Mosiah 4:26 - 4:30

Mosiah 4:26 And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.

King Benjamin has went into detail on caring for the poor because it is one of the ways to retain a remission of one’s sins. If you give freely to see to the physical needs of the poor and also see to the needs of the spiritual poor, you will be acting like a God and therefore will be found worthy of entering His kingdom. [This is the attitude of our Heavenly Father. He is totally unselfish. If we cannot be totally unselfish, then we would not be comfortable in His presence or want to live that kind of life style. This earth is the place to find out if this kind of service to our brothers and sisters feels good to us. So being able to give without compulsion is a fool proof test for each of us.]

Mosiah 4:27 And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.

King Benjamin warns us however, that we should be careful on how we give. You can give to much to fast. For example you can give more information to a ignorant man then he can comprehend. It is important that one only gives as much as a person can absorb in at any moment. Do not be concerned that as person is progressing slower than another. The point is to finish not necessarily to be in first place.

Mosiah 4:28 And I would that ye should remember, that whosoever among you borroweth of his neighbor should return the thing that he borroweth, according as he doth agree, or else thou shalt commit sin; and perhaps thou shalt cause thy neighbor to commit sin also.

Be sure to return things borrowed from your neighbor as you agree. If you keep the item borrowed you are committing a sin. And your neighbor might commit a sin such as coming to dislike you or use violence to recover his property.

Mosiah 4:29 And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them.

There are many ways to do evil against one’s neighbor. It would take a very large book to list them all if it were even possible.

Mosiah 4:30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.

But the bottom line is that we must control our thoughts which is to starting point of all actions. We must be careful not to speak evil things. We must keep the commandments and do good to our neighbor. We must always keep in mind the Christ and what He will do for us and do so until our mortal experience is over. If we do not do these things, we will not partake of the eternal happiness promised the faithful. So let us always remember what we are to do so we do not perish.