For My Profit and Learning

In Helaman chapter 12 Nephi summarizes the lesson to be learned from the wickedness of the Nephites: "And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him" (Helaman 12:1). "Unsteady" is the adjective I would use for my own heart. Even the most committed and well-intentioned of us waver and fail to perfectly follow God. The example of Peter denying Christ three times, and beginning to sink after walking on water immediately comes to mind. I'm also reminded of the words of King Benjamin that even "if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants" (Mosiah 2:21). Even our best efforts will fall short of the standard of perfection. The most hopeful word in Nephi's statement is the word "trust." Nephi concludes, "we can see that the Lord in...

In Helaman chapter 11, the prophet Nephi asks God to cause a famine: " O Lord, do not suffer that this people shall be destroyed by the sword; but O Lord, rather  let  there be a  famine  in the land, to stir them up in remembrance of the Lord their God, and perhaps they will repent and turn unto thee" (Helaman 11:4).  Nephi's strategy worked, and  when "the people saw that they were about to perish by famine," "they began to  remember  the Lord their God; and they began to remember the words of Nephi" (Helaman 11:7).  I wonder why a famine was effective in changing the hearts of the Nephites, where the calamity of war was powerless to humble them. Either way,  the humility caused by the famine led the Nephites to repent, and restore faith in the Lord's prophets. "And the people  began  to plead with their chief judges and their leaders, that they would say unto Nephi: Behold, we know that thou art a man of God, ...

After a very long day in which Nephi used the gift of prophesy to identify the murdered of the chief judge, he must have been exhausted. I think of my own mental, physical, and emotional state coming home from a normal day at the office and I can only imagine his fatigue. In Helaman chapter 10 we read that after all of this “Nephi went his way towards his own house, pondering upon the things which the Lord had shown unto him” (Helaman 10:2). Nephi was praying on his commute. "And it came to pass as he was thus pondering in his heart, behold, a voice came unto him saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments. And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I wi...

Through dramatic and miraculous prophesy, Nephi solves the murder of the chief judge, and established his credibility as a prophet. After Nephi predicted the murder of the chief judge, five men ran to the judgement seat to investigate saying, " Behold, now we will know of a surety whether this man be a prophet and God hath commanded him to prophesy such marvelous things unto us. Behold, we do not  believe  that he hath; yea, we do not believe that he is a prophet; nevertheless, if this thing which he has said concerning the chief judge be true, that he be dead, then will we believe that the other words which he has spoken are true" (Helaman 9:2). One interesting aspect of this story that stands out to me is Nephi's use of signs to persuade disbelieving Nephites. Searching under gospel topics on the church website, there is a section specifically focused on signs . It reinforced some of the assumptions I had that signs follow faith, and " faith does not come by s...

Wicked judges verbally attacked Nephi and his reputation because he truthfully condemned the corruption, murder, and promiscuity of Nephite society. Helaman recounts that  "those judges were angry with him because he  spake  plainly unto them concerning their secret works of darkness" (Helaman 8:4). Even when we have not committed any grievous sin, our natural inclination as humans is to become defensive when others rightfully call out our errors. How many times do you grow short with your spouse for not appreciating what you cooked for dinner, when in your heart of hearts you know if didn't include enough green vegetables and that it was too spicy for the kids (hypothetically speaking, of course). If we are humble, we don't react negatively to information about our faults. We take even scathing criticism of our failings in stride, noting it as useful information, without wielding it as a weapon to bludgeon our self-worth, or to strike back on ...

Helaman’s son Nephi prophesied in a time of great wickedness and upheaval. He was deeply affected by the wickedness of his people and lamented their fall from righteousness. After a failed attempt to preach to the people in the north, he returned to the capital Zarahemla because “they did reject all his words, insomuch that he could not stay among them” (Helaman 7:3). While tragic, it is good to keep in perspective that even prophets of God on His errand will be rejected. We are all limited in our ability to influence the thoughts and behaviors of others. Instead of despair, we should feel liberated to pursue a life of principle and purpose independent of how others respond. We get to choose what kind of person we want to be, regardless of how we are received by others.  Nephi accepted the conditions of his time and chose to let it affect him emotionally. “I am consigned that these are my days, and that my soul shall be filled with sorrow because of this the wickedness of my b...