Today I read these verses from the Book of Mormon and relished the message, because verse three is one of my favorites. Before Moroni gives his famous promise in chapter 10, verse 4, he offers a marvelous admonition in verse 3 to "remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men." This verse gets me every time. Of all the things that Moroni could include in his final words to us, he chose to admonish us to remember the Lord's mercies. Why? Because stopping and remembering changes our perspective and fills us with gratitude.
One definition of merciful is to bring relief to someone who is experiencing something unpleasant. The Lord has done that for me. He has saved me from many unpleasant things, meaning things or experiences have been removed, and when the "thing" has not been removed, He has helped me through the unpleasantness. A couple of synonyms of merciful are: forgiving and compassionate. I have experienced the Lord's forgiveness and compassion repeatedly. He welcomes me into His arms even though I continue to grapple with imperfection, sins, and mistakes. In our family night lesson tonight, Matthew added the thought that "merciful" describes someone who gives more than is deserved. This is such a great representation of the Lord's merciful nature. We are given much more than we deserve. We are given far more than we could ever earn. We are blessed beyond measure. Everything I have which is good comes from the Lord (Omni 1:25).
I have a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Reading the Book of Mormon has increased my love and devotion for the Savior, Jesus Christ, and Heavenly Father.
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