Mosiah 12:18-37
Read online here
I LOVE ABINADI! He is standing in court in front of the king a priests, who smugly think they can catch him in a trap of words. They ask him one question (albeit a very long question--5 verses long) and he goes on for four and a half chapters. He doesn't even give them time to breathe! Boom, there it is!
I started reading this and couldn't stop until his speech was over. It was, and still is, amazing. The words he spoke, the passion that seeps through even 2100 years later. His understanding of the scriptures and prophecies, his testimony, his love for the Savior--his words are so passionate and so rich I couldn't stop reading.
Among his first words to the priests, he says, "Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding." Abinadi knew where there hearts were. He must have known Alma's heart. Perhaps this was one of the reasons he spake so specifically about the Savior, so that Alma would know what to teach. I don't know, but it makes sense to me.
Anyway, sticking to just this chapter...
Two things were learn: Actions follow the heart (verse 27) and Live what you teach (29)
Abinadi cannot be swayed. The priests try to use his own religion against him, but he cannot be moved. "Have ye done all this?" he asks them of the commandment of God. They hadn't. They knew it and Abinadi knew it, too.
Their actions showed where there hearts were. The good news is that even as bad as a heart can be, it can always change. Look at Alma. He was doing, as far as we know, the same things the other priests were, and his heart changed.
Hearts are pliable, able to change instantaneously under the right conditions. The softer the heart the more pliable it is. Though Alma was doing bad things, his heart was not fully hardened. The power of the Atonement, through the Spirit brought in by Abinadi's words, reached into his heart, changing the soft part into something strong.
God doesn't want hard hearts. He wants strong hearts, hearts that will not fail men. A heart can be strong and soft at the same time. In fact, I believe that is the heart of God. Strong and immovable (understanding the need for justice), yet soft and filled with mercy, with room for love throughout. That's the kind of heart I want--strong and soft and big. (Would it be irreverent here to say that my thighs already meet this description? Lol)
Sorry- off topic tangent, but, hey, it's my blog. I can do that :)
Bottom line: Truth is power. Actions follow the heart.
I LOVE ABINADI! He is standing in court in front of the king a priests, who smugly think they can catch him in a trap of words. They ask him one question (albeit a very long question--5 verses long) and he goes on for four and a half chapters. He doesn't even give them time to breathe! Boom, there it is!
I started reading this and couldn't stop until his speech was over. It was, and still is, amazing. The words he spoke, the passion that seeps through even 2100 years later. His understanding of the scriptures and prophecies, his testimony, his love for the Savior--his words are so passionate and so rich I couldn't stop reading.
Among his first words to the priests, he says, "Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding." Abinadi knew where there hearts were. He must have known Alma's heart. Perhaps this was one of the reasons he spake so specifically about the Savior, so that Alma would know what to teach. I don't know, but it makes sense to me.
Anyway, sticking to just this chapter...
Two things were learn: Actions follow the heart (verse 27) and Live what you teach (29)
Abinadi cannot be swayed. The priests try to use his own religion against him, but he cannot be moved. "Have ye done all this?" he asks them of the commandment of God. They hadn't. They knew it and Abinadi knew it, too.
Their actions showed where there hearts were. The good news is that even as bad as a heart can be, it can always change. Look at Alma. He was doing, as far as we know, the same things the other priests were, and his heart changed.
Hearts are pliable, able to change instantaneously under the right conditions. The softer the heart the more pliable it is. Though Alma was doing bad things, his heart was not fully hardened. The power of the Atonement, through the Spirit brought in by Abinadi's words, reached into his heart, changing the soft part into something strong.
God doesn't want hard hearts. He wants strong hearts, hearts that will not fail men. A heart can be strong and soft at the same time. In fact, I believe that is the heart of God. Strong and immovable (understanding the need for justice), yet soft and filled with mercy, with room for love throughout. That's the kind of heart I want--strong and soft and big. (Would it be irreverent here to say that my thighs already meet this description? Lol)
Sorry- off topic tangent, but, hey, it's my blog. I can do that :)
Bottom line: Truth is power. Actions follow the heart.
A couple of things spoke out to me this morning. The first is the concept of being a watchman. What does that really mean? For me, to be a watchman (gender aside) means to pay attention. Not only to the things of God specifically, but to the temporal, social goings-on. How are we to be prepared for the events of the last days unless we are paying attention. Some people just don't want to know. I really don't want to either cause it can be a little unnerving, but I recognize it is part of my responsibility to be informed because the Lord has promised He will give us a heads up if we are paying attention. That way the promise of if we are prepared we won't fear works.
ReplyDeleteThe second thing was when Abinidi chastised the priests. If you believe something like the Law of Moses, why aren't you living it? I cannot say I believe in Christ and then go and do the opposite of what He teaches. This applies to any light and knowledge the Lord gives us individually. Recognizing I am not perfect and mess it up, I still have to work on the things in MY path, everyday. If not, I am not living the gospel or personal inspiration as I know it to be true.Just like the priest's weren't living the Law of Moses, even though they taught it.
I think it is great how Abinidi just straight up called them out. In our world people are so afraid of offending others that they don't say what they mean and mean what they say. The world of political correctness has taken over which, in my opinion, has caused many to become more worried about what others think than to be courageous and speak up when they need to about truth.
I love Abinidi and his example. What a courageous example we can follow.