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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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Dec 30 - Jan 5, 2020: That They Might Not Be Destroyed - The Introductory Pages of the Book of Mormon


If you only had three minutes and twenty seven seconds to share the most important message you could with the world, what would you say?

In the twilight of President Monson's life, I remember focusing on his brief General Conference addresses. The scarcity of his words made them more precious to me, and I was struck by the economy of what he had to say. He must have known as he prepared each talk that he would only have about five minutes before his shoulders would slump--palms pressed down to braced against the podium--and his words would grow heavy and slow in his mouth. 


In April 2017 he said, "My dear associates in the work of the Lord, I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day. As we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in our lives." I was listening to his talk on my run to work, and I remember stopping halfway up a hill and pulling out my earbuds as the weight of his promises sank in. He assured me that by reading the Book of Mormon I would "be in a position:
  • to hear the voice of the Spirit,
  • to resist temptation,
  • to overcome doubt and fear, and
  • to receive heaven’s help in our lives."

Those were things I needed then, and still need now. His words and the example of a dear friend inspired me to blog about every chapter in the Book of Mormon. 

Two years later in October 2019, another prophet of God, Russel M. Nelson, has invited me to "commemorate the ... foundations of the restored gospel," and "to ponder important questions such as, 'How would my life be different if my knowledge gained from the Book of Mormon were suddenly taken away?'” In the spirit of that invitation, I hope to revisit some of my old blog posts and share my thoughts and notes as I follow the 2020 Come Follow Me Book of Mormon curriculum.

That They Might Not Be Destroyed

The first lesson for the week of December 30 - January 5 points out that "the title page of the Book of Mormon provides more than just a title ... it lists several purposes of this sacred record." Re-reading the title page this time, I noticed that the Book of Mormon is intended to show what great things the Lord hath done, to teach about covenants, and to convince all people that Jesus is the Christ. 

The title page speaks to the unique value of the Book of Mormon to the descendants of the Lamanites, and says the Book of Mormon was written "that they might not be destroyed." While this phrase was specific to the Lamanites, the Book of Mormon holds protective power for everyone who reads it. 

I've been in a bit of a spiritual slump since moving back from Taiwan. Habits are naturally disrupted during an international move, but it's lasted longer than I expected, and I've found myself struggling to find my groove. Jumping into a much more demanding role at work, applying to business school, and raising five young kids has not made the task any easier. Maybe because of this slump, I'm inclined to cling more tightly to the protective power of the scriptures in the new year. 

Hopefully blogging will help lend some structure to my scripture study, and I know that by spending time reading the Book of Mormon and recording my thoughts, I'll have the resilience to weather slumps and setbacks, and lay claim to promised blessings. 



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