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9 - 15 Mar - Learn With Joy and Not With Sorrow - Jacob 1 - 4

Jacob 1 - That We Might Persuade Them to Come Unto Christ I'm taking an online economics class right now, which prompted me to think of the definition of economics in the context of the scriptures. Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. In the case of Nephi and his successor Jacob, the plates upon which they engraved their record was a scarce resource. They were costly to make and difficult to engrave, and instilling a tradition of passing them through generations was surely cumbersome.  Recognizing the great importance of spiritual things and the challenge of maintaining records, Nephi instructed Jacob to prioritize religious instruction saying, " if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:4).   This priority was not only reflecte...
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1 Nephi 18 - It Was Not After the Manner of Men


Nephi recounts the process of building a ship and sailing to the promised land; he emphasizes that he received specific instructions from the Lord: "Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of men" (1 Nephi 18:2).
While there are few details about the ship Nephi built, it is clear that the instructions Nephi received ran counter to shipbuilding conventions of his time. As far as we know, Nephi had no experience in shipbuilding. But Nephi was confident in his design because of the source of the instructions. "And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things" (1 Nephi 18:3).
Occasionally, the instructions we receive from God will not align with the conventional wisdom, scientific understanding, or social mores of our time. As we construct our lives and chart a course through them, we are figuratively building a boat for the first time. It is a risky proposition because a flawed design could leave us spiritually shipwrecked. There is an abundance of advice from a variety of sources with varying levels of fidelity, and it can be difficult to identify and then have the confidence to follow the instructions you feel to be true. 
As a Latter-day Saint, my feelings of insecurity can lead to internal pressure not to be weird. I am relieved and excited whenever contemporary research reinforces principles of the gospel, or BYU is in the news for reaching some positive milestone. Similar, I cringe at articles critical of the church, and real or perceived acts of bigotry committed by the church or its members. Because being Mormon is such a core part of my identity, societal perceptions and acceptance of the church feel very personal, and can feel like a validation or rejection of me as a person. For me, the impulse to avoid bigotry and to embrace political correctness are strong, and I am prone to emphasize the socially acceptable aspects of my beliefs and deemphasize points of church history and doctrine that could confuse or alienate. 
While my faith and religious practices are generally accepted by my social sphere, I still struggle to assert my beliefs that are "not after the manner of men" (seriously, you don't drink tea?).  While at times I can be timid about sharing the gospel, it is the blueprint for life that I know to be true. I cannot deny that the Lord has "showed unto me great things" and choose to live by them, as weird as they may seem. 

 Image Credit: Royal Museums Greenwich

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