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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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Alma 24 - They Buried Their Weapons of War, For Peace



The Anti-Nephi-Lehies experienced a conversion to the gospel so complete and so radical that they would rather die than commit sin. As the neighboring people of the Amalekites and Amulonites prepared to go to ware with the Anti-Nephi-Lehis, they counseled together, and decided on a course of extreme anti-violence. "They came to the land of Ishmael that they might hold a council with Lamoni and also with his brother Anti-Nephi-Lehi, what they should do to defend themselves against the Lamanites. Now there was not one soul among all the people who had been converted unto the Lord that would take up arms against their brethren; nay, they would not even make any preparations for war" (Alma 24:5-6)


 In the course of the council, the king of the Anti-Nephi-Lehis explained that they would suffer death before raising a sword because "it has been all that we could do (as we were the most lost of all mankind) to repent of all our sins" (Alma 24:11). He acknowledged the rigors of their repentance and wanted to prevent backsliding at all costs. When repentance is complete, returning to sinful behavior is no longer an option. That is not to say we do not still face moments of weakness or make mistakes, but that the idea of our old sinful behavior feels alien and repulsive. The Lord intervene's to make up for what we lack after all we can do, and any time we repent, are forgiveness, and become new creatures "it has been all that we could do." There are many temporal examples of this as well. When we have consistently exercised for months, carefully chosen healthy foods, and start to see our bodies transform, we weigh the cost of those months of effort against a sleeve of Oreos before bed, and the cookies no longer seem worth it. When we have worked hard and made sacrifices to save money for a specific purpose, impulse buys lose their allure. Anything that would revert or unravel our efforts, or cause us to lose hard-earned ground becomes alarming instead of appealing.  


The king also praised God and thanked him for His chastisement. "And the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things known unto us that we might not perish; yea, and he has made these things known unto us beforehand, because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our children" (Alma 24:14). What are the things that God made know unto them? In verse 9 the king of the Anti-Nephi-Lehis declared, "I also thank my God, that ... we have been convinced of our sins, and of the many murders which we have committed" (Alma 24:9). The things that the Lord had made known to the people were their own sins. That was the gift. Not only to know their sins, but to know them with sufficient time to correct their course. And the reason the Lord made theirs sins known unto them is because "he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our children" (Alma 24:9). We should lovingly offer and humbly receive invitations to repent as the currency of God's love. Repentance is the nucleus of joy, and righteousness not only saves our souls, but secures blessings for our posterity for generations to come. 

It is clear from the Anti-Nephi-Lehis' declaration "if our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall go to our God and shall be saved" that through their faith they had completely overcome their fear of man (Alma 24:16). Their faith in God's plan was so strong that they would suffer any trial, and make any sacrifice (including their own lives) in order keep God's commandments. "Rather than shed the ​blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands. And thus we see that, when these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin; and thus we see that they buried their weapons of peace, or they buried the weapons of war, for peace" (Alma 24:18-19).

 I am inspired by the Anti-Nephi-Lehis' example of faith and hope to emulate their conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. 
Application Questions

How can we apply the example of the Anti-Nephi-Lehis to our own lives?

 What invitation to repent is God trying to give you? Who in your life can you invite to repent?

How can we overcome our fear of man?
Image Credit: www.ldsmag.com










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