Cheerfully Do All

As Lehi and his family journeyed in the wilderness, like all of us they tended to begin murmuring about the trials that they were called to go through. The trial of Nephi breaking his bow, leaving his family unable to obtain the necessary food is no exception to this pattern. This trial, however, must have been even more trying than the others because even Lehi began to murmur. Nephi's record relates the following to describe Lehi's experience, "the voice of the Lord came unto my father; and he was truly chastened because of his murmuring against the Lord, insomuch that he was brought down into the depths of humility" (1 Nephi 16:25)

Because of this murmuring, the Liahona stopped working and Lehi's family did not have access to the ever critical line of communication to the Lord. As a commentary to this, Nephi says of the pointers of the Liahona, "they did work according to the faith and dilligence and heed which we did give unto them" (1 Nephi 16:28). Murmuring is not faith. It does not show forth dilligence and it definitely does not demonstrate to the Lord that we are heeding his counsel because it is telling him that we do not want to aline our wills with His.  Murmuring, as shown in this example from the Book of Mormon, will cause our personal Liahona (e.g. revelation through the Spirit) to cease flowing. Why would the Lord want to reveal more to us if we complain about the knowledge and counsel that he gives us. The main purpose of the Lord giving us commandments is to bless our lives and bring us closer to him. Complaining about those commandments tells Him that we do not want those blessings. Whether the commandment is to keep the Sabbath Day Holy or to fulfill a priesthood assignment (e.g. cleaning the church, going to the cannery, helping someone move, etc...) given by the Bishop or quorum/group leader, the Lord's principle that "when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated" (D&C 130:221) surely applies. 

A large part of obedience is taught through a revelation given to Joseph Smith when he was in Liberty Jail. After enduring the worst of circumstances in that jail, the Lord told him, "let us cheerfully  do all things that lie in our power" (D&C 123:17). As we learn to do so, the Lord's blessings will surely come to us in fuller measure and our personal Liahonas will guide us back to the promised land prepared for us in our Father's kingdom above. 

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