FAITH SUFFICIENT

"Sustain"
Cody F Miller

3 Nephi 17:5-6

5. And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them.
6. And he said unto them: Behold my bowels are filled with compassion towards you.

So, lately I have been studying and pondering over and ultimately attempting to “teach “or even convey the sweet and heartbreaking lesson in this book 3 Nephi 17; concerning the Saviors visit. What I am learning from those 2500 men, women and children is that they truly had “sufficient faith”.  I have wondered why these men, women and children received the Lord and their brethren in Jerusalem did not; they crucified him; they killed their “God”. But in reading about the people of Nephi, they were just barely prepared for his coming, some were just hanging by a “thread”; even their prophet Nephi, was in exile.

I worry sometimes if we are “prepared” enough. What shall his arriving be like in that day for us? In 3 Nephi 17, during a period of 3 days and 3 nights of darkness and turmoil; many people on this western hemisphere were destroyed. The vast majority of the people alive were not worthy to abide his coming:

Malachi 4:1 For behold the day come, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud yea, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble; and the day that come shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

3 Nephi 8:11-12; 14-15

11 And there was a great and terrible destruction in the land southward.

12 But behold, there was a more great and terrible destruction in the land northward; for behold the whole face of the land was changed because of the tempest and the whirlwinds, and the thundering and the lightning’s, and the exceedingly great quaking of the whole earth.

14 And many great and notable cities were sunk and many were burned, and many were shaken till the buildings thereof had fallen to the earth, and the inhabitants thereof were slain, and the places were left desolate.  

15 And there were some cities which remained; but the damage thereof was exceedingly great and there were many in them who were slain.

Their world, the world of the Nephites had truly come to an end. But here is the absolute “cool part”, the Lord, after all of this destruction “shined a light”.  He reached out to them and said:

3 Nephi 17:13-15

 13 O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?

14 Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive and blessed are those who come unto me.

15 Behold I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are; I was with the Father from the beginning, I am in the Father and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name

But I am comforted in knowing that we shall see him as he is, just like the Nephites. And I realize that our seeing Him as he really is has a lot to do with how He see’s us, and how much He loves us. Do you think that each of us, in whatever state we are in, will see Him as our heart reveals Him to us? It won’t matter what he looks like, only what our hearts will show us at that day.

What will we do? Will we do as the Nephites, fall to the ground unable to speak, but only convey with our eyes and our hearts that desire to “drink it all up, to eat every last morsel until we are filled? I Can Only Imagine

Malachi3:16 Then they that feared the Lord, spoke often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name