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...
There Cannot Be Written in This Book Even a Hundredth Part
Most of what I experience spiritually is completely private. People might see me at church, or might kids might catch me studying the scriptures in the morning, but for the most part, I study the scriptures in private, and almost no one is ever privy to the thoughts and experiences I have on a daily basis. We all have a private universe of thoughts, emotions, and promptings of the spirit that are too numerous to record and often defy description. I have been documenting and sharing more than I ever have through this blog, but it's just the tip of the ice berg. I talk with my wife Bren about the scriptures I read and the impressions I have all the time, and yet it barely scratches the surface.
Our individual relationships with God are intimate and personal. He is our Father, He created out spirits, and we amassed an unfathomable ocean of shared experience with Him before we even came to earth. Now on earth, with a cloud of forgetfulness over us, we can't even keep up with new experiences. Just think through the thoughts and feelings you have in a single day. What percentage of those things do you write down or share with another person?
I Will Try the Faith of My People
During his personal ministry to the people of America, Christ, "did expound all things unto them, both great and small ...he did expound all things, even from the beginning until the time that he should come in his glory" (3 Nephi 26:1, 3). As the scriptures themselves note, "there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people" (3 Nephi 26:6).Our relationship with God is mostly defined by the things that happen inside of us, and symbolized by the outward actions we to take to signify them.
Aside from practical limitations like time, number of gold plates, and the inconvenience of engraving, the reason Nephi was not permitted to write everything the Christ said was to try the faith of His people. "I was about to write them, all which were engraven upon the plates of Nephi, but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people" (3 Nephi 26:11). In the church we often hear the phrase that it is the "only true church" explained to mean that it contains "the fullness of the Gospel" or all the principals and ordinance necessary for salvation and exaltation. I believe this in the depths of my soul.
Sometimes we mistake this to mean that we know everything God wants to tell us, despite the reminder in the 9th Article of Faith that "we believe all that God does now reveal, all that God does now reveal, and we believe that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God." I was also intrigued and delighted by President Nelson's recent statement about the continuing restoration of the church: "Eat your vitamin pills. Get some rest. It's going to be exciting."
The reason we don't already know everything is because we're not ready for it yet. New revelation comes after the trial of our faith, both personally and collectively. "And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them" (3 Nephi 26:9). God reveals Himself and His truth at the pace we are willing and able to receive it.
We can see an example of this during Christ's ministry when children prophesied amazing things, and the people "both saw and heard these children; yea, even babes did open their mouths and utter marvelous things; and the things which they did utter were forbidden that there should not any man write them" (3 Nephi 26:16). They were not written because most of us have not had the necessary spiritual preparation to receive whatever it is they said.
And They Had All Things Common Among Them
Chapter 26 concludes with a beautiful description of what it looks like to live in an idyllic Zion community: "And they taught, and did minister one to another; and they had all things common among them, every man dealing justly, one with another" (3 Nephi 26:19). I summarize this to mean that ideal communities are defined by:
- gospel teaching
- mutual service
- shared resources
- honesty and fairness
Given the rancor that can creep in to US politics, and the social divisions that seem to define this moment in US history, it is easy to feel cynical. I was recently inspired by a quote attributed to Ghandi: "whatever you do in life will be insignificant, but it's very important that you do it because nobody else will." My small contribution to advancing these four qualities may be no bigger than raising a family and writing this blog, but I know it matters. It matters to me, and it matters to the few people it touches.
Application Questions
How would you characterize your relationship with God?
What thoughts, emotions, and promptings fill your private universe? Which part of that universe would you like to write down or share?
How can I prepare myself for greater spiritual insights?
What can I do to share my time, talents, and resources with others?
How can I help my family and community be more like Zion?
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