Ether 12

(Below is a list of questions that help me think about each verse as I read it. The numbers represent the verses in the chapter.)

When we have hope and faith in Jesus Christ, we will receive strength to be steadfast and abound in good works. If we desire a witness, then we must first exercise faith in Jesus Christ. If we are meek, we can receive the Lord's grace to help us overlook the weaknesses of others. If we come unto Jesus Christ, then He will show us our weakness. If we humble ourselves and exercise faith in the Lord, then He will make weak things become strong unto us.

1-2. What moves a prophet to preach?

3. How diligent was the prophet Ether in crying repentance unto the people? How diligent are you in heeding that call on a daily basis? Why should repentance be a daily part of your life?

4. How do hope and faith work together to bring forth good works? How can your faith be like an anchor during the storms in our lives? What can a person who believes in God hope for in spite of being surrounded by difficulties?

"Just as ships need anchors to keep them from drifting away on the open seas, people need spiritual anchors in their lives if they are to remain steadfast and not drift into the sea of temptation and sin. Faith in God and His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ, is the main anchor we must have in our lives to hold us fast during times of social turbulence and wickedness that seem to be everywhere today." -M Russell Ballard, Ensign, December 1993

How do you think having hope with surety is different from merely wishing for something? What comfort does this kind of hope bring you when you face seemingly insurmountable challenges? What can you do to increase your faith in The Lord Jesus Christ giving you the hope necessary to make it through the challenges you have yet to face?

5. Why didn't the people believe the great and marvelous things which Ether prophesied?

6. What do you think if means that we receive no witness until after the trial of our faith? What comes to mind when you think about a trial of your faith?

"You can learn to use faith more effectively by applying this principle taught by Moroni.... ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.Thus, every time you try your faith, that is, act in worthiness on an impression, you will receive the confirming evidence of the Spirit. Those feelings will fortify your faith. As you repeat that pattern, your faith will become stronger." -Richard G Scott, GC, April 2003 

"You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you." - Harold B Lee as quoted by Boyd K Packer, March 1991 "That particle of faith most precious and which you should protect and use to whatever extent you can is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."  -Henry B Eyring, GC, April 2012

7-8. How does exercising and showing faith cause the veil of forgetfulness to be thinner? How can this increase your spiritual sensitivities?

9. What are you promised for simply having faith in Christ?

"Prophets have always had and taught ultimate hope in Christ... You and I can be repeatedly reassured concerning this grand hope by the Comforter, who teaches us the truth about things as they really are, and ... really will be. Such hope constitutes the anchor of the soul. Such hope is retained through faith in Christ." -Neal A Maxwell, GC, October 1994

11. What gift was given by the power of faith?

12-22. Can God do miracles for those who do not exercise faith?

"The need of faith is often underestimated. The ill one and the family often seem to depend wholly on the power of the priesthood and the gift of healing that they hope the administering brethren may have, whereas the greater resonsibility is with him who is blessed ... The major element is the faith of the individual when that person is conscious and accountable., 'Thy faith hath made thee whole' was repeated so often by the Master that it almost became a chorus." -Spencer W Kimball, New Era, October 1981

13. What did the power of faith do for Alma and Amulek? What has the power of faith done for you?

19. How can you strengthen your faith? How does exercising and practicing faith make your faith stronger? What specific things can you practice that will increase your faith?

"If, because of unbelief or doubt, you find your faith wavering, remember that even the ancient Apostles implored the Lord to 'increase our faith'. Bearing in mind that faith and reason are necessary companions, consider the following analogy: faith and reason are like the two wings of an aircraft. Both are essential to maintain flight. If, from your perspective, reason seems to contradict faith, pause and remember that our perspective is extremely limited compared to the Lord. Do not discard faith anymore then you would detach a wing from an aircraft in-flight. Instead, nurture a particle of faith and permit the hope it produces to be an anchor to your soul – and to your reason. That is why we are commanded to seek learning by study and also by faith. Remember, faith precedes and produces miracles for which we have no immediate explanation within our experience." -Marcus B Nash, GC, October 2012 

"Throughout history, even in times of darkness there were those who, through eyes of faith, pierced the darkness and beheld things as they truly are.… Our homes should be havens of faith. Mothers and fathers should teach the principles of faith to their children." – Joseph B Wirthlin, GC, October 2002

23-25. What was Moroni's concern about how the Gentiles would receive his record? How aware of your weaknesses are you? What feelings are in your heart when you ponder upon your weaknesses?

"Life moves all too fast. When you feel weak, discouraged, depressed, or afraid, open the Book of Mormon and read. Do not let too much time pass before reading a verse, a thought, or a chapter... The spiritual gifts described in the Book of Mormon are present in the church today – promptings, impressions, revelations, dreams, visions, visitations, miracles. You can be sure that the Lord can, and at times does, manifest himself with power and great glory. Miracles can occur." – Boyd K Packer, GC, April 2005

26. Why do you think it is foolish to mock the weaknesses of others? Why do you think you need to be meek in order to overlook the weaknesses of others?

26-27. How did the Lord respond to Moroni's concerns about his weakness? What do you think the Lord would tell you in regards to the weaknesses that concern you in your life? Why is meekness important in reading the Scriptures? Where do you suppose you get your weaknesses? What can we do to help us recognize weaknesses we have? Why do you think the Lord gives us weaknesses? How does it make you feel knowing that the Lord himself has given you weakness? How does knowing the true source of your weakness actually strengthen you and help you overcome it?

"Where do you suppose we get these weaknesses? If you pose this question to a group of saints, it will astound you how many different answers you get to this particular question. Some will say that they are responsible for their own weaknesses; well, if you keep your weaknesses, that's true, but that is not where they come from. Another will say weaknesses come from heredity or environment; in either instance, we are passing the responsibility to someone else, either our parents or our neighborhood. Both of these sources have a great influence upon us, but they do not give us our weaknesses. Still another may blame Lucifer, the devil, for their weaknesses; surely he is always on the job, but this is not where we get our weaknesses, either. Where do they really come from? The Lord tells us the answer to this question very plainly in the Book of Mormon. So where do we get our weaknesses? We get them from the Lord; the Lord gives us weakness so we will be humble. This makes us teachable. Now don't misunderstand me – the Lord is not responsible for the sin; he is only responsible for the weakness. It seems that all men have weaknesses in one form or another, character traits that make one more subject to a particular temptation than another… Giving us weakness, however, is one of the Lords ways of getting our attention. He says that this is the means he uses to make us humble, but he also says that if we will come unto him and have faith in him, he will make us strong wherein we are weak. I know this is the truth." – Hartman Rector Junior, GC, April 1970 

"Let us remember that the power to change is very real, and it is a great spiritual gift from God." – James E Faust, GC, October 2007 

"Doubt, fear, and worry indicate we have taken all of life burdens and anxieties on ourselves. When plagued by thoughts that you are inadequate, confidently say, 'I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.' Then as you cheerfully do all things that lie in your power you can rest assured that the Lord will do the remainder and things will work out alright." – Anthony D Perkins, DC, October 2006 

"If you have problems in your life, don't assume there is something wrong with you. Struggling with those problems is at the very core of life's purpose. As we draw close to God, he will show us our weaknesses and through them make us wiser, stronger. If you're seeing more of your weaknesses, that just might mean you're moving near to God, not farther away." – Bruce C Hafen, GC, April 2004

28. What qualities will draw you to the Savior?

"As I read and ponder the Scriptures, I see that developing faith, hope and charity within ourselves is a step-by-step process. Faith begets hope, and together they foster charity.… These three virtues may be sequential initially, but once obtained, they become interdependent. Each one is incomplete without the others. They support and reinforce each other.... These are the virtuous, lovely, praiseworthy characteristics we seek.… Certainly we need unfeeling spiritual strength in our lives." – Joseph B Wirthlin, GC, October 1998 

"Unsurprisingly the triad of faith, hope, and charity, which brings us to Christ, has strong and converging linkage: faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ, hope is in His atonement, and charity is the 'pure love of Christ'! Each of these attributes qualifies us for the celestial kingdom." – Neal A Maxwell, GC, October 1994

29. How are the works of righteousness accomplished? Is there something in your life, an attitude or behavior, that can be changed so that you can be more effectively used as an instrument in the Lords hands to accomplish his works of righteousness? What specific changes can you make in your life to assist him?

30. By faith mountains can be moved. What needs changed in your life to help you as an individual move closer to God, becoming more like him?

32. Why is hope required to be within us if we expect to receive an eternal inheritance prepared for us by the Lord?

"Hope is a gift of the Spirit. It is a hope that through the atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of his resurrection, we can be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior. This kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment, and as with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. Hope in our Heavenly Father's merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, mercy, rejoicing, and gladness. The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; it is the foundation of our faith and an anchor to our souls." – Dieter F Uchtdorf, GC, October 2008 

"Live with hope that you can achieve and accomplish and develop the great gifts our Father in Heaven has given to you and one day receive an inheritance among the mansions of the Father." – L Tom Perry, GC, October 1998

33-34. Why is the gift of charity a requirement to gaining eternal life? How much charity do you have towards family members, neighbors, ward members, strangers?  What can you do to further develop the gift of charity in your life? What actions, behaviors, or thoughts do you need to avoid or get rid of in order to foster a deeper feeling of charity for others?

"Charity is our love for The Lord, shown through our acts of service, patience, compassion, and understanding for one another.… Charity is also the Lord's love for us, shown through his acts of service, patience, compassion, and understanding." – Bonnie D Parkin, GC, October 2003 

"We are challenged to move through a process of conversion toward that status and condition called eternal life. This is achieved not just by doing what is right, but by doing it for the right reason – for the pure love of Christ.… The reason charity never fails and the reason charity is greater than even the most significant acts of goodness… Is that charity, the pure love of Christ, is not an act but a condition or state of being. Charity is a attained through a succession of acts that result in a conversion. Charity is something one becomes. Thus, as Moroni declared, 'except men shall have charity they cannot inherit' the place prepared for them in the mansions of the father." – Dallin H Oaks, GC, October 2000

36. How does the gift of grace help us to have charity?

37. How can you have a sure witness that you have been faithful to The Lord? What changes do you need to make today in order to be worthy of this blessing?

"After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands) ... then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and The Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When The Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure ,then it will be his privilege to receiveth other Comforter, which The Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John."  -Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith as quoted by Marion G Romney, GC, April 1977

 "I should think that all faithful Latter-day Saints 'would want that more sure word of prophecy, that they were sealed in the heavens and had the promise of eternal life in the kingdom of God." - History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 5:388

38. How does the knowledge that Moroni has of his diligence in fulfilling the responsibilities that The Lord has given him in mortality give him the confidence that he can state that he is free of the blood and sins of this generation? What is a sin of omission? Do sins of omission in your life weaken the confidence you would desire to have when you stand before God to account for your actions and choices in mortality? What can you do to overcome even sins of omission?How can overcoming procrastination help you in this?

41. In what ways can you 'seek Jesus' in your life? What are some things you could do to bring you closer to him? How can continually working to draw closer to the Savior help you to have a firm and unshakable testimony of His existence?

"'The greatest battle of life is fought within the silent chambers of your own soul.' ... It is a good thing to sit down and commune with yourself, to come to an understanding with yourself anddecide in that silent moment that your duty is to your family, to your Church, to our country, and ... to your fellowmen." - Thomas S Monson, GC, October 2004 

"Seek a witness of the truth through the Holy Ghost in prayer, and the nsee your faith strengthened as you joyfully meet the challenges of this mortal life and prepare for eternal life." -Robert D Hales, GC, October 2004 

"Those who are committed to Christ stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things and in all places that they may be in even until death. They retain the name of Christ written always in their hearts. They take upon themselves the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end. When we live a Christ-centered life, we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ." --Ezra Taft Benson, GC, October 1987