Evil punishes itself

So I don't think that today's thought is self contained - it's just an exploration of a thought I've been working on recently. That thought is that the Lord doesn't have to punish us for not doing the right things. Instead, our actions end up becoming their own punishment because they separate us from God, and that separation and its natural consequences become painful.

I'm reading in Alma Chapter 50. Here we have a dude named Morianton who started as apparently the leader of a city, and he had a border dispute that got heated. So the other side gets nervous and goes to the general (Moroni) for protection (for they were not in the wrong).

So now, Morianton is nervous that he's gonna get wiped out, so he plans to take his army north. This would make the good guys (Nephites) hemmed in like an oreo between two sets of bad guys. Not what you want if you're a Nephite leader.

Does the Lord stop this? Perhaps in a roundabout way. Morianton showed his manliness by beating one of his maid servants much, as it says in verse 30. She then goes to Moroni and reveals the plan. So if Morianton was really a man and didn't beat this servant, he might have gotten away with things? Perhaps. But if he was really a man, he might not be the bad guy. Men know where there power comes from, and it doesn't come from beating on women.

This is an example to me of evil condemning itself.

It's also an example to me that the inner self needs to be far more closely examined, especially in times of difficulty, than the outer. As I write this, there is great division and even hatred as relates to the president. Barack Obama I think was the first president to despise the country he presumably led and served. Half the country noticed that, and then elected a polar opposite man who channeled their fears and hatred. But the problem is that Trump is all about serving himself, and is probably no better a man than his predecessor. Families split apart, and long time friends can no longer communicate with each other.

But who sits in the chair thousands of miles away is so meaningless compared to what is happening in our own homes. Our personal success and happiness has far more to do with how often and earnestly we pray, how we request, listen for and respond immediately to personal guidance. It's more about seeking the Lord through obedience and love. But being vehement about the president is absolutely easier - it doesn't require us to do anything to improve ourselves.

Verse 22: "And those who were faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord were delivered at all times."

ch 51 v 16: "For it was his first care to put an end to such contentions and dissensions among the people." This, speaking of Moroni. He knew that an external enemy cannot be successfully dealt with if the inner self is not clean. You can't rely on the Lord to help you beat the bad guys if you're not the good guy. When that happens, your chances are closer to 50/50 and you're, as the scriptures say, "ripe for destruction".

A destruction we bring on to ourselves physically, because we have already destroyed ourselves spiritually. May we choose the Lord instead.