Day 40 Shake Off Chains, Put On Righteousness

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus tells his followers that they are the salt of the earth, and in the same sentence offers a warning that savorless salt is good for nothing. Join me in an attempt to be savory salt as I share each day one verse of scripture and one small thought. Perhaps this small daily emphasis can lead to greater savor in your life and ultimately you and I can be savory salt.

Hello, my friends and family, wherever you're listening from. Thank you for joining me and know that I am cheering for your every success. Welcome to day 40.

Man, we've been doing this as long as Noah and his family were on the ark, right? Like we're rolling now. 40 has a great significance inside the scriptures. There's a lot of different 40s going on.

And so welcome to day 40. If you are—you are joining me, and at this stage I need to just stop saying "if" and just say thank you for joining me on this 365-day journey through the Book of Mormon. Today you are going to read from 2 Nephi 1:10-24, and this is Lehi sharing his last thoughts and really some of his last testimony with his sons and his family members.

I think he's at a reflective point in his life where he's wanting to make sure that the things that he has taught his sons through his life and through their lives, that there are a few points here that are very accentuated. And he's going to get into some deep doctrine over the next couple of chapters. I think I warned you about that already, but today is one, at least, a perspective that hits personal to me that I want to share with you.

So let's go to verse 23 today out of the reading. Verse 23, Lehi says this: "Awake, my sons, put on the armor of righteousness, shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust." This is the ultimate call-out from a loving father. This is a last attempt by Lehi to encourage his sons to be better, to take a different path.

And I think there's a difference inside of a call-out from a righteous, loving parent or even someone else in our lives that cares for us versus a call-out from someone that is just trying to kind of blast out all your failures and your shortcomings. I think there's a different perspective here, especially when it's done with the Spirit. Lehi is doing just that.

He is calling out his sons with an attempt for them to live better lives. And I hope you have people in your life like that. Now you may not necessarily like the conversations you have with the people like that.

I hope you have those people. I hope you have those people that encourage you to be better. And they're willing to say, "Hey, shake off the chains with which you are bound." Look, maybe you're that person to somebody else.

What are these chains, right? What is he talking about here? He's talking about the habits, the attitudes, the sins, the negative components that are holding his sons back.

Shake those chains off. And if you have someone in your life that's saying, "Hey, you could be better than that. You can do better than that." Maybe it's worth listening.

And that goes for all of us, by the way. I know that I sit in a situation in my professional world where sometimes I'm the one doing the calling out, and sometimes I'm the one being called out. And they are sometimes hard conversations, or at least they're difficult in the moment.

But I can tell you and really testify to you that there is healing on the backside of those conversations. I know that I'm better each time I shake off one of the chains with which I'm bound. I know that I'm better when I put on that armor of righteousness.

And I hope that those that I love can feel that when I have those conversations with them as well. My righteous, loving call-out to you, or maybe if you don't even know me and you're not even sure it's coming from a righteous place. Here's what I encourage for you.

Put on that armor of righteousness. Shake off those chains. Come forth out of obscurity.

Step into the light with which you've been blessed. Step into the Spirit and you'll find strength through our Savior Jesus Christ. That's all I have for today, my friends.

Remember that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. Keep it small, keep it simple, and always seek to be savory salt. I'll be here tomorrow. I hope you are too.