Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.  (2 Nephi 1:20).

This is a theme that runs throughout the Book of Mormon.  This principle and promise was given to Nephi at the beginning of his odyssey (1 Ne. 2:20-21), is repeated two dozen times in the Book of Mormon, and carries through to the end.  It is a principle and promise within the book that is demonstrated in both of its extremes many, many times.  The Lord means what He says, and keeps His promises.

The lives of Nephi and his brothers become the first Book of Mormon demonstration of the Lord keeping this promise.  On one hand we see Nephi striving with all diligence to keep the commandments, and to do the difficult things that the Lord asks him to do.  He is so faithful, and so unwavering that he is almost unreal.  He sets a near-perfect example for us to follow, and shows us that we can do hard things, endure through them, and eventually achieve happiness, prosperity, and eternal life.

On the other hand we watch Nephi’s brothers go through the same experiences complaining all the way.  They endure the same hardships; but refuse to pray, do everything with reluctance, and fail to learn the lessons.  While Nephi becomes better and stronger, his brothers become more hardened, weak, and wicked until Nephi is warned by the Lord to “depart from them and flee into the wilderness (with) all those who would go with (him).”  (2 Ne. 5:5).

Nephi and his people prosper, and live “after the manner of happiness.”  (2 Ne. 5:27).  His brothers are cut off from the presence of the Lord, and how great is their loss!  They lose everything of value, both temporal and eternal.  They lose the scriptures.  They lose the guidance of a prophet.  They lose the Priesthood, revelation, the saving ordinances, and the help of the Holy Ghost.  They lose the Lord’s protection.  They become wild, ferocious, blood-thirsty, idolatrous, and filthy.  (Enos 1:20).

Laman’s and Lemuel’s problem was the same problem that people have today.  They want a care-free, comfortable life.  Laman and Lemuel longed to be back in Jerusalem where they “might have enjoyed (their) possessions and the land of (their) inheritance…and (they) might have been happy.”  (1 Ne. 17:21).  People are still looking for that mythical land.

“What the Lord is requiring of us is too hard,” some say Laman- and Lemuel-like.  “It’s too hard to go to church every Sunday and to sit through three hours of meetings.  I don’t get anything out of it.  It’s too hard to try to read the scriptures every day.  I can’t understand them.  And why should I pray?  The Lord doesn’t answer my prayers.  The people who say that He answers their prayers are either deceived or are on a level that I can’t attain.”

This Laman-person stays home from church enjoying his possessions, does not exert himself in any way, and wonders why he isn’t happy.  He wonders why his children aren’t better, and why they have the problems that they do.  He tells anyone who asks about his welfare that he’s perfectly happy with himself and his life-style, but he’s irritable and discontent.  He ignores the covenants and promises that he’s made, makes it a point to never think about them, wonders why the Lord doesn’t bless him, and takes it as proof that it’s vain to bother with church, prayer, scriptures, and anything that might involve spiritual work.

Such complacency is a frustration to the Lord, and a delight to the adversary.

I searched my mind for examples of complacency in the scriptures.  There aren’t many.  Most stories in the scriptures are about people on either extreme, not about the complacent people in the middle.  There is not much that the Lord can do with comfortable, complacent people except to be frustrated about them.  To the Laodiceans the Lord said, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot:  I would that thou wert cold or hot.

“So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”  (Rev. 3:15-16).

The Lord can work with a person who is hot.  He can guide a person who is cold.  But what on earth can be done with a person who will do nothing?