Skip to main content

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...
1 comment

Mormon 7 - I Would Speak Somewhat Unto the Remnant of This People


In the midst of the slaughter of his people, Mormon took a moment to write a message to the descendants of the executioners. He spoke to the remnants of the Lamanites. Even after they had decimated his country and his people, even after they had wounded him, and even as they sought to hunt and kill him, Mormon wrote a letter to the child of the Lamanites to persuade them to believe in Christ. He laid out the path to happiness and salvation to the posterity of his murderers. 

 Why would Mormon do something like that? Why would he use his last moments and his last breath to think of the welfare of his killers' children? While the scriptures don't speak about Mormon's motivation, I can only assume he wrote chapter 7 because he knew the prophesies about the destiny of the Lamanites and was persuaded by them. Wow. I can't imagine a more stressful and harrowing set of circumstances that Mormon faced, and yet his faith in a promise from God that would not be fulfilled for untold millennia was sufficient for him to write these words to people he would never meet. 

 He wanted them to know the following things:

  • They were of the house of Israel (Mormon 7:2) 
  • They needed to repent to be saved (Mormon 7:3)
  • They needed to cease from unjust wars (Mormon 7:4)
  • Christ's atonement and resurrected (Mormon 7:5)
  • All people will be judged (Mormon 7:6)
  • Those redeemed by Christ will have everlasting happiness (Mormon 7:7) 

With so little time, such difficulty in writing, and such desperate circumstances, it is telling to see what Mormon deemed to be the most important information for future generations to know. I wonder what it is about these doctrines that are so transformative and how they shape those who believe them. 

 After listing the things he wanted the posterity of the Lamanites to know, he invited them to repent, be baptized, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ in the Book of Mormon and the Bible (Mormon 7:8). He promised the future Lamanites that if they did those things they would believe in Christ, know of their ancestors, and it would be well with them at the judgment day. 
Application Question

 What prophesies or teaching of the prophets are compelling to you? How do they change the things you do and the way you spend your time and resources?

 What can you do to love and serve your enemies?

 Image Credit: Joseph Brickey

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mosiah 16 - Speaking of Things to Come as Though They Had Already Come

Abinidi explains how Christ's atonement heals and redeems the righteous, while the wicked remain in their sins to be judged. The remarkable thing to me about Abinidi's teachings, and the teachings of all the Book of Mormon prophets who lived before Christ, is their level of conviction in what where, at the time, future events. Christ had not come yet. They looked forward to the ministry and atonement of Christ and were fully persuaded of its reality and the eternal impact it would have. It is hard enough to believe in Christ and follow His teachings after the fact, even with records of His life, and hundreds of millions of people who share a belief in Christ's divinity. But all that Abinidi and other prophets of his time had were their own revelations and inspiration from the Spirit.  Abinidi also alludes to Christ's own faith saying, "now if Christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to come as though they had already come, there coul...
Post a Comment
Read more

1 Nephi 17 - That I May Find Ore to Molten, That I May Make Tools

Nephi is given the daunting task of constructing a ship to carry his family across the ocean. Like Nephi, the Lord asks us to do things that are beyond our current knowledge and ability with a promise that he will help us: "And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them ( 1 Nephi 17:3 ) From the experience of Nephi and his family, we can also see that the Lord grants us joy in our trials and certainty in his direction when we follow his commandments. When Nephi and his family reached the seashore, a brief respite before crossing the ocean, they enjoyed the break and celebrated their progress: "Notwithstanding we had suffered many afflictions and much difficulty, yea, even so much that we cannot write them all, we were exceedingly rejoiced when we came to the seashore; and we called the place Bountiful, because of its m...
Post a Comment
Read more

2 Nephi 12 - Let Us Go up to the Mountain of the Lord

One of my favorite things about living in Taiwan has been trail running. Just outside the city, about 20 minutes from my house, is a beautiful national park with more trails than I could ever hope to cover. When the running trail is dotted with waterfalls, lush greenery, sprawling grasslands, and interesting wildlife it is easy to forget the discomfort of running and get lost in the experience. Going running alone can be  therapeutic as I meditate and appreciate God's beauty.  Yesterday, however, I was joined on my run by  a new friend, and as I came home from my run feeling even more energized and refueled than usual, I realized it was because of the companionship I enjoyed on the trail. Connecting with a friend, enjoyed a shared interest, talking about challenges of parenting, and processing events of the week left me even more replenished than the prayerful contemplation that I usually get while running. I realized that yesterday was not a unique experience; ...
Post a Comment
Read more