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...
While most people are generally good, I think we all struggle to have righteous desires and pure motives. The problem is that distractions and lesser desires get in the way. Through the example of the three Nephites mentioned in this chapter, I've found renewed motivation to serve others and build God's kingdom. Really, their success in sharing the gospel boils down to one characteristic that we can all emulate. And if we do, we can "have fullness of joy" like them.
That Ye Might Bring the Souls of Men Unto Me
Surely the Apostles of Christ were righteous men. I'm sure they were capable in other ways too, ways that prepared them to be good administrators or orators. Like the apostles today, I have no doubt they were talented. But the scriptures don't mention any of that.
It's easy to feel inadequate, and we can all come up a day late and a dollar short at times when it comes to fulfilling responsibilities at home and in the church. The temptation is to question our ability, and Satan is always waiting to serve up a hot plate of shame when we fail. So what do we do when we don't feel like enough?
Christ blessed His apostles before He ascended into heaven, and granted each of them the desires of his heart. Nine asked to return speedily to God's kingdom, to which Christ responded, "Blessed are ye because ye desired this thing of me" (3 Nephi 28:3). Three of His disciples, however, were embarrassed by what they desired. Christ perceived their thoughts and prophesied that "ye have desired that ye might bring the souls of men unto me, while the world shall stand" (3 Nephi 28:9).
That's it. That's the secret. The only qualification to succeed in our personal and church lives is to seek to bring others closer to God. It was revealed to the prophet Joseph Smith, "if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work" (D&C 4:3), and that "even as you desire of me so it shall be unto you; and if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation" (D&C 6:8). God will give us whatever we want the most. Despite our mistakes, we can maintain our desire to serve God, "and for this cause ye shall have fulness of joy" (3 Nephi 28:10).
Prisons, Pits, Furnaces, and Dens
Mormon explains that Christ gave the three Nephite apostles a special blessing, and "there was a change wrought upon them, insomuch that Satan could have no power over them, that he could not tempt them; and they were sanctified in the flesh, that they were holy, and that the powers of the earth could not hold them" (3 Nephi 28:39). It might seem like this fantastic blessing is reserved for only the exceptional few. But in reality, we can all enjoy these blessings to a greater or lesser degree when we are trying to do what God would want us to do.
They still experienced all the trials and persecution the world had to offer, but "the powers of the earth could not hold them. The three Nephites were thrown into prisons, buried in pits, burned in furnaces (three times), and cast into dens of beasts, but in each case they were delivered through the power of God. When we are transformed by our service to others, Satan loses his influence with us, temptations lose their power, we become holy, and the world can't get us down.
They Have Ministered Unto Me
Bren is also studying in 3 Nephi, and the other night she pointed out something that I have never noticed before. Mormon met the three Nephites. As an editorial aside, Mormon mentioned "I have seen them, and they have ministered unto me" (3 Nephi 28:26). He benefited personally from the ministry of these three men, who continue in the world today working to bring souls to Christ in secret. Mormon described their mission and prophesied about their future work. He said, "they did go forth upon the face of the land, and did minister unto all the people, uniting as many to the church as would believe in their preaching; baptizing them, and as many as were baptized did receive the Holy Ghost" (3 Nephi 28:18). And "they shall minister unto all the scattered tribes of Israel, and unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, and shall bring out of them unto Jesus many souls, that their desire may be fulfilled" (3 Nephi 28:29).
We may not be transfigured or remain on the earth until the Second Coming but we can all aspire to the desires of the three Nephites.
Application Question
What things do you most desire? Why do you want them? How can you think about your life and circumstances differently to have a greater desire to serve others?
What blessings have you experienced from your service to others?
Image Credit: knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org
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