and again in the scriptures and even our own history, humility leads to blessings, blessings lead to prosperity, prosperity leads to pride, and pride leads to downfall, and downfall leads to humility. We just can't help ourselves, and the Lord never desires a downfall of his people, so he send prophets and scriptures to warn us to quit acting a fool, but we don't listen. And for so long we have been blessed and now we are at a sense of pride, entitlement, a sense of "I want it now and I deserve it." We should be ashamed of ourselves. I know that I act that way more often than I would like to recognize, but I do it, and I try to catch myself, but when I don't I feel like a jerk afterwards. Have we not absolutely become a society that tries to "get gain and grind upon the face of the poor?" Tell me, when was the last time you bought a car and got completely screwed over by a multi million dollar company? When was the last time you saw an elderly person working at Walmart and didn't even speak to them? What do you think when you drive past a homeless man holding a sign? Tell me, how many Fortune 500 companies spend time building up other nations and making sure that their third world factory employees have enough to eat? Do they spend more time focusing on how their work can benefit others? Or are they worried about stock prices? I know that most of us have little influence over the attitude of big companies, but can't we now adopt a philosophy now, in our own hearts, of equality, of the concept that we are all human beings? There are so many different things that we can do everyday in our own lives that don't require lots of time, that are free, that we can do to improve the world around us, so that we will not be guilty of "grind(ing) upon the face of the poor." I can't imagine anything more horrifying than to one day realize that my good fortune was only possible because I made someone else's life worse. And really, does the Lord not command the whole universe? Wouldn't it be possible for him to be pleased with our efforts to love one another enough to rain money out of heaven? Why do we feel like we have any right to treat other people poorly? I'm talking about myself here too, by the way, I am not perfect at this, not even close, I make a fool out of myself pretty regularly because I get into a snit, but I've made an active effort to live in a way where I can look in the mirror and say that I did my best. I came upon the concept of rethinking the way that I treat others by accident several years ago by a book called "Leadership and Self-Deception" by the Arbinger Institute. It was amazing, it changed my life and how I treat people and how I view them. This company and the various different books and authors that they have are amazing, truly life changing, if you'll let it. Sorry, that was a tangent I hadn't planned on going on. I guess I should disclaim here that I have a great job, I live in a nice house, I have clothes to wear, and I have food to eat. I'm blessed beyond measure so I totally see the irony of me sitting on my soapbox and telling everyone else how wrong it is to act stupid because they have money. I get it, I try so very hard to not be a jerk about where I am in life because I know that it was God who gave me all that I have and I know that at any moment if he chooses to he can take it all away, just like he did to Job. But I see so many people mistreated or belittled because they don't have as much money as others or their clothes aren't as nice or they can't go to a good school, and it's heart breaking to me. Anyway, the IM continues talking about "many churches built up which cause envyings, and strife, and malice" and that "put down the power and miracles of God." I feel that there is nothing better to distract from the truth than jealousy and animosity. Where I live, people don't really like Mormons, it's honestly a four letter word, and usually the people who don't like them believe themselves to be Christians. It's sad really, I try so hard to be respectful, even though there are many times that I feel that someone is dead wrong, like I heard the other day in the talk "We Follow Jesus Christ" Elder Quentin L. Cook teaches that "how we disagree is a real measure of who we are and whether we truly follow the Savior." We can disagree on doctrinal points, but we are taught again that "the spirit of contention is of the devil." If we can only deal contentiously with each other, then of course no real truth can be revealed, discussed or shared, so the truth is buried underneath hurt feelings and anger, and it cannot survive or grow there.
26:22 - The IM talks about the "flaxen cords" by quoting Elder Carlos E. Asay "the first wrongdoing is like a single strand of flaxen thread; it is easily broken and thrown aside. But each time the wrong is repeated another strand is intertwined around the first, and on and on it goes until an almost unbreakable cord of multi-strands is woven." There is so much that goes into this, the concept of addiction. There is also a quote in the IM by Samuel Johnson "The chains of habit are too small to be felt unto the are too strong to be broken." And I considered this in my own life with my poor health choices, and honestly if I look deeper, there are many deeply ingrained issues that I have that have been borne of habit. And the Lord is the ultimate breaker of these habits, but it takes a lot of effort on our part. There is a saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," likewise it is so very critical that we not even entertain ideas or behaviors that is warned against by the prophets, because it almost always becomes such a slippery slope. Like today at the park I was walking down an incline, and I knew better but I did it and it was going well until I slipped and fell and now I have a bruise on my butt. We can think that we've got it, that everything is going fine until it becomes to much, we are thrown off balance and we end up falling down, spiritually bruised.
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