The Parable of the Cigarettes and the Lollipop

In primary on Sunday, the girl giving the talk told the story of the Good Samaritan, which was almost my entire sharing time lesson plan. So I punted a little and trusted that God would fill my mouth with what else Senior Primary needed to learn from that story. The thing that came to mind was a story that I had always equated with service, but until I shared it in primary, I had never realized how perfectly it fit with the story of the Good Samaritan. So I'm going to share my unique version of the parable of the Good Samaritan here.

"A certain mother with three daughters went down from West Valley to Holladay to attend their weekly piano lessons. While on their journey, they fell among some sharp objects on the road and got a flat tire, which left their poor car as good as half dead. And by chance there came down a certain well-dressed businessman that way: and when he saw the mother with her three children in need, he passed by on the other side. And likewise another middle-aged gentleman, when he was at the place, came and looked on them, and passed by on the other side. But a certain  young man in worn out clothes and with cigarettes and a lollipop in his pocket, as he journeyed to an appointment to discuss potential parole with his lawyer, came where the family was: and when he saw them, he had compassion on them. And went to them, and changed their flat tire, and took care of them."

"Which now of these three was a true neighbor unto them that were in need?"

"The unexpected Samaritan- a kind man with a carton of cigarettes and a lollipop."

Rachel's Response to the Law of Moses

I really like the following Ensign Article. I think it gave me a different perspective on the Law of Moses:

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1981/06/reflections-on-the-law-of-moses-old-testament-apostasy-in-context?lang=eng

Some of my other random unorganized thoughts:

*It seems like the part of the Law of Moses that dealt with the carnal commandments was intentionally made very specific for a purpose. 1) All the carnal commandments were symbolic of Christ (kind of like the Sacrament is for us today) so if you had to constantly do very specific things that reminded you of Him, your chances of catching onto that symbolism and "always remembering Him" as a result would be increased. 2) There is ONE way back to Heavenly Father, and that path is very narrow. Following this path requires great diligence and precise measurements so you don't get off track even by just one degree. Sounds very specific and detailed to me. 3) Children require that you specify commands more often than adults do- mostly just until they understand the why on their own. Considering where the Children of Israel were coming from (apostasy and being surrounded by a culture of false Gods and teachings), they really were Children... so God gave them step by step rules to help lead them to an understanding of the why, at which point, they could more effectively govern themselves (like Joseph Smith says about the church members in our dispensation).

*I wonder if the difference between the Nephites and the Children of Israel (in that the Nephites developed an understanding of the meaning of the law and the Children of Israel overall did not), has to do with where they came from spiritually? Lehi, Nephi, and their righteous descendants came from a multi-generational covenant keeping family. This would give their children a spiritual advantage in better understanding the real meaning behind the law. Maybe the people in the Old Testament, through disobedience, had lost that multi-generational strength as a people, and as a result, had resorted back to starting over spiritually as children. I also wonder if the children of Israel had the same type of access to the scriptures that the Nephites did (since Nephi went back for the Brass Plates). Maybe this would impact a people's ability to fully remember the why behind the covenant they'd been given. It could also be as simple as the Nephites chose to use their agency to obey the law, and as a result, developed spiritual eyes to see. Whereas the children of Israel (and even the Lamanites) chose not to obey even the Law of Moses, so they remained blind to a testimony of the Savior, as well as stayed unprepared for a higher law which would allow for more listening to the Spirit to determine the nature of ones choices, rather than just following a stagnant list of things to do.

*How does obedience bring you to Christ? Other than just the symbolism of the law, just the act of obeying helps us to draw closer to the Savior. I think this is because this is the very essence of who the Savior is- He is perfectly obedient to the Father because He loves and trusts Him. As we love and trust the Savior, we become like Him in that way, and as a result get to know Him better.
*I think sometimes we think we know what the commandments are- we're supposed to do this and this, and not do this. But I think the Law of Moses intended to lead humble followers beyond the "this's" and "that's" to gain a testimony of the principle of obedience itself. For example, Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son. Nowhere in the context of Abraham's spiritual understanding did this commandment make any sense, other than in his testimony of exact obedience. As a result, he gained a testimony and understanding of the Savior as the Father's sacrifice for all mankind. Nowhere in the context of Hosea's spiritual experiences would taking a prostitute to wife be considered moral, but he did it anyway because he had a testimony of exact obedience. And through his obedience he and we learn a great lesson about how the Savior feels when we are unfaithful to him. I think even with the Higher Law, we still find ourselves with limited spiritual understanding compared to God's omniscience. That gap between our understanding and His requires a testimony of exact obedience if we plan to be able to continue to become like the Savior.

Lessons from the Law of Moses

As I have slowly trudged through the muddy chapters of the Law of Moses yet again, I have had some major questions: Why so many details and explanations of how the people should act? Why are the commandments so specific, and the consequences even more specific? Did God really have to write out a law that was so cut and dry for the Israelites? Although it is hard to answer those questions using the Old Testament and the Law of Moses itself, there are some great verses in the Book of Mormon and New Testament.

In my studies I have found at least ten passages in the Book of Mormon and a few more in the writings of Paul that explain why they practiced the Law of Moses, and I have learned some great lessons from them. Here are some of my favorites:

• Jacob 4:4-6 - "All the holy prophets believed in Christ and worshiped the Father in his name, and also we worship the Father in his name. And for this intent we keep the law of Moses, it pointing our souls to him ... Wherefore, we search the prophets, and having all these witnesses we obtain hope."
• Jarom 1:11 - "The prophets and priests did labor diligently teaching the law of Moses and the intent for which it was given; persuading the people to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he already was." 
• Alma 25:15-16 - "The Law of Moses was a type of Christ's coming. Now they did not suppose that salvation came by the Law of Moses; but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ; thus they did retain a hope through faith."
• 2 Nephi 25:23-30 - "We labor diligently to write to persuade our children to believe in Christ and be reconciled to God. For this end was the law given. We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins" (the rest of those verses are really good, too!).
• Others that help explain: Mosiah 3:14-15, Mosiah 13:29-32, Mosiah 16:14-15, Alma 33:19-22; Alma 34:13-14; Luke 24:44, Romans 8

So what's the rundown on why God gave the people the Law of Moses? To look forward to Christ! 

It may not seem (especially in this modern world) that commandments and detailed instructions lead people to God, but I have really come to believe it. In Galatians 3:24 Paul taught that "the law was a schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ." This verse really helps me understand commandments that I may not want to follow. They are a teacher - kind of like training wheels for kids, or a dog leash for puppies. The purpose of training wheels is to help kids learn how to ride a bike. 

There are lots of commandments that do that for me. Paying tithing helps me be more like Christ because I don't care as much about earthly things. Going to the temple often helps me be like Christ in every way. And going to Church helps me remember the Savior and help my neighbors in the ward instead of focus on myself on Sundays.

However, there are other commandments that I have struggled with in life. But seeing the purpose behind them has helped me keep the commandment, and in the end become a little more like Jesus. I don't love going home teaching every month, but the commandment to do so helps me see how important it is to visit your neighbors and to love them. I don't think I would ever visit the Wrights if I wasn't originally required to do so, but every time I do I feel much better afterward. They help me be more like Christ. Another commandment I have struggled with in the past is the necessity of confession in the repentance process. But as I have kept the commandment, I really do see that it brings me closer to Christ.

Personally, as I kid I never used training wheels. I didn't think I needed them. I watched other people ride and thought I could ride without them. I thought some kids might rely too much on the training wheels and never really learn how to ride a bike, so I didn't want them. I have done this with commandments, too. Sometimes I think I may see the purpose behind the commandment and therefore not need the details. I definitely have done this with mutual and home teachings, but I think a better example is certain mission rules. Some of them didn't seem necessary and I felt like I should be able to "take them off and really ride the bike." 

Then one day I found another phrase in those verses from 2 Nephi. verse 25, speaking about the law of Moses, says "For this end was the law given; wherefore, the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith" (they didn't need the details because they already looked forward to Christ). But the verse adds something else. "Yet we keep the law becuase of the commandments." Nephi was so faithful that he could see that to truly be like Christ, we needed to be obedient to every commandment, even if we don't understand it. Or more importantly, even if we understand everything about it. On my mission, I saw another line in Preach My Gospel that says faithful people will want to learn more commandments just so that they can keep them and be more obedient. As I continued to follow those "pointless rules," and learn the purpose behind them, I soon saw that they didn't become burdensome anymore. I thought that training wheels (extra rules) kept me back from doing even better work, but in the end I learned that the laws aren't the things that keep you back from "riding a bike fast," but it is the reluctance to follow them that kept me back. Keeping the law without bitterness is what made me more faithful and more like the Savior in focus and in purpose.

Does anyone else have any insights from the law of Moses, or thoughts on why the Nephites caught them so well while the Israelites, and later the New Testament Jews, never really did? I think this topic can teach us A LOT!

Lessons from the Miracles in the Wilderness

Reading through the experiences of the Israelites in the Wilderness has always been frustrating to me! I can never understand how they could have the same experience again and again with the same outcome. How could they forget so quickly? Just to recap, after they experienced 10 miracles in the plagues allowing them to leave Egypt, the Israelites reacted this way:

1. After being led to the Red Sea by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22), they were being approached by the hostile Egyptian Army. They responded to Moses in this way: “Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore has thou dealt with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Didn’t we tell you in Egypt, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.” (14:11-12).
2. After they were told by Moses not to fear, then led through the Red Sea on dry ground, and finally singing praises to God, they later went three day without finding water. They responded by murmuring “What shall we drink?"
3. God helped Moses heal the waters so they were drinkable, but soon after that the whole congregation murmured even more. “Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat break to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (16:2-3).
4. Then, even after God rained down bread from heaven and explained how to gather the manna, some people “hearkened not, but left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank.” Others didn’t gather enough on Saturday, and went out on the Sabbath to find food, but found none. God asked the people, “How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?”
5. Then, even after the Lord gave the people water and bread and meat to eat, they again went without water. This time, though, the people chided with Moses and were even ready to stone him! (17:4). Instead of punishing the people, God gave them what they wanted and allowed Moses to smote the rock - and water came out.

Seriously! How could a group of people not see that Moses and God were helping them throughout all of their hard trials? Could they really have been that thick-skulled?

Anyway, I saw a new perspective on the stories this week as I read through some Book of Mormon chapters. I've never noticed how similar Nephi and his family's journey is - and it is in the exact same wilderness. His commentary on those experiences are pretty sweet. 

Like the Israelites, Lehi’s family spent a long time in the desert (8 years). During that time they also went without food and complained to God about it when they couldn’t find anything to eat. And, like the Israelites, they were miraculously blessed in being led to food. And just like manna, the Nephites were blessed with meat that didn't even have to be cooked. Even while they were being blessed with food, some of the Nephites were fed up with their leader (Lehi) and wanted to kill him (1 Nephi 16:37). Last of all, just like Moses and his people, the Nephites were stuck at the ocean and were miraculously blessed to cross it (this time, however, they had to build their own boat instead of crossing over it on dry ground).

In 1 Nephi 17, while his brothers were complaining about all of their hard trials, Nephi had to use a whole chapter to basically say, "DON'T YOU GUYS GET IT?! YOU ARE EXACTLY LIKE THE ISRAELITES! THEY WENT THROUGH THE SAME EXACT TRIALS YOU ARE GOING THROUGH AND GOD LED THEM ALL THE WAY TO THE END?"

While I was reading through that chapter and trying to picture how Nephi was saying it, his voice came into my head with a similar tone, "Don't you get it? You are EXACTLY like the Israelites! God has led you through your trials and you forget! Remember that He is still helping you through your wilderness, and He is doing things all along the way to help." This month I have a goal to remember that God has helped me in my trials and is still helping me through my trials.

Lessons from the Passover

I have been thinking a lot lately about Grace and Works. What is their relationship and if I am going to put an emphasis on works, how can I include Christ? A lot of my questions were answered from the Passover story.

The Passover was instituted for multiple reasons, but one of them (Ex 12:14) was to "be a memorial unto the people." They were supposed to Remember! While they ate the herbs they remembered their physical and spiritual bitterness while in Egypt (and hopefully that Jehovah would later partake of the "bitter cup"). While they cleaned out all of the leaven from their houses, and then ate of the unleavened bread, they remembered that spiritual "leaven," or sin, makes us go moldy (and that God is the Bread of Life). I've also noticed that repenting, or getting the leaven out of my life, takes away the bitter taste in my mouth.

While they ate, the people were instructed to do so "in haste," with staff in hand on their loins girded. There were to remember to leave Egypt as soon as they could (and all of its wicked traditions!), and not to linger behind when Jehovah wanted them to leave right away.

Most of all, they were to remember the Lamb of God. Raising the lamb, then killing it, saving the blood, and then preparing and roasting the meat, would have been a great reminder to me of what the Savior would go through in the future. It must have been a solemn and sacred night to remember all of those things.

The best lesson of all, to me, is the blood of the lamb. It was not just the lamb dying that saved them from the destroying angel, but its blood that was applied to the doorposts. As I thought about how I can apply Christ's blood to my "doorpost," and the doorposts of my family's house, the teachings of Christ came to life. Although Christ suffered in Gethsemane and died at Golgotha, His blood cannot save me unless I know how to put it on correctly.

Recently I have been thinking a lot about the phrase "apply the Atonement in your life." It didn't make sense to me. How do you "apply the Atonement?" I think sometimes we use it as a blanket statement for unspecific application of the Gospel. I didn't like the statement because it doesn't direct works or change to Christ. But today, that statement finally makes sense. In order for the Israelites to be protected from the destroying angel, they needed to (A) raise a lamb with the correct specifications, (B) kill the lamb on the evening of Passover, (C) collect the blood, (D) put the blood on the top and sides of the doorposts, and (E) cook and eat the lamb correctly. What amazing symbolism!

In order for me to be saved spiritually, I need to (A) learn about Christ and study His words, (B) know that He died for me and for my sins and for my better future "outside of Egypt," (C) "catch" His blood - or to understand the point of why He died, and finally to (D) follow His teachings, apply them to all parts of my life, and trust that it is not my actions that will get me out of Egypt, but His atoning sacrifice applied correctly.

I know that Christ lives. His death is what brings good into my life and what takes the bad out. Sometimes I wish we still did cool symbolism like the Passover, but I also know that today we do the same thing when we partake of the Sacrament. Always remembering His death and Resurrection, taking His name in my life, and keeping His commandments does the same thing today as it does then - allows Christ to keep out the destroying angel and have His Spirit to be with me.