Book of Mormon Monday

Scripture of the Day:

Moroni 6:1-6

1 And now I speak concerning baptism. Behold, elders, priests, and teachers were baptized; and they were not baptized save they brought forth ^afruit meet that they were ^bworthy of it.

  2 Neither did they receive any unto baptism save they came forth with a ^abroken ^bheart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins.

  3 And none were received unto baptism save they ^atook upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end.

  4 And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and ^acleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the ^bchurch of Christ; and their^cnames were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually ^dwatchful unto prayer, ^erelying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith.

  5 And the ^achurch did meet together ^boft, to ^cfast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.

  6 And they did ^ameet together oft to partake of bread and wine, in ^bremembrance of the Lord Jesus.

Historical Background:

In this part of the Book of Mormon, Moroni is sharing some of the teachings of his father, Mormon, that he believes would be of benefit to future generations that would read the book.  This chapter discusses the organization of the Church, the process of baptism, and the make-up of their Sabbath day meetings.

Gospel Principles Outlined:

1) Baptism is to be performed by the proper authority.

2) Worthiness and repentance are pre-conditions for baptism.

3) Members are to "meet together oft."

4) The sacrament should be a central focus of our Sabbath worship.

5) Through baptism, we covenant to take upon ourselves the name of Christ.

What I Learned Today:

The focus of the ordinances that we perform in the Church is Jesus Christ.  We are consistently reminded of the great power of His Atonement and the role that it can and should play in our lives.  As we participate in gospel ordinances or observe others as they participate in gospel ordinances, we should us it as a time to reflect on the role that the Savior is playing in our lives.

Also, the Sabbath should be a day where we reach out to others in their adversity so that they can be lifted and strengthen.  We should seek to comfort one another.  Implicit in this is the fact that we must be aware of one another's needs.  We need to talk to people at Church.  Reach out to one another and pass on the necessary information to our leaders so that needs can be met and lives can be blessed.  We all can and should do something, and take courage in any progress that we might make.

Additional Resources-

Teachings of President David O. McKay, Chapter 5: "The Blessings of Unity"

Things I Will Implement:

I am going to do a better job of reaching out to people in my ward.  I have been so blessed in my life and I am grateful for the gifts of the Spirit that I have received.  I know that I can do more to lift and build others.