Pouring His Spirit

At this point, Sherem comes around, preaching against Christ. In fact, he actively went around trying to lead people away from Christ:

"2 And it came to pass that he began to preach among the people, and to declare unto them that there should be no Christ. And he preached many things which were flattering unto the people; and this he did that he might overthrow the doctrine of Christ.

 3 And he labored diligently that he might lead away the hearts of the people, insomuch that he did lead away many hearts; and he knowing that I, Jacob, had faith in Christ who should come, he sought much opportunity that he might come unto me.

 4 And he was learned, that he had a perfect knowledge of the language of the people; wherefore, he could use much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil." (Jacob 7:2-4)

The first thing I noticed about Sherem is that "he preached many things which were flattering unto the people". This possibly was spreading messages like "God is good, He won't give you eternal punishment", or as it is put elsewhere in the scriptures, "Eat, drink, and be merry". One thing about living the Gospel is that there are restrictions and guidelines that must be followed. I can see how it would be tempting to hear someone tell you that you didn't have to live by those rules.

Something else I noticed about Sherem is that he "labored diligently that he might lead away the hearts of the people". This is saying that the reason for his hard work, or his purpose, was to lead away the hearts of the people.

The last thing I noticed about Sherem was that he was learned and knew the language very well, so he could convince people of the things that he was teaching them. I think that this is a pretty key point. The people were being led away by an "expert". I'm sure it would have been easy to believe the things that Sherem was teaching, because they sounded logical, and intelligent.

Jacob knew better, though. When Sherem came to try to lead him away, this is how the conversation went:

"But behold, the Lord God poured in his Spirit into my soul, insomuch that I did confound him in all his words." (Jacob 7:8)

I think that this probably surprised Sherem. He was probably used to doing the convincing, winning the arguments, and all of that when he was teaching his message. However, I think it's worth noting that the way that Jacob confounded Sherem was by the Spirit. Too often, we rely on our own intellect, our own knowledge, and our own experience, to ward off these kinds of very real attacks on our beliefs.

I can see why Jacob shared this story in his relatively brief writings. Sherem is representative of the world here. So often, there are many things that try to lead us away from Christ. They vary greatly, from religious people trying to tear down our beliefs ("Mormons aren't Christians"), to what is popular in the world in the media, as well as attempts to destroy good family values. As in the account told by Jacob, where Sherem did all that he did according to the power of the devil, this is the same instigator now. The one who goes about trying to thwart the plan of God. We need to recognize those for what they are, and choose instead to follow Christ.

In the end, Sherem recognized what he had done, and it literally killed him. He was able to share with the people that he had been led astray, and had led them astray, but then he died. I think this is something that is important to recognize, that the devil will never support his followers in their time of need. Not only that, but there are real consequences to following him. This is not unlike the world of today. In keeping with the analogy, where Sherem represents the world and Satan's attempts to lead us away, we need to remember that God will always win. God's plans cannot be thwarted. God will support and sustain His people. And even at times, when it seems like there is no way that good will triumph over evil, it will. Because God side always wins. Yet sometimes, we don't stick to His side the way we should. I am reminded of a quote by Jeffrey R. Holland:

"The future of this world has long been declared; the final outcome between good and evil is already known. There is absolutely no question as to who wins because the victory has already been posted on the scoreboard. The only really strange thing in all of this is that we are still down on the field trying to decide which team's jersey we want to wear!"

I love this, because the sooner we decide which "team" we will be on, or which side to follow, whether it be good or evil, the more firm and steadfast we will be. The more we follow Christ, the more we will strengthen ourselves, and we will have more spiritual experiences to draw from. Eventually we, like Jacob, can say this about ourselves (what I want to say about myself):

"...wherefore, I could not be shaken." (Jacob 7:5)

Be Wise

"O be wise; what can I say more?" (Jacob 6:12)

It seems so simple. So many bad decisions could be avoided if you just asked yourself: "Is this a wise course of action?" How many of the bad decisions in my life have been because I didn't ask myself that.

Now, one could also argue that there are a lot of things that perhaps we feel prompted to do that DON'T seem wise. In fact, they seem downright foolish! (Pioneer trek across the country on foot with handcarts anyone?) However, the wise thing to do is follow God. Always. He will not lead you astray, no matter how nonsensical His directions are. There are many examples in history and scripture that prove this out. So you might say, then, that given His track record, it is WISE to follow God. This leads to another point of wisdom. If it is always wise to follow God, we must know how to follow him. So one decision we might make to be wise would be to learn of Him. Study His plan, and learn especially to recognize the Holy Ghost and the way promptings come to you.

There are times in my life when I've been faced with decisions and not known the wise course of action. I think in those times especially, we need to know how God communicates with us. We need to know what He would have us do. Especially if the promptings we are receiving seem like foolish ideas. Because that creates a little conflict in us: we know it is wise to follow promptings, but the voice of the natural side of us (and maybe some people around us) is screaming "that's not a wise decision". It is easier to feel confident in making one of these kinds of decisions if we KNOW the prompting came from God (because, as I mentioned, we know that following God's promptings is always the wise thing to do).

Probably something that has occurred more frequently is that I knew the wise course of action, but I drowned out that wisdom with my own worldly desires. I think this could mostly be solved if I indeed stopped for a second and really asked myself when I make decisions if they are the wisest decisions I could make.

The best part about this concept is that while it requires a good deal of faith in God, it also allows us to be agents unto ourselves. To act, and not only be acted upon. We can do things confidently in wisdom. Do we need God to tell us every day that the outfit we have picked out is good or not? No. We can be wise with our choices, and dress modestly and appropriately for the activity we will be participating in. Are there times when God might prompt you regarding your clothing/wardrobe choices? Absolutely. You must live in a way that you can receive His promptings, but you can make decisions on your own.

Just be wise about the decisions you make.

Will Ye Bring Forth Evil Fruit?

"For behold, after ye have been nourished by the good word of God all the day long, will ye bring forth evil fruit, that ye must be hewn down and cast into the fire?" (Jacob 6:7)

I read this verse, and it kind of made me look back and realize the results of my choices. Not to say that I have done any terrible thing, but there are definitely things I don't do that I should. I even gain personal insight during talks, lessons, personal scripture study, and conversation (personal insight = nourished by the good word of God), and sometimes, I turn around and move on with my life without actually implementing the thing I gained insight on (not acting, or acting in an opposing manner = bringing forth evil fruit).

One more reminder that I need to do better. As I gain more and more of a personal conversion, I see more and more things like that.

Conversion Process

"For it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard; wherefore ye shall clear away the bad according as the good shall grow, that the root and the top may be equal in strength, until the good shall overcome the bad, and the bad be hewn down and cast into the fire, that they cumber not the ground of my vineyard; and thus will I sweep away the bad out of my vineyard." (Jacob 5:66)

This allegory of the olive tree is meant to represent the House of Israel, and how at some times, they have been righteous and other times they have been wicked. Included in the allegory is how the Lord of the vineyard grafted branches into other places and things. This represents times when there have been branches of the House of Israel sent to different areas of the earth. For example, Lehi, when he took his family out of Jerusalem. His family was one of those branches that were sent off to another land.

Recently, I taught a lesson at church about conversion. We talked about how it is a process, and how you go about always trying to improve yourself. As I read this verse, I realized that the same thing was being discussed. I think that sometimes in my life, I think about all the things I'm doing wrong (or more realistically, all the things I'm not doing right that I should be), and I think "I've got to do better". But the list is too big and would take too much to fix everything, so what happens? I end up doing nothing, or at best, very little.

A better way to go is as the scripture describes with the tree. Essentially, keep doing better and better, little by little, so I don't become overwhelmed, and each time I do something like that, I become more and more converted. Adding little good things bit by bit, and removing negative things bit by bit, it's hard to get overwhelmed with that, and it is a great way to keep moving toward conversion.

This is a much better approach. I have added a couple of those good things in my life, and I hope to trim off a few of the more negative things, and we'll go from there. Onward and definitely upward.

The Lord Labored With the Servant

"...time passed away, and the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Come, let us go down into the vineyard, that we may labor in the vineyard.

 And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard, and also the servant, went down into the vineyard to labor" (Jacob 5:15-16)

This passage stood out to me. I was kind of expecting that I would be writing about an olive tree or the way it was nurtured, or the kind of ground they were planted in, etc. But this really jumped out as very pointed to me.

For some context, the Lord of the vineyard was trying to save his favorite tree. He tried a number of things to keep his tree, and keep it bearing good fruit. He was involved in how they would go about saving the tree, and he was involved in doing the actual work.

I think sometimes, we feel like we get instruction from the Lord, and then we go about our way and do our best to follow it. Even the faithful often think of Him as always being there for us, as if He were some sort of moral support person. Through the Holy Ghost, we feel good about decisions we make, or things that we do, when we're choosing the right, but there you have it. WE have to make the decisions and act on them.

While this is true, or else the whole agency part of God's plan would be frustrated, we must realize that more often than we think, the Lord is not just cheering us on, hoping we successfully complete the task that He has given us. No, more often than we realize, He is right there with us, working side by side. I think it's interesting that the way it is written in the allegory in Jacob 5, it sure sounds to me that the Lord of the vineyard went down into the vineyard to labor, and the servant went along. It wasn't the other way around. The Lord of the vineyard didn't just sit there and say "Ok, servant, go out and prune that tree, and dig about it for a while, and I'll come check in with you later", or even "Go, servant! You can do it. You're the best tree pruner I've seen." No, he's saying "Come with me, servant, and we will work together. Both of us will prune, both of us will dig. Both of us." I think that our lives are frequently like this. It's not that the Lord says "Go comfort that sorrowing neighbor and then come back and tell me how it went". No, He goes too.

I'm reminded of the story of the servant of Elisha, when the city was surrounded by their enemies. The servant was afraid, because he didn't see how they were going to get out of this. Elisha tells him: Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them, at which point, the servants eyes were opened and he saw hosts of horses and chariots of fire.

Even though we may not see Him or His work in our lives, He is there, laboring beside us. It makes me want to work harder when I'm working with someone, because I don't want my lack of work to cause someone else more work. This is especially true of the Lord. He will never be the lazy one in a pair. He will never give up. He will always be there, helping us out, and working.

Let's go work with Him.

Looking Beyond the Mark

[Warning: longer post than usual]

"But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble." (Jacob 4:14)

This is a concept that I love about the Gospel: that you can stumble by trying to make it too complicated. I love that God wants His Gospel to be plain and simple.

Sometimes (Ok, a LOT of the time), I make things more complicated than they really are. Some of the most poignant, life-changing experiences I've had in my life stand out to me because it was in those moments that I realized I was indeed "looking beyond the mark". I'd like to share a few examples.

The first one, I think, is less of a singular experience, but rather a description of how I gained a testimony. At certain times in my life, I had decided that I wanted to have an experience, one that I could share with other people as being the pivotal moment in my life where I went from just believing to having a real testimony. I remember on several occasions, kneeling to pray, trying to get an answer to that question. The only real "answer" I've ever gotten in those moments is a very pointed "you already know". In fact, I can't ever remember not knowing. I think I gained a testimony brick by brick, experience by experience, not really realizing it was happening, so that when it came time to ask if it was true, I really did already know. I was looking beyond the mark, wanting a specific experience, when in reality, I had many experiences all leading up to a testimony.

Another experience came toward the end of my junior year in high school. I was part of a performing group, and it was time to audition to be in that group the following year. I really wanted to be part of the group again, but due to a number of circumstances, I didn't know what the right thing to do was. So I prayed about it, and got what seemed like a pretty clear answer: no. I was disappointed, but at the same time, I was ok. I felt like that was the right thing to do. Well, as I watched a number of my friends get prepared to audition, the natural man in me really wanted to audition. So I convinced myself that maybe my first answer wasn't right, when in reality, I knew that it was. I prayed again, this time, with a little more fervor, and I found myself feeling that auditioning would be the right thing to do (this was my desire coming through, not God's will, I'm sure of that now). So the next day, I was talking to one of my friends who knew about my previous decision, and how I had arrived at it, when I told her I had been praying for an answer to this question of whether or not I should audition. Before I could even finish my sentence, she said "Why? Didn't you already get an answer?" I was kind of stunned. She was right! I had already received my answer, but because of my own desire, I was looking beyond the mark, trying to make the question and answer more complicated than it really was, in the hopes that I could get my own way. I'm glad that I had such good friends to help me see the plainness that I had been missing, and I'm glad to report that I did not audition.

One final experience about this topic. Just before I left on my mission, I had been dating this girl. We mutually agreed that we didn't want to have any of this "waiting" business, so we said our goodbyes and I went on my way to proclaim the Gospel. She was a great support and friend for my whole mission, writing me, and encouraging me. Toward the end of my mission, she was still (to my surprise and delight) single. I had thought about the prospect of marriage in general, especially after my mission president's final interview where he told me that marriage should be one of the very highest things on my priority list after my mission. I also thought about what it would be like to be married to her. It actually sounded great. At the same time, it had been 2 years since we had been dating and that seemed like a long time, and that a lot could change in that time. I had this thought in the back of my mind that if I started dating her, we might even end up married, and while I thought that sounded awesome, it also sounded scary! I kept thinking that maybe I should just date several different people to get back into the dating scene before calling her and going out with her. This "seemed" like something important that I should do at the time, but honestly, every time I thought about going on a date with anyone else, my thoughts went back to her and the fact that I would rather go with her instead. I don't know how she put up with me, because I didn't call her or anything for over a month! At some point, though, I had this epiphany (more like a "spritual 2x4" hit me over the head) that I had been trying to make it WAY more complicated than it should be. I was looking beyond the mark, when the whole time, I knew that I would rather spend my time with her. Humbled by that realization, I called her, we went out, and sure enough, we ended up married, and I can honestly say that I have not regretted that decision EVER. She is truly the best thing that has ever happened to me.

The concept of "looking beyond the mark" hits the nail on the head. It really is something we have to be careful about in life. We can take anything too far, make anything too complicated. I think sometimes we as LDS people do this. We can delve into what has been called "deep doctrine" and try to understand all the theories or obscure quotes from earlier prophets, but what it really comes down to is this: are we living the Gospel? Do we have Faith in Christ? Are we repenting? Have we been baptized and are we keeping our baptismal covenants? Do we continue to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost into our lives through all of our thoughts and actions? Are we faithfully, valiantly enduring to the end? That is the Gospel. If we can honestly answer "yes" to each of those questions, then we are doing what we should. This is what is meant by "plain and simple truths". They are easy enough to understand that when I was young, I understood enough to gain a real, personal testimony of these truths, and continue to learn when I seek it.

I know that this simple, plain, yet wonderful Gospel is really God's plan for us. That we can be together with Him forever if we live it. And as hard as it is as natural, weak mortals, the truth is, it's still plain and simple.

Why all that work?

"2 But whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us, or concerning their fathers—

 3 Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents." (Jacob 4:2-3)

Jacob describes the reasoning behind the effort of engraving all that they did on the plates. I think that although as of yet I haven't done anything terribly noteworthy in my life, it's nice to think that my children and their children might know something about me and my life. It gives me pause for reflection, thinking about what information there might be about me that they could read. This is a good argument for keeping a journal, continuing on with this kind of blog, and things like that. In future generations, are my great-grandkids going to learn about us by what we posted and liked on Facebook, what we tweeted, and what we pictures we Instagram'd? That certainly could be. Would I want them to? That's another question.

The other aspect to this is that if my life were exposed to my future generations, what about it would I be glad that they knew? Or wish they didn't know. There is a lot to consider there. I definitely could be better. Thus the attempt to restart this blog. I kind of got away from the practice, giving myself excuses about how busy I am and things, but I think that taking just the short amount of extra time it takes to write a post on here, it helps me to ponder the scriptures more than just read them, and since I am looking for things to comment about, I'm likening the words to my life and trying to see how it fits, so here's for another go.

I want to put the spiritual things in a more prominent place in my life. I want to be a better example of those things, and every little thing that I can to do bring myself closer to that person I want to be only gets me closer.

Being a Good Example to Your Children

"Wherefore, ye shall remember your children, how that ye have grieved their hearts because of the example that ye have set before them; and also, remember that ye may, because of your filthiness, bring your children unto destruction, and their sins be heaped upon your heads at the last day." (Jacob 3:10)

This verse really made me reflect on my own life. I don't know if I could say that I am a great example to my kids. In fact, there are many times that I feel the opposite. Not to say that they see me doing terrible misdeeds, but I certainly can be a better example.

I love how pointed Jacob is when he says that the childrens' hearts are grieved because of their parents' bad example. I'm sure a part of this is because they wish their parents were a better example, but I wonder how much suffering and heartache could be avoided throughout their lives if they had a more steady, stalwart example to look to.

This in addition to thinking about a conference talk called "Fathers and Sons", really makes me want to try to do better as a dad. I spend too much time working, and when I am not working, I don't do a good job of actively engaging in my kids' lives. Here are some things I've been thinking about in conjunction with this line of thinking: I want my kids to be healthy, but I don't take care of myself. I want my kids to be spiritual, but I don't always take the time to be spiritual. I want my kids to be hard workers, and accomplish goals, yet I don't always show them that. I am not a good home teacher, yet I want my kids to be good home and visiting teachers when they are at that age. I am not actively involved with my neighbors or in my community, yet I want my kids to be.

There are so many ways that, to put it bluntly, I am failing to be a good dad to my kids. I feel like there are thing I do well in this area, but I feel like there is so much more I can and should be doing for them. I am going to try to be better. I think it would be good to pick a couple specific things that I can do that will make a difference, and not try to change everything at once, since that would get overwhelming. But if I can make small improvements over time, each of these major issues can be addressed, and I can show my kids the things I want them to know, rather than just telling them. A good example is far more effective than a good sermon.

The Pleasing Word of God

"...they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul." (Jacob 2:8)

This is basically a general conference of sorts. Jacob (the spiritual leader or Prophet at this time) is coming to speak to the people, and he is constrained to speak concerning their sins. He describes, however, how people who are living the gospel generally would feel about hearing the words of the prophet. I liken this to the present day, in the days and weeks leading up to general conference, or new Ensign magazine issues. Or even stake conference, or regular sunday meetings, hearing from our spiritual leaders, whether it be prophets and apostles, or stake or ward leaders.

Do I come with the expectation of hearing what I would think of as the "pleasing word of God"? Everyone I know has a wounded soul to some degree. Frustrations about life, frustrations with temptations and sins that easily beset them. Hurt that is felt when others treat them poorly or even when people they care about make bad decisions for themselves. The fact that Christ and His atonement can heal all of that brings hope, and "healeth the wounded soul".

Do I take the time to consider and anticipate the impact of the words from the prophet? I don't know if I do as much as I could. This is somethig I do feel inside, as I approach general conferences and things, but I certainly don't get as much out of it as I could.

After all, my soul gets wounded and could use healing too.

Laboring With Might

"And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day." (Jacob 1:19)

So Jacob and those who labored with him worked hard to teach and share the Gospel. They felt the responsibility for peoples' souls upon thier shoulders. I sometimes feel as though I am nowhere near this level of faith and dedication. I'm not the best home teacher, nor have I been the best at many callings that I have held. I don't know if I could say that I have "labored with [my] might" at very many things.

I remember my mission president, President Ostler, asking that all the missionaries in our mission memorize this verse on my mission. I think he was trying to help us understand the gravity of what we were doing. People need to hear the Gospel. We were in a position to teach them the Gospel. Obviously, we were not responsible for the sins of everyone in the Canada Calgary Mission, but if there was someone there in our area who was prepared to hear the Gospel, or who could have had a seed of testimony planted in their hearts, but did not due to our lack of diligence, we would be held responsible.

This continues to apply, within my circle of influence, whether it be in my callings at church, my home teaching families, my own family, or even people I work with. If I do not do my part to be a good example, and share the message of the Gospel whenever I possibly can, then I absolutely could be held responsible in the same way that Jacob describes.

It is important to labor with my might. I definitely need to do better at this.

The Words of Christ

"10 And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good.

11 And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye--for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness." (2 Nephi 33:10-11)

I used to share this passage of scripture on my mission. This is the last little bit that Nephi is writing. He has seen the future, and he knows what will happen to the Book of Mormon and his people. 

One thing I love about this is his surety. He is absolutely certain that the words that he has written are the words of Christ. I too, am absolutely certain of that fact. I have prayed and know that they are His words. I love that he gives you a way to evaluate the words too. The words of Christ teach all men to do good. He also acknowledges that some might not believe, but he mentions that we will meet Nephi at the last day, and we will know that he really did write the words of Christ.

The reason I used to share this on my mission was focused on that last bit, that we will meet Nephi at the last day. I can't imagine my horror (or at least the awkwardness) standing face to face and trying to explain things like why I didn't share the Book of Mormon with my friends more. Or why I didn't read as often as I should. And while I think that shouldn't be our only motivation to read and share the scriptures, I imagine that adding this concept could help me do better. And that is really the point of this blog: to try to make myself be better.

Thanks goes also to Nephi, for all of the courage when facing large obstacles, because now we have his and others' inspiring writings to uplift us and teach and guide us.

Thanks also goes to God, without whom we would be lost forever.

I know the Book of Mormon is true. Absolutely.

Pray Always

"But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul." (2 Nephi 32:9)

I think this is pretty self-explanatory. Pray about everything. Make God your partner in everything you do. One thing I'd like to point out, though, is that Nephi is wrapping up what he is writing, he knows his words are coming to a close. So he is picking the things at this point that he feels are the most beneficial things to remind people about. The fact that prayer makes this list shows it's importance. Also, notice that Nephi doesn't say "Pray at least twice a day". No, he says "Pray always". He says not to perform anything is though praying to consecrate your performance of that thing.

I like to think of it, as I mentioned, as a full partnership with God. The thing is, He's always going to hold up his end perfectly. He's going to help us make great decisions. I imagine a scenario where you take time to pray about every little thing that you have to do. That alone would all but eliminate sin in our lives.

Pray always. Always pray. Just do it.

The Doctrine of Christ

"...I must speak concerning the doctrine of Christ; wherefore, I shall speak unto you plainly, according to the plainness of my prophesying.

"For my soul delighteth in plainness;" (2 Nephi 31: 2-3

Nephi tells us that he is going to explain the Doctrine of Christ plainly, and he does a great job of it. I think it's interesting that he has to distinguish what he is doing from potentially the way other people might teach. I think sometimes when people teach in cryptic messages, or different languages or whatever, it makes it more difficult to understand, not easier. I don't believe that God wants to make it difficult to understand His gospel.

So what is the Doctrine of Christ? What do we have to do?

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel." (2 Nephi 31: 13)

I think what Nephi is trying to say here is that just going through the motions of getting baptized and all that stuff isn't going to cut it. He says, "...follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception...". To me, there is no room here to misinterpret what Nephi is saying. He means to really do it for a real reason, not just to to through the motions or to satisfy another person's whim. It is for you to do completely.

Nephi goes on to talk about how baptism is the gate that leads to eternal life, but he asks a very good question:

"And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save." (2 Nephi 31:19)

So what do we need to continue doing, since all is not done?

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

"And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ" (2 Nephi 31:20-21)

None other way nor name...

There is no possible way to be saved in the kingdom of God, other than to follow God's plan. It is really the only way, and we need to do it with full purpose of heart, and with real intent. This is the only way. This is why it is Christ's Doctrine--the word must get out. We live it and we teach it and share it with others.

Who Will Be Saved?

"For behold, I say unto you that as many of the Gentiles as will repent are the covenant people of the Lord; and as many of the Jews as will not repent shall be cast off; for the Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe in his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel." (2 Nephi 30:2)

I believe this is God's way of saying that one group is no more special than another. The Jews at the time were His covenant people, and yet what He is saying here is that they will no more likely be saved than the Gentiles, or those who weren't Jews, unless they do what they individually need to do to be saved.

The same thing sometimes happens now. The Lord's covenant people, or members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, are no more likely to be saved than those who are not members of the Church. It is all based on personal righteousness. I like that the focus here is not on "not sinning", but rather on repenting and having faith in Christ. I love this because we all make mistakes, and the Lord has provided a way through the atonement to repent for our sins and mistakes.

It's just important to remember that being part of the "right" group doesn't automatically get us where we need to go. The Church helps us to get there, but it all comes down to our own individual choices in the long run. We even need the Church and the Priesthood to make sacred covenants, but it is still 100% up to us to keep those covenants.

I'm grateful for the opportunities I have to repent, because I mess up a lot. I hope to do better than I have done. I do have faith, and I know what is expected of me. So I need to work hard each day to meet those expectations, repenting along the way when I fall short.

I love the Savior and I'm so grateful for His atonement. I need it every day.

Why Complain About Getting More From God?

"8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.

9 And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.

10 Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written." (2 Nephi 29:8-10)

When I read this chapter, I think of how you can get sort of stuck believing one way or one thing, and I can kind of understand when people say "We already have the Bible, the Word of God. What more is there?" However, I think it's shortsighted to think that all people in the earth needed exactly the same direction at the same time, when anciently, nations were so separate from each other. Should they have the same doctrine? Absolutely. But does that mean that the people in the Americas learn the same way as those in the middle ease? No. They wouldn't be able to understand the same metaphors or parables. Then, if you apply the same logic to today, if people think we don't need different direction from God today than we did even 50 years ago, I say you are mistaken. With the advent of the computer, and the internet, and vastly different culture and lifestyle than has ever existed in the history of earth, we need guidance and direction from God that is specifically tailored for us. This comes in the form of modern-day revelation, and that is why we have a living prophet on the earth.

I know God lives and loves us, and He wants us to have all the tools that we can get to be better prepared to exercise our agency in our lives, to make the right choices.

So if God wants to give us more revelation and direction, I say, "bring it on".

Leading Us Away Carefully

"And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well--and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell." (2 Nephi 28:21)

Sometimes, we start to set up routines and practices that help us feel confident that all is indeed well in Zion. Most of us, if Satan came to us and tried to convince us to commit grievous sin, would turn him down outright and reject his temptations. He knows this. Yet how does he convince so many (indeed everyone who has ever lived on the earth except for Christ), to commit the sins that we commit? It is little by little. He is very patient about it and careful about it. He knows us and knows the things that will trick us.

What does this mean for us? Well, it means that we have to be constantly vigilant, keeping ourselves watchful and mindful of the commandments and our standing with the Lord. We must know when we sin, and we must repent and correct it right away. If we don't, we will build up these walls around us of "carnal security", and we will feel as though everything's ok. We will allow ourselves to fall out of good habits, or at a minimum, those habits will become less meaningful to us and we will do them out of habit only. We will begin to feel less and less of the influence of the Spirit, which in turns becomes less and less of a guide and protection for us.

I don't want to be this way. I want to be sure to always be close to the Spirit and always try to do what is right. I want to have this influence as a leading force in my life. There is so much more I can and should be doing to ensure that this happens. 

I Am Not Learned

"Wherefore it shall come to pass, that the Lord God will deliver again the book and the words thereof to him that is not learned; and the man that is not learned shall say: I am not learned." (2 Nephi 27:19)

In this chapter, Nephi is prophesying about the events surrounding the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. He describes the time that they took copies of some of the characters and their translation to professor Charles Anthon, who certified that the translation was correct, but upon finding that the book was claimed to be of divine origin, rescinded his certification and also claimed that if the book was sealed, he couldn't read it.

The verse I've quoted above describes, in contrast, the Lord delivering the book to Joseph Smith, an uneducated young man. I'm sure his reaction, when told he would need to translate the golden plates, was something like "I am not learned. How can I do this thing?"

This is the Lord's response. Pay attention because it is more than just good advice to Joseph Smith.

"Then shall the Lord God say unto him: The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work; wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee. (2 Nephi 27:20)

I love the phrase here: "I am able to do mine own work". The truth is, God is all-knowing and all-powerful. He could have just delivered the book pre-translated to Joseph. But it was through the translation process that Joseph learned so much.

This should come as a great comfort to those who feel inadequate to do what they are asked to do. So often, the first feeling that comes over someone upon receiving a new calling, is a sense of inability to do what is required. This passage should be a comfort in a couple of ways. First, the Lord could have done this work himself, yet he called you. You must have something to offer. Second, if the Lord can do it himself, he certainly can help you. Trust Him. Lean on Him. He will be there.

The Flaxen Cords

"And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever." (2 Nephi 26:22)

I love the imagery here, because that is so often how satan works.  He doesn't convince us to go from being as close to perfect as we can be to the worst, most evil scum on the planet. We take baby steps to get there. We are only willing to cross the line so far, so you step some small measure past it, but the next time it's easier, and you step a little further, and so on, and so on, until the next thing you know, you're committing felonies. How did it get that far? Well, it's because satan didn't make us too uncomfortable right off the bat.  He used flaxen cords. These are thin, silky, and comfortable, yet at that point, he can lead us gently. over time, he keeps using stronger and stronger cords, and eventually binds us with very strong cords.

Something to watch carefully for. How can we identify this? How can we avoid it altogether? I think that  any time we rationalize by using phrases such as "just this once", or "it's not THAT bad", or "technically". We need to examine our lives and see where we are at.  It's a lot easier to shake loose from a strand or two of flaxen cord than if there are things more serious. Let's put these bindings behind us and keep those cords away from us. 

Nephi Prophesies of the Destruction of His People

"And when these things have passed away a speedy destruction cometh unto my people; for, notwithstanding the pains of my soul, I have seen it; wherefore, I know that it shall come to pass; and they sell themselves for naught; for, for the reward of their pride and their foolishness they shall reap destruction; for because they yield unto the devil and choose works of darkness rather than light, therefore they must go down to hell." (2 Nephi 26:10)

I've thought about this before, but as I was reading this passage, it got me thinking about how it must have felt for Nephi to see the destruction of his people in vision.  How heartbreaking to think that your descendents will fall away from the gospel (even if it was 1000 years in the future that he could see this happening). This makes me think about the frustration that I'm sure a prophet must have when he is preaching to the people, telling them of what they need to do, because he has seen in vision what would happen if they continue in their ways.  And yet, too often, many people ignore the prophecy, go their own way, and they suffer the consequences because of it.

I see a little bit of that as a parent. I try to teach my kids certain things, and they are good kids. But sometimes, they either ignore what I am saying (to the point where it's in one ear and out the other), or they decide their way is better, so they do it a different way. And they have consequences, quite frequently the natural consequences that I was helping them to try to avoid by sharing my advice in the first place.  It's difficult to watch them go through those consequences because you could have prevented (or at least minimized them) if they would only listen.

Hmm, that kind of makes me wonder if that's how Heavenly Father feels.  He gives us these commandments, and promises so much good in return for keeping them.  Yet we all end up choosing the other way instead sometimes, and end up having to go through the consequence of such an action.

Something to think about anyway.

All About Christ

In this post, I'm combining a number of passages. I love this chapter, where Nephi prophesies with "plainness" about Christ.  There is a bunch of prophesy about when Christ was born and came to earth, and how he was treated then.  Remember that this was prior to Christ's mortal life. Nephi testified all about the crucifiction, burial, and resurrection.  He testifies some more about the atonement and how it is the only way to get back to heaven.

The first passage I want to quote really reminds me of my mission.  When we would stop and talk to people, there were some who would say something like "I've been saved", or they would say that we were wrong to say that we have to try hard to live the commandments and live good lives, because that takes away from being saved or that it says that Christ's grace is insufficient.  This was this scripture that I would reference or at least paraphrase.

"For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." (2 Nephi 25:23)

I love this because I think it points out one key thing.  We will never make it on our own. We need to teach and testify of Christ and his atonement because we are imperfect and can't get to heaven on our own (no matter what we do), but at the same time, I don't think it makes much sense to think he will say "I gave you all these commandments, but who cares if you follow them, as long as you accept me as your personal savior". How would we fulfill the purpose of this life, to gain experience, and knowledge, and ultimately the opportunity to grow and progress?  I think this would be difficult.  However, knowing that if we try hard, we STILL can't make it, we are provided with the grace of Christ to close the gap. That makes way more sense to me.

"And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.

For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments." (2 Nephi 25:24-25)

The entire purpose of the law of Moses was to point to and teach people about Christ coming, and his sacrifice for man. There is a stark contrast between Nephi's people following the law of Moses compared with the Jews that "kept" the law of Moses at the time of Christ. Nephi and his people knew that the law of Moses was just that: a primer.  It's whole intent was to teach people about Christ and His mortal mission.  Nephi taught his people to look to and believe in Christ. Yet Christ was often accused and criticized for not keeping the law of Moses (as defined by the Jews of His time). I think this is a good lesson for today regarding the letter of the law and the spirit of the law.  If we are really in tune with the spirit, we can understand the right way to go, and it can teach us the right principles about that situation.

"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." (2 Nephi 25:26)

Even though they followed the law of Moses, so they perfomed animal sacrifice and all of that, they knew that remission of their sins came only through the atonement of Christ.  They made sure that they knew where to go for that help.  I think it's important as a parent, husband, neighbor, coworker, etc, that I follow this example. Not that I'm going to go around cramming this down everyone's throats, but this is the MOST important information anyone could possibly have, to know that Christ made an atonement for each of us. So all of our talk, action, and joy can and should be centered around that central theme.

"And now behold, my people, ye are a stiffnecked people; wherefore, I have spoken plainly unto you, that ye cannot misunderstand. And the words which I have spoken shall stand as a testimony against you; for they are sufficient to teach any man the right way; for the right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not;..." (2 Nephi 25:28)

I think we are all stiffnecked to some degree, or in other words, we are all sinners, and so we need this message.  The plainer the words, the more to our condemnation if we don't follow. We can't really just say "I didn't understand", because it has been explained very clearly to us. The right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not. The ONLY way is to believe in Christ and deny him not.

I am far from perfect. I am working on it. I do know that Christ lives. I know that He is our Savior, and that He loves us enough to go through something as unimaginable as the atonement for us. Without him, we are lost, both physically AND spiritually, and we would never make it back to our Heavenly Father. I love the Savior for all He has done for me, and I want to be a better example, so that people, especially my kids, can see Him through me.  I've got a long ways to go for this, but I can try to get closer every day.