There is a lot of good stuff in these chapters. I love that Nephi is commanded to build a ship. I just think about the enormity of the task that was given to him and how he must have felt. There have been a few times when I have been asked to accomplish big tasks and I still remember the significant feelings of inadequacy that I felt at those times. In truth I had zero ideas on how I was going to be able to accomplish these things that I had been asked to do. I can only imagine that Nephi must of had some of these same feelings. That is what makes his response even more profound. Not only did he straightway accept the assignment but his only questions was were do I go to find ore to make tools. It is a great teacher about the attitudes we should have when the Lord (or his servants) ask us to do something.
When we lived back in Utah we were able to witness this kind of faith and obedience first hand. Our neighbor who was one of the best people I have ever met in my life was called into the bishops office and asked if she would be the organist on Sundays for our services. She accepted right away knowing that she did not know how to play the organ. I was amazed to say the least. Her faith, obedience and diligence were a great example to me. I watched her teach herself to play the organ. I saw the countless hours of practice she would put in at the church during the week to be ready on Sunday. I witnessed how the Lord blessed her with a small organ at home so she could practice there and I watched as her confidence and faith in the Lord grew as she got better and better with each passing week. It was a great modern day example of having to build a ship without knowing how but having the faith to rely on the Lord and knowing that he would show her the way and make her equal to the task.
Beyond this I love how Nehpi explains that the Lord didn't just give him all the knowledge he would need all at once to build the ship. No he says "the lord did show unto me from time to time the manner that I should work the timbers". He also says "it was not after the manner of men" and that he "did go into the mount oft and I did pray oft unto the Lord." These three lines teach us much about how we can accomplish big tasks that the Lord gives to us. First have the right attitude of acceptance and action (were should I go to find ore). Second, be willing to work and acquire the skills over a period of time (line upon line). Third, continually seek out the guidance of your heavenly father and be willing to follow through with the inspiration that you receive from him even if it goes against your logic or the current ideas of men. If you do this the Lord will show you great things.
I have experienced this in my own life on more than one occasion. Just one quick example not to boast but to illustrate the doctrine. When I decided to go to podiatry school I knew it was the right decision. Despite the significant hardships it would place on my family my wife and I decided to move forward with faith. As I started school I knew that I would need to be better at school and studying then I ever had been in my whole life. I wasn't entirely sure how I would accomplish this. I did know that the Lord would help and if my desires were righteous (to provide for my family, to have a career that would allow me time to serve him) that he would help me. I can testify that he helped me accomplish this desire of my heart. Sometimes on a daily basis I would receive promptings of study it like this, or you can remember it like this. It was also made very clear to me the best ways to study that would help me remember and apply the material. Some of those ways were not like what others did and required a significant time commitment. Nothing of what the Lord revealed to me provided me with any shortcuts or made it so I didn't have to study as hard as the other students. In fact in many cases it meant I had to spend more hours at the school. In the end though I received inspired knowledge of this principle that Nephi teaches us. That if we will accept the commandments with faith and obedience that the Lord will provide ways for us to accomplish them. The way may not always be easy but it will be provided and I can testify that it was for me and will be for all who choose to use there agency and follow his commandments with faith
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Day 3: 1 Nephi 12 - 1 Nephi 15
Today I found myself in a discussion about the temple. Someone not of our faith was talking about our secretive nature with our temples. I tried to explain to him that the temple is not secret to us but they are sacred. I tried to explain that any person on the face of the earth can know what goes on inside of Gods temple as long as they are willing to exercise their agency by keeping Gods commandments and taking on sacred covenants made at baptism. If any person is willing to do this they will find themselves spiritually prepared for the sacred nature of the temple. I use this example because of something that was in my reading yesterday.
The reading last night covered the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. It discussed many facets of the kingdom of the devil but one thing that stood out was that one of Satan's tricks is to take holy and sacred things and degrade them and make them filthy. As my discussion continued we started to talk about oaths and promises and I was explaining that inside of our temples we have rituals were we make oaths and promises and we hold those things very near and dear to our hearts. We then started to discuss for whatever reason other groups who have oaths and promises. One person brought up the fact that her sorority in college had an oath, another person brought up the masons, and I began to think about where did this whole oath and covenant thing begin. It then dawned on me that since the beginning of man God has been making covenants with his children. This covenants have been very sacred and very comforting to his children who are so far from home that if they live righteously they will be able to return to live with him again one day. It serves Satan well then to take things as sacred as oaths and covenants and distort them and make them filthy. By doing so he shows those who choose to follow him that oaths and covenants mean nothing or if they do that they can be used to get gain and commit sin without consequence as was the case with gadianton robbers in the Book of Mormon. As it talks about in this reading many plain and precious thing were removed from the Bible as it was translated by men who wanted to make sure it had a certain message. Certainly some of those things were covenants and the priesthood power to officiate in the making of those covenants with God. You see if Satan can destroy covenants than he can prevent Gods children from entering the Celestial Kingdom the only Kingdom where covenants are a pre-requisite for admission. So it again serves him well to take something so sacred and holy as covenants and make them filthy and meaningless in mortality so that Gods children will stumble and lose their way back to him. My mom told me once that she had a very distinct impression that the covenants made in the temple would be absolutely necessary for admission into the Celestial kingdom. In fact covenants are so important to our Heavenly Father that he has built numerous temples around the world to help his children and those who died without the opportunity to receive these covenants. The absolute necessity of covenants is one of the great and wonderful truths that the Book of Mormon brings to light. It testifies of the essential nature of making covenants and even gives us examples of how Satan will try to distort and use covenants to lead Gods children into his kingdom of sin and misery.
The reading last night covered the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. It discussed many facets of the kingdom of the devil but one thing that stood out was that one of Satan's tricks is to take holy and sacred things and degrade them and make them filthy. As my discussion continued we started to talk about oaths and promises and I was explaining that inside of our temples we have rituals were we make oaths and promises and we hold those things very near and dear to our hearts. We then started to discuss for whatever reason other groups who have oaths and promises. One person brought up the fact that her sorority in college had an oath, another person brought up the masons, and I began to think about where did this whole oath and covenant thing begin. It then dawned on me that since the beginning of man God has been making covenants with his children. This covenants have been very sacred and very comforting to his children who are so far from home that if they live righteously they will be able to return to live with him again one day. It serves Satan well then to take things as sacred as oaths and covenants and distort them and make them filthy. By doing so he shows those who choose to follow him that oaths and covenants mean nothing or if they do that they can be used to get gain and commit sin without consequence as was the case with gadianton robbers in the Book of Mormon. As it talks about in this reading many plain and precious thing were removed from the Bible as it was translated by men who wanted to make sure it had a certain message. Certainly some of those things were covenants and the priesthood power to officiate in the making of those covenants with God. You see if Satan can destroy covenants than he can prevent Gods children from entering the Celestial Kingdom the only Kingdom where covenants are a pre-requisite for admission. So it again serves him well to take something so sacred and holy as covenants and make them filthy and meaningless in mortality so that Gods children will stumble and lose their way back to him. My mom told me once that she had a very distinct impression that the covenants made in the temple would be absolutely necessary for admission into the Celestial kingdom. In fact covenants are so important to our Heavenly Father that he has built numerous temples around the world to help his children and those who died without the opportunity to receive these covenants. The absolute necessity of covenants is one of the great and wonderful truths that the Book of Mormon brings to light. It testifies of the essential nature of making covenants and even gives us examples of how Satan will try to distort and use covenants to lead Gods children into his kingdom of sin and misery.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Day 2: 1 Nephi 7 - 1 Nephi 11
Today was a crazy day. The wife and kids left for Ohio last night (Monday) to meet with our Realtor and insurance company because someone broke into our vacant house there and stole some copper plumbing. Anyway whenever she leaves I just don't sleep like I usually do. Then I was worried about missing my alarm because she is my alarm in the morning. After that I was in surgery non stop from 7:30am until about 4:30pm without anything to eat. Needless to say not eating is bad for a person with migraines. You guessed it I got a migraine so I had to come home and take a nap. Luckily the wife woke me up so I could do my reading. She is so good to me I really don't know what I would do without her.
Well the reading last night was amazing to say the least. It was about Lehi's dream. There is enough content to cover several books just in talking about his dream. That is not what struck me last night though. Instead it was Nephi searching for understanding of his fathers dream in the chapters after Lehi tells of his dream. Again Nephi establishes a pattern for us to follow in regards to seeking understanding from the Lord through the Holy Ghost on points of doctrine which are not very clear to us. I think it is a tremendous example to all of us who might just accept things on faith that we should actively seek out understanding from the Lord through prayer, meditation and the Holy Ghost. Only when we gain greater understanding do we take our testimony to a deeper level.
The understanding that the God provides to Nephi is what struck me powerfully last night. As Nephi is trying to understand the tree that his Father saw it becomes clear to him through the Holy Ghost that the tree means the Love of God. He then immeadiately begins to be taught by the spirit through vision about Jesus Christ. He is able to witness his birth, life and death. He gains understanding of the atonement and how important it is in our lives. It was a testimony to me that Jesus is the Christ and he is the greatest representation of our Father in Heavens love for each and every one of his children here upon the face of the earth. The tree represents the Love of God and "God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son...". If we want to understand how much our heavenly father loves us and how we can return to him we need to look no further than his Only Begotten Son. His is the way the truth and light. His atonement makes it possible for us to come back into the presence of the Father through repentance and faith on his name. As we draw nearer to Christ we come to better understand our Heavenly Fathers love for us and for all of his children. With all the things that Lehi saw in his dream and all the things that Nephi was trying to understand it all boiled down to the atonement of Jesus Christ. Lehi wanted his whole family to come and partake of the fruit of the tree. In other words the thing that Lehi desired most once he partook of the Love of God was for his family to partake of his love or once Lehi had experienced the blessings of the atonement, and that those blessings were more delicious than any other thing he had ever tasted, he wanted his family to experience the blessings of the atonement. That is the good news that we share with the whole wide world. That God loves his children and because he loves them he has provided a way for us to overcome all the heartache, pain and suffering of mortality. Understanding that was such a testimony to me of the validity and reality of the atonement of Jesus Christ.
Well the reading last night was amazing to say the least. It was about Lehi's dream. There is enough content to cover several books just in talking about his dream. That is not what struck me last night though. Instead it was Nephi searching for understanding of his fathers dream in the chapters after Lehi tells of his dream. Again Nephi establishes a pattern for us to follow in regards to seeking understanding from the Lord through the Holy Ghost on points of doctrine which are not very clear to us. I think it is a tremendous example to all of us who might just accept things on faith that we should actively seek out understanding from the Lord through prayer, meditation and the Holy Ghost. Only when we gain greater understanding do we take our testimony to a deeper level.
The understanding that the God provides to Nephi is what struck me powerfully last night. As Nephi is trying to understand the tree that his Father saw it becomes clear to him through the Holy Ghost that the tree means the Love of God. He then immeadiately begins to be taught by the spirit through vision about Jesus Christ. He is able to witness his birth, life and death. He gains understanding of the atonement and how important it is in our lives. It was a testimony to me that Jesus is the Christ and he is the greatest representation of our Father in Heavens love for each and every one of his children here upon the face of the earth. The tree represents the Love of God and "God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son...". If we want to understand how much our heavenly father loves us and how we can return to him we need to look no further than his Only Begotten Son. His is the way the truth and light. His atonement makes it possible for us to come back into the presence of the Father through repentance and faith on his name. As we draw nearer to Christ we come to better understand our Heavenly Fathers love for us and for all of his children. With all the things that Lehi saw in his dream and all the things that Nephi was trying to understand it all boiled down to the atonement of Jesus Christ. Lehi wanted his whole family to come and partake of the fruit of the tree. In other words the thing that Lehi desired most once he partook of the Love of God was for his family to partake of his love or once Lehi had experienced the blessings of the atonement, and that those blessings were more delicious than any other thing he had ever tasted, he wanted his family to experience the blessings of the atonement. That is the good news that we share with the whole wide world. That God loves his children and because he loves them he has provided a way for us to overcome all the heartache, pain and suffering of mortality. Understanding that was such a testimony to me of the validity and reality of the atonement of Jesus Christ.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Day 1: 1 Nephi 1 - 1 Nephi 6
The main story line in this section of scripture is Lehi leading his family into the wilderness and the mission of Lehi's sons to retrieve the Brass Plates from Laban. The timeline is 600 B.C and Lehi has led his family out into the wilderness which is not received well by all the members of the family. This is great scripture here because we are given a great example of how to deal with revelation and council that we might not understand or agree with at first. As with all things in life there are two course that one can pursue when receiving revelation from the prophet and choosing to follow or not follow. One is given to us by Laman and Lemuel who are Nephi's older brothers. They provide us with exactly what Satan would like us to do with revelation from the prophet and that is to complain and to close our minds without even pondering or exploring any reasons why God might be giving this revelation to his prophet. Nephi gives us the other example were he receives the council but does not initially agree with it but instead of immediately dismissing the council as craziness he go and prays about the council and we get this wonderful scripture 1 Nephi 2:16 "and behold he did visit me and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father". Its also a great example because we see the humanity of Nephi who is clearly the more righteous of the brothers and still has a hard time with the revelation to leave Jerusalem but gives us a great example of how to deal with revelation that may not be easy for us to understand of accept.
Then Lehi recieves a revelation from God that his sons are to return to Jerusalem to obtain the brass plates. Of course this is not received well by all his sons especially Laman and Lemuel who are found complaining again. However they decide to go with Nephi and we see that Nephi and his brothers thought that this mission was going to be much simpler than what it turned out to be. After two failed attempts to get the plates one by persuasion and the other by purchase there is some dissension among the group. The group finally gets together and this time Nephi is led by the spirit to get the plates. It is at this time that the Lord delivers Laban into Nephi's hands and Nephi is commanded to slay Laban. Obviously this is a tough thing for Nephi to do and he internally wrestles with himself about whether or not he should do this or not. With some persuasion by the spirit he finally does. The key message here I think and the conclusion that Nephi reaches is that God had delivered into Nephis hands the way to accomplish the things he had asked him to do (1 Nephi 3:7). This is so true in our lives. Sometimes we try things multiple different ways and fail each time we try them but we must always be on the look out for when God delivers something to us so that we can accomplish what he is asking us to do. Looking back through my life there have been multiple occasions when God has 100% delivered something or someone into my life so that I could accomplish what he wanted me to. I also thought about times when God has delivered opportunities to me but because of my fear or feelings of inadequacy I have failed to capitalize on those opportunities. We can only imagine what might have been lost if Nephi had decided instead to not slay Laban out of fear or because he had been "taught thou shall not kill." I am sure there have been times that I have failed to realize the opportunities God has given me and I hope that I can be more sensitive and courageous with those opportunities in the future.
Finally we begin to see how important covenants and oaths are in Gods work. When Nephi gets the plates and brings Zoram (the servant of Laban) with him the only way they can trust each other is by making a oath with each other. Once the oath is made their fear of one another dissipates and they are able to love and trust one another. So it is with our Heavenly Father. As we covenant with him we can be sure that if we uphold our end of the covenant he will hold up his and we will be able to live with him again for eternity. That way our love and trust with him and his with us can grow and strengthen. How important are covenant in the restored church? Vital!
Then Lehi recieves a revelation from God that his sons are to return to Jerusalem to obtain the brass plates. Of course this is not received well by all his sons especially Laman and Lemuel who are found complaining again. However they decide to go with Nephi and we see that Nephi and his brothers thought that this mission was going to be much simpler than what it turned out to be. After two failed attempts to get the plates one by persuasion and the other by purchase there is some dissension among the group. The group finally gets together and this time Nephi is led by the spirit to get the plates. It is at this time that the Lord delivers Laban into Nephi's hands and Nephi is commanded to slay Laban. Obviously this is a tough thing for Nephi to do and he internally wrestles with himself about whether or not he should do this or not. With some persuasion by the spirit he finally does. The key message here I think and the conclusion that Nephi reaches is that God had delivered into Nephis hands the way to accomplish the things he had asked him to do (1 Nephi 3:7). This is so true in our lives. Sometimes we try things multiple different ways and fail each time we try them but we must always be on the look out for when God delivers something to us so that we can accomplish what he is asking us to do. Looking back through my life there have been multiple occasions when God has 100% delivered something or someone into my life so that I could accomplish what he wanted me to. I also thought about times when God has delivered opportunities to me but because of my fear or feelings of inadequacy I have failed to capitalize on those opportunities. We can only imagine what might have been lost if Nephi had decided instead to not slay Laban out of fear or because he had been "taught thou shall not kill." I am sure there have been times that I have failed to realize the opportunities God has given me and I hope that I can be more sensitive and courageous with those opportunities in the future.
Finally we begin to see how important covenants and oaths are in Gods work. When Nephi gets the plates and brings Zoram (the servant of Laban) with him the only way they can trust each other is by making a oath with each other. Once the oath is made their fear of one another dissipates and they are able to love and trust one another. So it is with our Heavenly Father. As we covenant with him we can be sure that if we uphold our end of the covenant he will hold up his and we will be able to live with him again for eternity. That way our love and trust with him and his with us can grow and strengthen. How important are covenant in the restored church? Vital!
My Quest
Another year has come and gone and I am left thinking about how life just gets crazier and crazier. It seems like yesterday that I stepped off of a plane from the Philippines. I was 19 years old and I felt invincible. I had learned so much those last two years that I couldn't imagine life being more challenging or rewarding than what I had just experienced. After all I had just spent two years in a third world country experiencing and seeing things that most people in the United States or the rest of the developed world couldn't even imagine and to top it all off the Lord had blessed me with a great increase in knowledge and understanding and I felt like I was on top of the world. I was a focused and determined solider and defender of truth and right. I was disciplined in all things that were expected of me daily prayer and scripture study, church attendance and the list can go on from there. Looking back all those years ago I never would have imagined that I would ever miss one day of scripture study for the rest of my life.
Well fast forward 11 years later. The Lord has continued to pour out his blessings on me. I have a wonderful and beautiful wife and four wonderful children. They fill my life with more joy and happiness then I ever could have imagined. He has also blessed me to be able to finish my education and have a wonderful career and to be able serve and work in his church. All of this has blessed mine and my families life in countless ways. On the same token though it has made life incredibly busy. In fact, I am ashamed to admit, so busy that some things that I use to be so wonderful at like daily scripture study have been pushed to the side. Like I said I never could have imagined missing one day of scripture study when I first came home now I am lucky if I get one day of scripture study in during the week.
So I now begin my quest to begin a new and find again those wonderful habits that I once had. To rededicate myself, despite all the craziness in my life, to the things that matter most in life; God, Family, Work and Fun. The quest is simple COMPLETE THE ENTIRE STANDARD WORKS (Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price) IN ONE YEAR! This blog is simply my way of holding myself accountable with my daily thoughts and a way to share my personal insights with those who wish to read them. I hope that those who read will feel the peace and spirit that the scriptures bring into my life through the simple words that I write. I also invite any and all of you who would like to join me on this journey to do so and to leave any posts or comments you might have about my insights or your own insights that we might all rejoice together.
Well fast forward 11 years later. The Lord has continued to pour out his blessings on me. I have a wonderful and beautiful wife and four wonderful children. They fill my life with more joy and happiness then I ever could have imagined. He has also blessed me to be able to finish my education and have a wonderful career and to be able serve and work in his church. All of this has blessed mine and my families life in countless ways. On the same token though it has made life incredibly busy. In fact, I am ashamed to admit, so busy that some things that I use to be so wonderful at like daily scripture study have been pushed to the side. Like I said I never could have imagined missing one day of scripture study when I first came home now I am lucky if I get one day of scripture study in during the week.
So I now begin my quest to begin a new and find again those wonderful habits that I once had. To rededicate myself, despite all the craziness in my life, to the things that matter most in life; God, Family, Work and Fun. The quest is simple COMPLETE THE ENTIRE STANDARD WORKS (Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price) IN ONE YEAR! This blog is simply my way of holding myself accountable with my daily thoughts and a way to share my personal insights with those who wish to read them. I hope that those who read will feel the peace and spirit that the scriptures bring into my life through the simple words that I write. I also invite any and all of you who would like to join me on this journey to do so and to leave any posts or comments you might have about my insights or your own insights that we might all rejoice together.
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