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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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Helaman 14 - That There Should Be No Cause for Unbelief




Helaman chapter 13 opens with the statement that "Samuel, the Lamanite, did prophesy a great many more things which cannot be written" (Helaman 14:1). One of the most consistently intriguing things about the scriptures is what they leave out. Throughout the Old and New Testament, The Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants there are allusions to the revelations and miracles that were not recorded. Often, there is a specific acknowledgment that the most significant and transcendent events and teaching have been left out because of their sacredness. These hints remind me that God does not only love those who happened to record His words. They also remind me of that as members of Christ's church, "we believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal, and we believe that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God" (9th Article of Faith). 

In response to the wickedness of the Nephites, Samuel prophesied regarding the signs that would accompany the birth of Jesus Christ. By teaching them about the coming of Christ, he explained why righteousness was important. An angel had visited Samuel and told him to return and preach to the people, and Samuel explains that the angel had instructed him to "cry unto this people, repent and prepare the way of the Lord" (Helaman 14:8). Repentance is intended for us to prepare for the coming of Christ. Helaman continued that his intent in sharing with the Nephites the signs of Christ's coming was "that ye might believe on his name. And if ye believe on his name ye will repent of all your sins, that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his merits" (Helmana 14:12-13). 

Teaching about Christ and his atonement inspires us to repentance so that we can enjoy the blessings of Christ's atonement. Learning the gospel is not solely an intellectual pursuit, but is intended to change our behavior. I assume that is why God prepared so many signs to witness the birth of Christ, and why He sent Samuel to declare them to the Nephites. Describing the vision in which he saw the signs of Christ's birth, Samuel said, "the angel said unto me that many shall see greater things than these, to the intent that they might believe that these signs and these wonders should come to pass upon all the face of this land, to the intent that there should be no cause for unbelief among the children of men" (Helaman 14:28). God gives signs to inspire belief. He will never force us to believe or live according to His will, but he does provide evidence so that we do not have to be shackled by unbelief if we choose otherwise. 


Application Questions

 What spiritual experiences have you had that are not recorded? Would it be of value to you or others if you wrote them down?

 How does knowing about Jesus Christ and His gospel help you to live a better life?


Image Credit: www.mentalfloss.com

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