Reading has become easier. I have no excuse for not reading. The digital age of books has increased reading, according to the Association of American Publishers.
I have the Scriptures and other classic books on my iphone.
Since I’m attached to my phone, I haven’t got a good excuse for not reading my scriptures and other good books.
Sometimes the easiness of the way makes it too easy.
When Moses was in the wilderness with the Israelites he often became frustrated and disappointed with their lack of dedication, their lack of “feeling” the word of the Lord. And when they did not hear the Lord’s voice of stillness, God spoke more loudly in the form of “fiery flying serpents.”
The Israelites had begun complaining–“why did you bring us out of Egypt? … to die in the desert?… there is no water, there is no bread, and we detest this miserable food!”
The Lord sends these fiery serpents, which are flying by Nephi’s account. They bite the people and many die. With death around them, they go to Moses and say, “well we have sinned, ask God to remove these serpents, we repent!”
Moses prays, but interestingly, God does not remove the snakes–much like our trials, God does not always remove them, but instead provides a way for us to get through them. He tells Moses to make a bronze snake or serpent, and put it on a pole, and raise the pole, then whoever is bitten by the serpent needs only to look at the bronze snake on the pole and he will be healed. Wow, so simple.
Nephi says that many did not look because of the easiness of the way–and consequently died.
God often lets trials come, some from our own sin, some because that’s life’s test — we live in a wilderness. But the Lord provides a way for our escape, either by making us stronger than the trials, or a way out — to look at the serpent on the pole.
Look to the scriptures, the Word of God, the Rod of Iron, it is so easy–in that it is right before us. Or in my pocket or my purse, even in my hand.
Yet we sometimes fail to look because of the easiness of the way.
