Shake the Powers of Hell

In Alma 48:17, Mormon dictates something noteworthy to us, about the character of the head of the Nephite armies during one of the longest wars in the Book of Mormon record.  He says,

"Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." 

I remember reading that verse as a teenager, and thinking, "Man, too bad he's not around now to date!"  The caliber of these men always stuck out to me as something incredibly special.  They were and still are my heroes.  

(photo source- "Come Forth", by Walter Rane)

 Mormon writes part of Moroni's epistle to Pahoran, and it further demonstrates his character.  

"Behold, I am Moroni, your chief captain.  I seek not for power, but to pull it down.  I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of our country.  And thus I close mine epistle." (Alma 60:36) 

Can you imagine if even the simplest of minds thought like this?  If everyone with a bright idea or invention sought not for power, but to glorify God by bringing their idea to fruition? 

I don't begrudge anyone who seeks wealth.  That's not where my mind was headed when I started this.  But to think that here, the leaders of these forces were more concerned with the well-being of their fellow men, rather than seeking power or honor.  Moroni wasn't writing Pahoran to get a pay raise.  Or to get a decent retirement.  He was seeking the basic necessities for those who were defending the freedoms of others.  Food.  Provisions.  Do we take care of those who defend our freedoms this way?  And do we rely solely on the government to take charge of these things?  Moroni took charge of rounding up men to arms.  He took care of insurgents, and didn't mess around.  He got things done. 

Interestingly, this reminds me of some of the political debate going on today, only those debates involve a whole lot of suspicion, corruption, and debt.  Wouldn't it be something, to have a leader that's completely trustable?  One who's not afraid to mention his belief in God?  To allow our military to take care of insurgents, without having to go through endless red tape and "code of conduct" policies that end up getting soldiers killed?  

Was there "separation of church and state" here?  Was Moroni worried about being politically correct?  Faith was not forced upon anyone in this time, but time and time again, the faith and trust these men and women put in God was given as the reason for their salvation from utter destruction.  Why is this such a hard message for people to grasp? 

I could go on and on.  Some people think these chapters are too tough to read through.  To me, they're too incredible not to.  Action packed and LOADED with application for our day.

~Jen:)