Jesus taught, “Therefore all
things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to
them: for this is the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12
This isn’t just about being kind to others; we’re showing God how we want to be
treated. If we want good to come our
way, we need to send out good.
It’s the law of the harvest.
Our words and actions are the seeds we plant. What kind of harvest are we
preparing for? “Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap;
therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward.” D&C
6:33, Mosiah 7:30-31
What are
we choosing?
“. . .
the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or
carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish—good for that which is good;
righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful
for that which is merciful.
“Therefore,
my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge
righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall
ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye
shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment
restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again.
“For
that which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored;
therefore, the word restoration more fully condemneth the sinner, and
justifieth him not at all.” Alma
41:13-15
The Mouse, the Frog, and
the Hawk - Aesop Fables
A Mouse, who had always
lived on the land, and a Frog, who passed most of his time in the water, became
friends.
The Mouse showed the Frog
his nest and everything he could think of that was pleasant to see; and the
Frog invited the Mouse to go home with him and see all the beautiful things
that are under the water.
"Can you swim?"
asked the Frog.
"Not much," said
the Mouse.
"No matter," said
the Frog; "I will tie your foot to my foot with a piece of this strong
grass, and then I can pull you along nicely." The Frog laughed as he said
this. He thought it would be good fun for him, but he well knew that the Mouse
would not enjoy it.
When the Frog had tied the
Mouse's foot to his own, they started together across the meadow. They soon
came to the edge of the water, and the Frog jumped in, pulling the Mouse in
with him.
"Oh, how cool and nice
the water is, after the dry, hot land!" said the Frog, as he swam gaily
about. But the poor Mouse was frightened.
"Please let me
go," said he, "or I shall die."
"Oh, never mind,"
said the unkind Frog; "you will get used to the water. I just love
it."
But soon the poor Mouse was
drowned, and floated up to the top of the water, while the Frog frisked about
down below.
Just then a Hawk saw the
Mouse, and pounced upon it.
As he flew away with it the
Frog was dragged out of the water, too, for he was still tied to the Mouse.
"Stop, stop!"
cried the Frog. "Let me go. It is the Mouse you want."
"Come along," said
the Hawk; "I want you both. I will eat you first, for I like Frog meat
ever better then I do Mouse." In a few moments the Hawk had made a good
supper, and there was nothing left of either the false Frog or the foolish
Mouse.
Do you sorrow seeing the
false Frog eaten by the hawk? What
about the foolish Mouse?
The Devil and his children
are digging the great pit, which is designed to ensnare the people of
the Lord. Can we see the pit? Where is
it? What does it look like? What are we
going to do? Are we going to warn our
family, friends, and neighbors? What if they mock and ridicule us, calling us a
fool? What if they falsely accuse
us? Should we stop sounding the alarm?
“And
that great pit, which hath been digged for them by that great and abominable church,
which was founded by the devil and his children, that he might lead away the
souls of men down to hell—yea, that great pit
which hath been digged for the destruction of men
shall be filled by those who digged it, unto their
utter destruction, saith the Lamb of God; not the destruction of the soul, save
it be the casting of it into that hell which hath no end.” 1 Nephi 14:3
“And
every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned
one against another, and they shall fall into the pit
which they digged to ensnare the people of the
Lord. And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore,
who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable
church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it.” 1 Nephi 22:14
The irony is that the pit is
going to be filled by those who digged it.
How do we know if we are part of this great digging effort? Can we rely
on what men have to say? Have we tied ourselves to a false frog? What is God telling us? Are we awake? Can we see
the awfulness of our situation? Ether 8:24
Has He opened our eyes?
Do we see that we are not
redeemed by the vain conversation received by
the traditions from our fathers? 1 Peter 1:18
What does it mean to be redeemed from the earth? Revelation 14:3
Are we looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great
God and our Saviour Jesus Christ? Why did he give himself for us? Have we been
redeemed from all iniquity? Have we been purified unto Him a peculiar people,
zealous of good works? Titus 2:13-14
“For behold, justice
exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved.” Alma 42:24
What does it mean to be truly penitent?
Why are the penitent the only ones who are saved? Doesn’t God love all his
children?
Could the great pit be, not
knowing what God truly expects of us?
Have we come before Him with a broken heart and contrite spirit? Have we
been baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost? 3 Nephi 9:20
Have we been redeemed from the fall and brought back into the Lord’s presence? Ether 3:13
Jesus asks both the Gentiles
and the house of Israel to call upon the Father in his name. Great things have
been withheld from both groups because of unbelief. He's asking us to rend the veil of unbelief, which doth
cause us to remain in our awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and
blindness of mind. What great things await those who come with a broken
heart and a contrite spirit? Would you like to
receive marvelous things, which have been hid up from the
foundation of the world? What is God asking you to do? Ether
4:13-15
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