2.256 Remember Them...Remember Their Works...That They Were Good

In Matthew 5.13, Jesus calls us the salt of the earth, a bold reminder that our lives are meant to carry his flavor, his truth, and his love to the world. Join me each day to explore one verse of scripture and one thought, striving to stay full of savor and truly live as savory salt. Hello, my friends, it's great to have you with me.

Today let's be anxiously engaged in a good cause and bring to pass much righteousness. I've got to be honest with you, recording these podcast episodes currently has been quite a difficult task for me. While I try to create these episodes in a way that someone could listen to them at any point in the future, in an evergreen status where they could just open up to me, let's open it up and see a verse for today.

I can't help but speak to the difficulties that I've witnessed the past couple of days. I won't go into specifics, but I can tell you as we read the beginning of Helaman, as we've been reading this week in Helaman 3-7, as well as Doctrine and Covenants 98-101, the Book of Helaman shows us very quickly what happens in a society that turns to political assassinations as their method of governance, and it comes with warnings as well. It's taken me a couple of days just to get back onto the microphone because I haven't been quite sure that I can make it through an episode in under six minutes or seven minutes or so as I try to keep them short and sweet.

But I'm going to do my best here to share a couple that have stood out to me and to finish out this week of readings, specifically with the perspective of events that have happened here recently. For those of you not in the United States or not aware of this situation, we've recently had a young man, a family man, a father assassinated. And it's been difficult to discuss with my family and difficult to process on my own as a father, wondering what my family's life would be like if I was instantly eliminated from their lives, at least here in the physical realm.

As I've sat pondering this, there are two scriptures, one today and one tomorrow, that have stuck with me inside of our specific readings. And it has changed the trajectory of the ones I was going to share, but I think these are the ones that are going to land today and tomorrow. Our verse for today is Helaman 5.6.

You know, I love the Book of Mormon when it takes time to record advice from a parent to a child. Most of them being, you know, fathers to sons as that's kind of the patriarchal order of this civilization and how they record their records. But there's always something special about messages from parents to their children.

And we're blessed to have this counsel in our lives. It says this in Helaman 5:6: Behold, my sons, I desire that you should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that you should declare unto the people these words: Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem. And this I have done, that when you remember your names, you may remember them; and when you remember them, you may remember their works; and when you remember their works, you may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.

My friends, this has me pondering not just on the power of naming our children. As we see here the names, we know that these two men are going to be named Nephi and Lehi. From the original beginning of the Book of Mormon, is this ancestry we see here.

I know the power of naming me for my parents. I'm the fourth Allen and I know very well the Allens that come before me and I've studied their lives so that I can remember them and their works and remember what was said about them. I've shared that inside of Savory Salt, so I won't do that again here today.

Instead, what I've thought about here is what we do on a weekly basis as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In partaking of the sacrament inside of sacrament meeting, in which there are prayers said over the bread and water before we partake of them, in which we covenant to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. How often do we remember that we have taken His name upon us?

That we remember Him? That we remember His works? And that we remember how good they were?

My friends, names are powerful. Remember them. But don't just remember the name.

Remember their works. And remember that they were good. It will help us as we go forward in our lives and perhaps even help us in naming other family members, names that enlighten, uplift, and provide direction and counsel to that child that's going to grow up.

Maybe even never meeting that ancestor, maybe never knowing that ancestor. My friends, I'm grateful for the blessing and opportunity to take upon me the name of Jesus Christ as one of His followers, one of His servants, and as Doctrine and Covenants reminds us often, one of His friends. That's all for today, my friends.

Lift up your hearts and rejoice. Cleave unto the covenants you have made and together we will be savory salt. We'll see you next week.