November 29, 2006 - Original Post
In light of September 11th’s events, this chapter has more meaning now than ever. Once again, the Lord’s words prove true.
Lehi was talking to his eldest sons, Laman and Lemuel. In verse 6 and 7 he tells them the curse and blessing of the land. No one will come to this land unless directed by the Lord. All the people of the Book of Mormon were directed by the Lord to come to this land. We also learn that the Pilgrims and other groups of people came from Europe to this land by the will of the Lord. In the next verse (7) he tells them that if the people who live in this land will serve God and keep His commandments, then they will always be a free people and they would never be brought into captivity. But if the people of the land rebel against God, then the land will become cursed. This means America will never be invaded and held captive. What I told my wife earlier is true – that if the terrorists wanted to hurt the United States, then the best thing they could have done was to leave us alone and we would have sinned ourselves to the cursing of the land.
Lehi recites the promise of the Promised Land twice in this chapter. Anyone who lives in the Promised Land must keep the commandments of God and they will prosper and be blessed. But if they do not keep the commandments of God, they will be “cut off” from the presence of God and the land will become cursed. I’ve often heard from other people (not just from the scriptures) that America will destroy itself. No one will ever invade America. Just as the Romans, the fall will come from within.
Lehi concludes his counsel to his sons with a plea – “arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity.” I’ve always liked this verse. This verse is a good reminder to stand tall and not to be a scrub which President Hinckley has said before.
We need to be united as Lehi said. Since the attack on America, we have united in such a manner as never before seen in the history of the United States. My wife's dad said that he has never seen the country so united and patriotic before. People have donated blood, food, money and time to help those victims of the attack. We are truly united at this time. Unity is a strong force.
January 7, 2012 - Addition
Desire; Anxiety
These two words struck me. Ever since I read Elder Maxwell's and Elder Oaks' talks on "Desire", I've been taking note of the context whenever I see the word (see "According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts" and "The Desires of Our Hearts" and "Desire")
Desire and anxiety seemed to be linked. All the things that you want (desire) are the same things that you worry about - they you think constantly of - that gnaw at you and drive you to do things.
For Lehi and just about any good parent, the desire of his heart was for his children to keep the commandments. Therefore, what kept him awake at night (anxiety) was Laman and Lemuel's murmuring and disobedience.
What are the true desires of your heart? What makes you do things? What drives you? Are those things aligned with the will of the Father?
Not only will be we judged of our works and thoughts, but we will also be judged of our desires.
Both Elder Maxwell's and Oaks' talks discuss ways to reconcile our desires with the will of the Father.
Another Word about the Promised Land Covenant
Verse 10 goes beyond that mere promise of obedience = prosperity, disobedience = cut off from the Lord ... it states that when the people reject Jesus Christ, then not only will they not prosper, but their land will be taken from them; they'll be "smitten" and "scattered" and blood will be shed.
The lesson: stay on the sunny side of life. Keep the commandments.
Showing posts with label Covenants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Covenants. Show all posts
Saturday, January 07, 2012
Thursday, November 02, 2006
1 Nephi 17
Chapter 17 is a wonderful chapter. I love reading this chapter over and over again. Today when I read it again, I learned a profound lesson: the power of your word. In verses 26 to 31, Nephi talks about how by the Lord’s word many things were done. In verse 31 Nephi states that “not anything [was or is] done save it were by his word.” The lesson I learned is this. Heavenly Father makes covenants with us and we with him. In essence, we give our word to him that we will keep our word or that we won’t do the things we said we won’t do and we will do the things we said we would do. But how many times do I as an individual break my word? I am afraid that I don’t keep my word all the time. I believe that Heavenly Father has that power because he has always kept His word. When he says something will happen, it will happen. When he commands us to do something, we can be assured that we can accomplish it.
Heavenly Father wants us to keep our word. The more consistently we keep our word, the more powerful we become, for we know that if we say we will do something and then we do it, we feel good and there is a certain power and self discipline that comes from it. Therefore, the more consistent we are in keeping our word, the more powerful we become. We become masters of our wills. Then, when we make covenants with God, and we keep those covenants, we become even more powerful and we become more like God.
The test, therefore, lies in keeping our word. If we can keep our word in simple things, we will eventually be able to keep our word in greater things. As we keep our covenants more consistently, the closer we grow to Father in Heaven. What a powerful precept.
A couple of other things hit me when I read this chapter today with my wife. In verse 45, Nephi gives us some insight on the Holy Ghost. He tells Laman and Lemuel that they have heard the voice of the Lord and that His voice is still and small. He continues to tell Laman and Lemuel that they could not feel His words. From this scripture, the Holy Ghost’s promptings are ones that we feel. If you are past feeling, then you will not be able to hear the still small voice. No wonder the Lord counsels us to keep humble and to keep our lives clean and in order so that we may feel the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
The other verse that really hit me today was in verse 49. Nephi simply states, “God had commanded me that I should build a ship.” When I read that today, I immediately thought that we are God’s creations and that if we rebel against him, it would be similar to a painting or sculptor rebelling against its maker or in other words doing something other than what it was intended for.
I believe that God is all-knowing. When he began this quest to achieve immortality and eternal life for all his children, he foresaw all the problems and dilemmas he would face. But he prepared for that. What makes his task incredibly difficult is our agency coupled with the temptations of Satan. Both of those factors may be predictable, but their actions are not set in stone ... each of us can choose.
What makes His task easier is if we all choose to do what is right. God provides us direction and if we follow, we will be blessed and we help in the great work.
The thought that is re-assuring to me and all of us is that God is perfect and all-knowing. When he commands and we follow, the consequence are as they should be. Unlike the author of the Morris worm ... when he commanded, the program followed and the consequences were not as they intended to be.
Heavenly Father wants us to keep our word. The more consistently we keep our word, the more powerful we become, for we know that if we say we will do something and then we do it, we feel good and there is a certain power and self discipline that comes from it. Therefore, the more consistent we are in keeping our word, the more powerful we become. We become masters of our wills. Then, when we make covenants with God, and we keep those covenants, we become even more powerful and we become more like God.
The test, therefore, lies in keeping our word. If we can keep our word in simple things, we will eventually be able to keep our word in greater things. As we keep our covenants more consistently, the closer we grow to Father in Heaven. What a powerful precept.
A couple of other things hit me when I read this chapter today with my wife. In verse 45, Nephi gives us some insight on the Holy Ghost. He tells Laman and Lemuel that they have heard the voice of the Lord and that His voice is still and small. He continues to tell Laman and Lemuel that they could not feel His words. From this scripture, the Holy Ghost’s promptings are ones that we feel. If you are past feeling, then you will not be able to hear the still small voice. No wonder the Lord counsels us to keep humble and to keep our lives clean and in order so that we may feel the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
The other verse that really hit me today was in verse 49. Nephi simply states, “God had commanded me that I should build a ship.” When I read that today, I immediately thought that we are God’s creations and that if we rebel against him, it would be similar to a painting or sculptor rebelling against its maker or in other words doing something other than what it was intended for.
I believe that God is all-knowing. When he began this quest to achieve immortality and eternal life for all his children, he foresaw all the problems and dilemmas he would face. But he prepared for that. What makes his task incredibly difficult is our agency coupled with the temptations of Satan. Both of those factors may be predictable, but their actions are not set in stone ... each of us can choose.
What makes His task easier is if we all choose to do what is right. God provides us direction and if we follow, we will be blessed and we help in the great work.
The thought that is re-assuring to me and all of us is that God is perfect and all-knowing. When he commands and we follow, the consequence are as they should be. Unlike the author of the Morris worm ... when he commanded, the program followed and the consequences were not as they intended to be.
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