Love One Another

I'm teaching an Online Book of Mormon class for BYU Idaho this semester. Each week I write some Notes from Brother May to introduce what they will be studying that week and to give them some instructions about their assignments for the week. I thought I'd share what I wrote this week.

Welcome to Week 10!

This week we will study 4 Nephi and Mormon. This week you will see a great contrast between the righteousness of the people at the beginning of 4 Nephi and how wicked they become by the end of 4 Nephi and in Mormon.

Over the years I have learned some things because I have been studying more than one book of scripture at the same time. For me this has happened because I usually teach one book of scripture in seminary or institute and read/study a different book in Sunday school.

Currently I am teaching the Doctrine and Covenants in a couple of night classes. Recently we read the chapters where the Savior explained why the Saints were not able to establish Zion in Jackson County. Their goal and His goal for them was to establish a society like the one we read about in fourth Nephi. Earlier in D&C 38:25-27 He told them to “esteem [their] brother as [themselves]” and to “be one; [for] if ye are not one ye are not mine.”

Later, after the Saints had been kicked out of Jackson County, the Savior told them they were guilty of transgressions and then He listed the things He was concerned about. It's interesting to read His list. It starts out in D&C 101:6 this way. He says “there were jarrings (harsh, grating discord; clashing, disagreeing or quarrelling sharply), and contentions, and envying, and strifes (contention, competition, bitter fighting and quarreling, struggle and conflict), and lustful and covetous desires among them; therefore by these things they polluted their inheritances.”

By contrast we read a list in 4 Nephi of the things they did to establish Zion. Their list begins with “no contentions and disputations among them” (4 Nephi 1:2). It goes on to describe them in other ways and to list all the blessings they received by living this way, but the list begins with how they felt about and how they treated one another. 4 Nephi 1:15 makes this important connection. It says “there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in [their] hearts.” Then later, when things began to fall apart after 200 years of peace and righteousness it says a small group revolted, others became lifted up in pride, they quit sharing with one another, and divided into “classes.”  So on the one hand they loved, served, and shared with one another and on the other hand they thought of themselves as “us” and others as “them,” held tightly to their own possessions, hardened their hearts toward God and towards one another, and hated one another.

One of my favorite scriptures on the law of consecration is in D&C 82:18-19 where the Lord asks us to “improve upon [our] talent, that every man may gain other talents, yea, even an hundred fold, to be cast into the Lord’s storehouse, to become the common property of the whole church—Every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God.”

That's the end of my instructions for my class. I won't share my assignment notes. But this topic is an important one and one place where it is really important is in our homes. King Benjamin counseled his people to teach their children to not "fight and quarrel one with another; and serve the devil," but to "teach them to love one another, and to serve one another." This can be a challenge. Of course we were perfect at this as parents. Our kids never fought or were selfish with one another :-). I think it is important to play together and to work together (you with them). Often in these settings we can help them learn to share and to support one another. It's something to work on. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35).