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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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Mosiah 10 - Thus We Did Have Continual Peace


After a period of peace, a new Lamanite king tried to overthrow the people of Zeniff and make them slaves. Zeniff was able to achieve this period of relative prosperity through a combination of defense and industry. He took steps within his control to protect his land and his people, and encouraged them to work hard. Specifically, Zeniff recounted, "And I caused that there should be weapons of war made of every kind ... and I set guards round about the land, that the Lamanites might not come upon us again unawares and destroy us" (Mosiah 10:1-2). The Book of Mormon is filled with stories of combat and conflict, which hold a variety of lessons for us as readers today. My favorite way to read these passages is as an extended metaphor for spiritual health and resilience. 

 The great struggle of our lives and this world is between good and evil. Satan is a literal being who, with his followers, seeks to destroy the happiness and progress of God's children. Zeniff lived in a land that was constantly hostile surrounded by his enemy and the threat of attack was ever-present. We live in similar spiritual conditions. We live in a fallen world that is inevitable fraught with challenges to our righteousness. The risk of spiritual death and enslavement is real and bears consequences even more devastating than the physical atrocities of war. Like the people of Zeniff, our ability to enjoy peace hinges on the spiritual defenses we have to counteract temptation and the forces of evil that would infiltrate our lives. It is contingent on our awareness of Satan's tactics and our actions to thwart them. When conflict with the Lamanites became unavoidable, the people of Zeniff faced the challenge with faith in God: "and it came to pass that we did go up in the strength of the Lord to battle" (Mosiah 10:10). We do not have to rely on our own knowledge and spiritual defenses alone. We will be more resilient to sin if we seek God's assistance and the power of His Spirit.

 The other dimension of their peace and prosperity was industry. Zeniff "did cause that the men should till the ground, and raise all manner of grain and all manner of fruit of every kind. And I did cause that the women should spin, and toil, and work, and work all manner of fine linen, yea, and cloth of every kind, that we might clothe our nakedness; and thus we did prosper in the land—thus we did have continual peace in the land for the space of twenty and two years" (Mosiah 10:4-5). Industry is effort with an outcome. It is how we provide your our needs and what we hope to create with our lives. Work fills our lives with direction and purpose when it is aligned with what is important to us. Nephi quoting Isaiah warns, "do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy" (2 Nephi 9:51). Working hard for what we want most fills our lives with confidence, hope and peace. 
Application Questions:

 What are the greatest spiritual threats that you face in your life? What tools do you have to defend against them?

 What are the things that fill your time and define your life? What are you trying to create?
Image Credit: Pelay2, Wikimedia Commons CC-by-SA-2.0

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