When She Saw

In class, we talked about Eve and the Fall, and how the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was sweet to the taste and the Tree of Life was bitter, at least when Adam and Eve were in the Garden. This was really cool to me and I loved that insight. However, when I was reading the same chapter with my love last night, something else caught my eye. 

In Moses 4:12, we read: "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it became pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make her wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and also gave unto her husband with her, and he did eat."

I noticed that while Satan tempted Eve with half-truths and lies about the Tree, she only partook when she "saw that the tree was good for food." This indicates to me that it was less about Satan's words about the Tree and more about Eve deciding that it was time for her and Adam to leave the Garden. I think that Eve was much more aware of the situation and its consequences than we are led to believe, and that makes me happy because it affirms the necessity and power of agency and intelligence.

Called to Serve

Over the weekend, some friends and I decided to take a trip to Las Vegas. It so happened that Elder Bednar was speaking in stake conference there where we were staying and we got the amazing opportunity to hear him. He said at one point that missionaries are called to serve, not called to go to a place. The focus of a mission is to serve the Lord, and missionaries are assigned to labor in a location. However, everybody seems to forget that a little and gets hyped about going to a new place instead.

In D&C 43:6, we read:

 "And ye shall go forth in the power of my Spirit, preaching my gospel, two by two, in my name, lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, declaring my word like unto angels of God."

This verse and the words of Elder Bednar confirm to me the nature of missionary work, that its whole purpose is to spread the word of God. People ask me where I want to go on my mission, but really, where I labor doesn't matter. What matters is the work and blessing the lives of the children of God.

Get Thee Hence

When we went over Moses 1 in class early this week, I felt that Moses' experience with Satan is extremely important to learning to combat temptation in our daily lives. Moses tries from verse 16-20 to banish Satan, but he is unable to do so. Satan remains despite Moses' best efforts to get him to leave. However, in verse 21, Moses is finally able to banish Satan, but only by invoking the power of the Lord:

"...and Moses received strength, and called upon God, saying: In the name of the Only Begotten, depart hence, Satan."

This means a lot to me because it goes to show how much we need to rely on the Lord for assistance with the things that plague us. We can try and do our best, but often it is not enough to conquer whatever we are trying to overcome. We need the Lord to aid us, and He is more than willing to do so if only we will ask him. If we remain faithful and do not fear to call upon Him, He will help us become far greater than we could ever be on our own.