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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 28 - Thus Did the Spirit of the Lord Work upon Them


The sons of Mosiah who persecute the church with Alma the younger also repented and sought permission from King Mosiah to preach the gospel to the Lamanites.  The sons of Mosiah “desired of [king Mosiah] that he would grant unto them that they might, with these whom they had selected, go up to the land of Nephi that they might preach the things which they had heard, and that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites” (Mosiah 28:1) As they sought to persuade their father to let them go, they explained their motivation for sharing the gospel. “Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish” (Mosiah 28:3). Perhaps because of their own experience with repentance they had acute personal knowledge of the sorrow of sin. They had a vivid contrast between the joy of the Gospel and pain and fear that unrighteousness brings. “And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon them, for they were the very vilest of sinners. And the Lord saw fit in his infinite mercy to spare them; nevertheless they suffered much anguish of soul because of their iniquities, suffering much and fearing that they should be cast off forever” (Mosiah 28:4).

I love the phrase "and thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon them." the sons of Mosiah had already repented and had already been forgiven of their sins, and yet the Spirit continued to "work upon them." This work of sanctification and refinement was not comfortable. In fact, they did "suffer much anguish of soul," and suffered fear "that they should be cast off forever." I have often said and continue to believe that shame and guilt are toxic emotions manufactured to halt our progress and happiness. So why did the Spirit continue to work upon the Sons of Mosiah with sorrow for their sins and sharp fear of eternal punishment? These workings of the Spirit impressed the Sons of Mosiah with the mercy of God, filled them with love and concern for their fellow men, and motivated righteous action. This is the ultimate litmus test to know if our feelings, even unpleasant emotions, are of God or of Satan. By their fruits ye shall know them. Feelings that motivate us to love God, serve others, and keep the commandments are of God, and those that have us lose hope, feel lost, or want to give up are of the devil.

Mosiah struggled with the decision to let his sons go into the land of the Lamanites and preach the gospel. Because of the animosity that existed between the Nephites and the Lamanites there was a good chance that they could be killed. What finally persuaded Mosiah was the word of the Lord assuring him of the safety of his sons, and the eventual success of their efforts to preach the gospel. “And it came to pass that they did plead with their father many days that they might go up to the land of Nephi. And king Mosiah went and inquired of the Lord if he should let his sons go up among the Lamanites to preach the word. And the Lord said unto Mosiah: Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites. And it came to pass that Mosiah granted that they might go and do according to their request” (Mosiah 28:5-8).

Application Questions

 How are the memories of your past mistakes and sins a blessing to you? How does Satan try to use them to derail you?

 How can you seek out God to guide you in a decisions that you are struggling with? 

Image Credit: Dario Pignatelli | Bloomberg | Getty Images



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