Mormon 5

Verses 1-7: A Hopeless Cause
Mormon takes command again, in a loving effort to help the people, but he has no hope for them.

How does this relate to the atonement?
I have no way of knowing this, but I sometimes imagine to myself that the Savior didn't know whether or not any of us would accept His offering. By granting to us our free agency, He had to be taking the chance that we wouldn't, correct? There's so much I don't understand, but it seems to me that part of what He was taking on through the atonement was the possibility of performing it to no avail- that it might be wholly rejected. But He loved us enough to take the risk. Mormon, as a follower of Christ, had charity in his heart. Verse 1 suggests that he took command because he wanted to offer the people some hope. Even though he had no hope for them and was repelled by their behavior, he loved them and was willing to sacrifice for them if it brought them any comfort. In this way he was like our Savior- giving what he had to give, even if it would not change the people. Another "type" of Him, with which the B of M is replete.

Lesson for me today?

*Learn from verse 2 and don't be like these people. Repent and maintain a relationship with Deity. Don't stop talking with Him.

Verses 8-24: Message for the Future

How does this relate to the atonement?
The Savior suffered awful agonies for these fallen people, and Mormon's message here expresses the hope that His suffering might not be in vain. Mormon pleads with us to use the tragic example we see here of a society destroying itself as a motivator to repent, that we might be "clasped in the arms of Jesus," (a blessing these people rejected). Repentance is the continual injunction throughout all scripture. Repentance just means becoming better. Become better! Notice that you've messed up and try to fix it! Incredible that worldly philosophies have twisted the concept of becoming better into something negative. The Savior suffered the consequences of all the bad things we did. He took the "karma," so it would stop rebounding on us and we could move beyond it, through His grace. And He did it out of His boundless love for us. Mormon is one of His under shepherds, and we, the future, are his flock, as his generation would not hear his message. In his solitude, he prepared for us the Book of Mormon.

Lesson for me?
*The time to become better is now. Be mindful in your interactions, not blind and reactionary as these people. Tune in to the Savior and the needs of His children- your children. Lower your voice, get your head on straight, and treat them as you expect the Savior to treat you. Pay the price. It's worth it!