Walk Uprightly Before God

Nephi told his brothers that if they would “hearken to the truth, and give heed unto it” they would be able to “walk uprightly before God” (1 Nephi 16:3).  This idea of walking righteously before God is a common theme in the Book of Mormon.  King Benjamin told his people that he had served them, “walking with a clear conscience before God” and he encouraged them that they should “walk guiltless before God” (Mosiah 2:27, 4:26).  The people of Alma gathered at the waters of Mormon “did walk uprightly before God” and much later in his life Alma’s people similarly were found “walking circumspectly before God” (Mosiah 18:29, 26:37).  King Mosiah like his father was one who had “walk[ed] uprightly before God” and later Shiblon was described in similar words as one who “did walk uprightly before God” (Alma 1:1, 63:2).  Alma the Younger encouraged the people of Gideon in these words: “I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him” (Alma 7:22).  The Lamanite converts in the days of Samuel the Lamanite did “walk circumspectly before God” but only the lesser part of the Nephites at that time were “walking more circumspectly before God” (Helaman 15:5, 16:10).  Clearly to walk righteously before God was an important description for the prophets of the Book of Mormon that they wanted us to understand.  So what does it mean to walk uprightly/circumspectly/blameless/with a clear conscience before God?

            During this life we all “walk before God” whether we like it or not because He sees all that we do.  Ammon taught Lamoni, “He looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart; for by his hand were they all created from the beginning” (Alma 18:32).  Speaking of the wicked in the days of Joseph Smith, the Lord said, “Behold, mine eyes see and know all their works” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:24).  The writer of Proverbs put it this way: “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3).  No matter where we go on earth, no matter what we do or say or even think, God will see it; we cannot walk invisible to God.  So in that sense we all walk before God in this life; so the question is, how we will walk?  Will we walk righteously before Him?  Perhaps the emphasis of this idea to walk uprightly and circumspectly before God is that we conscientiously think about the fact that God is watching all our acts and deeds.  Too often our focus is only on that which the world can see; we walk to be seen of men and concern ourselves primarily with how we will be perceived and judged of those around us.  But our real focus should be on the fact that God and His Beloved Son see us in all that we do, and they are the only Judges that matter.  The Savior promised to the righteous Saints of this dispensation, “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:88).  He is there not only to strengthen and help us, but He is there watching, to encourage us to choose good over evil, light over darkness, righteousness over the ways of the world.  The message of the Book of Mormon prophets is that we should always seek to walk and act and speak and think uprightly, knowing that of all those who watch us, God is the most important.