<< BEHOLD, MY JOY IS FULL >>
3 Nephi 17–19

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(1.) THE KING IS COMING!
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Years ago, the headline rang out, "The King is coming!" The media was set to broadcast the Israeli Prime Minister and officials meeting Jordanian King Hussein Ibn Talal and his entourage at the center of a new bridge into Israel. The Jordanians began their entrance, but no Israeli was to be seen. Who missed the cue? However, Israeli children came running toward King Hussein with flowers. Some say the King wept. Yet, the media waited until the officials arrived to begin the filming. Did someone miss the point?

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(2.) A WAY TO HONOR A KING:  
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Imbedded in Jewish genetic memory is a protocol; honor a King by through the tenderness and innocence of children. Two-thousand years earlier and near by, children gathered around the Savior. Some objected to the little ones "bothering" the Lord. ". . . Jesus said, ". . . forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." (Luke 18:16-17)

In 1951 Hussein was a child standing next to his grandfather, King Abdullah, when he was shot dead while in prayer at the Al Aksa Mosque in Jerusalem. Moslem fanatics apparently thought that killing the king would eliminate peace with Israel. Hussein was destined to become the king making the peace his grandfather yearned for. It is by far the warmest peace Israel has with any Arab neighbor.

When the King of Kings appeared on the Western Continent, thousands were touched with the peace he brought as the resurrected Lord. He requested the children to be brought to him. ". . . they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them." (3 Nephi 17:20-24)


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(5.) BEING HIS CHILDREN:   
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We can use the experiences of the past as guidelines. We can use the opportunities of the present to prove our devotion, to fill ourselves with his love. It will help prepare us in the near future, for soon the King of Kings will be coming! Our greeting as "His children" will fill a measure of true joy.