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Showing posts from September, 2017

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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Jacob 3 - Receive the Pleasing Word of God, and Feast upon His Love


 Because of Jacob's love for his people, he boldly warned of sin. "And now I, Jacob, spake many more things unto the people of Nephi, warning them against fornication and lasciviousness, and every kind of sin, telling them the awful consequences of them (Jacob 3:12). Envisioning the people of Nephi congregated to hear the words of Jacob I can't help but think of the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints happening this weekend. Because of the time difference, most members in Asia won't watch until next weekend, but I can feel the excitement to hear the words of a prophet across time zones and half a world away. Jacob counseled his people to "Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction. O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and...
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Jacob 2 - Be Familiar with All and Free with Your Substance

When I think of the greatest powers god has given us, and the most important commandments  extended to us, the first things that come to mind are our individual will, our creative potential, and the imperative to love others. God has blessed us with intelligence and the ability to choose and create whatever we want, even human life. He has also commanded us to love and care for all people. It within this context that I can understand why Jacob was  "weighed down with much more desire and anxiety for the  welfare  of your souls than I have hitherto been" (Jacob 2:3). His people had become wealthy and as a result prideful. Economic inequality led to animosity that was corroding their ability to empathize and heed the counsel of God.  "And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are  lifted up  in ...
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Jacob 1 - We Did Magnify Our Office Unto the Lord

On of the best way to identify priorities is to introduce constraints. We probably all answered party game questions like, "I your house was on fire and you could only take three things with you, what would they be?" or "If you were stranded on a desert island with only one suitcase, what would you want in it?" etc.  Jacob and other ancient prophets engraving their records on metal plates faced a similar decision. Given limited real-estate, what would they choose to record for the benefit of their people and future readers. Jacob explains his criteria this way: " And if there were preaching which was   sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, ... I ... engraven the   heads   of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible"   (Jacob 1:4). I like this not only as the criteria for recording scripture, but to help us evaluate what we spend our time, mental bandwidth, and physical and emotional energy on. If ...
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2 Nephi 33 - Many of Us, If Not All, May Be Saved

Faith is a principle of action. It motivates our righteous efforts and prompts us to work. In fact, faith without works cannot really be considered faith for " faith  without  works  is dead" (James 2:20). So when Nephi says,  "I have charity for my people, and great faith in Christ that I shall meet many souls spotless at his judgment-seat" it is more than a statement of optimism (2 Nephi 33:7). To have faith that many souls shall be saved is to endeavor to save many souls.  Having confidence that God will save " many of us, if not all" seems like it would pacify us from taking urgent action. If we have confidence in Christ's victory over death and hell and choose to believe "through the Atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved," wouldn't we then become  complacent and delay our efforts to share the gospel and serve others? I argue that the opposite is true. Our efforts to build God's kingdom on earth should come from a plac...
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2 Nephi 32 - The Tongue of Angels

"Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do" (2 Nephi 32:2-3).  In the most basic sense, whenever we speak under the influence of the Holy Ghost we are speaking with the "tongue of angels." Nephi ask rhetorically, "how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?" (2 Nephi 32:2). But taking it a step further, consider what angels do: Angels are messengers that appear to God's servants to instruct and prophesy (1 Nephi 11-14, Luke 1:11, Luke 1:28). They bear messages of comfort like, "Fear not" (Luke 1:13, Luke 2:10, Matthew 25:8, Acts 27:23-24). Angels abide with God and sing praises to Him (Luke 2:17). Angels intervene to correct unrighteous behavior (1 Nephi 3:29, Mosiah 27:11). Angels are the servants of God, and wh...
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2 Nephi 31 - This is the Way

Speaking of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Nephi proclaimed, "And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way ; and there  is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God" (2 Nephi 31:21). When we use colloquially use the term "the gospel" as in "I know the gospel is true" or "I'm grateful for the gospel in my life" we usually lump together all aspects of the restored church in a very general way. Nephi, however, uses the term "the doctrine of Christ" very specifically to refer to faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.  I have often wondered why saving ordinances are so essential in the context of Heavenly Father's broader plan of salvation. At face value, what is baptism? Two people put on a certain color of clothes, stand in water, one mutters a few words, and the other is dunked. The entire ordinance may only take 30 seconds and yet...
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2 Nephi 30 - As the Waters Cover the Sea

Nephi prophesies of the preaching of the gospel to the Native Americans (Lamanites), and Christ's millennial reign. I imagine that this revelation came as a huge source of hope and comfort to Nephi, who had also foreseen the destruction of his people the Nephites. " And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them; wherefore, they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their fathers.  And then shall they rejoice; for they shall   know   that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their   scales   of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a pure and a   delightsome  people " (2 Nephi 30:5-6). I particularly like the connections Nephi draws between joy and recognizing blessings. The gospel of Jesus Christ causes us to rejoice when we ...
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2 Nephi 29 - Know Ye Not That There Are More Nations Than One?

With the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints comprising such a minute fraction of the global population, it easy to overlook (or simply wonder how) God works with all his children. In the Doctrine and Covenants we are reminded to "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. " (D&C 18:10-11). The most foundational principle of the gospel, and the most essential characteristic of God is that he loves all of his children infinitely and perfectly.  Through His atoning sacrifice he suffered for the sins of all people and ensured that we would live forever. But on a daily, ongoing basis, it is not always apparent how God is demonstrating his love to all of His children. I have derived so much happiness in my lif...
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