12:5-6 - "...And it came to pass that Ether did prophesy great and marvelous things unto the people, which they did not believe, because they saw them not..."
Ether prophesied of great things that the people did not believe because they didn't see them. That's why Moroni said that faith is things that are hoped for and not seen. We must have the trial of our faith so that we may grow.
12:7 - "...For it was by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers, after he had risen from the dead; and he showed not himself unto them until after they had faith in him..."
Christ only showed Himself to them after they had faith in Him. It reminds me of the disciples on the road to Emmaeus - they didn't recognize it was the Savior until the scriptures were expounded, they felt the Spirit, and when He ate with them. Then they knew - then they went to share that experience.
We must do the same - have faith, and appropriately share the experiences with those who may benefit.
12:9 - "...Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith..."
We need to have hope to be partakers of the gift - what gift is this? It's the gift of eternal life. This comes through faith. There are many blessings that come through faith, but this is perhaps the greatest.
12:23-41 - "...Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing...And when I had said this, the Lord spake unto me..."
Moroni was pretty alone at this time - he had seen his family and his people destroyed. He had been wandering for a while and was now finishing up the record of a people that was destroying itself as well. It had to be a bit depressing. He realized that Reformed Egyptian was not nearly as perfect as Hebrew in expressing what he wanted to say, so he was worried that in the last days the Gentiles would mock the words. When he expressed his concern to the Lord, the Lord responded by saying that fools would mock, but would mourn. If we (the Gentiles) would realize our own weakness and not focus on the weaknesses of others, then we would have weak things made strong. Moroni was comforted by what the Lord had to say, and then the Lord, knowing that Moroni was in this state of mind, sat there and listened to Moroni for 2-3 minutes describe the comfort and realization that he had. The Lord is very merciful! I know that He listens to us at our times of need and strengthens us and brings us closer to Him.
12:27 - "...my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me..."
Grace is an enabling power - it helps us get up and accomplish things because we have faith that it will make a difference in helping us return and live with God again. This power comes from the Atonement. We should take advantage of this every day.
12:28 - "...I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness..."
These things bring us to Christ. If we will develop these attributes, we will come unto Christ. We should develop them and help others develop them as well.
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