Mosiah 5

When King Benjamin was done he sent pollsters to find out what people thought of what he’d said. The tide was overwhelming: all said they believed him, felt the truth of his words, and had changed from them. No more wishes to sin, only to do good.

Here are more comments:

—After hearing you, we not only know more about our future but feel we ourselves could predict all kinds of things.

—This talk made us wildly happy. Knowledge, yes, but inspiration too. We have more faith now.

—We want a contract with God that says we will do his will and he will, in turn, loose us from the curses of hell.

Obviously, these responses tickled the king. He particularly liked the idea of a contract, a covenant by which people would bind themselves to good behavior. He told them as much. Here’s what he said:

This is a righteous covenant you’ve made. Now you are Christ’s children. He gave birth to you as newly charged people today—“charged” as in “energized” and also as in “commanded.” In giving you this new birth today he has freed you from the death in which you were living. He is the only one that can do that. And you have pledged allegiance to him, not just a tribal flag. And just as he sits on the father’s right hand, you will too. Because you’re family now, you all have the same name.

Those who’ve not been sincere about this covenant will end up on God’s left hand—not beside him, you understand, but distantly opposite from those of whom I just spoke.

God also has a book in which he keeps the names of his personal family members, not just in the generic “we’re all Gods’ children” sense, but the people who are both family and friends. The book is messy, though. Because he frequently blots people’s names from it. Which doesn’t help their cause in the long run.

In turn, he insists you not blot Jesus’ name from the book of your hearts. That name will be definitive in your fate. Ultimately it all depends on him. You must also learn to recognize God’s voice within you. Because that is the voice that will call to you at life’s end. What a privilege to have that voice call your name.

Now does a man borrow a mule with the intent to keep him? No. Mules have plagued his existence. He wouldn’t even let them eat from the same pastures as his sheep. It’s a short-term borrow only. If you’re stubborn as a mule, he’ll treat you like that one I just mentioned got treated. God would just as soon you find a different field.

So stick with this field, be men not mules, drive your posts into the ground and plan to stay as long as you can.

Do that and God may surprise you with the deed to your own field. Let’s just call it heaven. He owns that, too. Amen.