Not a Zero-Sum Game

1 Nephi 17:33

And now, do ye suppose that the children of this land, who were in the land of promise, who were driven out by our fathers, do ye suppose that they were righteous? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.

God favors those who righteously follow Him and obey Him. If I turn from my righteousness, I lose His favor. I do not lose His love, but I cut myself off from His blessings. When people who have turned away from God pit themselves against righteous people whom God favors, the unrighteous group will lose. 

When two unrighteous groups face each other, the winner is decided not by God's grace but by the world's formula of superior numbers, craftiness, and power. He with the biggest bomb wins. And sometimes, there are no winners in a battle between unrighteous combatants, as was the case with the wicked Jaredites, who wiped themselves out.

This is not a zero-sum game, however. There does not have to be a loser for there also to be a winner. God has enough blessings and to spare to enable all His children to be winners, provided they are faithful and obedient. 


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