Last night I was talking with a friend. We ended up discussing the story of Moses and the fiery serpents. In Numbers chapter 21, the Israelites had just destroyed the Canaanites that fought against them with the help of God. Then they had to continue their travel, and the people began complaining again.

They had this terrible cycle of murmuring against Moses and God. Every time Moses asked for miracles, they were given. Every time they repented, or Moses asked forgiveness on their behalf, things went well again. I’m sure this was very tiresome for God. Hearing these complaints over and over. The people seeming to have forgotten every miracle He gave. They even said they loathed the bread the God gave them every day so that they wouldn’t hunger. God sent poisonous serpents to come among them, and they bit people. Many people died.

The people realized they were foolish to speak against God (again) and went to Moses to ask him to ask the Lord that the serpents would be taken away. Moses prayed. God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. Once this had been done, every one that had been bitten just needed to look on the serpent and they would be healed. Moses did as instruct and those that looked upon the serpent were healed.

I have a question for you: Would you rather die of a painful venomous snake bite, or look up at a bronze snake on a pole that a prophet of God told you to look at? Does this answer come easy to you?

I think it sounds easy when we read the story and know the outcome. In this real life that we live, we have a similar situation. Do you believe in Jesus Christ? That He was a real person that lived on the earth? Do you really believe that He is the Son of God? Do you believe that He came to this earth to do the will of the Father?

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:14-16)

Do you see the connection between the two stories? The people that had been bitten by the serpents, had to have faith to even look at the bronze serpent to be healed.

Likewise, we have to have faith in Jesus Christ to be able to have eternal life. We have to look to Him. We need to learn of Him, His teachings, and have faith that He is there.

This has always come easy to me. I have never doubted the reality of Jesus Christ. It always brought comfort to my heart to think of Him as my older brother as a young child. Now as an adult in this turbulent world, I find even more comfort when I turn to Him.

I want to share another connection I came upon last night. As a family we are reading in Come Follow Me. We read 3 Nephi chapter 27. Prior to this chapter, Jesus has visited the people in the Americas, He healed and blessed them and called twelve disciples and taught them. Most importantly, He showed them the sacrament and how to bless it. He instructed them to have the sacrament often.

The chapter begins with the disciples traveling, preaching, and baptizing. They came together and united in mighty prayer and fasting. Jesus appears in the midst of them and asks, “What will ye that I shall give unto you?” Then they asked him, what should we name this church, for there are disputations among the people concerning this matter.

Jesus begins to question why should people murmur and dispute this thing? “Have they not read the scriptures which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name?” (3 Nephi 27:1-5)

He goes on to say in verse 8: “And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name, then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.”

I love what he says here. I picture him teaching with a smile. Like, ‘come on fellas, what else would you call the church?’

In October General Conference 2018, President Russell M. Nelson said this:

“What’s in a name or, in this case, a nickname? When it come to the nicknames of the Chruch, such as “LDS Church,” the “Mormon Church,” or the Church of Latter-day Saints,” the most important thing in those names is the absence of the Savior’s name. To remove the Lord’s name from the Lord’s Church is a major victory for Satan. When we discard the Savior’s name, we are subtly disregarding all that Jesus Christ did for us- even His Atonement…”

The Prophet goes on to say, “If we as a people and as individuals are to have access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ– to cleanse and heal us, to strengthen and magnify us, and ultimately exalt us — we must clearly acknowledge Him as the source of that power. We can begin by calling His Church by the name He decreed.”

I remember when this Conference talk was given. There were so many people that groaned about using the full name of the church, myself included. Of course, I was going to follow the Prophet’s council, but I was complaining in my heart about it.

“It is too long…” or “that is so much to type into a website”. “Mormon is so much easier…” Do you see how I was murmuring? Much like the Israelites, I had a hardened heart about something so simple.

Then there were those that immediately saw the importance of using the full name of the church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They worked immediately to change their habits and talk and teach excitedly about this new change in our way of speaking about Christ.

I’m so grateful for their example. It is because of people like this that I was able to soften my heart about it. And now years later, reading in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, I made this amazing connection:

It takes faith to do even simple things sometimes. While it may not take much faith for some people, it takes great faith for others. Through this process, we find our why. Jesus Christ. I am learning that He seems to always be my why.

Moses’ people just had to look at the bronze serpent. They didn’t have to make the serpent, Moses had to do that work. They. Just. Had. To. Look.

Today, we can look to the scriptures to learn of Christ. There is so much for us to learn! Can you find Him when you read? If not, I urge you to take a closer look. When we put Him as a focus in our lives, He will “cleanse and heal us, strengthen and magnify us, and ultimately exalt us.”

I think that seems pretty simple, but I also know it is very powerful. We. Just. Have. To. Look.