Liken All Scriptures Unto Me

Back Again - Alma 1

2012-02-17T07:23:00.000-08:00

Wow... the last post was in May 2010. I really fell off the bandwagon there. I'll do my best to climb back up.

The first chapter of Alma talks about priestcraft and how those who preached priestcraft thought that the priest should be supported by the church and esteemed above others in the church. And reading that, I could see that priestcraft is alive and well in today's society.

There are many churches where there is a paid clergy; the priest (or pastor or whatever s/he is called in that particular denomination) is supported by the members of the church. Being the priest is their job and they don't have to support themselves otherwise. Now in some cases, I can see where this is not such a bad thing. In a small congregation where the priest is supported modestly by tithes and offerings of the members, s/he then has the ability to focus completely on the needs of the members and the church.

But what really struck me was verses 5-6:

5 And it came to pass that he did teach these things so much that many did believe on his words, even so many that they began to support him and give him money.

6 And he began to be lifted up in the pride of his heart, and to wear very costly apparel, yea, and even began to establish a church after the manner of his preaching.

It made me think of megachurches and televangelists and other instances where the preacher seems less concerned for the good of the church members and more about the size, income, and power of the church.

The lay-clergy in our church have to work at a separate job to support themselves and their families. And while you could argue that this splits their focus so that they can't do as much for the church, I think the more important part is that it helps them to stay humble and to remember that it's the church that's important, not the leaders.

I think that right there also explains a lot about some of the controversy swirling around the whole Mitt Romney for President situation. So many people seem to worry that Mitt Romney would be taking orders directly from Salt Lake and be some kind of puppet allowing the church to take control of his presidency. Supposedly this is because Mitt Romney is a "high-level church leader." I've seen a lot of articles that focus on that... and it's true, he has at times been a church leader. Stake president, bishop I think...

But what those who don't know the church have a hard time grasping is that this lay-clergy of ours functions differently. The man who is stake president today may be a teaching the 3-year-olds in Sunbeams tomorrow. And no one would see it as a demotion or loss of prestige of any kind. Somehow I doubt that some of these famous televangelists would be just as willing to teach a children's Sunday School class as to pontificate grandly from the pulpit.

Mosiah 28-29

2010-05-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

The birth of democracy! Okay, I guess I don't know for sure that there weren't other democratic societies before this time, but this is the first you read of it in the Book of Mormon at least. I like the way that Mosiah carefully points out that having a king rule over the land is not bad in itself, it's just that you don't have any guarantee that handing the crown down by rule of succession will result in a string of good kings. And once you have a bad ruler, he/she can drag all the people down too.

With democracy you're not always guaranteed to have the best person leading the country either. People can make bad choices. And of course, not everyone agrees with the choices that are made. If you're in the group whose candidate is not elected, you generally feel that it was a bad choice. But the important thing is that we at least had the opportunity to make our choice. And in a few years down the road, we can make a choice again. In spite of any flaws American democracy may have, we're so lucky to live in a country with this system in place!

Mosiah 27

2010-05-18T07:02:00.000-07:00

I love the story of Alma and the sons of Mosiah. They were so wicked and tried to bring down the church, but even they could have a spiritual experience and a change of heart. They changed so much that instead of dragging down the church, they tried to make up for the damage they had previously done and became great missionaries for the church. So much so that "...they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer. And how blessed are they! For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth." (verses 36-37)

Mosiah 26

2010-05-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

We had a nice Sharing Time lesson in Primary about repentance. It was simple, as it needed to be for the little kids there, but really hit on all the steps of repentance. I liked watching the little 4 &5 year olds in our class really start to grasp the concepts.

I guess the memory of that lesson is why verses 29 and 30 struck me as especially important today.

29 Therefore I say unto you, Go; and whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judge according to the sins which he has committed; and if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also.

30 Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.

How reassuring is it to know that if you confess your sins, you can be forgiven? And especially comforting to me is verse 30, that says God will forgive and forgive and forgive. As many times as we make a mistake, God will continue to forgive. As someone who makes a lot of mistakes, that's very good to hear!

A little off topic...

2010-04-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

With a lot going on right now and having been gone on vacation and various other things, I've kind of fallen off the bandwagon here again. I'll get back to it soon!

But in the meantime, I was reading something at lunch that really struck a cord with me. The book I'm reading is The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. It about a man who decides to spend a year living his life very literally according to the rules in the Bible, including things in the Old Testament like don't wear clothing that is a mixture of linen and wool.

He starts to question why it is so important to obey this law. A very devout man replies that we don't know. And we don't have to know.

"This is a law that God gave us. We have to trust Him. He's all-powerful. We're like children. Sometimes parents have laws children don't understand. Like when you tell a child not to touch fire, he doesn't understand why, but it is good for him."

I think this is an incredible insight! And it's something that I believe, but I've just never heard it phrased quite this way before. It helps me with things like the Word of Wisdom. Sometimes people have asked me for very specific reasons - but why don't you drink tea? Why don't you drink coffee? Why can you have a Coke or a piece of chocolate if you can't have coffee? And I always try to explain that it's not really necessarily the caffeine and that's why chocolate is okay. And I have to admit that I don't really know all the reasons behind the things we're told to avoid - but I trust in my prophets' teachings and so I do avoid what they say to avoid. But that's always felt a little weak to me, even though it's really kind of the same argument as the man in the book gave.

I guess the difference is just that he's so much more eloquent than I am. So I'm going to remember this for the next time I come across something that I can't explain or have a hard time accepting. This is a law that God gave us. We have to trust Him. And if we trust him, we believe that following His law is what's good for us, and we do as He says.

Mosiah 25

2010-04-05T07:48:00.000-07:00

24 And they were called the people of God. And the Lord did pour out his Spirit upon them, and they were blessed, and prospered in the land.

We should be striving to be the people of God so that we can receive these same blessings!

Mosiah 22-24

2010-04-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

Mosiah 24:14 is one of my favorite scriptures.

14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

When I was in graduate school, I was a very busy girl. I was working about 60 hours a week (because my work was also my final project for my Masters degree, so I was putting in extra time to finish the project). I was also taking a double load of classes. I would get up at 8 a.m. and go up the hill to school for classes in the morning, then go to work after lunch. Between work and writing papers and other projects for class, I usually didn't leave the computer lab until 3 or 4 in the morning. I would go back to my apartment and get a couple of hours of sleep, then start all over again.

I was feeling the pressure already, then, just a few weeks before my final defense of my Masters project and then graduation, I received a letter from the registrar's office. Apparently there was some sort of problem with my graduation paperwork and they were telling me that I would not be able to graduate on time after all, just for want of this single piece of paper.

I cried. I cried and cried and cried. I was just so stressed and so tired and I just couldn't cope. It was after hours so I couldn't call the registrar's office to see what was going on. All I could think was that after all my hard work, I wasn't going to be able to graduate. It's not like it would have been the end of the world, really. At most, it would have meant I had to go through one more semester of classes and then graduate in the fall instead of the spring. But at that moment, it felt like the end of the world to me.

I got ready for bed, which included reading my scriptures. I read Mosiah 24 that night and when I came to verse 14, an incredible soothing calm came over me. I suddenly just KNEW that everything would be okay. That the Lord would help me bear my burden and that I could relax and leave it to him. I felt instantly better. I went to bed and was able to sleep well, knowing that I could deal with things in the morning.

The next day I was able to go to the registrar's office and get things straightened out. They didn't want to be helpful at first, but I was able to remain calm enough to think instead of just reacting. I enlisted the help of my professors and they were able to get things fixed so that I graduated on time. And I have always remembered the sense of relief and calm that I received when I read that verse.

Mosiah 19-21

2010-03-31T07:51:00.000-07:00

These chapters tell the story of the people of Limhi under the rule of the Lamanites. It's amazing and sad to me to read how much adversity and trial it took for the people to finally humble themselves to call upon the Lord for assistance. Looking at it from our perspective - many years later, reading a brief summarization - it seems so obvious what they should have done instead. Yet to those who were living their lives in that time, I'm sure it was not so clear-cut and easy to see.

In later years, will people look at accounts of our time and wonder why we acted the way they did and why we couldn't see what we should have done?

Mosiah 18

2010-03-30T07:49:00.000-07:00

A good reminder of what kind of people and church members we ought to be:

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

Mosiah 17

2010-03-29T07:26:00.000-07:00

Abinadi was put to death because he would not deny the words and commandments of God. I obviously never want to be in any kind of situation that would be in any way equivalent to that, but I do hope that I can someday grow and progress to have the kind of rock-solid faith in God that allowed Abinadi to be faithful even when faced with death.

Mosiah 16

2010-03-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy week and I slacked off a bit. But I had a visit from my visiting teacher who gave a lesson on the importance of personal scripture study - which prodded me to get back on the ball with mine!

Verses 8 and 9 seemed especially beautiful to me today.

8 But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.

9 He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.

In my last post, I talked about sweet Isaac who died at such a young age (not even a year old). I don't think anyone could ever say that death had no sting in this case. But I love the way it is put in verse 8, that the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.

Whenever someone you know passes away, it still stings and hurts and makes you sad, but you can let that sadness be swallowed up in Christ. You can choose to focus on the resurrection and endless light and endless life.

I think this perfectly describes how Isaac's parents have handled this tragedy. Of course they have been devastated and hurt and sad. But even at his funeral, such a short time after his death, they were doing their best to focus on Isaac's eternal life and how they will be together again some day. They are a great example of letting the sting of death be swallowed up in Christ.

Mosiah 15

2010-03-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

The verse that struck me today was verse 25:

And little children also have eternal life.

This is especially poignant to me because of our friends who recently lost their youngest child. That funeral was the saddest thing I have ever been to in my life. It was devastatingly awful for Aaron and me; so much worse of course for little Isaac's parents and closest family.

And yet, for all the horrible sadness of that death and that funeral, beneath it all was a little current of hope. Because we knew that Isaac was not lost forever. And little children also have eternal life. Isaac was saved and will have eternal life. And when his parents and his brother pass on, Isaac will be there to joyfully greet them.

So even though it makes me cry a little all over again to think and write about Isaac, I am comforted by the verse: And little children also have eternal life.

Mosiah 14

2010-03-16T07:02:00.000-07:00

6 All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all.

I'm afraid I don't have anything deep and profound today. Once I read verse six, all I could think of was the memory of the time I went to a performance of Handel's Messiah. It was called "Too Hot to Handel: The Gospel Messiah." It's The Messiah redone in a gospel style. It's actually incredible and I enjoyed it so much I went again the following year.

But there was one passage... the one where they sing the line "All we, like sheep, have gone astray." And they sing that line over and over. Many times. And every time I heard them singing, "Oh we like sheep." Even though I knew what the line actually was, all I could hear was, "Oh we like sheep."

To this day, any time I hear that section in The Messiah, I think of, "Oh we like sheep." Probably inappropriate that I tend to laugh out loud during The Messiah! =)

Mosiah 13

2010-03-15T07:37:00.000-07:00

28 And moreover, I say unto you, that salvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses.

We are given commandments to guide our behavior, to show us right from wrong, and to help us be better people. But no matter how we try, we cannot be perfect. We can - and should! - strive to obey every commandment, but inevitably we will make mistakes. Thankfully, "salvation doth not come by the law alone." It is not ONLY by obeying God's commandments that we will be saved. Because of the atonement, we are redeemed from sin and error. It is only because of the atonement that we will not "unavoidably perish."

Mosiah 10-12

2010-03-12T07:48:00.000-08:00

A sister in our ward spoke recently about the importance of voting in local and national elections and doing our part to elect good leaders. These chapters help illustrate the importance of good leadership for our country.

King Zeniff was a good man. He was a righteous leader and his people were for the most part righteous. Unfortunately, after he died, King Noah came to power. King Noah was an incredibly wicked man. He installed other leaders (the priests) who were also wicked. With leaders and examples such as these, it became much easier for the general populace to slide down into wickedness also. Until in a very short time, the people who had been righteous and blessed and protected by God were no longer righteous. They were in danger from their enemies and would not be able to call on God to help them because of their wickedness.

It's not hard to draw parallels to events we have seen happening around the world in our own days...

Mosiah 9

2010-03-10T12:24:00.000-08:00

17 Yea, in the strength of the Lord did we go forth to battle against the Lamanites; for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord that he would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of our fathers.

In verse 17, Zeniff comments that he and his men went forth in the strength of the Lord. And because they did this, they were victorious in the battle they were about to fight.

Now hopefully we are not going into a literal battle the way Zeniff was, but we all fight battles every day. Battles against temptation and sin. Battles against our circumstances. Battles against anger or despair or hopelessness. These battles are of great importance to us because they affect our lives.

If we can remember to go forth in the strength of the Lord every day, in every battle, we will be able to come out victorious in our daily battles. Cry mightily to the Lord for deliverance... in other words, pray for help in your personal battles. The Lord will hear your cries and come to your aid.

Mosiah 8

2010-03-09T07:46:00.000-08:00

18 Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings.

When we have faith and listen to God, WE can be a benefit to our fellow beings. WE can be the source of blessings and mighty miracles. What an incredible feeling and an awesome responsibility to do all that we can to help others.

Mosiah 7

2010-03-08T08:18:00.001-08:00

verse 19: Therefore, lift up your heads, and rejoice, and put your trust in God...

This is a great verse to remember when you're having a rough time.

Lift up your head - To me that means don't wallow in your troubles. Don't spend your time dwelling on what has gone wrong or how you wish things could be.

Rejoice - Think of all the wonderful things you have in your life. Focus on your blessings and things that are good. Be grateful for the presence of God and the gospel in your life.

Put your trust in God - Turn your troubles over to God and trust that He will help you find the way through. Pray and have faith. Do all that you can do. And then trust God to make things come out for the best... even if it's not what you would have chosen.

Mosiah 6

2010-03-05T07:49:00.000-08:00

1 And now, king Benjamin thought it was expedient, after having finished speaking to the people, that he should take the names of all those who had entered into a covenant with God to keep his commandments.

2 And it came to pass that there was not one soul, except it were little children, but who had entered into the covenant and had taken upon them the name of Christ.

How incredible that there was NO ONE who did not believe and enter into the convenant. What an incredible experience it would have been to be there to hear King Benjamin speak.

Mosiah 5

2010-03-02T07:44:00.000-08:00

verse 2 And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.

I want to have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually! I've occasionally experienced this. You know how everything goes in cycles... and sometimes you're on a real upswing and on track with all your spiritual development.

When I'm in that mode, I really do feel no disposition to do evil. I'm not tempted to go off the right path, I'm clicking along doing the things I'm supposed to do. Sadly, I haven't been able to maintain that high place and eventually things slide downhill a bit. And while I can't say that I go around doing evil necessarily, I can say that I also don't do all things that I know I should be doing.

I just need to work harder to stay on that high end of the cycle and fight harder when I start the slide down to the lower end of the cycle...

Mosiah 4

2010-02-22T08:43:00.000-08:00

Yikes! This seems a bit harsh:

verse 28: And I would that ye should remember, that whosoever among you borroweth of his neighbor should return the thing that he borroweth, according as he doth agree, or else thou shalt commit sin; and perhaps thou shalt cause thy neighbor to commit sin also.

So I'll say again, Melissa... Sorry that I kept your DVD for so long! I didn't mean to sin. And I sincerely hope that I did not cause you to commit sin also. ;)

Mosiah 3

2010-02-19T07:44:00.000-08:00

There are lots of important verses in this chapter. It talks about how Jesus will come to earth in a mortal body. He will atone for our sins. We can take advantage of the atonment to overcome our sins. So lots of great stuff.

But the thing that really stuck in my head?

verse 2: And the things which I shall tell you are made known unto me by an angel from God. And he said unto me: Awake; and I awoke, and behold he stood before me.

I just couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like to be woken from a sound sleep by an angel of God. I think about how startled and jarred I am when I am woken up by normal, everyday things like a cat or a child and imagine how shocked I would be if it were not something normal and everyday. Shock!! and then, of course, Awe. =)

Mosiah 2

2010-02-16T07:59:00.000-08:00

Verse 30: For even at this time, my whole frame doth tremble exceedingly while attempting to speak unto you; but the Lord God doth support me, and hath suffered me that I should speak unto you

This makes me think of various prophets and apostles that I have seen speak in conference. They are old and their bodies are frail. Sometimes they cannot stand. Sometimes they can barely speak. Yet there they are, speaking to us and sharing their wisdom, because they are supported by the Lord God.

Mosiah 1

2010-02-15T07:55:00.000-08:00

In verse 5, King Benjamin is speaking to his sons and referring to the plates of brass:

I say unto you, my sons, were it not for these things, which have been kept and preserved by the hand of God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries, and have his commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled in unbelief, and we should have been like unto our brethren, the Lamanites, who know nothing concerning these things, or even do not believe them when they are taught them, because of the traditions of their fathers, which are not correct.

This is just as true for us today. If it were not for the records that were so carefully kept and preserved for us, we would not have the knowledge that we have now. We would have believed in traditions that were not correct because that was all we knew. What a wonderful thing that our Heavenly Father has taken such care to ensure that we could get these truths all these many years later!

Words of Mormon

2010-02-09T07:19:00.000-08:00

Talking about the golden plates...
verse 11: And they were handed down from king Benjamin, from generation to generation until they have fallen into my hands. And I, Mormon, pray to God that they may be preserved from this time henceforth. And I know that they will be preserved; for there are great things written upon them, out of which my people and their brethren shall be judged at the great and last day, according to the word of God which is written.

It's amazing to think just how long these records have been preserved and handed down. Hundreds of years before the birth of Christ people were writing these words and now people all over the world can read them. Incredible!

Omni

2010-02-08T07:29:00.000-08:00

I find it a bit encouraging that even in the scriptures, sometimes people don't keep up with their journaling. In Omni 5 different people are in charge of writing in the plates, and none of them have much to say. (Enos and Jarom are also pretty brief in their writings.) I guess I can look at that for encouragement when I am struggling to get my journaling done!

I also feel curious about the backstory that was not written in Omni... Why did Jarom's son Omni fall away from the gospel? And even more curious, after Amaron, Chemish, and Abinadom were all seemingly not religious men, where did Amaleki suddenly come from? How did he learn about the Lord and become faithful enough that he is "exhorting all men to come unto God, the Holy One of Israel" (verse 25)?

Not that it matters overall, of course, I just wonder about these things...

Jarom

2010-02-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

In verse 7, Jarom mentions that "our leaders were mighty men in the faith of the Lord; and they taught the people the ways of the Lord."

How lucky are we that again in our time we have leaders who are mighty in the faith of the Lord who will teach us the ways of the Lord?

Enos

2010-02-04T07:41:00.001-08:00

The Book of Enos is short, but it has some good things tucked into that one chapter.

When Enos prayed in repentance, he was forgiven. He says that his guilt was swept away. I just picture it as a sweet breeze that comes in and sweeps away the guilt and pain of sin, leaving behind the sweet joy he had in forgiveness.

Later in the chapter, he talks about the struggle to keep the Nephites on the right path. It took "exceeding harshness" and "exceedingly great plainness of speech" to "keep them from going down speedily to destruction."

This is something to remember when our leaders speak to us and tell us things that seem too harsh or too hard. Maybe they are speaking to us this way because it is the only way to keep us from going down speedily to destruction.

Jacob 7

2010-02-03T06:56:00.000-08:00

As the book of Jacob comes to an end, Jacob writes " to the reader I bid farewell, hoping that many of my brethren may read my words. "

I wonder if he had any idea how many years later we would be reading his words? If he knew that his words would be read by people all over the world? If he knew how many, many people would be able to read his words?

Jacob 6

2010-02-02T06:52:00.000-08:00

Verse 12
O be wise; what can I say more?

Really, isn't that just the best advice? Jacob doesn't lay out endless lists of "Do this" and "Don't do that," he just gives us a guideline. Be wise.

Think about what you do. Think about the consequences of your actions. Make good choices. Just be wise.

I know it's been too long...

2010-01-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas and illness and sadness and other parts of life have gotten in the way lately and I've gotten out of the habit of reading my scriptures in the morning. I'm going to try to get better at it again! I'll pick up where I left off soon.

Jacob 5

2009-12-17T08:10:00.000-08:00

The allegory of the olive trees always seems so long and involved to me when I read it. Sometimes I read it and get a lot of insight from it. Other times I struggle with it. This is one of the times that I was struggling to pull meaning from it.

But what I did get is that sometimes you can plant a seed in the best soil and nurture it carefully and have all the best expectations, and it still brings forth bad fruit. Other times a plant grown in bad soil with little care can unexpectedly flourish. So it's important not to get set in your expectations of others just because of where they came from or what their past history may be.

Also, with enough care and nourishment, sometimes a plant that brings forth abd fruit can be turned around and eventually have good fruit again. Reason enough to have hope and keep working toward that end.

Jacob 4

2009-12-16T08:08:00.000-08:00

How appropriate to read this verse as we are approaching Christmas and our celebration of the birth of Christ:

4 For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us.

Hundreds of years before His birth, people were anxiously awaiting His coming. They knew of Him and gloried in Him, even before He came to Earth. How much more should we glory in His life and His love because we know of His words and His works.

not today

2009-12-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

I'm having kind of a rotten day and I'm not in a mood (or rather, I AM in a mood - a bad one!).

I know that this is when you should force yourself to do things like your scripture reading and get past the bad mood... but I'm just not able to do it today.

Jacob 3

2009-12-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

1 But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction.

Okay, so no one is seeking my destruction. And my afflictions are pretty small at the moment. But still, I am worrying over the furnace, and hoping my pipes won't freeze, and concerned that they might declare a snow day for Haley while I am tied up in meetings all day and will not be able to easily get home to her. So none of it huge, but it adds up. This verse spoke to me and reminded me that I should PRAY about it. The only way to get the help I need is to ask. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go do that now...

Jacob 2

2009-12-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

It's so easy to spend my time focused on our finances. Things are so tight right now that sometiems it feels like that's all I can think about/obsess over/dwell on. Verses 18 and 19 remind me that my focus should be elsewhere:

18 But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.

19 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.

Jacob 1

2009-12-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

When Nephi died, the Nephites loved him so much that they decreed that their leaders afterwards would still be called Nephi. And yet, it only took them until the reign of their second king after Nephi to start hardening their hearts and being wicked.

Even with the best of intentions, it's easy to get off track. Little mistakes lead to bigger and bigger sins if you're not careful to repent and get back onto the straight and narrow path.

2 Nephi, chapter 33

2009-12-01T07:06:00.000-08:00

A lovely farewell as Nephi ends his writing and a testimony of the truth of his words.

11 And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness.

Almost a challenge, really, that if you don't believe in his words, then just wait until we're standing at the judgment bar and then we'll see. Personally, I'm not inclined to take him up on his challenge. I will have faith and believe the things I read. I believe that Nephi received this words and revelations from God and that we can trust the words of Christ as given to us through Nephi.

2 Nephi, chapter 32

2009-11-30T07:38:00.000-08:00

Finally, I am getting back to my scripture blogging. It has been a long month or so, what with piglet flu, swine flu, hospital visits, assorted extra infections, and then preparing for and traveling for Thanksgiving. I think we are finally going to get back to normal now, though. So back to trying to keep up with my scripture reading!

And this morning, reading verses 8-9 reminded me that I'm falling down on the job with my prayers, also. So I need to work harder at that!

And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.

But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.

2 Nephi, chapter 30-31

2009-10-26T07:44:00.000-07:00

Jesus Christ is our example in all things. Though He was perfect, He was still baptized, to show us all that we should do likewise. If we follow the path that He has laid down, we can be with Him one day.

31:20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

2 Nephi, chapter 29

2009-10-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

This chapter talks about how people think that there should be no more scripture after the Bible. In verse 8:

Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.

A powerful example of this to me is how the Book of Mormon and Isaiah have so many similar passages. These are books that were written far apart in both time and distance, and yet the message is the same. God spoke the same words unto one nation like unto another.

2 Nephi, chapter 28

2009-10-22T07:06:00.000-07:00

verses 7-8:
Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.

And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.

I read verse 7 and felt a little smug. Because after all, I know better than to take that attitude! I know that there is work required in this life and that there is a life to come. But then I moved on to verse 8 and my little bout of smugness collapsed. Because I think I do fall into this category sometimes. You know, just letting little things slide because it's too hard to deal with right now. It's not such a big deal, right? Just a little thing... So this verse was my reminder that the little things are important, too!

2 Nephi, chapter 26-27

2009-10-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

So chapter 27 was written around 559 - 545 B.C. yet it contains information about things that happened less than 200 years ago. It talks about how the Book of Mormon will come forth. How there will be three witnesses to the Book of Mormon. How a learned man will look at the records and say "I cannot read it." Amazing that all those years later, this is exactly what came to pass. Or I guess it's not amazing, when you consider that it was all put in place and orchstrated by God, who is unchanging. But from a mortal perspective, it seems pretty incredible!

And I am always so curious about references to the parts of the records that were not translated for us yet. What will they say? When will we get them? How will it be revealed?

2 Nephi, chapter 24-25

2009-10-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

Chapter 24 highlights the importance of teaching our children about Christ and the way of salvation.

verse 23: For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.

verse 26: And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

2 Nephi, chapter 23

2009-10-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

Scary predictions of destruction that will happen at the 2nd coming. Gives me chills to think about it. Having read the Left Behind books, I'm sure I have some misguided images of what all that will be like (they're entertaining, but certainly not doctrinally correct from our church's point of view). But it always makes me think that I would maybe prefer it if the 2nd Coming held off until I could observe from the other side of the veil...

2 Nephi, chapter 22

2009-10-15T08:54:00.001-07:00

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.

If we trust in the Lord, we don't need to be afraid. He is there to guide and support us. He is our salvation.

My friend Marshel died yesterday. She was always a wonderful person. She was so strong in her faith, in spite of all the trials she went through in her battle with cancer. I know that she trusted in the Lord. He was her strength. And I know that she is with Him now. He has welcomed her home.

Though we are sad that she is gone, she has gone to a better place where she can have joy and freedom from pain at last.

2 Nephi, chapter 20-21

2009-10-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

verse 9 "...the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."

What a wonderful thing it will be when the whole earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord. When everyone on the earth knows the Lord, it will be such a different place. More peace, less war. More helping, less hurting. More service, less selfishness. More beauty, less ugliness. More love, less hate.

2 Nephi, chapter 16-19

2009-10-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

These are more prophetic passages similar to the chapters in Isaiah. As I've said before, I have a hard time with these sometimes. And in these particular chapters, there seems to be a lot of prophecies of trouble and woe. Not that there is not worth in those, certainly, but I really like to find uplifting bits in my scripture study to focus on. It starts my day on an up note. :)

It took a bit of extra reading this morning to find that happy note, but here it is:

2 Nephi 19:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Could there be a more uplifting verse than one talking about the coming of Christ? That happy moment was of such paramount importance to my own salvation; how can I help but rejoice over it? I also love the fact that this verse is part of Handel's Messiah. As I read the verse, I can hear that glorious music in my head. As a matter of fact, I believe that I still have my case of Christmas CDs in my desk drawer from last Christmas. I'm going to put on a little Handel's Messiah right now!

2 Nephi, chapter 14-15

2009-10-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

The verse that caught my eye today:

21 Wo unto the wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight!

A reminder not to get puffed up and full of ourselves. It's certainly not bad to be wise and prudent, but just because you think that you are wise and prudent, it doesn't mean you truly are. Be humble. Ask the Lord for wisdom and prudent use of that wisdom. Don't let pride make you stumble.

2 Nephi, chapter 13

2009-10-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

This chapter reminded me of my days in Young Women. I had a YW leader who lectured us on this chapter at least once a month. This is the chapter that talks about all the ornamentation and fine apparel of the Daughters of Zion...

In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments, and cauls, and round tires like the moon;
The chains and the bracelets, and the mufflers;
The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the ear-rings;
The rings, and nose jewels;
The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping-pins;
The glasses, and the fine linen, and hoods, and the veils.

All I could think about as I read was the endless lessons we had on the evils of vanity - she was really VERY concerned about this topic. Even when the lesson was on something else, she would segue back into this. Sadly, the effect it mostly had is that my best friend and I always left those lectures with an urge to go get a piercing or jewelry or something... just in rebellion about the very strict viewpoint! :)

2 Nephi, chapter 12

2009-10-08T08:15:00.000-07:00

I confess, I have a hard time with the Isaiah chapters. The language is difficult to wade through, everything is couched in imagery and metaphors. I always feel like saying: "Just come out and SAY it why don't you!"

For example, verse 22, which says: "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of?" Not exactly straightforward.

Still, I plow through and get the gist of things, even if I don't understand all the imagery and metaphors. And thank goodness for the chapter summaries at the top of the page to help clarify things! Thanks to that help, I know that verse 22 is part of the verses talking about how "The proud and wicked shall be brought low at the Second Coming."

2 Nephi, chapter 11

2009-10-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

This is a short chapter, but uplifting to me just because of the imagery of the beautiful language...

"my soul delighteth in his words"

"my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ"

"my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord"

"my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy"

"my soul delighteth in proving unto my people that save Christ should come all men must perish"

"whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men"

2 Nephi, chapter 10

2009-10-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

verse 23: Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.

We have been given the gift of free agency. We can choose for ourselves whether to follow the commandments from God and our prophets, or whether to go our own way. It's important to remember, though, that when we make a choice, we are also choosing the consquences. Making correct choices leads to eternal life, while poor choices carry a consqequence of everlasting death.

2 Nephi, chapter 9

2009-10-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy week and I slacked off on my scripture reading. Picture me crawling back onto the wagon this morning...

A couple of things caught my attention today. First, the chapter talks a lot about resurrection, which made me think about the sweet and simple faith of my children. They know about resurrection - as much as they can understand at their ages - and will bring it up frequently. If they see something on TV or hear about someone who has died, Haley will often make comments about "That's sad, but at least he will be resurrected!" Or something similar. And a couple of weeks ago on the way to church Haley and Preston were asking us and discussing what age they would be when they were resurrected. Wonderful to hear their take on things!

Also, verse 51 says "Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth..." Always a good reminder to economize, and think before I buy!!

2 Nephi, chapter 6-8

2009-09-25T07:41:00.001-07:00

verse 7: Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

When you listen to the Lord and are doing what you know you should do, you should not be concerned with what the world may think of you or what others may say.

2 Nephi, chapter 5

2009-09-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the chapter, Nephi writes about a few of the things that his brothers are saying as they murmur against him. Then in verse 4, he says:

"Now I do not write upon these plates all the words which they murmured against me..."

When someone murmurs against us or does us wrong, don't we usually want to tell every single word and every little thing they did? We want to prove to everyone we tell just how badly we have been treated. We treasure up the wrongs against us. We hold them close and nurse our grievances.

Instead, we need to take Nephi's example. He summed it all up succinctly (again in verse 4):

"But it sufficeth me to say, that they did seek to take away my life."

And that's enough for him. He then takes the Lord's advice to take his family and go. And then he moves on with his life. He doesn't spend his time dwelling on all the things his brothers did. e doesn't spent his time feeling hurt and abused and telling his story to everyone to get them on his side. He doesn't plot revenge against them for their bad treatment. He just moves on.

2 Nephi, chapter 3-4

2009-09-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

In chapter 4, Nephi talks about how he feels unworthy and weak at times. If even a great prophet like Nephi can have these troubles and doubts, no wonder I have troubles! I just need to follow Nephi's example and trust in the Lord.

verse 34: O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever.

I had a seminary teacher in high school who wrote a song based on this chapter. He called it Nephi's Psalm. It's beautiful. And always brings me warm memories of listening to Brother Kunz sing to us in seminary.

If you want to hear the song: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2346697/nephis_psalm/

2 Nephi, chapter 2

2009-09-22T07:46:00.000-07:00

Two verses stood out to me in this chapter.

verse 11: "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, ... righteousness could not be brought to pass"

It reminds me that there is a purpose to all the roadblocks that we encounter in life. We have to encounter the roadblocks and overcome them in order to progress and become better and more righteous.

verse 25: Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

Men are that they might have joy... what a great thing! We are here to learn and progress and to be happy! We may be working to overcome roadblocks in our life, we may be trying to constantly get better, but we should also be trying to be happy. Men are that they might have joy... we are meant to be happy!

2 Nephi, chapter 1

2009-09-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

verse 15: But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.

In the arms of His love. What a wonderful thought.

This phrase is repeated several times in various scriptures, and every time I read it, I have such a warm and wonderful feeling. In times of trouble, I re-read the scriptures that refer to the arms of His love and I can almost feel the warm hug comforting me.

Rather than one favorite scripture, I have this phrase from the scriptures that is my favorite. I just love the feelings I get when I picture myself encircled in the arms of His love.

1 Nephi, Chapter 22

2009-09-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Verse 31: "...Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day. And thus it is. Amen."

A beautiful promise. If we are doing our best to obey the commandments and endure to the end, we will be saved. And because the promise comes from God, we can know that He will keep His end of the bargain no matter what. It's up to us to keep our end of the deal.

1 Nephi, Chapter 21

2009-09-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

I have always liked verse 13, just because I find the language beautiful:

Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for they shall be smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

And on a somewhat unrelated note... today I'm feeling very glad that I started my scripture-reading blog. Keeping up with my scripture study has always been something I struggle with. I have so much going on that this is something that always seems to fall by the wayside with me. I will make a committment to myself that I'm going to do better and I will read, but then other things in life seem to take over and before I know it, I've fallen way behind. Then I end up just giving up on it. But with the blog, I feel like I have some accountability. I can't just stop, because I have this record of what I'm reading. If I stop, it will be in the record that I just gave up. So even when life takes over and I miss some days, I have incentive to get back and start again. Hooray for blogging for helping me stay on track!

1 Nephi, Chapter 20

2009-09-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

If you look at the chapter heading for chapter 20, you'll see that it instructs you to compare Isaiah 48. After reading both of those chapters I was really struck by the fact that they are so similar. A lot of the wording is almost exactly the same - and I imagine some of the differences are because of translation from the original language.

So here are these two chapters - revelations given to two different prophets, in two different parts of the world, hundreds of years apart (Isaiah is thought to have been written somewhere in the 800s B.C. and this part of 1 Nephi was around 570 - 590 B.C.). And yet they are almost identical.

To me, this illustrates the unchanging nature of God. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. All other things may change and pass away, but God will remain.

1 Nephi, Chapter 19

2009-09-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

This is the chapter that inspired my blog title. :)

In verse 23, Nephi instructs us to "liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning." That is what I attempt to do each do I blog by finding something with a personal meaning for me in what I have read. When I do this, I get so much more out of my scripture reading. Without this goal, I tend to skim through the chapter just for the sake of having read it. I don't always get a lot out of it because I'm not TRYING to get something out of it.

When I have the goal of finding something that relates to me personally in what I've read, I have to pay more attention to what I'm reading. I have to think about what I've read. So far, this blog is helping me meet my goal of getting more out of my scripture reading.

1 Nephi, Chapter 18

2009-09-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well, with all that went on with my family in the last week and a half, I really fell down on my scripture reading. But back on track this week...

The thing I noticed today is really not a great scriptural insight, just something that I like to notice as I read the Book of Mormon. In chapter 18, I think it's the first time that you see the little asterisk that directs you to the bottom of the page where they give you the year. In this case about 589 B.C.

When I read the Book of Mormon, I always enjoy watching those dates and seeing them count down as it gets closer to the birth of Christ. It's just always a little exciting to me to read about the events of that time and see what's going on as His birth comes closer and closer.

1 Nephi, Chapter 17

2009-08-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

What I pulled from this chapter is that the commandments of God must be fulfilled and if we will just follow Him and do as he asks, He will provide a way.

There are many times that I think that I cannot do what the Lord has asked... it's just too hard, I don't have the time, I don't have the energy or the resources. But if I just follow Him and do my best, He will help me find a way to do what I should do.

1 Nephi, Chapter 16

2009-08-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

Haven't you always been curious what the Liahona looked like exactly? I have a picture in my own head, but I wonder how close it is to reality.

That's not really my scriptural pondering for the day, just something that came to mind as I was reading. ;)

But my thought to consider for today is about Laman and Lemuel. At the beginning of the chapter they humble themselves and are walking in righteousness, but by the end they are right back to being hardhearted and disobedient. I know a lot of times when I've read this story or talked about it in classes, everyone kind of shakes their head over Laman and Lemuel and wonders how they could go through this cycle again and again. But today it struck me that I go through that cycle again and again also. Maybe not to the extremes of Laman and Lemuel, but still.

I have things that I struggle to believe and to obey and sometimes I do really well and do all that I should be doing. Other times I fall down and feel hardhearted until I have to repent and start the cycle over again. And again. And again.

So I guess my lesson for today is to not be so judgemental of Laman and Lemuel when I read their stories. And to not be judgemental of people that I encounter in my everyday life... I may not approve of some of the things they do, but there's no telling where they are in this cycle. Given time, they may be the ones to help me when I fall down to the bottom of the cycle.

1 Nephi, Chapter 14-15

2009-08-26T06:22:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of profound content in these two chapters. They talk about Nephi's visions of all that will come to pass in the world and discuss the meaning of the symbols in the tree of life vision. Very important things.

And yet, as I was reading today, none of those things struck me the way one single verse did.

verse 8: "And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord?"

In this particular case, he's talking to his brothers who are trying to puzzle out the tree of life vision. But to me, it suddenly hit me that this is a question we should be asking every day. Each time we hit a roadblock or have a question or a worry... Have ye inquired of the Lord? Have you let Him help as you try to decide what is best? Have you turned to Him for advice or comfort?

I know that too often I forget that He is there for us in every little thing as well as the big things. I need to remember more often that whenever I have a concern or a problem, I should inquire of the Lord to help me find my way or just for comfort as I work through something.

1 Nephi, Chapter 12-13

2009-08-25T06:01:00.000-07:00

I read chapter 12 and just couldn't find anything uplifting to ponder in that chapter today. There's a lot of talk about wars and contention and other dark things. So I moved on and read chapter 13 as well. After a few more dark passages came the light that I was looking for.

Verse 36 says "...if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be."

If we hang on through the dark and depressing times and endure unto the end, we will be lifted up and have peace and great joy!

1 Nephi, Chapter 11

2009-08-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

This chapter is where Nephi sees the vision that his father saw... he not only sees the rod of iron and the tree of life, but also many other things that have been and will be.

I can't imagine how overwhelming it must have been to see this vision. It brings home to me that Nephi was truly a prophet of God to be able to see all these things, make sense of them, and then be able to write about them for us to read and learn from all this time later.

1 Nephi, Chapter 10

2009-08-20T07:49:00.001-07:00

18 For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever... I like the reminder that God is unchanging.

To me this means that His promises are also unchanging... no matter what, if we keep our end of the promise, God will keep His.

1 Nephi, Chapter 9

2009-08-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

5 Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not.

6 But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words. And thus it is. Amen.

A reminder to me that sometimes we don't know why we're supposed to do the things the Lord asks us to do. But because the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning, He has a purpose and knows why we should do these things we ask. We need to have faith to do as we should do - in time, we will be able to see the Lord's purpose.

1 Nephi, Chapter 8

2009-08-13T07:02:00.002-07:00

Having grown up in the church, I have of course heard Lehi's dream about the tree of life many times. I kind of started skimming through this chapter, because I know the story of this vision. But as I was reading, my attention was caught by something that I haven't really thought much about before. Verse 21 says that there are "numberless concourses" of people starting out on the path to the tree. I can't even picture what a huge throng that would be. So many people starting out on the right path.

But along the way there are so many distractions that pull people away one by one, until by the end, the number of people actually making it to the tree is much smaller.

There are so many distractions in life that pull us away from what we should be doing. We need to pay close attention to where we are walking to be sure we are still on the path, gripping the iron rod.

1 Nephi, Chapter 6-7

2009-08-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

In Chapter 7, Laman & Lemuel and some of Ishmael's family rebel against Nephi and Lehi. And I know that it was wrong of them, and it was certainly wrong of them to try and kill Nephi, but at the same time, I feel some sympathy for them.

If you think about it, all of these people had a very comfortable life in Jerusalem. And suddenly that was all jerked away from them. Suddenly they found themselves living in the wilderness, doing without all the comforts and entertainments they were used to. It must have been very difficult to deal with. When I picture how I would feel in this situation, I think I would feel rebellious, too!

In spite of all they did to Nephi in the course of their rebellion, he forgave them freely, with great hopes that they would stay on the right path. A great example of how we should behave towards those who wrong us!

1 Nephi, Chapter 5

2009-08-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

This chapter talks a little about Lehi's geneology and how his lineage was recorded on the plates of brass. It's a reminder to me about the importance of doing my geneology research. I actually really enjoy researching my geneology. For a couple of months last year, Aaron and I were both really into it and spent hours each night researching. We found quite a few family names that needed temple work done and took those names to the temple.

I need to get back to spending time on my geneology research. I'm going to try and find one night a week that I could work on further research.

I also need to make a committment to get to the temple more often. We still have some temple cards for some family members who need to have endowments and/or sealings done and are just waiting on us. I need to get on the ball!

1 Nephi, Chapter 4

2009-08-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

verse 34: Surely the Lord has commanded us to do this thing; and shall we not be diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord?

Just a good reminder that we should listen to the Lord and do as we are told!

1 Nephi, Chapter 3

2009-08-06T09:19:00.001-07:00

1 Nephi 3:6 - "...thou shalt be favored of the Lord, because thou hast not murmured."

Something I need to remember more often is not to murmur... not just in about the gospel or church, but about life in general. I try to avoid this because I would rather be positive than negative. I have noticed that when I spend time with people who always look at the negative side or who are always complaining, it makes me unhappy. The bad attitude rubs off on me. I start to do the same thing. And that makes me even more unhappy. So if I can avoid murmuring, I'll be happier overall.

1 Nephi, Chapter 2

2009-08-05T08:33:00.000-07:00

Lehi had wealth and property and probably a very comfortable life until the Lord commanded him to go into the wilderness. And he did it. He didn't argue or negotiate or plead for more time to get ready. He just left everything behind and went with his family into the wilderness.

What an incredible example of obedience. The Lord spoke and he obeyed.

Starting with the Book of Mormon - 1 Nephi, Chapter 1

2009-08-04T08:09:00.000-07:00

Probably one of the most recognized phrases in the church is the opening to this book: "I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents..."

I want my children to be able to say that they were born of goodly parents. To me, that means that I need to be working to improve myself. Doing more to be a good mother, a good church member, and a good person overall.

A 2nd thing that struck me... Nephi talks about how he is making an account of the proceedings in his days. This reminds me of the importance of keeping journals for posterity. My blogs may be a non-traditional journaling method, but it works for me. I use them to make an account of the proceedings of my days!