Come Follow Me

Cover image: That Ye May Know, by Gary L. Kapp.

Moroni 10 is perhaps best known for “Moroni’s Promise” in verse 4, which has been used by countless missionaries to challenge their investigators to learn for themselves that the Book of Mormon is God’s word. However, we often do not even consider the valuable insights provided by the preceding verse. The Book of Mormon opens with Nephi’s promise to show us that “the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith” (1 Nephi 1:20). The book closes with a similar message from Moroni as he prepared to “seal up” the records: he invited us to “remember how merciful the Lord hath been” (Moroni 10:2–3). These “tender mercies” have been shown since “the creation of Adam” and the Lord invites us to consider God’s mercies as we read this record.

Recognize and Remember

Years ago, my life was changed by the words of Henry B. Eyring’s 2007 address entitled, “O Remember, Remember.”  He spoke about his habit of writing down how he saw the hand of God manifest in his life every single day.  He explained:

When our children were very small, I started to write down a few things about what happened every day. Let me tell you how that got started. I came home late from a Church assignment. It was after dark. My father-in-law, who lived near us, surprised me as I walked toward the front door of my house. He was carrying a load of pipes over his shoulder, walking very fast and dressed in his work clothes. I knew that he had been building a system to pump water from a stream below us up to our property.

He smiled, spoke softly, and then rushed past me into the darkness to go on with his work. I took a few steps toward the house, thinking of what he was doing for us, and just as I got to the door, I heard in my mind—not in my own voice—these words: “I’m not giving you these experiences for yourself. Write them down.”

I went inside. I didn’t go to bed. Although I was tired, I took out some paper and began to write. And as I did, I understood the message I had heard in my mind. I was supposed to record for my children to read, someday in the future, how I had seen the hand of God blessing our family.

I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.

As I tried to follow Elder Eyring’s example, I noticed that I was able to discern the hand of God in my life. I grew in gratitude and amazement at how the Lord could turn things that I considered calamities into blessings.  I remember one night, writing in my journal, “I wonder how this will turn out to be the hand of God in my life.”  However, without going into details, I soon learned how this very event precipitated a wonderful outcome. The very fact that I was looking for the hand of God in my life made a huge difference in how I appreciated each day. Sometimes we are cavalier in how we take for granted our prosperous lifestyles. We don’t take time to remember just how blessed we are. In the Deseret News, Boyd Matheson quoted William George Jordan who said, “Ingratitude, the most popular sin of humanity, is forgetfulness of the heart.”

As I was studying Ether 6 while pondering this idea of remembering “how merciful the Lord hath been” in Moroni 10:3, I was impressed with the actions of the first king of the Jaredites—Orihah. Although Jared and his brother feared that having a king would lead them into captivity, Orihah walked “humbly before the Lord, and did remember how great things the Lord had done for his father” (Ether 6:30). The verse continues, “and [he] also taught his people how great things the Lord had done for their fathers.” Why did he do this? Because remembering brings gratitude, the antidote to pride, and humility leads to repentance and righteous actions. It is so important to keep remembering God and his many mercies. But, alas, there are many reasons why people fail to recognize the presence of God’s hand in their lives.

President Eyring builds upon this idea:

Sadly, prosperity is not the only reason people forget God. It can also be hard to remember Him when our lives go badly. When we struggle, as so many do, in grinding poverty or when our enemies prevail against us or when sickness is not healed, the enemy of our souls can send his evil message that there is no God or that if He exists He does not care about us. Then it can be hard for the Holy Ghost to bring to our remembrance the lifetime of blessings the Lord has given us from our infancy and in the midst of our distress.

There is a simple cure for the terrible malady of forgetting God, His blessings, and His messages to us. Jesus Christ promised it to His disciples when He was about to be crucified, resurrected, and then taken away from them to ascend in glory to His Father. They were concerned to know how they would be able to endure when He was no longer with them.

Here is the promise. It was fulfilled for them then. It can be fulfilled for all of us now:

“These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:25-26)

The key to the remembering that brings and maintains testimony is receiving the Holy Ghost as a companion. It is the Holy Ghost who helps us see what God has done for us. It is the Holy Ghost who can help those we serve to see what God has done for them.

Having served my mission in Hong Kong, I had the opportunity to teach many people who had no concept of God. I wondered how such individuals who had no memory of spiritual experiences at all could recognize an answer from the Holy Ghost. But God loves all of his children. Everyone has had spiritual experiences that they may not have recognized. Every person, upon entering the world, is given the Spirit of Christ. Moroni 7:16-17,19 teaches:

For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.

But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him. . . .

Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ.

Therefore, even before people receive the gift of the Holy Ghost when they are confirmed after being baptized members of the Church, the light of Christ leads them to search for truth, and the Holy Ghost confirms truth to them, and they have spiritual experiences. They have memories of those experiences, even if they do not recognize their source. Even in Hollywood-produced movies, I am amazed to see that people inherently believe that they will see their loved ones after death, even if they do not profess a belief in God. In Korean, when someone dies, the words, “he returned” are used. As we taught people the plan of salvation in China, it felt familiar to them. Some of them told me, “That is what I’ve always thought!” The remembrance of hearing these truths again softens their hearts to allow the Holy Ghost to testify to them.  No wonder Moroni asks his readers to remember how merciful the Lord has been to them as they prepare to ask for a confirmation of the truth of his record. In pondering these “tender mercies,” their hearts will be softened and open to receive spiritual answers.

“With a Sincere Heart and Real Intent”

Moroni exhorts his readers to “ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Moroni 10:4)  Are a sincere heart and real intent different things?

What does it mean to have a sincere heart? It is commonly believed that the word sincere comes from two Latin words—sine “without” and cera “wax.” Some think that ancient marble workers would cover imperfections in the stone with wax, increasing their value. So the claim that something was “without wax,” would be an important guarantee that the product was authentic.

Those who are authentically seeking must willfully suspend disbelief as they ask God if the Book of Mormon is true. 

We generally agree that a having a sincere heart means that someone really wants to know. If they really want an answer, why not have the courage to go straight to the source of all knowledge. After being inspired by James 1:5, the Prophet Joseph Smith did exactly this—he asked God.  I like to refer to such action as the “Ask God” principle. Asking with a “sincere heart,” means asking with a heart that is open to an answer, and even hopeful of an answer. 

Asking with “real intent” means you “really intend” to do something about the answer you receive. James 1:6 advises that seekers of wisdom must “ask in faith,” meaning they intend to act on the answer they receive.

On my mission, we taught a young man who said that he prayed about the truth of the Book of Mormon, but did not receive an answer. I was very frustrated with this and wondered why this was so. If he was sincerely praying, why wasn’t God giving him an answer? As I have pondered this situation over the years since that time, I was struck by this idea—perhaps this individual did not intend to act upon the answer he wanted to receive. In that way, it would be an act of mercy by the Lord to withhold an answer from him.  Otherwise, the “answer” would place him in a position of being “accountable” for not acting on his answer, and even classify him as evil. God places a high value on authenticity and single-mindedness.

Moroni 7:9—“And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such.”

By the Power of the Holy Ghost, Ye May Know the truth of All Things (Moroni 10:5)

There are many sources of truth available to all God’s children. He loves all of them and has revealed to them as much truth as they are capable of accepting. As President Gordon B. Hinckley has said, “Let me say that we appreciate the truth in all churches and the good which they do. We say to the people, in effect, you bring with you all the good that you have, and then let us see if we can add to it.” (meeting, Nairobi, Kenya, 17 Feb. 1998).

When Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord whether he should include the Apocrypha in his translation of the Bible, the Lord answered that it was not necessary. “There are many things contained therein that are true, and it is mostly translated correctly; There are many things contained therein that are not true, which are interpolations by the hands of men” (D&C 91:1–2). Those who read the material with the Spirit would be able to discern the truth themselves, and did not need a prophet to translate it for them. “Therefore, whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth; And whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom; And whoso receiveth not by the Spirit, cannot be benefited” (D&C 91:4–6).

Those who read the scriptures with the Spirit do not need to be spoon-fed. That is the purpose of the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Joseph Smith writes that there are many things therein that are the “interpolations” of men, but that “there are many things contained therein that are true.” It is up to the reader to read these things with the Spirit to discern truth, and thereby receive the “benefit therefrom.” The prophet Joseph recognized that there is benefit to be gleaned from a study of these apocryphal writings, but that we will miss obtaining these benefits if we do not invest time in reading them with the Spirit.

During my graduate studies at Brigham Young University, one of my favorite classes was “Apocrypha and the Latter-day Saints,” taught by Stephen Robinson. Dr. Robinson made this scripture from Doctrine and Covenants 91 the theme for the class. There was much truth to be gained from these extra-canonical books, but it was not easy to recognize without the Spirit. We had to be miners, carefully examining every nugget to see if it contained any gold. We students were under obligation to seek those golden nuggets of truth and to place them in their proper place in the grand repository of truth we had already received in the restored gospel. If we did so, we could be “benefitted therefrom.”

People get answers from the Holy Ghost in many different ways. I had been taught the truth of the Book of Mormon all my life from my parents. When I started college, I was really trying to gain my own testimony, now that I was out on my own.  During the school year, I had been reading the Book of Mormon, and was going to take Moroni up on his promise at the end of his book.  I was afraid to finish the book because I would have to pray about it and I was afraid I wouldn’t get an answer to the promise in Moroni 10:4. I discussed my feelings with a returned missionary friend who I met in an Institute class.  As he helped me sort through the many emotions I was feeling one day, he said, “Don’t be afraid, Diana. What do you think about the Book of Mormon right NOW?” I said that I already thought that it was true.   He said that I probably wouldn’t get an angel visiting me or a voice, because I already knew it was true.  This made me feel much better. I think we sometimes unintentionally stress ourselves out. God will answer each of us in the way that is perfect for US individually.

Years later in Hong Kong, I saw a completely different scenario occur.  I met Sister Jehng, a recent convert who had been called as a full-time missionary, and I asked her to share her conversion story.  It all began in her family’s shop where she worked selling soda pop and basic groceries. Since it was not safe to drink the water in Hong Kong, and bottled water was not available at that time, the thirsty missionaries assigned to her area would stop by her father’s shop nearly every day to buy a soda, hei seui – “air water.” She was an enthusiastic member of a Protestant Christian Church, and loved to give the missionaries a hard time about the Book of Mormon. They took it in stride, but kept asking her questions about her religion. Finally, they made some kind of a deal with her. I’m not sure of the details, but they told her that if she would agree to read the Book of Mormon and pray about its truthfulness, they would never bother her again with their preaching when they stopped for sodas. She agreed, and told us of her amazing experience. She said that after she finished reading the Book of Mormon, she knelt down and prayed to know if it was true. Three things happened! She felt the ground shake, she saw a light, and she heard a voice say, “Ni yatchai ge siching haih jansahtge!” (All these things are true!)

In other Hong Kong fast and testimony meetings, I noticed that many other Chinese people had these kinds of experiences when they prayed about the Book of Mormon. I don’t know why, but perhaps it is because faith in the Christian God is a giant leap for the Chinese people.  

Moroni knows that receiving an answer from the Holy Ghost will be a gift of God, and explains other spiritual gifts available to humble seekers.  (Moroni 10:8) He notes that there are many different gifts.  A similar list of spiritual gifts appears in D&C 46:10-33.

Gifts of the Spirit

The gifts of the Spirit listed in Moroni 10:9‑17 are almost word for word the same gifts that Paul outlines for the Corinthian saints. What was going on in Corinth that facilitated this response from Paul? 

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12)

People were starting to rank the importance of spiritual gifts, trying to make one gift more important than another.  Paul compares the Church of Christ to the human body.

Each different gift is like a different part of the body, or member.  When the members work together the body works. But when even one organ is dysfunctional, the whole body cannot function. 1 Corinthians 12:16  Each member of the body has a different function, and yet each is essential. The body could not function if each member was identical. Do we want the whole body to be one eyeball?

In 1 Corinthians 12:28,  Paul is arguing for the necessity of all the members of the body. I love this quote from Benjamin Hoff in The Tao of Pooh p. 40.

Hui-tse said to Chuang-tse, “I have a large tree which no carpenter can cut into lumber. Its branches and trunk are crooked and tough, covered with bumps and depressions. No builder would turn his head and look at it. Your teachings are the same—useless, without value. Therefore, no one pays attention to them.”

“As you know,” Chuang-tse replied, “a cat is very skilled at capturing its prey. Crouching low, it can leap in any direction, pursuing whatever it is after. But when its attention is focused on such things, it can be easily caught with a net. On the other hand, a huge yak is not easily caught or overcome. It stands  like a stone, or a cloud in the sky. But for all its strength, it cannot catch a mouse.

“You complain that your tree is not valuable as lumber. But you could make use of the shade it provides, rest under its sheltering branches, and stroll beneath it, admiring its character and appearance. Since it would not be endangered by an axe, what could threaten its existence? It is useless to you only because you want to make it into something else and do not use it in its proper way.” 

In other words, everything has its own place and function. After Paul has finished discussing the various gifts he exhorts us to “covet earnestly” the best gifts. (1 Corinthians 12:31) The footnote tells us that the Greek word thus translated means “seek earnestly, or be zealous for.”  Doctrine and Covenants 46:8-9 reminds us to always remember for what the gifts are given—for “the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do.”

He tells us that he is going to show us a “more excellent way.” For Paul, what is the more excellent way?” Charity.

Charity

1 Cor. 13:1‑3  It doesn’t matter what else we do, if we haven’t developed the pure love of Christ, we have missed the most important thing.  1 Cor. 13:8  To paraphrase the famous Jewish Rabbi, Hillel, “All the rest is commentary.”  Note how Moroni ties in the gifts of the spirit with his father’s sermon. 

Moroni 10:18‑21  The gifts of the spirit are tools which we use to attain charity. Moroni warns us that without charity, faith, and hope, we cannot be saved in the kingdom of God. The opposite of hope is despair, and in verse 22, he tells us that “despair cometh because of iniquity.”  I was taken aback to see despair described as arising from iniquity. I have nothing but great compassion for any person who feels hopeless and in despair. Why does Moroni describe it as iniquity? I have no answer, but perhaps it is true because it denies the very light of Christ that is given to every individual who is born on the earth. We have each been given moral agency and the light of Christ to help us to make decisions in life, and can thus be fairly judged by God.

Notice that despair comes because of iniquity, not trials.  All of us have trials, even the righteous among us.  Despair is one possible reaction to trials.  There is an old saying, “In life, suffering is mandatory, but misery is optional.” Trials can strengthen us. We can choose our reaction to any situation.

Neal A. Maxwell in a BYU fireside in 1984 entitled “If Thou Endure It Well” made these comments about many of our circumstances here in life “which are the result of a tutoring Father in Heaven who seeth fit to inflict certain things upon us because he loves us:”

Nor are we to misread God’s tutoring love. For he would not be a loving Father if he ignored our imperfections and we must not forget that he would not be a true Father if he were content with you and me as we now are. And the implications of that are profound. “If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not? (Hebrews 12:7) . . . Why is non-endurance a denial of the Lord? Because giving up is a denial of the Lord’s loving capacity to see us through all these things. Giving up, suggests that God is less than he really is. It is a denial of his divine attributes, and also a denial of our own possibilities.

President Russell M. Nelson has said, “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives” (“Joy and Spiritual Survival,” General Conference, October 2016). Nowhere is this illustrated more beautifully than in the classic Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. While in the same concentration camp, one prisoner was willing to kill another for a last scrap of bread. Another was willing to give his last piece of bread to a dying friend.

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

(Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search For Meaning, page 66)

Moroni’s Closing Remarks

Moroni 10:24-26 specifies that his closing remarks are for “all the ends of the earth.” None can do good except “he shall work by the power and gifts of God.”  In verse 27, he tells us, “ye shall see me at the bar of God” Three of the four major writers of the Book of Mormon say that they will see us at the judgment.  Nephi says, “you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things…” (2 Nephi 33:11). Nephi’s brother Jacob says, “I bid you farewell, until I shall meet you before the pleasing bar of God…” (Jacob 6:13).  In this verse, Moroni says he will see us there, but this time the Lord will be speaking.  He will ask us if we have received His words written by Moroni as one “crying from the dust.”  He bears testimony that these words shall “hiss forth” as a cry to all the earth from “generation to generation,” fulfill ancient prophecy, and are true.

Once we have charity, we are then entitled to participate in the events described in verses 30‑32.  Charity and grace go hand in hand. 

Come Unto Christ and Be Perfected in Him

 Here, Moroni invites all to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.” There are twenty-eight occurrences in the standard works of the phrases “come unto Christ,” and “come unto me” where Christ is speaking or being quoted. Twenty-five occur in the Book of Mormon.  Elder David A. Bednar observed that “The central and recurring theme of the Book of Mormon is the invitation for all to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him” (“A Reservoir of Living Water,” CES Fireside, February 4, 2007).

What does it mean to be “perfected in Christ”?  It doesn’t say, “be perfect before you come.” It is a “come as you are” invitation I love what Sister Chieko Okazaki, a former member of the Relief Society General Presidency said:

He’s not waiting for us to be perfect. Perfect people don’t need a Savior. He came to save us in our imperfections. He is the Lord of the living, and the living make mistakes. He’s not embarrassed by us, angry at us, or shocked. He wants us in our brokenness, in our unhappiness, in our guilt and our grief. (Chieko N. Okazaki, Lighten Up!, 176.)

The Savior will take us where we are and work with us until we become perfect “in him.” I like this C.S. Lewis parable.

Imagine yourself living in a house. At first, perhaps you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in such a way that it hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in Be Ye There Perfect—Eventually states: “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him … ,” Moroni pleads. “Love God with all your might, mind and strength, then … by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ” (Moroni 10:32). Our only hope for true perfection is in receiving it as a gift from heaven—we can’t “earn” it. Thus, the grace of Christ offers us not only salvation from sorrow and sin and death but also salvation from our own persistent self-criticism.”

Tad Callister, in his April 2019 General Conference address, The Atonement of Jesus Christ, commented on this same verse:

Because of His Atonement, the Savior has enabling powers, sometimes referred to as grace, that can help us overcome our weaknesses and imperfections and thus assist us in our pursuit to become more like Him. Moroni so taught: “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, … that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ.” There seem at least two channels or means of availing ourselves of those enabling powers that can refine—even perfect us. The scriptures tell us, “In the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:20)

First, the saving ordinances. Sometimes we may think of ordinances as a checklist—necessary for exaltation; but in truth each unleashes a godly power that helps us become more like Christ. For example:

• When we are baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, we are made clean—thus becoming more holy like God.
• In addition, through the Holy Ghost, our minds may be enlightened and our hearts softened so we can think and feel more like Him.

And when we are sealed as spouses, we inherit the right to “thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers” (Doctrine and Covenants 132:19) as gifts from God.

A second channel for these enabling powers is the gifts of the Spirit. Because of Christ’s Atonement, we are eligible to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and its accompanying spiritual gifts. These gifts are attributes of godliness; therefore, each time we acquire a gift of the Spirit, we become more like God. No doubt that is why the scriptures enjoin us on multiple occasions to seek these gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31; Moroni 10:30; Doctrine and Covenants 46:8)

President George Q. Cannon taught: “No man ought to say, ‘Oh, I cannot help this; it is my nature.’ He is not justified in it, for the reason that God has promised to . . .  give gifts that will eradicate [our weaknesses] . . . If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that will make us perfect.” (George Q. Cannon, “Seeking Spiritual Gifts,” Ensign or Liahona, April 2016, 80.)

In summary, the Savior’s Atonement gives us life for death, “beauty for ashes,” (Isaiah 61:3) healing for hurt, and perfection for weakness. It is heaven’s antidote to the obstacles and struggles of this world. In the Savior’s final week of mortality, He said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Because the Savior performed His Atonement, there is no external force or event or person—no sin or death or divorce—that can prevent us from achieving exaltation, provided we keep God’s commandments. With that knowledge, we can press forward with good cheer and absolute assurance that God is with us in this heavenly quest. I bear my witness that the Savior’s Atonement is not only infinite in scope but also individual in reach—that it cannot only return us to God’s presence but also enable us to become like Him—the crowning goal of Christ’s Atonement. Of that I bear my grateful and certain witness in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Part of this process involves “denying ourselves of all ungodliness.”  When Joseph Smith was asked about how he governed all the people, his reply was, “I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves.”  In the same way, our desire to be obedient comes from within.  We deny ourselves of ungodliness. Only “then is his grace sufficient.”  As King Benjamin said, “Are we not all beggars?”  None of us, even with the good we do, can earn our way into heaven.  No matter how much good we do, we would still be “unprofitable servants” (Mosiah 2:21).  We must rely on the grace of Christ. Only through the Grace of God and being made holy through the blood of Christ can we become “holy, without spot.”

The gospel of Jesus Christ is more than just knowing, and more than just doing, it is about becoming, as President Dallin H. Oaks has taught.  The more we come to him, the more we become like him, “that when he shall appear, we shall be like him” (1 John 3:2, Moroni 7:48). 

Final Thoughts

It is interesting to consider the many exhortations Moroni gives to his latter-day readers:

I would exhort you to

As Moroni finishes up his record he summarizes his feelings to us the readers.  In doing so he builds on the foundation that his father Mormon had established of the importance of hope, faith and charity.  In many ways, Mormon and Moroni’s teachings echo those of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians over 300 years previously.  In both the Old and the New Worlds, the prophets were faced with dissensions and apostasy.  The Saints in Corinth were plagued with moral laxity, and internal factions and disunity—similar things, though on a lesser scale, to the situation during the ministries of Mormon and Moroni.  In combating these issues, it’s interesting that on both hemispheres God’s anointed chose to speak about the gifts of the spirit.

Just as the Book of Mormon opens with Nephi’s promise to show us that “the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith” (1 Nephi 1:20), it closes with a similar message from Moroni as he prepared to “seal up” the records: he invited us to “remember how merciful the Lord hath been” (Moroni 10:2–3). It is in “recognizing and remembering” the hand of the Lord in our lives daily that we will be fortified with the strength to “press forward with faith.”