Mosiah 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.