Day 332 Plates vs. Record: Where is the Value?

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'm cheering for your every success. Where is the value?

In the plates or the record? Welcome to day 332 on our 365 day journey through the Book of Mormon together. Today, you're going to be reading Mormon chapter 8, verses 4 through 21.

We'll be right in the middle of that chapter. As we dive in, Moroni begins telling us his story and we find out that he really doesn't see much left to cover. He talks about what his dad has written and then he talks about how he doesn't really have any ability to make more plates and he doesn't really have much room left on the plates he's currently writing.

And so he begins telling us a little bit about what to expect in this record. And that takes us to our verse for today, an interesting twist that I think Moroni snuck in on purpose here. Mormon chapter 8, verse 14 says this: And I am the same who hideth up this record unto the Lord.

The plates thereof are of no worth because of the commandment of the Lord. For he truly saith that no one shall have them to get gain. But the record thereof is of great worth, and whoso shall bring it to light, him will the Lord bless.

Now did you catch the shift there? At first when I read it, I thought, wait a second, how can these have no worth and then have great worth? Until I think I found what Moroni was saying.

The plates are the gold plates. And we know through Joseph Smith's experiences that he recorded that it was the Lord needed to make sure that Joseph Smith was focused entirely on the work of the Lord and not to get personal gain. So the gold plates themselves have no value.

As Moroni says, they are of no worth. That's fascinating. But then he says the record thereof is of great worth.

So what's the difference in the plates and the record? Well, the plates are the things. Gold plates.

The record is what was written on the things. This one a fun one because we have the tangible object and then we have the intangible content. You can't actually hold the words of the teachings.

You must read them. You must internalize them. You can hold the plates and they may be golden, and yet they have no worth.

But if you read the record and absorb it and take it internally, then that intangible record. I use a similar example when I do retreats with companies and families. I typically will buy every attendee a composition notebook.

And depending on the time of year, I can get those anywhere from 25 cents apiece to maybe $1.50 apiece, depending on supply and demand for the year. Not very expensive in general terms. And yet at these retreats, I let people understand that the value of the composition notebook alone really is not valuable.

But as we go through the retreat, if they will use that composition notebook to write their feelings, to write their reflections, to write their goals and their aspirations, to write ideas that they're inspired to write down, then those notes can become quite invaluable. All of these are written inside of those composition notebooks, worth tens of thousands or even more dollars. Pretty fascinating when you think about it.

The plates, although made of gold, and today many people focus on the gold plates. Let me see the gold plates. And yet it's not about the plates.

It's about the record. My friends, where are we focused on the plates in our lives that have no worth and where can we better focus on the records of our lives that bring great worth? So today I'd love for you to take some time to focus in and realize the places where you have plates in your lives where you could shift that worth into the records of your lives and see what kind of value gets bumped up when you shift from the tangible focus of the stuff in your life to the intangible focus of the content in your life.

That's worth thinking on. Excited to see what you get on the backside of that one. That's all 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 and I hope you are too.