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
One of my favorite things about living in Taiwan has been trail running. Just outside the city, about 20 minutes from my house, is a beautiful national park with more trails than I could ever hope to cover. When the running trail is dotted with waterfalls, lush greenery, sprawling grasslands, and interesting wildlife it is easy to forget the discomfort of running and get lost in the experience. Going running alone can be therapeutic as I meditate and appreciate God's beauty.
Yesterday, however, I was joined on my run by a new friend, and as I came home from my run feeling even more energized and refueled than usual, I realized it was because of the companionship I enjoyed on the trail. Connecting with a friend, enjoyed a shared interest, talking about challenges of parenting, and processing events of the week left me even more replenished than the prayerful contemplation that I usually get while running. I realized that yesterday was not a unique experience; while I enjoy my solo runs, running with others is always more rewarding.
"Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths;" (2 Nephi 12:3) This time reading 2 Nephi 12, I noticed that Jacob's quotation of Isaiah does more than invoke a metaphor of a mountain to refer to temples. He phrases it as a joint invitation, to come to the temple together. He goes on to quote, "O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord" (2 Nephi 13:5).
This idea was reinforced for me as I sang the closing hymn yesterday in Sacrament Meeting, "Each Life that Touches Ours for Good":
2. What greater gift dost thou bestow,
What greater goodness can we know
Than Christlike friends, whose gentle ways
Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.
...
4. For worthy friends whose lives proclaim
Devotion to the Savior's name,
Who bless our days with peace and love,
We praise thy goodness, Lord, above.
While moments of private contemplation are essential for our spiritual health, and our direct relationship with God if the most important in our lives, we cannot enjoy the greatest blessings of God's plan for us without the enriching association of family and good friends. In his 2008 General Conference talk Salvation and Exaltation, Elder Russell M. Nelson described it this way: "In God’s eternal plan, salvation is an individual matter; exaltation is a family matter."
Ironically, in the same chapter Jacob also uses Isaiah's words to warn us to "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of?" (2 Nephi 13:22) This counsel in echoed in Psalms: "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish" (Psalms 146:3-4). Nephi also adamantly affirms, "O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm" (2 Nephi 4:34). In what ways should we draw on "worthy friends" and in what ways should we avoid relying on the "arm of the flesh?"
I think the distinction between man (i.e. other people) and God is a false one. The real divide is between God and the natural man (i.e. the world). When we speak and act "in the name of Jesus Christ" we reflect His will, we strive to achieve his purposes, and we become "one" with him and separate ourselves from "man". When Jesus offered the great Intercessory Prayer he said, "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine ... Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are" (John 17:9, 11). Righteous friends act on God's errand and facilitate our relationship with God without enabling world codependency.
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