Eric Poulin

Posts Tagged ‘service’

1 Nephi 17:47-49

"...touch me not, for I am filled with the power of God..."

“Behold, my soul is rent with anguish because of you, and my heart is pained; I fear lest ye shall be cast off forever. Behold, I am full of the Spirit of God, insomuch that my frame has no strength.
And now it came to pass that when I had spoken these words they were angry with me, and were desirous to throw me into the depths of the sea; and as they came forth to lay their hands upon me I spake unto them, saying: In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I am filled with the power of God, even unto the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried reed; and he shall be as naught before the power of God, for God shall smite him.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto them that they should murmur no more against their father; neither should they withhold their labor from me, for God had commanded me that I should build a ship.”

There are a few examples in scripture where being so consumed by the Spirit of God causes people to lose their natural strength. Think of Lehi who after his first vision was so exhausted, he “cast himself upon his bed” (1 Nephi 1:6-7). Think also of they Ammon was teaching King Limhi and when he prayed, the King fell as if he were dead and they even considered burying him (Alma 18:40-42). There are other examples, but suffice it to say that the power of God can have a great effect on a human body. This coupled with the anguish and emotional stress Nephi was feel about his own brothers surely caused him to feel very physically weak. Laman and Lemuel apparently saw this opportunity to overpower him and be rid of his chastisement by drowning him, but Nephi called upon that same power that had weakened him to protect him. While threatening his brethren with sudden death by the power of God should they try to touch him, he commanded them to shape up so they could all ship out (pun intended).

I remember as a Bishop being so worried about some of the members in my congregation for various reasons that I actually felt sick and weak. I admit that at times when praying for them, or in counsel with my counselors about them, I’ve become overcome by the Spirit with concern for them and felt weakened. I’m sure Bishops all over the world have similar experiences. Now I try to think,

“Am I being like Laman and Lemuel?”

“Do I desire to destroy my Bishop by undermining him, mocking or making light of his suggestions?”

“Am I guilty of withholding my labor or murmuring?”

Think about the last candid talk your Bishop gave. I think its pretty rare to hear a Bishop speak on a topic for no reason, just to fill time. Bishop generally speak with purpose, so listen up when they speak. When they speak about the importance of tithing or fast offerings, consider where you stand in those matters. Consider how you can serve others to make their burdens lighter. We know that time is money… so giving of your time can be a hard thing to do. In fact, whenever I go out with the missionaries to a scheduled appointment it feels like we are always stood up — people just aren’t there. I never consider this a waste of my time however, believing that the Lord pays hourly, not on commission. Giving freely of your time, talents and labor is generally a good thing. Lets listen to our leaders pleadings with us. Its unlikely they will threaten us like Nephi had to, but they will chastise, warn, prod and encourage us to do better. Don’t resent it, take it as a blessing that someone is looking out for you and cares enough to correct you before you become like Laman and Lemuel… it happens to too many of us.