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...
In the course of a fierce battle between the Nephites and the Lamanites, Moroni's forces surrounded the Lamanites and entrapped them in and on the banks of the river Sidon. Moroni offered the Lamanites a truce if they would put down their weapons and promise not to attack the Nephites again in the future. Zerahamnah, the leader of the Lamanites refused, and the Nephites proceeded to destroy the Lamanite forces.
While extending this truce to the Lamanites, Moroni testified that their faith in God had given them a military advantage and that the Lord supports those who follow Him in righteousness. "Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith" (Alma 44:4). It is important to note that God did not prevent the Lamanites from attacking the Nephites. He also did not prevent many Nephites from dying in the intense battle. There are prominent examples in the scriptures of the righteous being slaughtered by their enemies because they refused to deny the things they believed. To be supported, kept, and preserved by the Lord does not mean we are spared from sorrow and difficulty, but that we will be strengthened to meet our challenges, and will eventually have our loss restored by the power of Christ's atonement.
As Moroni commanded the army of Zerahemnah to drop its weapons, he testified that God, "has strengthened our arms that we have gained power over you, by our faith, by our religion, and by our rites of worship, and by our church, and by the sacred support which we owe to our wives and our children, by that liberty which binds us to our lands and our country; yea, and also by the maintenance of the sacred word of God, to which we owe all our happiness; and by all that is most dear unto us" (Alma 44:5). Moroni attributed all the success and happiness of his people to their devotion to God and adherence to His teachings.
While the connection between righteousness and happiness is clear, the Lamanites refused to acknowledge the hand of the Lord and attributed the Nephites' success to their own efforts and cunning: "Behold, we are not of your faith; we do not believe that it is God that has delivered us into your hands; but we believe that it is your cunning that has preserved you from our swords. Behold, it is your breastplates and your shields that have preserved you" (Alma 44:9). To believe that all we have is solely a product of our own efforts, intellect, and ability robs us of the opportunity for gratitude. Even our own capacity to think and choose is ultimately a gift from God. Our happiness is amplified when we seek out and acknowledge the hand of God and the service of others in our lives. That does not mean we delegate our emotional life to our circumstances and the actions of others, but that we mature past the insecurity that would have us cling to our accomplishments.
Application Questions
Where do you see the hand of God in your life? What blessings can you trace back to your decisions to follow God?
If you truly believed you were already enough, would you still need to claim credit for your greatest accomplishments?
How can practicing gratitude increase your wellbeing?
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