Two Paths, Two Choices

3 Nephi Chapters 5-6 are rich with missionary work, true repentance and ultimate conversion. Sadly, however as the people begin to be righteous and to prosper in chapter 6, we read, "And now there was nothing in all the land to hinder the people from prospering continually, except they should fall into transgression" (3 Nephi 6:5). And fall into transgression they did... within a year, some people began to be prideful because of their wealth "even unto great persecutions" (3 Nephi 6:10). Eventually, the church was broken up because of riches and class distinctions, except for "a few of the Lamanites who were converted to the true faith; and they would not depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord" (3 Nephi 6:14).

And then in verse 15, we find out the reasons for the iniquities and problems,

"Now the cause of this iniquity of the people was this -- Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world."

And this, friends, is the clencher: "Now they did not sin ignorantly, for they KNEW the will of God concerning them, for it had been brought unto them; therefore they did willfully rebel against God" (3 Nephi 6:18). They knew that they were going against God's will for them. How many of us do the same?



We have a choice to make: we can either allow constant advertisement of Satan's temptations to influence us and follow down that path of iniquity (which ultimately leads to unhappiness), or we can follow the soft-spoken voice of our Heavenly Father and Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Satan wraps his empty promises in a huge package with lots of bows and ribbons. Satan's package is empty: He wants us to spend eternity in misery with him. Satan seeks to take away our agency and choice.

While on the other hand, Heavenly Father will NEVER take away our choices. His package appears to be subtle and humble, but it contains the greatest gift of all: the opportunity of eternal life spent with our Father in Heaven and our family and friends.

So, which path will YOU follow? There are only two choices.

Obeying God's Commands

In the beginning of 3rd Nephi, we find the land and people in a frightened state. The Gadianton robbers (a group of plundering, murdering thieves) has begun to take over the land and the righteous Nephites and Lamanites fear that nowhere is safe from these murderers who were coming against them in open war and rebellion.

Rather than continuing to fear, the Nephites (including Lamanites turned Nephites) called Gidgiddoni as their chief captain, "someone that had the spirit of revelation and also prophecy" (3 Nephi 3:19). Because the Nephites had repented and were strong in the gospel, they recognized it was important to be led by a righteous man who called upon God for strength and guidance. They had faith that God would lead this righteous man and, as a result, them.



Some of the people asked Gidgiddoni to pray unto the Lord to protect as they rashly went up into the mountain to fight against the Gadianton robbers. Understanding that at this point, they would die if they went to fight against the Gadianton robbers, he said that they needed to prepare themselves first. And they did. They listened to Gidgiddoni as he told them to all gather in the center of the land with their flocks and all of their sustenance. They fortified and strengthened themselves physically and spiritually (through repentance, faith, and prayer).

I do not think it was easy for them to do this. I'm sure it was not easy to move everyone to one place and to leave your homes, not knowing if you would ever return. But, the people had faith and it won them the war. Because they had the Lord on their side, they won the war against the Gadianton robbers and were able to erase them entirely from their lands and people (for a time).

Moral of the story: It is not always easy to obey Heavenly Father and his commands. Sometimes we don't even know why we're told to do something (just like the Nephites), but we know that we should do it. If we have faith and prepare ourselves in every way possible, Heavenly Father will use our obedience to open doors for us. He will teach us lessons, He will help our faith to grow beyond what we thought we were capable of.

The Impact We Have

In our own way, we all impact those around us. Sometimes people will tell us what something we said or did meant to them. And sometimes we will never know the impact we had on a life. That doesn't mean that we should get discouraged or give up. You never know what you've done to help someone else.



I bring this up courtesy of Samuel, the Lamanite. He is a good example to us of doing what Heavenly Father asked of him, without knowing what the effect of his actions would be. Samuel was told to preach to the Nephites, even though it could cost him his life (they were very angry at him for preaching to them and were seeking to kill him as a consequence). Although it was difficult, he did so and was protected. As soon as he was finished preaching, the scripture says that he got off the wall, walked out of the land, and "He was never heard of more among the Nephites" (Helaman 16:8). Samuel did what he was asked to do and never was able to see the fruit of his labors. He converted many people unto the gospel of Jesus Christ. Chapters later in 3rd Nephi, Samuel, the Lamanit is mentioned again when the prophecies he made came to pass. The people remembered Samuel and his preachings. He had an impact on the people, even though he was never aware of the impact he had.

Has that happened to us? Have we helped someone without even knowing it? Or, have we been helping without letting that person know what he/she has done for us?

I want to strive to help those around me a little more, to be a little bit more Christlike in my actions. I also want to remember to say thank you to those who have helped me, even in small ways. Showing gratitude helps people to know the impact that they have had in our lives.

Lessons Learned from the Lamanites

Generally, when the term "Lamanites" is mentioned, I am apt to think of a wild, ferocious, and a wicked people. However, in the end of the book of Helaman Samuel, the Lamanite, proves me wrong in that regard and reminds us all that repentance is possible for anyone, if we truly believe.

As Samuel continues his preaching from the wall, he reminds the Nephites (and us all) of the reason why Heavenly Father chastens us: because He loves us and wants us to return to Him.

And then Samuel reminds us of the true nature of the gospel and the true nature of the God we love. Samuel tells us of the repentance and CHANGE of the Lamanites and how, through true conversion, they have changed their lives and their ways. It's amazing to hear how much the gospel has changed the lives of the Lamanites and their families. These Lamanites had such a strong testimony that they had such an aversion to sin (like their predecessors) that they'd rather die than to go to war against anyone again.

Of their righteousness, Samuel said, "And now, because of their steadfastness when they do believe... for because of their firmness when they are once enlightened, behold, the Lord shall bless them and prolong their days, notwithstanding their iniquity" (Helaman 15:10).

After church on Sunday I began writing about my gratitude for the gospel and for the opportunity I have to go to church. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ has changed my life for the better. I hope that I can remain true and steadfast, that I can repent as the Lamanites repented, with true conversion and with a true desire to change for the better.

Strength as Samuel the Lamanite

The nature of man is interesting to me. Sometimes we are so slow to forget our own convictions! This is seen time and again in The Book of Mormon, specifically throughout the book of Helaman. The people are chastened, they are humbled, the repent, begin to prosper again, again are prideful and forget their conversion. This cycle repeats itself so often that it's hard to keep track of how many times the Nephites adhere to the gospel and then stop because of temptation.

Enter Samuel the Lamanite. Because of the preaching of Lehi and Nephi many Lamanites (including Samuel) was converted. Once he was converted and saw the wickedness of the Nephites, he was told that he should preach to them. After trying once and being thrown out of the city, he was set on leaving and going to another place to preach. However, we felt strongly what he needed to say and that it needed to be said to the people of this city. So he got on top of the city wall and preached to the people according to what the Lord told him.

Imagining the difficulty of Samuel in this situation is crucial to seeing how hard it sometimes can be to DO what we are told to do. It is not always easy to stay strong. It is not easy to maintain a close, real relationship with our Father in Heaven. Choosing to sacrifice rather than to indulge selfishly can be very difficult. But, Heavenly Father will bless us and does bless us as we are trying to do what he asks us to do.

We will be tempted and we won't be perfect, but as long as we keep our resolve to do what we've been asked to do, we can overcome and make the best of our circumstances and lives. The gospel of Jesus Christ is about repentance, meaning positive change. It is about the love of a Savior who died so that we can have the opportunity to repent and a Father in Heaven who provided and allowed that sacrifice for us. We can and must take strength in that sacrifice and that Godly love.

Humility Brings Blessings

Recently I've been thinking about pride. My own pride and the hindrance it brings upon me and my relationships with others. I know that we all have pride in some form. I also know that we have the ability to better ourselves. I really am striving to stop being prideful towards others and to begin improving myself. I know that I can do this as I humble myself and seek to put Heavenly Father first in my life.

Having said that, a big reason why pride has been on my mind relates to the scriptures. The "pride cycle" is continually recurring in the part of The Book of Mormon I'm reading. For those of you who don't know, the pride cycle basically consists of prospering, then having pride (in many forms... forgetting God, giving credit to yourself for blessings given from God, etc.), being chastened, becoming humble (once again searching for God and recognizing his hand in your life), and then once again prospering. The cycle usually repeats time and again.

Helaman chapter 4, is a perfect example of the pride cycle. The Nephites forget God, become prideful and contentious, are chastened (through a war with the Lamanites), and then repent and humble themselves because of their loss and hardships. Verse 13 is the culmination of the pride cycle: "And because of this their great wickedness, and their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten..." Once they realize their hardships and see that the prophecies given by former prophets are now coming to pass, the people decide to repent and to change their ways.

Through this experience, the Nephites realized that when they allowed pride to enter in to their hearts, they "had become weak... the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them" (Helaman 4:24). I have felt this way before. Although my own pride has never led me to the extent of the Nephites' wickedness, it has had an effect on my life. It also has kept me from having the Spirit as my guide, similar to the Nephites.

All of this serves as a reminder to me that I need to be better about keeping myself in check. Rather than being compelled to be humble because of my circumstances, I should become humble because I want to be closer to God. I know that if I am humbly trying to serve God and am keeping him as a BIG priority in my life, I will be blessed.