From Darkest Abyss to Marvelous Light

Alma the younger and the sons of King Mosiah had excellent parents, faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ, but they themselves would not follow the path of their parents, instead their way was one of rebelling against God and seeking to destroy the church.

An Angel came and stopped them in their ways, causing each to reflect on that which they had done up to this point in their life. For two days Alma the younger was unable to move or speak “wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death (Mosiah 27:28).” But the Lord saw fit to merciful unto Alma and of that mercy Alma testified of the following.

My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more. - Mosiah 27:29

Prayer or Fear: The Choice is Ours

Alma had to flee from King Noah’s guards, then with 450 others he has to flee from King Noah’s armies. Now Alma’s people again are fleeing this time from the Lamanites. Of Alma’s people it is written “they were much frightened (Mosiah 23:26).”

Alma gave them an invitation “that they should not be frightened, but that they should remember the Lord their God and he would deliver them (Mosiah 23:27).”

It was not easy but they were abled to hush “their fears, and began to cry unto the Lord that he would soften the hearts of the Lamanites… And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the hearts of the Lamanites (Mosiah 23:28-29).”

The devil “teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint [nor fear]. - 2 Nephi 32:8-9

Prosper by Degrees

After being beaten down and slain by the Lamanites three times in one chapter, of the people of Limhi it was written:

And they did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions. - Mosiah 21:14

Yet “the Lord was slow to hear their cry (Mosiah 21:15),” even when “a great fear of the Lamanites had come upon them (Mosiah 21:10).”

Sometimes in our trials and hardships it may feel like the Lord is not coming to our aid, or perhaps not as quickly as we would have thought or liked. Sometimes as for the people of Limhi, the Lord’s design is to help us in small ways. At these times we can anticipate that like the Lord did for Limhi’s people, we will begin to “prosper by degrees (Mosiah 16:16).” All in the Lord’s time and according to his will.

He May Pour Out His Spirit More Abundantly Upon You

Another General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has come and gone. It was a marvelous opportunity to reflect on many comforting and fear-conquering messages. We were reminded of the Savior and his commandments and covenants. His life was spent giving to us. In the pages of the Book of Mormon, we find more of his comfort through his charge to us as baptized followers of Jesus Christ.

From the preaching of Abinadi emerged a single convert to Jesus Christ named Alma, and from that convert 450 more souls.

To those souls Alma preached ”redemption and faith on the Lord (Mosiah 18:7).”

He said “and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places, that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

“Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you (Mosiah 18:8-10)?”

Their response to this responsibility has always impressed me:

And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts. - Mosiah 18:11

The Two Tremendous Truths

C.S. Lewis in his famous book The Screwtape Letters gives what has become to me a point of deep reflection. In his work, he claims “The earliest Christians were converted by just one historical fact, the Resurrection, and by just one piece of theological doctrine, Redemption.”

How could they subsist on just this? I wondered. I have before me the scriptures, the prophets, the restoration, the temple, the priesthood, and yet they were able to be converted on those two points. With this question in mind and with my goal of overcoming fear to give place to bravery and courage, I read in Mosiah 11-17 about a man named Abinadi. What was it that gave Abinadi the power to fend off the King and his entire court, knowing that soon they would put him to death by fire?

“But behold, the bands of death shall be broken, and the Son reigneth, and hath power over the dead; therefore, he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead (Mosiah 15:20).”

“But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ (Mosiah 16:8).”

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed (Mosiah 14:5).”

I chose these three verses from a multitude of good scripture because these all begin with “but.” Life will give us problems and our fear will begin to rise, at this time, as the early converts to Christianity, like Abinadi, and like every prophet and person who chose faith before fear, we can look at our problems and say “This should cause great fear, but…” and fill in the blank with the truth that brings peace.

I wish to follow Abinadi’s injunction when he said “Teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father. Amen (Mosiah 16:15).

All Manner of Weapons Which We Could Invent

The Book of Mormon is full of war stories. In preparation for one battle the people of a King named Zeniff prepared in this way:

“And it came to pass that I did arm them with bows, and with arrows, with swords, and with cimeters, and with clubs, and with slings, and with all manner of weapons which we could invent, and I and my people did go forth against the Lamanites to battle (Mosiah 9:16.”

As I read of the many weapons used I was impressed upon that perhaps I might seek out weapons even “all manner of weapons which we could invent” to go to war with feelings of anxiety and fear. The days that followed this determination have been enlightening and my list of weapons has been made, weapons that make good war on fear are those which I will keep and those that are not as effective with be set aside.

The most important weapon of all and the one I need to have to accompany all of my ideas is one that Zeniff’s people were wise to employ.

“Yea, in the strength of the Lord did we go forth to battle against the Lamanites; for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord that he would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies… (Mosiah 9:17).”

Look Unto Me in Every Thought; Doubt Not, Fear Not

The great companions that dwell within the hearts and minds of too many of us are the dastardly duo of anxiety and depression. In the month of studying gratitude I have never felt more free from depression than before its recognizable inception. This month I will continue to read the glorious Book of Mormon searching for how the people look unto God and Jesus Christ to expel anxiety, doubt, and fear. I pray for similar results in helping me seek out peace from those most penetrating pitfalls Satan wishes for me to fall into. Whatever miracles do or do not come, the Book of Mormon has always been a source of peace and calm when the worst bouts come my way and hopefully will be enhanced as I study the confidence of the people in the Lord and the bravery they demonstrate in the face of what could have caused debilitating fear.

Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not. - Doctrine and Covenants 6:36

Principles of Gratitude

When I taught seminary it was always important to my supervisors that I had principles prepared for the students to hang onto that were easy to understand and of course, true. Here are my 31 principles pulled from my study of the Book of Mormon.

1. Gratitude is both a gift from God and arises in us because of God’s gifts.

2. We are free to choose gratitude.

3. Gratitude allows for God and goodness to be at the center of every trial and affliction.

4. Gratitude can be cultivated with the help of others who are grateful.

5. Giving back to God is a natural desire, his gifts always come more abundantly to us than we can give to him.

6. God compels none to partake of his goodness, our gratitude can be all our own.

7. If we look, see, behold, and give thanks, God can expand our vision.

8. We live in the day that caused prophets to give thanks for thousands of years.

9. We all suffer, gratitude separates the happy from those who might have been.

10. Christ, his life, death, and mission are the source for our most lasting gratitude.

11. The scriptures are the gratitude journals of the prophets.

12. We can be grateful for things that are past, present, and future if our expectations are based on scripture.

13. For joy to reach our soul it must come from Jesus Christ and his gospel.

14. Admitting that God is the reason for all our success may hurt our pride but it will enhance our joy.

15. Millennium - rough translation “a time to give thanks for all God has done”

16. Gratitude that comes out of love will reach someone better than gratitude for is own sake.

17. Our gratitude manifests in our talk, our rejoicings, our preaching, our prophecy, and in all we do with our might, mind, and strength, and our whole soul.

18. God does nothing except it be to our benefit.

19. Gratitude may start at the lips but must eventually grow in the heart.

20. Our blessings never cease, should our gratitude?

21. If it is a promise from God, even if it has not yet been fulfilled you can be grateful. God is perfect in honoring his promises.

22. Our heart is known by us and God only. The heart is the fertile ground on which gratitude can grow.

23. Between feasting upon the words of Christ and praying always there is not much room for complaint.

24. Looking for more people to thank will increase our circle of love.

25. Forgiveness of my sins is my favorite gift from God, paid for at a heavy price.

26. The best servant in God’s kingdom will feel the most gratitude for the humble calling.

27. God does not expect much in return for the infinite blessings he bestows, just keep the commandments.

28. Charity and gratitude are siblings, one is the what, the other is the why.

29. Commandments: Our opportunity to show gratitude.

30. Everything that is good, even that which is hard to recognize as good, is from God.

31. Ours is to reason why not just to blessed then die.

But to Do Good Continually

The phrase that has struck me with every reading of the Book of Mormon comes after the speech given by King Benjamin. His people after bearing testimony of the truthfulness of the words they had just heard speak to the mighty change that has taken place in their hearts, so mighty that “we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually (Mosiah 5:2).”

What a beautiful statement. They know now that doing evil has no appeal next to the sermon about Jesus Christ and keeping his commandments. Given the two options we all can act as agents. The more we allow our choice to influenced by the devil and his followers the harder it will get to see the option of light and love. Keeping our focus centered on gratitude for Jesus Christ helps keep unattractive the temptations of Satan.

Be in God; Believe that He Is

Sometimes we may feel that to give gratitude is to be naïve to the problems and difficulties we face. Certainly for some who seek to be grateful without the help of God, this can often occur. However, when our reason for gratitude is God, we need not avoid the problems and difficulties for we shall not, but rather give the time we dedicate to fear and doubt over to he who has power in all things. Our gratitude comes because we

Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all things which the Lord can comprehend. - Mosiah 4:9

This, our belief, will guide us to be more sincere in heart, our belief in God will not only give us power in word but also in deed, it will take the focus off our weakness, our sense of nothingness, and shift us toward the goodness and long-suffering of our God (Mosiah 4:10-11).

Putting our trust in the Lord, will cause us to keep his commandments and continue in faith, this pattern will allow us to rejoice and be filled with the loved of God and always retain a remission of our sins.

This, our knowledge, will encourage us to engage in living peaceably with our brothers and sisters and help us do to our neighbor that which God would have us do in his wisdom and order.

Remember, Remember

Can you still think the commandments are not an important part of living happily? King Benjamin was worried about that and spent the rest of chapter two instructing the people to keep the commandments, and even went as far as to proclaim “that ye are eternally indebted to your heavenly Father, to render to him all that you have and are (Mosiah 2:34).”

God loves us and our debt has been paid by Jesus Christ, yet another gift we ought to rejoice over and thank him for.

Now it is our opportunity to follow his commandments, and the message for doing so is always the same but never said with such grandeur as King Benjamin’s thoughtful invitation:

And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hat spoken it.

Mosiah 2:41

Remember, remember, and may we be so very grateful.

Charity: We Listen and We Speak

We shift from gratitude for a moment. Occasionally out of bed in the morning or after lying down for sleep or in the middle of the night thoughts will come. Distractions out of the way, we can hear or think most clearly.

The following is pulled from the Gospel topics and will be used to organize my thoughts.

“Charity is the pure love of Christ. It is the love that Christ has for the children of men and that the children of men should have for one another. It is the highest, noblest, and strongest kind of love and the most joyous to the soul (see 1 Nephi 11:23).”

Me: It may seem that Charity is a lofty, faraway goal, perhaps something to be pursued after we have acquired other attributes, but Charity should be our first pursuit, and we will find that along the way other attributes will of necessity be added to our virtues. As the apostle Paul wrote “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2).”

“Charity is ‘the pure love of Christ,’ or ‘everlasting love’ (Moroni 7:47; 8:17). The prophet Mormon taught: ‘Charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things’ (Moroni 7:45 see also 1 Corinthians 13:4-7).”

Me: I love this definition and to pretend to try and do better would be far from my desires and skills to do so. However, like Nephi, for me to understand a beautiful passage of scripture like the one above I need to “liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning (1 Nephi 19:23).”

Me: In every interaction that I have with another person I am one of two people, the speaker or the listener. This does not however mean that in every interaction there is a speaker and a listener. Many times there are multiple speakers and no listener. Sometimes there is one speaker and one listener, and in some of the sweetest of life’s moments thre are two listeners. What does this have to do with Charity?

Me: I believe that to have Charity, a person has to be given the understanding by God of when to be a listener and when to be a speaker and then to follow through with his commands every time.

“Jesus Christ is the perfect example of charity. In His mortal ministry, He always ‘went about doing good,’ teaching the gospel and showing tender compassion for the poor, afflicted, and distressed (see Matthew 4:23; Mark 6:6; Acts 10:38). His crowning expression of charity was His infinite Atonement. He said, ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15:13). This was the greatest act of long-suffering, kindness, and selflessness that we will ever know.”

Me: the paragraph above to me reads this way — Jesus Christ is the perfect example of charity. In His mortal ministry, He always ‘went about doing good,’ Being the speaker by teaching the gospel and Being the listener showing tender compassion for the poor, afflicted, and distressed. His crowning expression of charity was His infinite Atonement - the reconciliation of God and humankind. He said, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life, his daily concerns, his problems, his desire to speak, his desire to be heard, his competing voices, for his friends. This was the greatest act of long-suffering (some interactions may have you wanting to rip your hair out in frustration), kindness (giving total attention to someone may be the greatest act of kindness they will ever receive), and selflessness (this kind of love may bless us, but it will only do so as a byproduct) that we will ever know.

The Savior wants all people to receive His love and to share it with others. He declared to His disciples: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34-35). In relationships with family members and others, followers of Christ look to the Savior as their example and strive to love as He loves, with unfailing compassion, patience, and mercy.

Me: The Savior wants all people to receive his love through his word and through speaking to him and by listening and speaking to others when prompted to do so by his spirit. He declared to His disciples: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye be like me, I know the problems of everyone perfectly and because of that knowledge can then speak to them with perfect understanding. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. In relationships with family members and others, followers of Christ look to the Savior as their example and strive to love as He loves, with unfailing ears, unfailing trust, and merciful mouhts given utterance by the Savior.

Me: Some of us may need to work on declaring the gospel, we are great listeners but timid at the promptings of the Lord to share, some of us may need to practice listening, for you cannot give a full answer until you have listened fully. The most precious interactions come when two parties The listener and the speaker share those roles. If ye are not one, ye are not mine (Doctrine and Covenants 38:27). We can never pretend to achieve this goal without his charity.

All That He Requires

What then does God require? If we cannot be profitable, what are God’s expectations for us?

"And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandment; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth immediately bless you and prosper you.” - Mosiah 2:22

Our keeping God’s commandments in no pays him back for his blessings upon us, keeping the commandments is just one more way in which God blesses us, for his commandments hold within blessings which God is willing to grant, but are made conditional upon our seeking them. Like an Easter egg hunt the collection of eggs are commandments kept but the candy was always inside waiting for us.

Unprofitable Servants

King Benjamin’s speech is layered with teachings about gratitude, he weaves many aspects of gratitude into a marvelous oratory and here I just want to highlight a few:

O how you ought to thank your heavenly King!

I say unto you, my brethren that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—

I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.

Mosiah 2:18-21

Does being an unprofitable servant discourage you from serving God?

For me it is inspiring to know that my master, my lord, and my God is a greater servant to me than I ever will be to him. He lends me breath, he gives me movement, and my own will, and supports me in every moment. Who is the servant? Is it I? Or is it my God?

But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. - Matthew 23:11

Thy Sins Are Forgiven Thee, And Thou Shalt Be Blessed

No phrase has brought more peace to my soul than one that was delivered also to Enos. As Enos pleaded with the Lord for forgiveness his “soul hungered” and after praying day and night he was filled with the most soulful food available to us. The voice of God came to him,

And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. - Enos 1:5

After being filled with faith in Jesus Christ and his saving power, Enos now had a full soul with which he could “pour out my whole soul unto God for them (Enos 1:9).” With Enos’ new found joy he chose to share that with his brethren the Nephites and plead with the Lord for the Lamanites.

The Heart

As Jacob wrote on the plates his hope was that his children would “receive them with thankful hearts (Jacob 4:3).” I am grateful for Jacob’s words which came at a time when the people of Nephi were beginning to be governed by “the pride of the hearts (Jacob 2:13)” and were “not pure in heart (Jacob 3:3)” and began to indulge themselves in the “grosser crimes (Jacob 2:23)” known to Jacob.

Pride of the heart he said was the cause of their sin when they began to “persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they. (Jacob 2:13).” Impure hearts was the cause of “committing whoredoms (Jacob 2:23). Even when Jacob compares us to trees he tells of our “loftiness” and our “taking strength unto themselves” by which we have “become corrupted” (Jacob 5:48).

Jacob recognizes that before we venture to commit serious sins which are seen we will first commit sin which in unseen, we will sin in our hearts.

Only those who “with full purpose of heart… will cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you (Jacob 6:5)” are free from the impurities that can enter one’s heart.

Start with a clean heart and the whole body by and by shall be cleansed with Christ’s grace and mercy.

I Glory in My Jesus

In Nephi’s final written testimony he rejoices one last time as he seeks to express his love of Jesus. His wording brings me great joy.

I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus for he hath redeemed my soul from hell. - (2 Nephi 33:6)

Nephi had high hopes for his readers: 1) he wished that what he wrote would give us understanding, 2) he wanted to focus on things he knew to be true, 3) he needed for us to know who Jesus is and that he is our redeemer from that infinite torment of hell.

Because Nephi wrote down his testimony of Jesus Christ we have the privilege to “feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do (2 Nephi 32:3).”

Add to that the invitation to “pray always… ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul (2 Nephi 32:9).”

I have charity for Nephi because to him I give thanks for helping me “be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation (2 Nephi 33:9).”

The Contribution of the Jews

What do we think about when our minds ponder upon religions which, in belief and practice, differ from our own? Do we pause to consider the efforts put forth by those who have preceded us in making the world a place where religion exists?

I speak further about the contribution of the Jews, but there remain holy men and women throughout the ages of various religions that have shaped the global understanding of God.

There are many who honor and love and praise the Bible. What a beautiful Christian sacrament. They might praise Martin Luther, John Calvin, or William Tyndale, but they forget about the millions of people who claimed a part in the house of Israel, the Jews, who for centuries were responsible for the perpetuation of the stories we love and enjoy.

they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?

O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jew, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all the things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people.

Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?

2 Nephi 29:4-6

It is a small thing to put down in writing and does not serve a worthy recompense for all the Jews have given me, but I am so thankful that because of them I have the Bible and the Book of Mormon, written by many Jewish people to be enjoyed widely mostly by Gentiles. As I seek to become apart of the covenant people of the Lord, I look back gratefully towards my Jewish sisters and brothers.

We all desire to be in the right, and in proving others wrong we may feel powerful, but it will do more for us to acknowledge and give thanks for any religion’s best rather than rant about that religion’s worst.

Thank you to the Jewish people for suffering thousands of years of afflictions that I might know how to look forward in righteousness to the promised Messiah.

“And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever (2 Nephi 29:14).”

Remember the Promises

Gratitude is usually an act that follows action. In a day when lying and deceit become commonplace, we do not give thanks for what has been given until at last it is in our hands. As my real-estate working dad puts it, “We do not celebrate until the money hits the bank.”

But with some people their word is enough to feel as though the gift is given, the price is paid, the promise is performed. Such it is with Jesus. His promises to us have been fulfilled, are being fulfilled, or will be fulfilled. All of them.

“that I may remember my covenants which I have made unto the children of men, that I may set my hand again the second time to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel;

And also, that I may remember the promises which I have made unto thee, ______ (insert your name), and also unto thy father, that I would remember your seed (2 Nephi 29:1-2);”

If you have been fortunate enough to make covenants with God, you may begin thanking him for blessings not yet delivered, promises yet unfulfilled, and gifts not yet given, for they are yours.

Our own remembrance of the Patriarch’s words or of the baptismal promise or of covenants made in holy houses are pillars to stand on, where we shall not fall.

Infinite Circular Flow of Blessings

Gratitude creates a infinite circular flow of blessings while ingratitude creates dams that block the flow.

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear to my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have. - 2 Nephi 28:30

Its matching Bible verse for me comes in Luke 6:38 when Christ declares “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

Good things come to us when we receive that which we are given with gratitude. Our love for the Lord brings his love to us and as we feel greater love for the Lord we can choose in turn to love him more. This beautiful cycle continues until “there shall not be room enough to receive it (Malachi 3:10)” or until our blessings are “running over.”

We are never able to give more to Christ than he gives to us, but are efforts to do so will prove quite fruitful.

Oh and we would be wise to remember that “wo” is pronounced upon those who say “we have received, and we need no more (2 Nephi 28:27)!"