Today while reading, I found something new that I have missed before. I love it when that happens. It witnesses to my soul that personal revelation is real. And confirms the truth that I know in my heart that studying the scriptures is one of the best ways to receive revelation.
This time I was reading the familiar story of the Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s and their buried weapon. It is a story of true repentance and an example of what it is to be truly changed and converted. I find it a powerful story that inspires me to be better whenever I read it or hear it discussed. I marvel at being so committed that you lay down and suffer death, rather than think about the injustices being carried out upon you. Yet, as you read the King speech, I can almost feel what their hearts must have felt and my desire to have that same desire grows.
First I noticed that the King reminds the people of the things they are thankful for, the events that have occurred in their lives, thus changing their hearts. He reminds them of the goodness of God in sending the missionaries to teach them the gospel and to show them how the traditions of their fathers has kept them from knowing the truth. He reminds them of the generosity of God in sending a portion of the Holy Ghost that softened their hearts so that they could hear the message of truth being taught. He reminds the of the mercy of God that he would grant them the opportunity to repent and the love of God that He would forgive such heinous sins against Him. And lastly, He reminds them of the miracle of the Atonement that allows the guilt of those sins to be taken away. So much to be grateful for—things so precious that can never be repaid. He then makes the point by describing and repeating three times that their repentance was hard—that it took ALL they could do to get their stains washed clean. That is what I have missed before. Just how hard I must work to repent so that the Atonement can wash my sins away. That hard work is what inspires them to bury their weapons. If they gave all they had before, how will they repent? There is nothing left if you have given your all. Would they be able to be clean again? The answer is: the risk is just too great. The sin is not worth giving up all they worked for. So, they bury their weapons, making it impossible to make that mistake again.
Forsake the sin. After you feel sorrow and confess, you forsake. They gave their lives to forsaking .
They loved God so deeply--their gratitude to Him was so profound--their repentance so true--their change so complete—that giving up their mortal life to keep clean was not even a question.
And as a result of sacrifice many more souls were saved-- from those who saw their sacrifice and then the generation that they parented. Can my heart be so true?
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