2.355 It Mattereth Not, If It so be that I Am Saved
Show Notes
Join Allen Roberds for a powerful reflection on Ether 15:34 from the Book of Mormon, where the prophet Ether declares that his personal circumstances "mattereth not, if it so be that I am saved in the kingdom of God." This episode explores how Ether's unwavering focus on eternal salvation, even amidst the destruction of his civilization, provides a profound perspective for listeners navigating their own challenges and trials today.
Key Points
- Ether 15:34 reveals the prophet Ether's deep spiritual insight, prioritizing eternal salvation above all temporal sufferings and uncertainties.
- Moroni, facing similar isolation and the downfall of his people, highlighted Ether's message as a timeless reminder of what truly matters to God's children.
- The reflection encourages listeners to adopt Ether's eternal perspective, viewing personal challenges and difficulties as opportunities to learn, grow, and strengthen faith in Jesus Christ.
- Understanding that 'it mattereth not, if it so be that I am saved' can reframe our approach to life's trials, shifting focus from temporary hardship to ultimate divine deliverance.
Here, a challenge is a chance to learn. It's a chance to grow. It's a chance to express our faith and maybe even find more faith in our Savior Jesus Christ.
Episode Resources
Full Transcript
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. How about a bit of a new perspective when facing your challenges? I hope you've enjoyed reading this week "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" as well as Ether chapters 12 through 15 and Moroni chapter 1.
Finishing up Ether is about as difficult as reading back a few chapters ago as we read Book of Mormon, the book part, not the whole Book of Mormon, as we see the destruction of the Nephites there in Mormon, and then we see the destruction of the Jaredites here in the tail end of the Book of Ether. But something caught my attention this time, right on—in fact, it's the last verse of the Book of Ether—that I wanted to share with you and capture and maybe see what you think about it as well. Our verse for today is Ether chapter 15, verse 34.
Now, remember, this is Moroni recording the verses, recording, basically, rewriting or truncating, shrinking down the Book of Ether, and we learned by quite a bit, right? He hasn't even written a hundredth part of the Book of Ether here. The last words which are written by Ether are these, Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if it so be that I am saved in the kingdom of God.
Amen. Now, this has got to be an interesting perspective from Moroni, giving us this record because he's writing the record of Ether while experiencing exactly what Ether experienced. He is the sole descendant.
He's the sole person left of his entire civilization. He has watched his destruction. He's giving us this recording of Ether.
And then inside of that, did you notice Ether left entirely alone? He doesn't know what's going to happen to him the rest of his life. And yet he says, look, I don't know if I'm going to be translated.
I don't know if I'm going to suffer the will of the flesh, right? Like, I don't know if I'm going to suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, meaning, like, live out the rest of my days. I just don't know those things.
But, you know what? Those details don't matter as long as I'm saved in the kingdom of God. My friends, that kind of struck me because I wondered about the challenges that we face.
And sometimes we get into the ho-hum of the challenges we face, right? Sometimes it's like, ah, this is so difficult. Or, ah, and look, the challenges can be difficult.
It's okay to admit that you're experiencing difficult times, right? But this perspective was really interesting. Ether, I don't know that we've ever experienced.
Personally, I know I haven't. I don't think you have, either. Ether and Moroni watched the entire destruction of their civilization.
That's some pretty heavy life going on there, right? And yet, Ether's like, hey, I'm not really concerned about that. I'm concerned about me being saved in the kingdom of God.
What a cool perspective for us to have in the middle of our challenges! You know what? Here, a challenge is a chance to learn.
It's a chance to grow. It's a chance to express our faith and maybe even find more faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. And whatever comes of that challenge, let it come.
It mattereth not, if it so be that I am saved. I'm grateful for the lessons that we have here of these ancient records of these prophets that first testified of Christ, second called us to repentance as these records were written for us as well. Called us to repentance, helped us to find the Savior and ultimately at the end of the day, hopefully bring all of us back to our Heavenly Father, saved in the kingdom of God.
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.
This transcript was generated using AI and may contain errors. I do my best to review and edit them when I can.