Delightsome people
I read today 2 Nephi 30:4-8. It's a prophecy that the words of Nephi and other New World prophets will come forth to the Gentiles and to the Jews in a future time (he's writing some 550 years before Christ). His descendants will then recognize that their ancestors came from Jerusalem, that they are descendants of the house of Israel. The gospel of Jesus Christ will be declared among them; they will learn who their fathers were and that their fathers knew of Jesus Christ, whom they will also learn about.
These things are happening now; ancestry.com and other sources gather the historical records that still exist. DNA matches happen. We are learning about our past.
And then, verse 6, "they will rejoice;" because they will recognize this as a blessing from God. Understanding will increase and within a few generations "they shall be a pure and a delightsome people." In verse 7 other people will begin to believe in Jesus Christ and begin to gather together, "and as many as shall believe in Christ shall also become a delightsome people."
People can gather for a lot of reasons, survival, unifying against a common enemy, for a common set of beliefs, a desire to help each other and to be helped, a desire not to watch people die when you could help them, a covenant to support each other in wickedness, out of desperation, clinging to straws.
Which is why God specifies what to do to become a delightsome people. Christ teaches us to be kind, patient, helpful, generous, thoughtful, trying to understand each other, not to be doormats but to love. This includes forgiving ourselves, asking God for help, and changing our ways. This includes forgiving each other, including forgiving our enemies. This includes holding each other accountable, with both justice and mercy, as God does. Motivations matter; intentions matter, but since we cannot always see those, God gives us guidance. He set rules; he helped us set up governments. He expects us to support good laws and work to change bad ones.
In verse 8 God promises to help us do so. He will commence his work, which is restoring his people, Zion, the pure in heart, upon the earth.
I bear testimony that God our Father and Jesus Christ have commenced their work in the latter days. Nephi's words are here now, in the Book of Mormon. The Bible stands with the Book of Mormon, spreading Christ's teachings and example across the whole earth. We have the opportunity now to gather, to support each other, to learn Christ's teachings and learn about our ancestors. We can become a delightsome people, and we don't have to do it alone. Join us! Feel the joy of forgiving and being forgiven, and let us help each other.
