Liken the Scriptures

This morning I was listening to a General Conference talk from this most recent conference given by Elder David P. Homer of the Seventy. The talk is entitled “Hearing His Voice”.  In the middle of his talk he spoke about Korihor. Korihor is a man in the Book of Mormon who was preaching against religion, saying that there is no reason to follow commandments or our parents. He taught that belief in Jesus Christ was  “the effect of a frenzied mind.”

Korihor asks the church leaders for a sign that God exists and he is definitely given a sign. His ability to speak is taken away.

This story made me think of Laman and Lemuel, also from The Book of Mormon. They had been taught their whole lives about Jesus Christ, covenants, service, loving each other and still they complained and refused to cooperate and lived with no faith – even though, many times, on the surface it looked as if they were obedient.

And then I began to think about how often I might choose to disregard one teaching or another because it doesn’t make sense to me or because I can’t see the benefit or because it is inconvenient or uncomfortable to do the thing that is being asked. Does it make me look weird or seem crazy? Do I worry more about physical comfort over having faith that obedience will really and truly bring the promised joy and blessings? Am I impatient for the Lord’s time?

I wonder how many of us, when we listen to these stories in the scriptures, where we can plainly see people going down a path that will not be the best choice in the end, put ourselves in the story and can see how some of the small choices and decisions we might be making can remove us from God? And when we remove ourselves from God it makes it more difficult for Him to speak to us and give us the inspiration that will result in great blessings.

How many of us are murmuring and complaining? Did you ever try to hear your inner thoughts when there is a ton of negativity and crabbiness filling up your brain? How many of us are choosing to speak unkindly of others because we are angry with them or just because we think it will make a good story to tell our friends? How many of us feel like there is no time for personal scripture study or quiet time? We can go to church every week but if we don’t put those small things into practice which are being taught there we will always be sitting in the same spot, never to be able to fulfill the long term commandment of Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father in Heaven is perfect. If we want to get there then we need to get on the road going in that direction.

The scriptures are a tool for us. Given to us from God to help us. They aren’t given so that we can look at the people’s stories contained in there  and either feel completely inadequate or be judgemental of their choices. The only way the scriptures can help is to put ourselves in the story.

1 Nephi 19:23 …for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.

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