Day 338 The Choice Land: Obedience to Christ for Freedom

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. Welcome to day 338 on our 365 day journey through the Book of Mormon together.

Today, you're going to be reading Ether chapter 2, verses 1 through 16. And as we're starting to notice inside of Ether, there is some absolute repetition. Let's see what our repetition is as we dive in today.

Let's talk about the choice land. Now at the risk of understanding that I have people that jump into this podcast from an international lens, I appreciate you joining in, and you're absolutely welcome into this conversation as well. Today we're going to be talking about the land that Ether is talking about here.

And by modern interpretation, revelation, all the way from Joseph Smith up to our current prophets and apostles, we see that as the American continent. So, what I want to look at today is, if you want a roadmap for the future of success or failure of America, all you need to do is look at one thing. Let's see what that one thing is in our verse for today in Ether 2:12.

Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written. My friends, if you want to know the success or failure of the American continent, all you need to do is look at where the people are focused. If they are focused on obeying the commandments of God and following the gospel of Jesus Christ, you will see that they will be free from bondage, from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven.

However, that comes two-sided. As we've talked many times before, there is a core message inside the Book of Mormon. My friends, we get the message throughout the Book of Mormon.

Here we're going to get it in Ether over and over and over again. And so today I wanted to focus on the predictor that we can use in our own lives to determine success even at a national level. That success being the focus of its people on obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

I'm excited for the opportunity that I have to continually put my efforts into obeying the Lord Jesus Christ. And hopefully what comes with it is a family willing to be obedient, a neighborhood willing to be obedient, a ward, a stake, a region, an area, a state, a nation willing to be obedient to the gospel of Jesus Christ. May we all do our part to live in obedience to the principles and ordinances of the gospel.

Doing so will only keep us free from bondage, captivity, and from all other nations under heaven. 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.