JUST DO IT!

Here are my thoughts from today's seminary lesson in Jacob 3:3-11......

When I was little, my dad used to have a paperweight on his desk that said, "DO IT".  Whenever I hear the Nike slogan or see the logo, "Just Do It.", I think of my dad.  Nike has the right idea.

So did President Spencer W. Kimball, 12th president of the Church who has said, “We must lengthen our stride and must do it now.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley, 15th President of the Church, gave a talk to the youth and young single adults on 12 November 2000 in Salt Lake City titled “A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer for Youth."  In it he shared some counsel to help the youth face the challenges ahead of them:

"Be loyal to the Church under all circumstances.....This is the very work of God designed to bring about the immortality and eternal life of His sons and daughters.......Walk in faith before Him with your heads high, proud of your membership in this great cause and kingdom which He has restored to the earth in this, the last dispensation of the fulness of times. Why? To bring you happiness...............Be true to your own convictions. You know what is right, and you know what is wrong. You know when you are doing the proper thing. You know when you are giving strength to the right cause. Be loyal. Be faithful. Be true, my beloved associates in this great kingdom."

The Nephites didn't have either President Kimball or President Hinckley, but they had Jacob.  In chapter 3 of Jacob in the Book of Mormon, the Nephites have not kept their actions consistent with what they know. There has been a "disconnect", somewhat of a slumber, with what they know, and how they have been living.  Because of this, there has been an absence of the Spirit in their lives; an absence of divine direction.  They know better, but have not done better. 

It's interesting that Jacob uses the words, "...arouse the faculties of your souls; shake yourselves that ye may awake from the slumber of death", as if they have not been conscious of what they have been doing. They've been distracted, preoccupied, incoherent, disjointed, non-alert.  The PRIDE that they have developed has allowed temptation to creep into their lives until they are in a state of being "unaware" of their inconsistency in living the gospel.  They will be held accountable for the light, knowledge, and understanding they have received and comprehend.  So will we.

Sometime in our life, when we're ready, we come to understand that living true to what we know, brings us peace and contentment.  It invites the Spirit to dwell with us.  Blessings flow through our obedience in LIVING the gospel of Jesus Christ and not just saying we're living the gospel.  We must be alert and aware at all times, 'lest the adversary deceive us and distract us from doing good things......Maybe we can work on minimizing that periodical "disconnect" that happens when we lose focus. 

If Jacob were here, he'd tell us to open our eyes and "Just Do It."!