Friday 26th September 2008
Read 1 Nephi: 15-18
1. Chapter 15 vs 8-9: “And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord? And they said unto me: We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us. Behold, I said unto them: How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord? How is it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts? “ I testify that every time that I have inquired of the Lord about understanding his doctrines, that I have received an answer. And that every time I have not inquired of the Lord to understand his doctrines and scriptures, I have walked around in circles until I have realized that all I needed to do was to inquire of the Lord and he will reveal everything to me that I desire. I know that God is sitting there just waiting to pour out blessings upon our heads, or knowledge and wisdom to help us in our travels here on this earth. He is a loving father who wants to bless us at every chance. But we must keep his law and obey his covenants to receive those blessings.
2. Then Nephi explains the scriptures unto his brothers because they had no faith to inquire of the Lord and find out for themselves. This shows how my point about how the angel taught Nephi in yesterday’s readings helps individuals to come to know the Savior better, as that individual seeks the Lord himself. And if it is all explained to us and given on a platter, it does us no good. From today’s and yesterdays readings, I am changing the way I help my children read the Book of Mormon (and other scripture). I was reading with them and then going to get them to write in their scripture journal something that I have already dictated to them about what the moral of the reading was about, but now I realize, that they are going to learn so much more if they just write what they have learned, even if it is not what I see in the message (after they write what they have learned I will probably give them some more insight from my perspective, but only after they have written what they have learned). It may only be that they learn that Lehi loved his family or something like that, but that is of more importance for them to gain their own personal testimony of something, then me just feeding them something.
3. Chapter 16: 1-2 – “And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of speaking to my brethren, behold they said unto me: Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear. And it came to pass that I said unto them that I said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center.” How do I feel when I hear the word of God be preached from the mouths of the prophets? Do I say that “oh, it’s not for me”? Do I say,” yes, I am doing that, and I can do this, and this and this better”? Or do I say, the prophet is being too judgmental, that is undoable for me, so therefore the prophet must be wrong.”?
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