At this point in my life, reading these chapters in 1 Nephi gives me a new and clear perspective on being a righteous husband and father and leading my household. I am thankful father Lehi had the faith and obedience to leave Jerusalem, take his family into the wilderness, and lead his camp to the promised land. I can picture Lehi and his family leaving Jerusalem and looking over their shoulders as they walk into the wilderness to say goodbye to all they knew-- home. It must have been difficult for Lehi to know what would shortly happen to Jerusalem and all who lived there.
Reading Lehi's vision as a parent has changed my previous perspective on the vision. Before I would liken the vision to myself (partaking of the fruit, staying on the straight and narrow path, etc.). Lehi's desire for Laman and Lemuel to partake of the fruit, but their unwillingness to do so, is very disturbing to any parent likening this vision to his own life and the life of his family. Now that I have Josiah and Alro, my biggest fears revolve around the choices they will make in life. I hope and pray they will choose to stay on the straight and narrow, that they will choose to partake of the fruit. I hope they will be obedient and diligent. I hope as our family grows and as our children grow older that we will all grow closer through obedience, faith, and love.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
1 Nephi 4 (Dana)
There are 2 major lessons that I need to learn from this chapter.
1. NO ONE IS MIGHTIER THAN THE LORD. So as I apply this to my life, I should take verse 1 & fill in the blank: "for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than ______." So long as we are keeping the commandments & choosing the right, we have NOTHING to fear. HOWEVER, if we are making poor decisions, we have HIM to fear & we ought to be worried.
2. FOLLOW THE SPIRIT & DO NOT DOUBT. verse 6 is so wonderful!!! "I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do." Life is always changing, no matter how carefully we plan it all. We must keep our faith & follow the spirit. The spirit will NOT lead us astray. We may never know why certain things happen, just do not doubt.
1. NO ONE IS MIGHTIER THAN THE LORD. So as I apply this to my life, I should take verse 1 & fill in the blank: "for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than ______." So long as we are keeping the commandments & choosing the right, we have NOTHING to fear. HOWEVER, if we are making poor decisions, we have HIM to fear & we ought to be worried.
2. FOLLOW THE SPIRIT & DO NOT DOUBT. verse 6 is so wonderful!!! "I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do." Life is always changing, no matter how carefully we plan it all. We must keep our faith & follow the spirit. The spirit will NOT lead us astray. We may never know why certain things happen, just do not doubt.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
1 Nephi 3 (Dana)
1 Nephi 3:7 - Seminary Scripture Mastery Verse!!
When Laman failed to get the plates from King Laban and he was "about to return unto [his] father in the wilderness" EXCEPT that Nephi WOULD NOT GIVE UP!!! Verse 16: "Let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord."
It is so easy for us to try once or twice for something good & eventually justify ourselves quitting. We can't just walk away and say "oh well, I tried." We must continue trying until we have succeeded. We each have certain struggles that we face in our lives BUT we must always CHOOSE the RIGHT, no matter how hard it is or how many times we fail. The Lord will find a way for us to succeed.
i.e.- I am not the best at fasting. I do it, but what is the quality? Each month, I try a little harder & each month I get a little more from my efforts. The Lord recognizes my efforts.
When Laman failed to get the plates from King Laban and he was "about to return unto [his] father in the wilderness" EXCEPT that Nephi WOULD NOT GIVE UP!!! Verse 16: "Let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord."
It is so easy for us to try once or twice for something good & eventually justify ourselves quitting. We can't just walk away and say "oh well, I tried." We must continue trying until we have succeeded. We each have certain struggles that we face in our lives BUT we must always CHOOSE the RIGHT, no matter how hard it is or how many times we fail. The Lord will find a way for us to succeed.
i.e.- I am not the best at fasting. I do it, but what is the quality? Each month, I try a little harder & each month I get a little more from my efforts. The Lord recognizes my efforts.
Monday, July 18, 2011
1 Nephi 2 (Dana)
Lehi has a vision to flee Jerusalem. He packs up the essentials & takes his family into the wilderness.
I imagine that this may be something that we might have to do in the last days. Would I be so willing to leave all my "golds and precious silvers?" (As you remember in 1Nephi 1:1 - Lehi is a "goodly parent" aka: RICH) We can't be too attached to our worldly possessions.
Lehi was a humble man.
I imagine that this may be something that we might have to do in the last days. Would I be so willing to leave all my "golds and precious silvers?" (As you remember in 1Nephi 1:1 - Lehi is a "goodly parent" aka: RICH) We can't be too attached to our worldly possessions.
Lehi was a humble man.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
1 Nephi 1 (Jason)
Yes, 1 Nephi 1 is the most read chapter in the Book of Mormon. Yes, it is also the most read chapter by Jason. This time around, I am excited to read all the way through the Book of Mormon with you and write about our impressions in this blog.
To answer your questions, yes the reference to Lehi's writings is a reference to the 116 pages lost by Martin Harris. I guess we can look on the bright side that Nephi made an abridgement of his father's writings so all is not lost.
Chapter 1 is actually a very important chapter in Mormon doctrine. It is a foundational chapter of scripture for the restoration. Lehi is told about the destruction of Jerusalem and the judgements of God that would come upon the people. Jerusalem was destroyed about 600 BC and the people were scattered. As we will soon read, a righteous branch, or Lehi and his followers, came to the promised land (the Americas), I believe, in preparation for the restoration of the Gospel.
The last verse of the chapter is my favorite:
"...I Nephi, will show unto you the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."
This is a loaded verse, obviously indicating that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all of us, because of our faith. Our faith determines the impact of these tender mercies in our lives. I need to work on this one. The power of deliverance is interesting. It seems to me that there are many things we seek deliverance from throughout our lives, even each day. It is a pretty important and amazing power to have in our lives.
To answer your questions, yes the reference to Lehi's writings is a reference to the 116 pages lost by Martin Harris. I guess we can look on the bright side that Nephi made an abridgement of his father's writings so all is not lost.
Chapter 1 is actually a very important chapter in Mormon doctrine. It is a foundational chapter of scripture for the restoration. Lehi is told about the destruction of Jerusalem and the judgements of God that would come upon the people. Jerusalem was destroyed about 600 BC and the people were scattered. As we will soon read, a righteous branch, or Lehi and his followers, came to the promised land (the Americas), I believe, in preparation for the restoration of the Gospel.
The last verse of the chapter is my favorite:
"...I Nephi, will show unto you the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."
This is a loaded verse, obviously indicating that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all of us, because of our faith. Our faith determines the impact of these tender mercies in our lives. I need to work on this one. The power of deliverance is interesting. It seems to me that there are many things we seek deliverance from throughout our lives, even each day. It is a pretty important and amazing power to have in our lives.
1 Nephi 1 (Dana)
The most read chapter in the entire Book of Mormon. We should all have it memorized by now. =)
Nephi speaks of his father's (Lehi) dreams/visions. Just like all prophets, he is ridiculed & mocked. The Gospel is not "popular" & we cannot expect to be embraced by the world. The world is becoming more cruel and we need to be strong in our beliefs. These are the last days.
Question: In verse 17 Nephi refers to the writings of Lehi & that they are on separate plates - is this the 116 pages that were lost when Joseph Smith was translating?
Verse 20 - "...tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."
Elder Bednar certainly made this verse unforgettable in his 2005 Conference talk. "The Lord’s tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Faithfulness and obedience enable us to receive these important gifts and, frequently, the Lord’s timing helps us to recognize them. We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live."
I think that the word "tender" is an important word.
Here are a few definitions for the word "tender": (www.dictionary.com)
Nephi speaks of his father's (Lehi) dreams/visions. Just like all prophets, he is ridiculed & mocked. The Gospel is not "popular" & we cannot expect to be embraced by the world. The world is becoming more cruel and we need to be strong in our beliefs. These are the last days.
Question: In verse 17 Nephi refers to the writings of Lehi & that they are on separate plates - is this the 116 pages that were lost when Joseph Smith was translating?
Verse 20 - "...tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."
Elder Bednar certainly made this verse unforgettable in his 2005 Conference talk. "The Lord’s tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Faithfulness and obedience enable us to receive these important gifts and, frequently, the Lord’s timing helps us to recognize them. We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live."
I think that the word "tender" is an important word.
Here are a few definitions for the word "tender": (www.dictionary.com)
1. soft or delicate in substance; not hard or tough
2.weak or delicate in constitution; not strong or hardy.
3. young or immature: children of tender age.
4. delicate or soft in quality: tender blue.
5. delicate, soft, or gentle: the tender touch of her hand.
6. easily moved to sympathy or compassion; kind: a tender heart.
7. affectionate or loving; sentimental or amatory: a tender glance.
8. considerate or careful; chary or reluctant
The Lord has tender mercies for me every day - I often do not acknowledge them like I should.
Sacrament meeting is a challenge for me listen to the speakers & learn because of my cute little distractions. I usually dread going to sacrament & I count the minutes until nursery time. I don't open my scriptures for fear of a page being torn out. I can't close my eyes during prayer or else I might lose sight of a boy, etc, etc... Today I sat next to a family & the teenage boy was so sweet. He helped my boys stay quiet, picked up their dropped toys, and drew pictures for them. That small act of kindness gave me the opportunity to listen to the speaker, to feel the Spirit & to learn. I enjoyed sacrament meeting today. A tender mercy.
The Lord has tender mercies for me every day - I often do not acknowledge them like I should.
Sacrament meeting is a challenge for me listen to the speakers & learn because of my cute little distractions. I usually dread going to sacrament & I count the minutes until nursery time. I don't open my scriptures for fear of a page being torn out. I can't close my eyes during prayer or else I might lose sight of a boy, etc, etc... Today I sat next to a family & the teenage boy was so sweet. He helped my boys stay quiet, picked up their dropped toys, and drew pictures for them. That small act of kindness gave me the opportunity to listen to the speaker, to feel the Spirit & to learn. I enjoyed sacrament meeting today. A tender mercy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)