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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 9 - For a Wise Purpose in Him, Which Purpose I Know Not


Nephi is commanded to make two records, one for the spiritual ministry of his people, and another for the political history of his people. These records maintained by Nephi and his posterity constitute the majority of the Book of Mormon. 
The role of the Book of Mormon in human history to bring souls to Christ and pave the way for the happiness and salvation of God's children is vast and has barely begun. As another testament of Jesus Christ it reinforces and clarifies teachings in the bible to persuade all people that Jesus lives and is our savior. It is also an important piece of evidence in confirming that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the church he helped restore has authority from God to teach His gospel and perform saving ordinances. 
Given the immense importance of the record Nephi and his children would author, it is astounding to me that the Lord never felt it necessary to explain to Nephi why he was commanded to make this record. "Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not" (1 Nephi 9:5). Would I demonstrate this kind of consistency and effort to keep a commandment that I did not understand? If I received grand visions of the magnitude and importance of keeping the commandment, it seems logical that I would be more motivated to follow through. But Nephi exhibited a level of faith that allowed God to trust him with this immense responsibility without explaining his purpose in detail or showing him a sign. Nephi summarized his attitude this way: "...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" (1 Nephi 9:6)
There are many commandments that I do not fully understand. In fact, there is no way for imperfect human minds to fully comprehend the will of God. There are lots of teachings of the church that I cannot yet reconcile with current scientific conclusions, conventional wisdom, and my own opinions and experience. And yet faith in God remains the bedrock of my decisions. His existence and love for his children is the thing I know with more certainty than anything else. My understanding of his reasons for asking me to live a certain way comes incompletely, incrementally, and gradually. In the meantime, I find comfort in ambiguity and suspend judgement on the things he has not yet revealed to me because I know "the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men"

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