Paralleling the Book of Mormon chapters in Helaman to the world today, BYU-Hawaii biology Professor David Bybee spoke on how to live righteously when surrounded by wickedness at the Aug. 24 devotional.
“I am not here to speculate on the when and the how of the Savior’s Second Coming, but I do think we can come to better understand our lives in these ‘latter days,’ which are preparatory for the Second Coming, by ‘likening’ (1 Ne. 19:23-24) and studying the Nephites’ latter days that led up to the Lord’s First Coming,” he said.
To spiritually thrive in a wicked world, Bybee says study scriptures, keep commandments, have testimony of Christ.
Bybee spoke of what he described as a shifting baseline. Although this is term used in marine ecology, he applied it to the world. He defined a shifting baseline as something that “represents significant changes from the original state of the system.”
“The gospel of Jesus Christ is the true spiritual baseline,” he said. “Knowing that makes all the difference in the world. Knowing that means it really does matter what you say and what you do, today and tomorrow.”
To increase people’s spiritual strength in times of wickedness, Bybee shared three ways to do it.
First, people have to be able to recognize the original baseline and see things as they truly are. To do this, they need to read the scriptures.
“We need to be in the scriptures regularly, and regularly has been defined by the prophets as daily … It will keep you focused on the true spiritual baseline and you will easily be able to recognize any deviations, no matter how cleverly packaged they may be,” said Bybee.
Second, they need to abide by strict obedience to the commandments.
“We as humans love to categorize things, including sometimes the commandments. And so it is that we sometimes divide the commandments into the big important ones and the small less important ones. Elder Pearson said … if we want the power faith can bring it ‘requires an attitude of exact obedience, even in the small, simple things,’” said Bybee.
Third, to strengthen their spiritual baseline, they need to build upon the rock of Christ.
To illustrate this, Bybee quoted Helamen 5:12 which says: “…remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”
He then guaranteed that, “If your foundation is built upon the rock of Christ, which is His gospel (D&C 11:24), those storms and winds and shafts shall have no power over you. And if you build on that foundation, you cannot fall.”
See full transcript of David Bybee's devotional address here.
Photo by Nathan Lehano.