Abinadi Failed...

TL;DR

• One person makes a difference

• Failures are usually not failures

• Don’t give up, that’s the only real failure

The Story of Abinadi

An all-time Book of Mormon story is the story of Abinadi. And it’s a very interesting one. Let me tell you the story quickly:

1. Abinadi goes to a city to tell them about Jesus Christ and their need to put trust in Him.

2. Abinadi gets kicked out of the city.

3. Abinadi come back to try to help them again — in a disguise!

4. Abinadi gets put in jail.

5. Abinadi is tried before a wicked king.

6. Abinadi preaches of Christ and that if the people do not repent they will be destroyed because of their wickedness.

7. Abinadi is sentenced and put to death.

To most, this story can be seen as a failure. Its a sad story and at first glance can be passed over as a disappointment.

We all have failures in our own life. Failures that can be so overwhelming it makes it hard to keep going. Abinadi, to me, is a powerful example of not giving up in the face of failure. Abinadi is kicked out. Abinadi is made fun of. Abinadi is thrown into jail. Abinadi is killed. Through it all he never gives up. When Abinadi is sentenced to death he confidently and heroically states,

I say unto you, I will not recall the words which I have spoken unto you concerning this people, for they are true; and that ye may know of their surety I have suffered myself that I have fallen into your hands.

But then, he dies. What was the point of all that? I don’t know all the reasons but I do know one. Its the fact that after Abinadi dies there is a priest who flees from King Noah named Alma. Alma believed Abinadi and decided to turn to Christ. Then guess what happens? Because Alma believes he teaches others, and those people help others, and those people help others, and those people turn into thousands, and then millions (See the list at the bottom of the page).

The Point I Want to Make

The point I’m trying to make here is that failure is not final. That God can take any ‘failures’ you have had in your life and turn them into success. You are