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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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Enos 1 - I Knew That God Could Not Lie


Enos opens his account by describing the fulfillment of every parent's greatest wish: "Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it ... Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart" (Enos1:1, 3).

 As a father I acutely feel the desire for my children to have a close relationship with God and positive experiences in His church. Clearly, Enos' fathers succeeded in this goal and managed to plant deep within his son's heart a reliance on God and a desire for spiritual things. The only clue we have about how Enos' father managed to do this is encoded in the phrases "he taught me" and "the words which I had often heard my father speak." Clearly Enos' father was deliberate in speaking with Enos about spiritual and temporal things as a frequent a normal part of everyday life.

Another detail I love in Enos' account is the distinction he draws between being forgiven and letting go of guilt. After he had prayer earnestly for hours "there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away" (Enos 1:5-6). Though brief, there was a delay between Enos being forgiven and his guilt being swept away. This highlights the fact that our feelings of guilt and our actual standing before God are tethered, but not synonymous. It is possible for us to to be fully forgiven and still carry an undue burden of guilt. Our feelings of guilt or worthiness are anchored in our thoughts, and the trigger that washed away Enos' feelings of guilt was his knowledge "that God could not lie," and therefore if God said he was forgiven, there was no need to feel guilt. The Lord further explained that his forgiveness and the release of his guilt was possible "Because of thy faith in Christ" (Enos 1:8)

 After receiving a remission of his own sins, he prays for his people, his enemies, and that the scriptures would be preserved for future generations. Enos' boldness and faith is an excellent example of the influence we can have for good in the lives of others through prayer.   As the Bible Dictionary explains: "Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings." 

 When we do something in someone's name, like donate to a charity, we do it in their honor and according to their wishes. When we pray, we pray "in the name of Jesus Christ." Closing a prayer or a talk or a testimony in Christ's name certifies that we know through the feelings of the Holy Ghost that the words we have said are in line with His will. This phrase always reminds me of the baptismal covenant in which we promise to take upon ourselves the name of Christ and not only speak His words, but live as He lives. When we truly pray "in the name of Jesus Christ" (i.e. in perfect harmony with His will) we are guaranteed to receive what we ask for. 

 This was Enos' experience. His invocation to the Lord was extremely bold and would affect thousands of lives over hundred of years. In response to his prayer, "the Lord said unto me: Thy fathers have also required of me this thing; and it shall be done unto them according to their faith; for their faith was like unto thine" (Enos 1:18). He and prophets before him were granted these amazing blessings because they were in line with God's plan. So what role did Enos' faith play in securing blessings through prayer if God already intended to do these things and earlier prophets had already asked? When we pray in faith we do not change God's will, but we earn for ourselves the privilege of participating in its fulfillment. 

Application Questions:

How can I parent so that the truths of the gospel will sink deep into the hearts of my children? In addition to teaching by example, how can I make the things I want my kids to know explicit?

What thoughts and beliefs do I have about my own guilt or worthiness? Am I confident they are based on God's opinion, or are they based on something else?

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