Mormon Life - Sunday tag

April 2012 Sharing Time: Drawing the Stories of Jesus

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:06:00 -0600

by Shauna Gibby
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: This sharing time will engage the children in an activity to help them learn about Jesus Christ’s life and teachings.

Preparation: Obtain a number of pictures of events during Jesus’ life. Post these around the Primary room. Gather crayons, markers, and/or pencils and a sheet of paper for each child.

  Presentation: Give each child paper and crayons and have them create a picture of an event from Jesus’ life. Point out the pictures of Jesus posted around the room. If needed, have their teachers help explain the posted pictures to the children, as they work. Give the children a set amount of time to work on their picture.

Ask a number of children to show their pictures and briefly tell the story the pictures depict. After each picture, discuss what Jesus did. Ask the children what they can learn from that story and how they can be more like Jesus.

Bear your testimony of Jesus Christ. Sing songs about Jesus Christ, such as:

“When Jesus Christ Was Baptized” (Children’s Songbook, p. 102)

“Jesus Loved the Little Children” (Children’s Songbook, p. 59)

“Jesus Once Was a Little Child” (Children’s Songbook, p. 55)

“He Sent His Son” (Children’s Songbook, p. 34)

Book of Mormon Lesson 14: "For a Wise Purpose"

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:05:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: In the pages of the small books of the Book of Mormon, we watch multiple methods of revelation at work: Enos's prayers, Jarom's communion with the Holy Spirit, and Mosiah's warning from the Lord.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

A powerful testimony to the importance of the Book of Mormon is to note where the Lord placed its coming forth in the timetable of the unfolding Restoration. The only thing that preceded it was the First Vision. In that marvelous manifestation, the Prophet Joseph Smith learned the true nature of God and that God had a work for him to do. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon was the next thing. Think of that in terms of what it implies. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon preceded the restoration of the priesthood. It was published just a few days before the Church was organized. The Saints were given the Book of Mormon to read before they were given the revelations outlining such great doctrines as the three degrees of glory, celestial marriage, or work for the dead. It came before priesthood quorums and Church organization. Doesn't this tell us something about how the Lord views this sacred work? (Ezra Taft Benson, October 1986 C.R. October 1986, Ensign 16 [November 1986]: 4.)

INTRODUCTION:

An interesting pattern appears in the Bible that closely corresponds with the structure of the Book of Mormon. Most students of the scriptures know that the books of Kings and Chronicles roughly parallel the same time period, but that the accounts contained therein differ slightly in perspective and presentation. The reason for the dual record and the diversity of content is, at least in part, a result of the role of those responsible for the records. The Books of 1st and 2nd Samuel and 1st and 2nd Kings were a record of the events occurring during the reign of the kings of Israel and Judah. The books of 1st and 2nd Chronicles tell the story of the same time period, but the records therein were kept by the religious leaders of the two nations. Jewish tradition tells us Ezra was the author of Chronicles.

It was out of this time period that Lehi led his people to the ocean and thence to America, where record keepers followed the same pattern––one record for the kings (the large plates) and another for the religious leaders the small plates).

As we complete our study of the small plates of Nephi, it is worth noting that the preservation and compilation of two records has an apparent basis in the historical model of the Bible as well as in the revealed will of the Lord.

1. ENOS PRAYS FOR HIMSELF, THE NEPHITES, AND THE LAMANITES (Enos 1)

Among other things, Enos teaches us by example of four great principles associated with powerful prayer focused on a particular need. Interestingly enough, all of them can be written beginning with the letter A. This assists greatly with efforts to remember the lessons. The words are:

ALONE: Enos made his first great petition while he was hunting. In the course of his pursuit of beasts, he had a deep and rich experience and stopped hunting and started praying. His prayer, at least in terms of its locations, was much like the prayer of Joseph in the Sacred Grove. Joseph said, After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. (JSH 1:15) Amulek taught, But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. (Alma 34:26) President Kimball said We, too, ought to find, where possible, a room, a corner, a closet, a place where we can retire to pray vocally in secret. (Ensign, Oct. 1981, p. 4)

ALOUD: Enos knelt before his maker and cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication. . . . I did raise my voice high that it reached the heavens (Enos 1:4) Nephi said it this way: I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, My God . . . (2 Nephi 4:35.)

Nearly one hundred times in the Book of Mormon some form of the verb "to cry" is used to denote prayer. A "cry" is usually vocal. Amulek indicates this in his stirring sermon on prayer when he counsels: "And when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually." (Alma 34:27, emphasis added.) In other words, when we do not or cannot pray vocally, then we should pray in our hearts. (Ted Gibbons, Rending the Veil of Heaven, p. 50)

President Spencer W. Kimball said:

We recall the many times the Lord instructs us to pray vocally. "And again, I command thee that thou shalt pray vocally as well as in thy heart; yea, before the world as well as in secret, in public as well as in private.” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:28.) So central is this to our prayers and personal religious life that the Lord instructed the priesthood brethren to "visit the house of each member, exhorting them to pray vocally and in secret and attend to all family duties. (Ensign, October 1981, p. 2.)

A LOT: Not all answers come at the first petition. Our repeated requests are not an effort to change the Lord but to change ourselves. We are not trying to get the Lord ready to answer our prayer, but to get ourselves ready to receive the answer we need. all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens. (Enos 1:4) Speaking of this experience of Enos, Pres. Harold B. Lee said,

I once read that scripture to a woman who laughed and said, "Imagine anybody praying all night and all day." I replied, "My dear sister, I hope you never have to come to a time where you have a problem so great that you have to so humble yourself. I have; I have prayed all day and all night and all day the next day and all night the next night, not always on my knees but praying constantly for a blessing that I needed most. (The Improvement Era, October 1966, p. 898.)

Boyd K. Packer said,

Sometimes you may struggle with a problem and not get an answer. What could be wrong?

It may be that you are not doing anything wrong. It may be that you have not done the right things long enough. Remember, you cannot force spiritual things.

Sometimes we are confused simply because we won't take no for an answer. (Ensign, November 1979, p. 21.)

ANSWER: After we have prepared ourselves and done the right thing long enough, the answers will come: And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away. (Enos 1:5,6) I think we must have a great faith in the willingness of the Lord to speak to us. Joseph Smith said, It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God, and to know that we may converse with him as one man converses with another . . . (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345)

There is at least one other aspect of prayer demonstrated by the experience of Enoch. We learn reading this tiny book that prayer is hard work. Review the following phrases and consider what they teach about the way Enos prayed and about the way we ought to pray.

• I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God . . . (Enos 1:2)

• I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication (Enos 1:4)

• All the day long did I cry unto him (Enos 1:4)

• I did pour out my whole soul unto God. . . (Enos 1:9)

• while I was thus struggling in the spirit . . . (Enos 1:10)

• I prayed unto him with many long strugglings . . . (Enos 1:11)

• After I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said . . . (Enos 1:12)

• I cried unto him continually . . . (Enos 1:15)

The message of these phrases is that prayer––effective prayer––is hard work. I am not speaking here of saying prayers which often seems to be a routine recital of familiar phrases in a praying position. I am talking about praying; about conversing with our Father in Heaven.

Enos prayed for himself and then for the Nephites. Finally he prayed for the Lamanites with many long strugglings. Notice Enos's description of these people he is praying for:

And I bear record that the people of Nephi did seek diligently to restore the Lamanites unto the true faith in God. But our labors were vain; their hatred was fixed, and they were led by their evil nature that they became wild, and ferocious, and a bloodthirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness; feeding upon beasts of prey; dwelling in tents, and wandering about in the wilderness with a short skin girdle about their loins and their heads shaven; and their skill was in the bow, and in the cimeter, and the ax. And many of them did eat nothing save it was raw meat; and they were continually seeking to destroy us. (Enos 1:20)

Both the efforts of the Nephites and the prayers of Enos for a people apparently as lost and fallen as the Lamanites are powerful evidence of the expectations of God for his disciples. We must not spend all our efforts and all our prayers on those who look most like Mormons. The lesson of the scriptures is that you cannot tell who will repent just by looking. Almost all the things that will make a man a true disciple are hidden from the natural eye. The Lord taught us that we are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect . . . And how do we recognize them? Mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts. (D&C 29:7)

We ought to mention here (since Enos does) that the Nephites had problems of their own:

And the [Nephite] people were a stiffnecked people, hard to understand. And there was nothing save it was exceeding harshness, preaching and prophesying of wars, and contentions, and destructions, and continually reminding them of death, and the duration of eternity, and the judgments and the power of God, and all these things––stirring them up continually to keep them in the fear of the Lord. I say there was nothing short of these things, and exceedingly great plainness of speech, would keep them from going down speedily to destruction. And after this manner do I write concerning them. (Enos 1:22,23)

2. THE NEPHITES PROSPER THROUGH CONTINUAL REPENTANCE (Jarom 1)

Jarom, the grandson of Jacob, perceived the same lack of spiritual discipline in the Nephites that his father Enos had observed. He said:

Behold, it is expedient that much should be done among this people, because of the hardness of their hearts, and the deafness of their ears, and the blindness of their minds, and the stiffness of their necks; nevertheless, God is exceedingly merciful unto them, and has not as yet swept them off from the face of the land. (Jarom 1:4)

But the attentions of these two great leaders and their assistants had a salutary effect.

And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith. And now, behold, two hundred years had passed away, and the people of Nephi had waxed strong in the land. They observed to keep the law of Moses and the sabbath day holy unto the Lord. And they profaned not; neither did they blaspheme. And the laws of the land were exceedingly strict. (Jarom 1:4,5)

Inasmuch as the Nephites kept the commandments, they prospered (Jarom 1:9), but the prophets were obliged to warn and threaten them.

And it came to pass that the prophets of the Lord did threaten the people of Nephi, according to the word of God, that if they did not keep the commandments, but should fall into transgression, they should be destroyed from off the face of the land. (Jarom 1:10)

Jacob in his own day had made a similar prophecy, one that was to be fulfilled before the end of the small plates.

And the time speedily cometh, that except ye repent they shall possess the land of your inheritance, and the Lord God will lead away the righteous out from among you. (Jacob 3:4)

But Jarom and his fellow-laborers sought diligently to prevent it from happening.

Wherefore, the prophets, and the priests, and the teachers, did labor diligently, exhorting with all longsuffering the people to diligence; teaching the law of Moses, and the intent for which it was given; persuading them to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he already was. And after this manner did they teach them. (Jarom 1:11)

3. OMNI, AMARON, CHEMISH, ABINADOM, AND AMALEKI KEEP THE RECORDS (Omni 1)

The Lord has often commanded the righteous to depart from among the wicked in order to find an environment less destructive to religious sentiment. Lehi received such a command. Nephi did also, and left the Lamanites behind after their arrival in America. Now Mosiah will fulfill the prophecy of Jacob (Jacob 3:4) quoted above, and lead the righteous away once again.

Behold, I will speak unto you somewhat concerning Mosiah, who was made king over the land of Zarahemla; for behold, he being warned of the Lord that he should flee out of the land of Nephi, and as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord should also depart out of the land with him, into the wilderness And it came to pass that he did according as the Lord had commanded him. And they departed out of the land into the wilderness, as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord; and they were led by many preachings and prophesyings. And they were admonished continually by the word of God; and they were led by the power of his arm, through the wilderness until they came down into the land which is called the land of Zarahemla. (Omni 1:12,13)

Thus the unrighteous Nephites were left behind to contend with or to join the Lamanites, and the political arrangement of the Nephites underwent a radical change by the absorption of a new group of Israelites.

The migrations of Lehi and Nephi and Mosiah ought to teach us. When the prophet tells us we need to be somewhere we are not, we ought to follow him. We have the spectacular opportunity to sit at the feet of a living prophet in our own living rooms. What a blessing it is to hear his words and the words of his fellow workers, and to hear them with no more effort for most of us than is required to watch a basketball game or a TV movie. When in the history of the world has it been so convenient to learn what the prophet has to say? I hope that there are none of us languishing in the Land of Nephi when we ought to be moving in among the Mulekites in Zarahemla.

4. MORMON ADDS THE SMALL PLATES OF NEPHI TO HIS ABRIDGMENT OF THE LARGE PLATES (Words of Mormon)

The cohesiveness of the Book of Mormon is a constant amazement to me. With so many opportunities to confuse the reader––with different books and groups and authors and historical activities––the book is a fortress of consistency. The Words of Mormon is one example of the remarkable structure in this book that bears a constant witness of its truthfulness. No man could have held the threads together by innate intelligence and unflinching bravado without the sections and the narrative coming apart somewhere. The message of the Words of Mormon, together with their location and structure, is one more witness to me of the inspiration moving the writers of the Book of Mormon.

Note (verse 1) when the Words of Mormon were written. The date at the bottom of page 143 is a huge jump from the date on the previous page.

It appears that Mormon, as he wrote about the life of Benjamin, searched among the records available to him, perhaps for additional insights and information about this wonderful king. He found the small plates of Nephi. He liked what he found enough that instead of extracting pertinent information from the small plates for his record, he included the entire set of plates with his abridgment.

And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will. (Words of Mormon 1:7)

Mormon then proceeds to give us enough information about King Benjamin to tie the record of the small plates to the abridged version of Mosiah on the large plates. Well take a look at Benjamin in our next lesson.

CONCLUSION:

We have again watched in these pages a number of revelatory processes at work. Enos's prayers and answers; Jarom's witness of revelations and communion with the Holy Spirit; Amaron's testimony of the fulfillment of the Lord's prophecies; Mosiah's flight following a warning from the Lord; and finally, the testimony from Mormon, who tells us a great deal about how revelation usually comes.

For thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me . . . he worketh in me to do according to his will. (Words of Mormon 1:7)

This is the process by which most revelation comes––the Spirit working in us in that remarkable process we call the still, small voice by which we are told in our minds and our hearts (D&C 8:2,3) what to do or how to do it.

Young Men Lesson 14: Serving Others

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:03:00 -0600

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "The needs of others are ever present, and each of us can do something to help someone." -Thomas S. Monson

Discussion Questions

• Who in our ward or branch could help us identify opportunities for our quorum to give service?

• How will your attitude about serving others affect the way you serve? How will it affect the people you serve?

Excerpt from "What Have I Done for Someone Today?" by President Thomas S. Monson, October 2009 General Conference:

A few years ago I read an article written by Jack McConnell, MD. He grew up in the hills of southwest Virginia in the United States as one of seven children of a Methodist minister and a stay-at-home mother. Their circumstances were very humble. He recounted that during his childhood, every day as the family sat around the dinner table, his father would ask each one in turn, “And what did you do for someone today?” The children were determined to do a good turn every day so they could report to their father that they had helped someone. Dr. McConnell calls this exercise his father’s most valuable legacy, for that expectation and those words inspired him and his siblings to help others throughout their lives. As they grew and matured, their motivation for providing service changed to an inner desire to help others.

Besides Dr. McConnell’s distinguished medical career—where he directed the development of the tuberculosis tine test, participated in the early development of the polio vaccine, supervised the development of Tylenol, and was instrumental in developing the magnetic resonance imaging procedure, or MRI—he created an organization he calls Volunteers in Medicine, which gives retired medical personnel a chance to volunteer at free clinics serving the working uninsured. Dr. McConnell said his leisure time since he retired has “evaporated into 60-hour weeks of unpaid work, but [his] energy level has increased and there is a satisfaction in [his] life that wasn’t there before.” He made this statement: “In one of those paradoxes of life, I have benefited more from Volunteers in Medicine than my patients have.” There are now over 70 such clinics across the United States.

Of course, we can’t all be Dr. McConnells, establishing medical clinics to help the poor; however, the needs of others are ever present, and each of us can do something to help someone.

The Apostle Paul admonished, “By love serve one another.” Recall with me the familiar words of King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon: “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”

To read the full talk, click here.

Young Women Lesson 14: Patriarchal Leadership in the Home

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0600

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "The family proclamation gives this beautiful explanation of the relationship between a husband and a wife: While they have separate responsibilities, 'in these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.'" -Dallin H. Oaks

Discussion Questions

• How can the priesthood bless our lives now, regardless of our individual circumstances?

• What spiritual qualities should we seek in a husband? How can these qualities help him lead a family in righteousness?

• Consider your relationship with your Father in Heaven. How has He shown you His great care and love for you as an individual?

Excerpt from "Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church" by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, October 2005 General Conference:

My father died when I was seven. I was the oldest of three small children our widowed mother struggled to raise. When I was ordained a deacon, she said how pleased she was to have a priesthood holder in the home. But Mother continued to direct the family, including calling on which one of us would pray when we knelt together each morning. I was puzzled. I had been taught that the priesthood presided in the family. There must be something I didn’t know about how that principle worked.

About this same time, we had a neighbor who dominated and sometimes abused his wife. He roared like a lion, and she cowered like a lamb. When they walked to church, she always walked a few steps behind him. That made my mother mad. She was a strong woman who would not accept such domination, and she was angry to see another woman abused in that way. I think of her reaction whenever I see men misusing their authority to gratify their pride or exercise control or compulsion upon their wives in any degree of unrighteousness (see D&C 121:37).

I have also seen some faithful women who misunderstand how priesthood authority functions. Mindful of their partnership relationship with their husband in the family, some wives have sought to extend that relationship to their husband’s priesthood calling, such as bishop or mission president. In contrast, some single women who have been abused by men (such as in a divorce) mistakenly confuse the priesthood with male abuse and become suspicious of any priesthood authority. A person who has had a bad experience with a particular electrical appliance should not forego using the power of electricity.

Each of the circumstances I have described results from misunderstanding priesthood authority and the great principle that while this authority presides in both the family and the Church, the priesthood functions in a different way in each of them. This principle is understood and applied by the great Church and family leaders I have known, but it is rarely explained. Even the scriptures, which record various exercises of priesthood authority, seldom state expressly which principles only apply to the exercise of priesthood authority in the family or in the Church or which apply in both of them.

To read the full talk, click here.

{LDS How-to} Keep Your Kids Reverent in Church

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:04:00 -0600

by Mandy Slack
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: We know hoping for reverent children in church is like dreaming the impossible dream. But there are a few surprisingly simple ways to achieve it.

If I were to walk into a sacrament meeting and see children sitting quietly, engaged by the sacrament speakers instead of their Cheerios or coloring books, I would probably die of shock. Children just aren’t equipped with the ability to sit still and listen to religious vernacular (or anything) for extended periods of time. (For that matter, most adults even struggle.)

Just because kids have a hard time sitting still doesn’t mean they lack faith, but it does mean your task of keeping peace in the chapel is harder. Here are some ideas that might prevent icy stares from fellow ward members:

Prepare

Life gets busy with kids in the picture, but even minimal preparation will lead to a saner sacrament meeting. Set out clothes on Saturday night (including your own), and make other church preparations—if you’re not running around on Sunday morning, it’s likely both you and your kids will be calmer.

Three hours is a long time for some kids to go without any snacks, so pack something to give them in between. But for the love of every primary teacher, avoid sugar. “That is just not nice,” says Merilee Slack, mother of four boys between the ages of 1 and 7. “Kids get way out of control.” Melissa Morgan, mother of three children between the ages of 2 and 5, suggests feeding the kids before sacrament meeting. “We have sacrament meeting last, so they’re usually pretty hungry by the time it comes around. I try to feed them right before; otherwise all they’re thinking about is the food.”

Make the Time in the Hallway or Foyer Unpleasant

If you have to take your child out of sacrament meeting, make sure wherever you’re taking them is not a fun alternative. Lots of people suggest making the child sit on a parent’s lap and practice being reverent. You can do this anywhere—in the foyer, in an empty classroom, or even the mother’s lounge. Kerri McLennan, mother of three little boys, says, “After they have practiced for a while, we’ll give them the choice to either keep practicing or go back in with everyone else. This works really well.”

Surround Them with Good Examples

Of course you should be a good example if you want your kids to learn reverence, but it also helps to sit near someone else who also displays good Sunday behavior. Jessie Walker and her family started sitting near two young women who her four-year-old daughter, Brett, admires. “I have Brett watch them while the sacrament is being passed and I tell her that what they are doing is thinking about Jesus,” explains Jessie. “She is starting to catch on. I'll catch her looking at them and mimicking what they are doing.”

Provide Reverent Entertainment

Keeping kids reverent must be a universal problem, because there are options everywhere for quiet and spiritual entertainment. Deseret Book even has a Heroes of the Book of Mormon app you can download onto your smartphone, which offers puzzles, a coloring book, and a matching game. It also includes scripture references for study. Here are some other things that you can use to keep your little ones entertained:

• Activity Books—Whether you have babies, toddlers, or little kids, there are activity books to keep your little ones entertained and reverent. Who is This Jesus?, the brand new hidden picture book, showcases touching pictures of Christ but also has subtle pictures hidden in the pages for your kids to find.

• Quiet Books—You can make these books on your own with help from websites like How to Make a Quiet Book or MormonChic. If you’re not so crafty or don’t have the time to take this kind of project on, you can buy quiet books online and in Deseret Book stores.

• Popsicle Puzzles—This easy craft is the answer if you’re a busy mom, but want to make something to help your kids make it through sacrament meeting. You and your child or children could make these puzzles together and have plenty of options for quiet entertainment when Sunday rolls around. Learn how to make popsicle puzzles here.

• Picture Books—Laminate pictures from The Friend or other church books and magazines, then punch a hole in the corner and slide a metal ring in the hole to make a flipbook. You can also laminate pictures of temples or prophets.

• Pipe Cleaners—Jennifer Hsu, writer for mormonchic.com, suggests bringing pipe cleaners in a Ziploc bag. This may seem simple, but I bet it could hold a toddler or baby’s attention for more than an hour.

Make Sure Your Kids Know What You Expect

Kids are bad at reading minds. Let them know why they are in sacrament meeting and what you expect from them while they are there. Make sure they know who is boss. You don’t have to act like a prison guard, but if you give your kids the choice of being reverent or rowdy, they will likely choose to be rowdy. If you let them know that’s not an option, they’ll learn to be reverent.

Your turn: What strategies have worked for your family? Answer by leaving a comment below.

Teachings of George Albert Smith Lesson 6: Sustaining Those Whom the Lord Sustains

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:04:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "Those called, sustained, and set apart are entitled to our sustaining support." -James E. Faust

Note: As the Church has said, the manual has been prepared as the primary source of lesson material. This supplement, from a general conference address, is only meant as a complement to your study on this lesson's topic.

Excerpt from "Called and Chosen" by President James E. Faust, October 2005 General Conference:

My dear brethren of the priesthood, please accept our appreciation for all you do to carry forward the Lord’s work worldwide. I desire to speak about the sacred offices of those priesthood leaders who have been “called and chosen” 1 to guide the Church in this day. This is a special year for at least two reasons: first, we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Joseph Smith this December, and second, President Gordon B. Hinckley celebrated his 95th birthday this past June. I testify that the Prophet Joseph Smith was called and chosen as the first prophet of this dispensation and that President Gordon B. Hinckley is the present prophet, seer, and revelator of this Church.

When Mike Wallace interviewed President Hinckley some years ago for the television program 60 Minutes, he said, “[People will say] this is a church run by old men.” To this, President Hinckley replied, “Isn’t it wonderful to have a man of maturity at the head—a man of judgment who isn’t blown about by every wind of doctrine?” 2 So if any of you think the present leadership is too old to lead the Church, President Hinckley may need to give you some further counsel about the wisdom that comes with age!

Of the 102 Apostles called in this dispensation, only 13 have served longer than President Hinckley. He has served longer as an Apostle than Brigham Young, President Hunter, President Lee, President Kimball, and many others. It is wonderful to have his inspired leadership. Please forgive me for saying that I myself feel at times that I am standing on the edge of eternity. At age 85, I am the third oldest of all the living General Authorities. I have not sought this honor. I have just lived for it.

To read the full talk, click here.

Young Women Lesson 12: Maturing and Growing in Self-Reliance, Part 2

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:03:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "The Lord is depending on you to assist in the exaltation of your eternal family." -Mary N. Cook Discussion Questions
• How can we strengthen our relationships with our parents?
• How can we keep our parents’ trust?
• How can we keep Heavenly Father’s trust?

Excerpt from "Strengthen Home and Family" by Sister Mary N. Cook, October 2007 General Conference:

Each Sunday, from Mongolia to Manchester to Mississippi, the young women of the Church repeat these inspired words: “We will be prepared to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation” (“Young Women Theme,” Young Women Personal Progress [booklet, 2001], 5).

While this is the Young Women theme, it applies to all youth in the Church. I hope I can help you, my young brothers and sisters, understand how powerful your individual actions can be in strengthening your home and family, no matter what your circumstances. I understand, for example, that many of you may be the only member of the Church in your family.

For the Strength of Youth reminds us that “being part of a family is a great blessing. … Not all families are the same, but each is important in Heavenly Father’s plan” ([pamphlet, 2001], 10).

All families need strengthening, from the ideal to the most troubled. That strengthening can come from you. In fact, in some families you may be the only source of spiritual strength. The Lord is depending on you to bring the blessings of the gospel to your family.

To read the full talk, click here.

Young Men Lesson 12: Following the Living Prophet

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:03:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "What a great blessing it is to have prophets in our day!" -Claudio R. M. Costa Discussion Questions
• What does the Lord promise when we follow the prophet? (see D&C 21:5–6).
• What are some specific examples of when you or your family has been blessed for following the prophet?

Excerpt from "Obedience to the Prophets" by Elder Claudio R. M. Costa, October 2010 General Conference:

I am a convert to the Church. I am so grateful that God answered my prayer and gave me a knowledge and a strong testimony that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.

Before I made the decision to be baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I studied extracts from the history of Joseph Smith. I prayed after carefully reading each paragraph. If you would like to do this yourself, it may take you 14 hours.

After I read, pondered, and prayed, the Lord gave me the assurance that Joseph Smith was His prophet. I testify to you that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and because I have received this answer from the Lord, I know that all of his successors are prophets too. What a great blessing it is to have prophets in our day!

Why is it important to have living prophets to guide the true Church of Jesus Christ and its members?

In the Guide to the Scriptures, we find the definition of the word prophet: “A person who has been called by and speaks for God. As a messenger of God, a prophet receives commandments, prophecies, and revelations from God” (“Prophet,” scriptures.lds.org; see also Bible Dictionary, “Prophet”).

It is a great blessing to receive the word, commandments, and guidance of the Lord in these difficult days of the earth. The prophet can be inspired to see the future in benefit of mankind.

To read the full talk, click here.

Young Women Lesson 11: Growing and Maturing in Self-Reliance, Part 1

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:04:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "People need to realize that regardless of their circumstances, as desperate as those may be, they are entitled to the Light of Christ in their lives." -M. Russell Ballard

Discussion Questions

• What does it mean to “govern yourself”? (See Young Women manual 1, 43).

• How does following the Lord’s standards help us govern ourselves?

• Becoming self-reliant also means learning to live providently. What does provident living mean?

• What does it mean to become spiritually self- reliant? How can we become more spiritually self- reliant?

Excerpt from "Becoming Self-Reliant - Spiritually and Physically" by Elder M. Russell Ballard, talk to Brigham Young University:

From the Church Handbook of Instructions, we learn: “The Savior has commanded the Church and its members to be self-reliant and independent. …

“To become self-reliant, a person must work. Work is physical, mental, or spiritual effort. It is a basic source of happiness, self-worth, and prosperity. Through work, people accomplish many good things in their lives. …

“As people become self-reliant, they are better prepared to endure adversities” and are “better able to care for others in need.” 1

President Marion G. Romney (1897–1988) taught: “Without self-reliance one cannot exercise these innate desires to serve. How can we give if there is nothing there? Food for the hungry cannot come from empty shelves. Money to assist the needy cannot come from an empty purse. Support and understanding cannot come from the emotionally starved. Teaching cannot come from the unlearned. And most important of all, spiritual guidance cannot come from the spiritually weak.” 2 (See also p. 65 of this magazine.)

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) said: “The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.” 3

William George Jordan put it this way: “The world is busy with its own cares, sorrows and joys, and pays little heed to you. There is but one great pass-word to success,—self-reliance.” 4

From my experience, I believe that a few simple but very important principles can help prepare us to become more self-reliant.

To read the full talk, click here.

Book of Mormon Lesson 9: "My Soul Delighteth in the Words of Isaiah"

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:05:00 -0700

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Nephi's small plates are a wonderful witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ, and his inclusion of these chapters from Isaiah is an important element of this testimony.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

It just may be that my salvation (and yours also) does in fact depend upon our ability to understand the writings of Isaiah as fully and truly as Nephi understood them. (Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Ensign, Oct 1973, p. 78)

INTRODUCTION:

Someday I hope to read the Book of Lehi - the source for the 116 manuscript pages that disappeared while in the custody of Martin Harris (see heading to D&C 10). I am anxious to know more about the record of Lehi's father, and the genealogy of Lehi, and the activities of his group in the wilderness (see 1 Nephi 19:1). I believe that many of our questions about Book of Mormon geography might be clarified if we had that record, and I am a fanatic for anything Nephi wrote.

But I am not ready to trade!

If someone offered me the Book of Lehi in exchange for the contents of the small plates which replaced it, I would require about one nano- second to make up my mind and say No! I do not believe that Martin's mistake caused us to give up something magnificent for something pretty good, or that the content of the small plates was a second choice for inclusion in the Book of Mormon. God, knowing long in advance what would happen during the translation, commanded Nephi to make the small plates and to write on them his "ministry and the prophecies, the more plain and precious parts of them" (1 Nephi 19:3). So Nephi made them and he and others wrote on them and Mormon included them with the plates prepared for Joseph Smith for what they called a wise purpose in the Lord (1 Nephi 9:5; Words of Mormon, 1:7).

One of the reasons why these small plates are so valuable is their wonderful witness of the divinity of Christ.

In the introductory material to the Book of Mormon, we have access to the testimony of the three witnesses to the divinity of the book: Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer bear solemn testimony of the miraculous experience that demonstrated to them the reality of Gods involvement with this work. We call them the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon. But there are three other witnesses, standing, as it were, just inside the threshold of this book; three witnesses to the divinity of Christ. They are Nephi, Jacob, and Isaiah. They stand together, close together, at the portal, bearing a powerful and unified witness of the mission and ministry of the Messiah.

Jesus told the Sadducees that it was impossible to believe the scriptures and not believe in the resurrection (see Matthew 22:31-33). In like manner, it is impossible to believe the Book of Mormon, especially the words of Nephi, Jacob, and Isaiah, and not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ. It is in large measure for this testimony that Nephi delights in the words of Isaiah.

And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul delighteth in his words. For I will liken his words unto my people, and I will send them forth unto all my children, for he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him. And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words are true. Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word. Nevertheless, God sendeth more witnesses, and he proveth all his words (2 Nephi 11:2,3)

1. NEPHI TESTIFIES OF ISAIAH'S WRITINGS AND GIVES KEYS FOR UNDERSTANDING THEM (2 NEPHI 11; 25:1-8)

Nephi gives us at least 7 reasons for quoting Isaiah. Since engraving these records on metal sheets cannot have been an easy task (see Jacob 4:1), his desire to record these things in his record must have been exceptional.

• God sendeth more witnesses, and he proveth all his words (32 Nephi 11:3).

• My soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ . . . (2 Nephi 11:4).

• My soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers . . . (2 Nephi 11:5).

• My soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death (2 Nephi 11:5).

• And my soul delighteth in proving unto my people that save Christ should come all men must perish (2 Nephi 11:6).

• I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men (2 Nephi 11:8).

• Now these are the words, and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men (2 Nephi 11:8).

In 2 Nephi 25, Nephi gives us some keys to help us with Isaiah. 2 Nephi 25 begins Nephi's commentary on the writings of Isaiah, a commentary that includes 2 Nephi 25-30. And Nephi knew we would probably need some help understanding the writings of Isaiah:

NOW I, Nephi, do speak somewhat concerning the words which I have written, which have been spoken by the mouth of Isaiah. For behold, Isaiah spake many things which were hard for many of my people to understand. . . (2 Nephi 25:1, emphasis added)

Here are the keys Nephi provides to us.

• They know not concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews (2 Nephi 25:1). We will have a better ability to understand the messages of Isaiah if we have a better understanding of the way in which the Jews prophesied. In part that understanding comes with exposure. Reading and pondering and re-reading will increase our ability to comprehend.

• For because the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy (2 Nephi 25:4). Revelation 19:10 tells us that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. An abiding witness of the divinity of Christ and the purposes of his ministry will assist greatly in clarifying the passages of Isaiah. Also, the spirit of prophecy is closely linked to the spirit of revelation. They are referred to together 9 times in the Book of Mormon. That spirit of revelation will also be of great usefulness in understanding Isaiah.

• There is none other people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto them, save it be that they are taught after the manner of the things of the Jews (2 Nephi 25:5) A knowledge of the culture and history of the time periods in which Isaiah wrote will assist us in our understanding.

• In the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass (2 Nephi 25:7) Sometimes, we will understand only after we see the fulfillment: then we will say as we strike our palms to our foreheads, Oh! So thats what it meant! The prophecy in 2 Nephi 12:2,3 is such a prophecy. To those of us who have seen the Salt Lake temple and the know of the gatherings to Utah, in the 1800's for settlement and now for General Conference, the meaning seems perfectly clear.

• Wherefore, they are of worth unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that they are not, unto them will I speak particularly . . .I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they understand them (2 Nephi 25:8) Those who think the words of Isaiah (and Nephi's transcription of those words) of little value, will have a great difficulty in understanding the meaning of those words.

2. ISAIAH SEES THE LATTER-DAY TEMPLE AND THE GATHERING OF ISRAEL (2 Nephi 12:1-12)

Viewing the future of his people across the ages, Isaiah saw the temples of the last days and the gathering of Israel. Elder McConkie suggested that it would be a mistake to think that this prophecy had reference only to the Salt Lake Temple:

This great prophecy, as is often the case, is subject to the law of multiple fulfillment. 1. In Salt Lake City and other mountain locations temples, in the full and true sense of the word, have been erected, and representatives of all nations are flowing unto them to learn of God and his ways. In this connection and as part of the general fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, is the fact that one of the world's greatest genealogical societies has been established in Salt Lake City a society to which people of all nations come to do the ancestral research which must precede the performance of vicarious temple ordinances. 2. But the day is yet future when the Lord's house is to be built on that "Mount Zion" which is "the city of New Jerusalem" in Jackson County, Missouri. (D. & C. 84:24.) Mount Zion, itself, will be the mountain of the Lord's house in the day when that glorious temple is erected. 3. When the Jews flee unto Jerusalem, it will be "unto the mountains of the Lord's house" (D. & C. 133:13), for a holy temple to be built there also as part of the work of the great era of restoration. (Ezek. 37:2428.) (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.518)

This gathering will precede millennial judgment and peace on the earth. Nephi reminded us (in the words of Isaiah) that, following this gathering, the Lord would

. . . judge among the nations, and . . . rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (2 Nephi 12:4)

What a longing we ought to have for a day in which the implements of war become implements of peace - when the financial drain of military expenditure becomes the financial blessing of feeding the multitudes of hungry in this world. I do not mean to belabor this observation, but you might consider what it will mean to this world when the trillions of dollars spent on military activities are redirected to the solving of social problems such as hunger. That one event alone might be able to finance a millennium! Consider the following:

“According to the World Health Organization, hunger is the single gravest threat to the world's public health. The WHO also states that malnutrition is by far the biggest contributor to child mortality, present in half of all cases. fifteen million children die of hunger every year. Figures on actual starvation are difficult to come by, but according to the FAO, the less severe condition of undernourishment currently affects about 925 million people, or about 14 % of the world population.” (wikipedia.org/wiki/Starvation)

President Hinckley quoted Charles Sumner about this matter. He wrote:

Give me the money that has been spent on war, and I will clothe every man, woman, and child in an attire of which kings and queens would be proud. I will build a schoolhouse in every valley over the whole earth. I will crown every hillside with a place of worship, consecrated to the gospel of peace (The Ensign, March 1971, p. 20).

From page 160 of the Improvement Era, March 1938, comes this interesting insight:

Nicholas Murray Butler has figured that money spent for the World War could have built a $2,500.00 house, placed in it $1000.00 worth of furniture, put it on five acres of land worth $1000.00 an acre, and have given this to every family in the United States, Canada, Australia, England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France. Belgium, Germany, and Russia; could have given to each city of 20,000 or over in each of these countries a five-million dollar library and a ten-million dollar university; and could still with what was left set aside a sum at 5 per cent that would provide a $1,000.00 yearly salary for over 125,000 teachers and a like number of nurses (Reprinted from Treasures I Would Share, Heber J. Grant, Dec. 1937)

It may take divine intervention for this to happen. General Omar O. Bradley, who spent his life commanding and directing military operations, wrote,

We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount . . . Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living (cited in The Life of Mahatma Ghandi, Louis Fischer, p. 349).

Dwight D. Eisenhower, who also knew something of war, offered this observation:

Every gun made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in a final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.

This world in arms is not spending money alone: it is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children . . . this is not a way of life at all, in any true sense.

Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron. (Peace with Justice: Selected Addresses of Dwight D. Eisenhower, pp. 37-38)

We may not have much ability to influence the interactions of nations, but we are commanded to do a couple of things, that if done faithfully by enough people, will make a difference: 1) Renounce war and proclaim peace, (D&C 98:16); and 2) walk in the light of the Lord; yea, come, for ye have all gone astray, everyone to his wicked ways (2 Nephi 12:5).

3. ISAIAH PROPHECIES THAT THE LORD WILL RAISE AN ENSIGN AND GATHER ISRAEL (2 Nephi 15:26-29; 21:12)

The restored church is an ensign to the nations (see 2 Nephi 15:26; 21:12) Established by the power of the priesthood and according to the will of God, it becomes the most powerful force in the world for good. Its emissaries will call to people from throughout the world to come and partake of the goodness of the kingdom. The message of those emissaries is here described as a hiss. The Lord will hiss unto them from the end of the earth. The hissers are the missionary force of the church. We know from the scriptures and from revelation that they must discharge their duty to be hissers before they worry about becoming kissers.

These verses indicate that these hissers will go forth in power!

Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind: Their roaring [shall be] like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it. (2 Nephi 15:28,29)

The power with which they serve as they declare the reality of the restoration is the message behind this familiar statement from the prophet Joseph Smith:

Our missionaries are going forth to different nations. The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done [History of the Church, Vol. 4: p. 540].

A statement with a similar feeling came from Brigham Young.

When the wicked have power to blow out the sun, that it shines no more; when they have power to bring to a conclusion the operations of the elements, suspend the whole system of nature, and make a footstool of the throne of the Almighty, they may then think to check "Mormonism" in its course, and thwart the unalterable purposes of heaven. Men may persecute the people who believe its doctrines, report and publish lies to bring tribulation upon their heads, earth and hell may unite in one grand league against it, and exert their malicious powers to the utmost, but it will stand as firm and immovable in the midst of it all as the pillars of eternity. Men may persecute the Prophet, and those who believe and uphold him, they may drive the Saints and kill them but this does not affect the truths of "Mormonism" one iota, for they will stand when the elements melt with fervent heat, and the heavens are wrapt up like a scroll and the solid earth is dissolved. (Discourses of Brigham Young, p.442, 443)

IV. ISAIAH AND NEPHI TESTIFY OF JESUS CHRIST S REDEEMING POWER (selected verses)

Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things; this is known in all the earth. (2 Nephi 22:5)

He hath done excellent things. What a joy it was to read these Isaiah chapters looking for examples of the wonderful things the Savior has done or is willing to do for us. I found several descriptions worth considering in the context of a testimony of the Saviors redeeming power.

The Lord will wash away the filth of the daughters of Zion. (2 Nephi 14:4)

He will lift up an ensign to the nations. (2 Nephi 15:26)

He gives us light - the light of the life and mission of Christ: The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light . . . (2 Nephi 19:2)

He gives us joy. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and increased the joy - they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. (2 Nephi 19:3)

He will lift our burdens, and give us relief from the rod and the staff: For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor. (2 Nephi 19:4)

He will judge us righteously. He shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears. But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek . . . (2 Nephi 21:3,4)

He will gather his people. And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people . . . (2 Nephi 21:11)

He will be our strength, our salvation, our protection, a shadow, a refuge, a covert from storm and from rain. (2 Nephi 22:2; 14:6)

He will give us living water. . . . with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. (2 Nephi 22:3)

He will put an end to the influence of the wicked. The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, the scepters of the rulers. (2 Nephi 24:5)

He will give the earth a time to rest and heal. The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet; they break forth into singing. (2 Nephi 24:7)

CONCLUSION:

Doesn't the review of these descriptions of the Savior make you desire to break forth into singing and to cry out with Ammon?

Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel. (Alma 26:16)

Young Women Lesson 9: Honoring Parents

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:04:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "There are countless ways in which you can show true love to your mothers and your fathers. . . .They have sacrificed much and continue to sacrifice in your behalf." -Thomas S. Monson

Discussion Questions

• What can you do to strengthen your relationship with your parents?

• How can we show respect to our parents and grandparents even when their beliefs or opinions are different than ours?

Excerpt from "Be Thou an Example" by President Thomas S. Monson, April 2005 General Conference:

My, how your parents love you, how they pray for you. Honor them.

How do you honor your parents? I like the words of William Shakespeare: “They do not love that do not show their love.” There are countless ways in which you can show true love to your mothers and your fathers. You can obey them and follow their teachings, for they will never lead you astray. You can treat them with respect. They have sacrificed much and continue to sacrifice in your behalf.

Be honest with your mother and your father. One reflection of such honesty with parents is to communicate with them. Avoid the silent treatment. The clock ticks more loudly, its hands move more slowly when the night is dark, the hour is late, and a precious daughter has not yet come home. If you are detained, make a telephone call: “Mom, Dad, we’re OK. Just stopped for something to eat. Don’t worry; we’re fine. Be home soon.”

A number of years ago, while attending a youth gathering at the Clarkston, Utah, cemetery, where each of the group viewed the memorial which marks the grave of Martin Harris, one of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, I noticed another marker—a small stone in which was inscribed a name and this poignant verse: “A light from our household is gone; a voice we loved is stilled. A place is vacant in our hearts that never can be filled.”

To read the full talk, click here.

Young Men Lesson 9: Respect for Mothers and Their Divine Role

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:04:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "Perhaps the reason we respond so universally to our mothers’ love is because it typifies the love of our Savior." -Bradley D. Foster

Discussion Questions

• How has your mother influenced your life for good?

• How is your family blessed when you respect and honor your mother?

Excerpt from "Mother Told Me" by Elder Bradley D. Foster, April 2010 General Conference:

The Lord has placed upon parents the primary responsibility for the spiritual nurturing of their children. Sometimes this responsibility falls to a single parent. My own mother was relatively young when my father died, leaving her alone with four children. But she faced her adversity with faith and courage, promising us that if we stayed on the road of truth, the end would be better than the beginning. Like the children of valiant mothers in the Book of Mormon, “we [did] not doubt our [mother] knew it” (Alma 56:48). Brothers and sisters, I understand in a personal way the great influence of mothers.

My good friend Don Pearson shared an experience that highlights this influence. One night his four-year-old son asked him to read a bedtime story. Eric had picked out his favorite book: The Ballooning Adventures of Paddy Pork, a story about a family who lived on the isles of the sea and traveled from island to island by hot-air balloon. It was a picture book that had no words, so Brother Pearson made up words to the story.

“Paddy is in a hot-air balloon. He is landing on an island now. He is dropping a line over the side of the balloon.”

Eric stopped him. “Dad, that is not a line. It’s a rope.”

Brother Pearson looked at Eric and back at the picture book, and then he continued: “Paddy is getting out of the balloon and climbing down the tree. Oh no! His coat is caught on a limb!”

Again Eric stopped him. “Dad, that’s not a coat. It’s a jacket.”

By now Brother Pearson was somewhat perplexed. He said, “Eric, there are no words in this book, just pictures. Why do you insist that it’s a jacket?”

Eric answered, “Because Mother told me.”

To read the full talk, click here.

Teachings of George Albert Smith Lesson 5: The Holy Priesthood - For the Blessing of God's Children

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:04:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "A feeling of responsibility for others is at the heart of faithful priesthood service." -Henry B. Eyring

Excerpt from "Man Down!" by President Henry B. Eyring, April 2009 General Conference:

I am grateful for the honor and the blessing of speaking to the priesthood of God. My purpose tonight is to help you to be brave and bold in your priesthood service.

You will need bravery and you will need boldness because you are enlisted in the Lord’s army in the last dispensation. This is not a time of peace. That has been so since Satan arrayed his forces against our Heavenly Father’s plan in the premortal existence. We don’t know the details of the combat then. But we know one result. Satan and his followers were cast down into the earth. And since the creation of Adam and Eve, the conflict has continued. We have seen it intensify. And the scriptures suggest that the war will become more violent and the spiritual casualties on the Lord’s side will mount.

Almost all of us have seen a battlefield portrayed in a film or read the description in a story. Over the din of explosions and the shouts of soldiers, there comes a cry, “Man down!”

When that cry sounds, faithful fellow soldiers will move toward the sound. Another soldier or a medic will ignore danger and move to the injured comrade. And the man down will know that help will come. Whatever the risk, someone will run low or crawl to get there in time to protect and give aid. That is true in every band of men joined in a difficult and dangerous mission which they are determined to fulfill at any sacrifice. The histories of such groups are full of stories of those loyal men who were determined that no man would be left behind.

Here is one instance from an official account. 1 During fighting in Somalia in October of 1993, two United States Army Rangers in a helicopter during the firefight learned that two other helicopters near them had fallen to the earth. The two rangers, in their relative safety aloft, learned by radio that no ground forces were available to rescue one of the downed aircrews. Growing numbers of the enemy were closing in on the crash site.

To read the full talk, click here.

Book of Mormon Lesson 8: "O How Great the Goodness of Our God"

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:05:00 -0700

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: As you study these chapters of the Book of Mormon, ask yourself: if Jacob had spoken many things, what is there about this message that is so important for us that it was recorded on the small plates?

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

Let this message be sounded in every ear with an angelic trump. Let it roll round the earth in resounding claps of never-ending thunder. Let it be whispered in every heart by the still, small voice. Those who believe the Book of Mormon and accept Joseph Smith as a prophet thereby open the door to salvation; those who reject the book outright or who simply fail to learn its message and believe its teachings never so much as begin to travel that course along the strait and narrow path that leads to eternal life. [Elder Bruce R. McConkie, C.R., Oct. 1983, p. 104]

INTRODUCTION:

Notice the language of Jacob, who had "been called of God, and ordained after the manner of [the Lord's] holy order, . . . having been consecrated by [his] brother Nephi" (2 Nephi 6:2). He addressed the people of Nephi over a period of a couple of days (see 2 Nephi 9:54). 2 Nephi 6-10 is a record of that sermon. But this was not his only sermon. He said, ye know that I have spoken unto you exceedingly many things. (2 Nephi 6:2) Notice also that in these verses, Jacob will speak concerning things which are, and which are to come. (2 Nephi 6:4) Jacob tells us why he is delivering this message.

Behold, my beloved brethren, I speak unto you these things that ye may rejoice, and lift up your heads forever, because of the blessings which the Lord God shall bestow upon your children. (2 Nephi 9:3)

As you study these chapters and this commentary, ask yourself this important question: if Jacob has spoken exceedingly many things, why are these things recorded on the small plates? What is there about this message that is so important for us? Perhaps a part of the answer can be found in Jacobs marvelous descriptions of the wonderful things the Savior has done and will do for us.

1. JACOB TEACHES ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SAVIOR (2 Nephi 6-8)

As you read 2 Nephi 6-8, look for words that are related to what the Savior is willing to do for his people. You may wish to mark and reflect on some of the following phrases and words. You may also find others that deserve attention:

• (2 Nephi 6:11) merciful

• (2 Nephi 6:12) saved

• (2 Nephi 6:14) manifest himself

• (2 Nephi 6:14) recover,

• (2 Nephi 6:17) deliver

• (2 Nephi 7:2) redeem

• (2 Nephi 7:5-9) help,

• (2 Nephi 7:5-9) justify

• (2 Nephi 8:3,12) comfort

• (2 Nephi 8:4-6) light,

• (2 Nephi 8:4-6) salvation,

• (2 Nephi 8:4-6) judge

• (2 Nephi 8:16) covered [protected]

• (2 Nephi 8:22) pleads

What do these words indicate about the character of the Savior?

Review D&C 19:18,19; Mosiah 3:7; Luke 22:44. What do these verses add to your knowledge of the character and love of the Savior?

What does the Savior ask us to do in response to the things he is willing to do for us?

• 2 Nephi 8:4 - Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation

• 2 Nephi 8:7 - Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law

• 2 Nephi 8:7 - Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their reviling

• 2 Nephi 8:9 - Awake, awake! Put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in the ancient days

• 2 Nephi 8:17 - Awake, awake, stand up . . .

• 2 Nephi 8:24 - Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem

• 2 Nephi 8:25 - Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion

Jacob has never visited Jerusalem, but he has seen it in vision and has seen that Lehi's prophecies have been fulfilled. (2 Nephi 6:8) He has seen the ministry and death of the Holy One of Israel, and the suffering of the Jews that would thereafter come upon Israel. (see 2 Nephi 6:9,10)

But he has also seen the gathering and has explained the sequence of that gathering in the same way that it has been and will be explained many times in the Book of Mormon:

Wherefore, after they are driven to and fro, for thus saith the angel, many shall be afflicted in the flesh, and shall not be suffered to perish, because of the prayers of the faithful; they shall be scattered, and smitten, and hated; nevertheless, the Lord will be merciful unto them, that when they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer, they shall be gathered together again to the lands of their inheritance. (2 Nephi 6:11, emphasis added)

The gathering of the House of Israel to the lands of their inheritance comes after they believe in Christ. We have seen a preliminary gathering taking place in Israel, but the scriptures teach many times, as they teach here, that the real gathering is first to the Church and the Savior, and then to the promised lands. In fact, the meaning of the concept of gathering is first and foremost coming to Christ. First Nephi 10:14 teaches this:

And after the house of Israel should be scattered they should be gathered together again; or, in fine, after the Gentiles had received the fulness of the Gospel, the natural branches of the olive tree, or the remnants of the house of Israel, should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer.

Second Nephi 10:7 says it this way:

But behold, thus saith the Lord God: When the day cometh that they shall believe in me, that I am Christ, then have I covenanted with their fathers that they shall be restored in the flesh, upon the earth, unto the lands of their inheritance.

It is after she believes in Christ that Israel will be gathered to her lands of promise. This is exactly what has happened to those who have already been gathered - the members of the Church in our day. If you read carefully Jacobs description of those who will return - who will be gathered - you will see that these are people filled with the joy of conversion and testimony:

Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; and they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall flee away. (2 Nephi 8:11)

Speaking of the apostasy of Israel, ancient and modern, and of the distance that sometimes exists between the bridegroom and the bride, Jacob reminds us who has moved.

Yea, for thus saith the Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever? For thus saith the Lord: Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement? To whom have I put thee away, or to which of my creditors have I sold you? Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.(2 Nephi 7:1)

Jacob teaches that we need light to make our way through mortality, and he makes it most clear that the Savior is the source of the only light will truly dispel the darkness

Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? (2 Nephi 8:10)

But so many are walking by the uncertain light of tiny sparks from the fires they have tried to kindle for themselves. We have too often been satisfied to walk in the gloom of uncertainty when we have been invited in the brilliance of the light of celestial splendor.

Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand - ye shall lie down in sorrow. (2 Nephi 7:11)

2. THE ATONEMENT REDEEMS US AND SAVES US FROM DEATH AND HELL (2 Nephi 9)

Second Nephi 9:6-10. According to Jacobs explanation, why are we in need of the kind of help mentioned in 2 Nephi 9: 6-8?

Why would Jacob refer to death and hell as an awful monster? (2 Nephi 9: 10,19,26) Without the Saviors help or redemption or deliverance, what would happen to us? (2 Nephi 9:7-9)

2 Nephi 9:11-13. What did the Savior do to overcome this monster, death and hell?

We noted above that the Savior asks us to do certain things. Read 2 Nephi 9 find and mark verses or passages that describe our responsibility if we desire to receive the full blessings of the atonement. Review the following list and focus on the meanings and applications of these passages.

• 2 Nephi 9:18. Believe in the Holy One of Israel; endure the crosses of the world; despise the shame of the world.

• 2 Nephi 9:21. Hearken unto the Saviors voice.

• 2 Nephi 9:23. Repent, be baptized, and have faith.

• 2 Nephi 9:24. Endure to the end.

• 2 Nephi 9:39. Be spiritually minded.

• 2 Nephi 9:41. Come unto the Lord; walk the straight and narrow course.

• 2 Nephi 9:50,51. Feast on that which will not perish.

• 2 Nephi 9:52. Remember the words of God, pray continually, and give thanks.

Notice that in 2 Nephi 9:7, the sacrifice of the Savior is called an infinite atonement. (See also 2 Nephi 25:16; Alma 34:12) The Atonement is infinite because it affects all men. It is infinite because it reaches out into the universe to an infinite number of worlds. It is infinite because its effects remain throughout an infinite number of years.

Jacob rejoices in the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace (2 Nephi 9:8) in bringing to pass the death and resurrection of all men. Without the resurrection, according to 2 Nephi 9:8,9)

• Our spirits would be subject to Satan

• Our spirits would become like him

• We would become devils

• We would become angels to a devil

• We would be shut out from the presence of God

• We would be consigned to dwell with the father of lies

• We would be in misery

Speaking of this, Elder McConkie wrote:

"O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace!" Jacob exults. Why? Because if there were no atonement, there would be no resurrection; and if there were no resurrection, "our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more. And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the Father of lies, in misery, like unto himself." (2 Ne. 9:89.) That is to say, if there were no resurrection, which comes by the grace of God, all men would be sons of perdition, the most horrible and awful punishment in all the eternities. (Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, p.347)

When we stand before the judgement bar of God, Jacob tells us, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness . . . (2 Nephi 9:14)

Pres. Joseph F. Smith, speaking of that perfect knowledge, said,

May I say to you that in reality a man cannot forget anything? He may have a lapse of memory; he may not be able to recall at the moment a thing that he knows, or words that he has spoken; he may not have the power at his will to call up these events and words; but let God Almighty touch the mainspring of the memory, and awaken recollection, and you will find then that you have not even forgotten a single idle word that you have spoken. I believe the word of God to be true, and therefore, I warn the youth of Zion, as well as those who are advanced in years, to beware of saying wicked things, of speaking evil, and taking in vain the name of sacred things and sacred beings. Guard your words, that you may not offend even man, much less offend God. (Gospel Doctrine, p. 311)

3. CERTAIN ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS CAN KEEP US FROM THE BLESSINGS OF THE ATONEMENT (2 Nephi 9)

In 2 Nephi 9:27-44, Jacob discusses a number of attitudes and actions that are dangerous to us in our pursuit of eternal life. As you read this chapter, try to locate and ponder the attitudes and actions that Jacob warns against.

Read and mark the following phrases from 2 Nephi 9:27-38.

A. Woe to the person that has the gospel and the commandments, but sins thinking Ill repent later! (9:27)
B. Woe to the wealthy who despise the poor! (9:30)
C. Woe to those who refuse to listen to the Gospel and the truth! (9:31)
D. Woe to those who refuse to see the truth and beauty of the Gospel! (9:32)
E. Woe to the hard-hearted sinner! (9:33)
F. Woe to those who communicate with an intent to deceive! (9:34)
G. Woe to those guilty of premeditated murder! (9:35)
H. Woe to those who are immoral in any way! (9:36)
I. Woe to those to whom things are more important than God! (9:37)
J. Woe to any who are guilty of any of these things and die without repenting! (9:38)

Why might these things be a barrier to receiving the full blessings of the atonement?

4. IN SPITE OF INIQUITY, GOD REMEMBERS HIS COVENANTS WITH ISRAEL (2 Nephi 10)

• 2 Nephi 10:2. What will happen to many of the seed of the Nephites?

• 2 Nephi 10:3. What will the Jews do to the Savior?

• 2 Nephi 10:5. What attitudes and problems will cause them to do this terrible thing?

• 2 Nephi 19:6. What two things will happen to them because of their iniquities?

In spite of this rebellion and wickedness, Jacob testifies that God will remember his covenants and be merciful (see 2 Nephi 10:2)

• 2 Nephi 10:7. When will this restoration begin to take place?

• 2 Nephi 10:14. Who will become the king of Israel? What else will the Savior do for them and for us?

• In what ways are we like the Jews described in this chapter? How patient has the Lord been with you in your weaknesses? The following quote may be helpful:

No matter how serious the trial, how deep the distress, how great the affliction, [God] will never desert us. He never has and He never will. He cannot do it. It is not his character [to do so]. He is an unchangeable being; the same yesterday, the same today, and he will be the same throughout the eternal ages to come. We have found that God. We have made Him our friend, by obeying His Gospel; and he will stand by us. We may pass through the fiery furnace; we may pass through deep waters; by we shall not be consumed nor overwhelmed. We shall emerge from all these trails and difficulties the better and purer for them, if we only trust in our God and keep His commandments. (George Q. Cannon, Collected Discourses, 5 vols. [1897-92], 2:185; Cited in Come Unto Me by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Satellite Broadcast, March 2, 1997)

CONCLUSION

As you look at Jacobs concluding remarks in 2 Nephi 10:23-25, remember the question we asked at the beginning of this lesson. Why was this sermon included on the small plates when so many other things were left out?

Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves - to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved. Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine. Amen. (2 Nephi 10:23-25)

What does Jacob tell us we can do if we will apply all that he has taught us? (Cheer up your hearts (2 Nephi 10:23) What admonitions does Jacob give as part of his conclusion? (2 Nephi 10:23,24) What wish does he express for us in his conclusion? (2 Nephi 10:25)

I have a favorite hymn. I feel in the lyrics, apparently written in the middle of the dark ages, the kind of love for the Savior that Jacob must have had to write these chapters we have just studied.

JESUS, THE VERY THOUGHT OF THEE

(text attributed to Bernard de Clairvaux)

Jesus, the very thought of thee,

With sweetness fills my breast;

But sweeter far thy face to see

And in thy presence rest.

Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame,,

Nor can the mem'ry find

A sweeter sound than thy blest name,

O Savior of mankind!

O hope of every contrite heart,

O joy of all the meek,

To those who fall how kind thou art!

How good to those who seek!

Jesus, our only joy be thou,

As thou our prize will be;

Jesus be thou our glory now,

And through eternity.

(Hymns, 141)

Young Men Lesson 8: "Honour Thy Father"

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:03:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "Love is the measure of our faith, the inspiration for our obedience, and the true altitude of our discipleship." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Discussion Questions

• How has your father influenced your life for good?

• What are some qualities your father has that you would like to emulate in your life?

Excerpt from "The Love of God" by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, October 2009 General Conference:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is continually growing and becoming better known throughout the world. Although there will always be those who stereotype the Church and its members in a negative way, most people think of us as honest, helpful, and hardworking. Some have images of clean-cut missionaries, loving families, and friendly neighbors who don’t smoke or drink. We might also be known as a people who attend church every Sunday for three hours, in a place where everyone is a brother or a sister, where the children sing songs about streams that talk, trees that produce popcorn, and children who want to become sunbeams.

Brothers and sisters, of all the things we want to be known for, are there attributes above all others that should define us as members of His Church, even as disciples of Jesus Christ? Since our last general conference six months ago, I have pondered this and similar questions. Today I would like to share with you some thoughts and impressions that have come as a result of that inquiry. The first question is:

How Do We Become True Disciples of Jesus Christ?

The Savior Himself provided the answer with this profound declaration: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” This is the essence of what it means to be a true disciple: those who receive Christ Jesus walk with Him.

But this may present a problem for some because there are so many “shoulds” and “should nots” that merely keeping track of them can be a challenge. Sometimes, well-meaning amplifications of divine principles—many coming from uninspired sources—complicate matters further, diluting the purity of divine truth with man-made addenda. One person’s good idea—something that may work for him or her—takes root and becomes an expectation. And gradually, eternal principles can get lost within the labyrinth of “good ideas.”

To read the full talk, click here.

Teachings of George Albert Smith Lesson 4: The Prophet Joseph Smith: God's Instrument in Restoring Truth

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:03:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "Through Joseph Smith have been restored all the powers, keys, teachings, and ordinances necessary for salvation and exaltation." - Tad R. Callister

Excerpt from "Joseph Smith - Prophet of the Restoration" by Elder Tad R. Callister, October 2009 General Conference:

Suppose for a moment someone told you these three facts about a New Testament personality and nothing more: first, the Savior said of this man, “O thou of little faith” (Matthew 14:31); second, this man, in a moment of anger, cut off an ear of the high priest’s servant; and third, this man denied knowing who the Savior was on three occasions, even though he had walked with Him daily. If that is all you knew or focused upon, you might have thought this man a scoundrel or a no-good, but in the process you would have failed to come to know one of the greatest men who ever walked the earth: Peter the Apostle.

Similarly, attempts have been made by some to focus upon or magnify some minor weaknesses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, but in that process they too have missed the mark, the man, and his mission. Joseph Smith was the Lord’s anointed to restore Christ’s Church to the earth. When he emerged from the grove of trees, he eventually learned four fundamental truths not then taught by the majority of the contemporary Christian world.

First, he learned that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are two separate, distinct beings. The Bible confirms Joseph Smith’s discovery. It tells us that the Son submitted His will to the Father (see Matthew 26:42). We are moved by the Savior’s submission and find strength in His example to do likewise, but what would have been the depth and passion of Christ’s submission or the motivational power of that example if the Father and the Son were the same being and in reality the Son was merely following His own will under a different name?

To read the full talk, click here.

Book of Mormon Lesson 7: "I Know in Whom I Have Trusted"

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:05:00 -0700

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: We can learn a great deal from Nephi's resolve to stay close to the Lord and flee from the wickedness he faced among his brothers.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Speaking of the new editions of the Scriptures, Elder Packer said:

The stick or record of Judah - the Old Testament and the New Testament - and the stick or record of Ephraim - the Book of Mormon, which is Another Testament of Jesus Christ - are now woven together in such a way that as you pore over one you are drawn to the other; as you learn from one you are enlightened by the other. They are indeed one in our hands. Ezekiel's prophecy stands fulfilled.

With the passing of years these scriptures will produce successive generations of faithful Christians who know the Lord Jesus Christ and are disposed to obey his will.

The older generation has been raised without them, but there is another generation growing up. The revelations will be opened to them as to no other in the history of the world. Into their hands now are placed the sticks of Joseph and Judah. They will develop a gospel scholarship beyond that which their forbears could achieve. They will have the testimony that Jesus is the Christ and be competent to proclaim him and defend him. (Elder Boyd K. Packer, C.R., Oct. 1992, p. 75)

INTRODUCTION:

After you have reviewed the material in 2 Nephi 3, find a copy of the Joseph Smith Translation and read Genesis 50. You can read several verses in the Appendix to the LDS edition of the Bible if you cannot find the complete text. Compare the two chapters and you will once again see a witness to the significance of the contents of the brass plates, and even more you will sense the depth of the prophetic power of Joseph, the son of Israel.

1. LEHI TEACHES THAT HIS DESCENDANTS WILL BE BLESSED THROUGH THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH AND THE BOOK OF MORMON (2 Nephi 3)

These the things Lehi knew about Joseph Smith:

• God would raise him up as a seer to the descendants of Joseph (2 Nephi 3:6)

• He would be a choice seer ((2 Nephi 3:7) Remember what Ammon taught Limhi about the role of a seer? He said, . . . that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God. But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known. (Mosiah 8:16,17) But Joseph Smith would be more than a seer: he would be a choice seer. (2 Nephi 3:7)

• This seer would be a descendant of Joseph of Egypt. (2 Nephi 3:7)

• He would bring the descendants of Joseph to a knowledge of the covenants the Father made with the ancestors of Joseph. (2 Nephi 3:7)

• He would be commanded to do only the work assigned by the father. (2 Nephi 3:8)

• God would make him great. (2 Nephi 3:8)

• He would be great like unto Moses. (2 Nephi 3:9)

• He would have power to bring forth the word of God to the descendants of Joseph. (2 Nephi 3:11)

• He would have power to convince the descendants of Joseph of the truth of the Biblemy word, which shall already have gone forth among them. (2 Nephi 3:11)

• Out of weakness he would be made strong. (2 Nephi 3:13)

• Those that seek to destroy him would be confounded. (2 Nephi 3:14)

• His name and the name of his father would be Joseph also. (2 Nephi 3:15)

• He would be the spokesman to declare the writings of the descendants of Joseph. (2 Nephi 3:18)

• He would rise up mightily among the descendants of Lehi's son, Joseph. (2 Nephi 3:22; see footnote 24a)

I have in the notes above identified Joseph Smith as the spokesman in 2 Nephi 3:18. Elder Bruce R. McConkie suggested that identification also:

The Lord said to Joseph of old: "I will raise up unto the fruit of thy loins; and I will make for him a spokesman." As Moses wrote and Aaron proclaimed the law given in the Old World, so someone in the New World, someone of the seed of Joseph, would write the Lord's law, and yet another, a spokesman, would declare it. In this case the writer and the spokesman are not identified by name; rather, we are left, based on our knowledge of what has transpired in this and previous dispensations, to identify those whose missions were of such import as to have them revealed thousands of years before the events transpired. Mormon wrote the Book of Mormon, quoting, condensing, and summarizing front many ancient records as the Spirit directed. And Joseph Smith translated the ancient word by the gift and power of God and proclaimed it to all men, and to the seed of Joseph in particular, as the mind and will and voice of Him by whom salvation comes.

With this in mind, note these words of the Lord: "And I, behold, I will give unto him [Mormon] that he shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins [the Nephites], unto the fruit of thy loins [the Lamanites]; and the spokesman of thy loins Joseph Smith] shall declare it." [2 Nephi 3:18] That is, Mormon wrote the Book of Mormon, but what he wrote was taken from the writings of the Nephite prophets; and these writings, compiled into one book, were translated by Joseph Smith and sent forth by him unto the Lamanites unto whom, as the title page of the Book of Mormon attests, they were originally written. And further, they are sent forth to all the seed of Joseph, whether in the Lamanite branch of Israel or not. (Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.425 p.426)

Note the content of 2 Nephi 3:12. This remarkable prophecy about the future of the sticks of Judah and Joseph is the inspiration behind the Quote of the Week above. Because of the new editions of the scriptures, the sticks of Judah and Ephraim have begun to grow together, to the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions and establishing peace. This combination of sticks or books will also assist to bring the Lamanites to the knowledge of their fathers - their connection with the House of Israel and the covenant people - and to a knowledge of those very covenants.

2 Nephi 3:19 again testifies of the inspiration accompanying the selection of content for the Book of Mormon. We noted in Lesson 1 that Moroni had seen our day (Mormon 8:34,35) and that the Book of Mormon was written by the spirit of prophecy and revelation (see the Title Page). Now Lehi tells us this:

And the words which he shall write shall be the words which are expedient in my wisdom should go forth unto the fruit of thy loins. And it shall be as if the fruit of thy loins had cried unto them from the dust; for I know their faith. (2 Nephi 3:19)

2. NEPHI LAMENTS HIS SINFULNESS BUT GLORIES IN THE GOODNESS OF GOD (2 Nephi 4)

Lehi blessed the children of Laman and Lemuel, and he said something remarkable to them, for he declared, I know if ye are brought up in the way ye should go ye will not depart from it. (2 Nephi 4:5,9) This prophecy must be specific for the children of these two sons. Laman and Lemuel were certainly brought up in the way [they] should go and they departed from it rather dramatically. But Lehi offers this observation as a testimony. I know . . . One is left with the feeling that in conjunction with his many prayers for his oldest sons, he had prayed mightily over his grandchildren, the offspring of those sons, and the Lord had assured him that the sins of these children would be visited on the heads of their parents, for if these children were taught righteously, they would be righteous.

Wherefore, if ye are cursed, behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing may be taken from you and be answered upon the heads of your parents. (2 Nephi 4:6)

The promise of Lehi to his grandchildren requires an additional note here. Sometimes children, in spite of the purest love and the finest teaching parents can provide, seem to drift away, in somewhat the manner of Laman and Lemuel. But we have a promise:

Years ago President Joseph F. Smith gave us an answer and a promise when he said, If you will gather your children around you once a week and instruct them in the gospel, they will not go astray (David B. Haight, A Foundation Whereon Men Cannot Fall, Ensign, July 1972, 108).

Referring to this same promise of President Smith, in the October General Conference of 1970, Elder Boyd K. Packer taught:

In the Church, Monday night has been designated and set aside, Churchwide, for families to be at home together. Instruction has recently gone out, from which I quote:

"Those responsible for priesthood and auxiliary programs, including temple activities, youth athletic activities, student activities, etc., should take notice of this decision in order that Monday night will be uniformly observed throughout the Church and the families be left free from Church activities so that they can meet together in the family home evening." (Priesthood Bulletin, September 1970.)

With this program comes the promise from the prophets, the living prophets, that if parents will gather their children about them once a week and teach the gospel, those children in such families will not go astray (Improvement Era, Dec. 1970, p. 108)

In 1965, Harold B. Lee recalled a promise made by President Wilford Woodruff:

For over half a century, the leaders of this Church have counseled with parents in the home to gather their children around them in a weekly Home Evening and there teach the truths of salvation honesty, sobriety integrity, and chastity. One of our leaders has promised that if parents would do this, "ninety-nine out of every hundred children . . . will observe them through life." (The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, pp. 267-268.) (Harold B. Lee, CR, April 1965, p. 15

Sometime after these final lessons, Lehi waxed old and died. Not many days later, Nephi’s brothers were angry with him again, because of the admonitions of the Lord. Nothing these bitter and violent brothers had ever done has had even the smallest shadow of success in keeping Nephi from telling the truth. What an example he sets for us. President Joseph F. Smith spoke to parents about this kind of courage in our relationships with our children.

God forbid that there should be any of us so unwisely indulgent, so thoughtless and so shallow in our affection for our children that we dare not check them in a wayward course, in wrongdoing and in their foolish love for the things of the world more than for the things of righteousness, for fear of offending them. (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p.286)

Nephi always dared to check [his brothers] in a wayward course. He never flinched, and his affection for them was not shallow. If they needed the admonitions of the Lord, they got them, even though such steadiness infuriated them and the outcome of his preaching was a forgone conclusion. And this time was no exception. Nephi was constrained to speak unto them (2 Nephi 4:14) and he did. God help all of us never to exercise restraint when under the influence of such constraint. We must reprove betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy ghost . . . (D&C 121:43)

2 Nephi 4:16-35 changed my life. At a time when I was desperate to know that in spite of my weaknesses the Lord loved me and needed me, the witness came. As I read these verses, I was healed and loved and lifted, soaring as on eagles wings to a whole new awareness of the goodness of the Father and the Son. The Son taught me how to say what Nephi said in 2 Nephi 4:21.

My gratitude to Nephi for including this psalm is enormous. He could have left it out. In his books, filled with page after page of portraits of his greatness, we would never have missed these few verses of windows into his weaknesses. But he allowed us to see how human he was, how much like us he was, how much need of the help of the Lord he had. I came to believe, reading these verses, that as he was in some ways like me, I could finally learn to be something like him.

The cause of his distress - his sin, his yielding to temptations - was anger. Why am I angry . . .? Angry at whom? His brothers, we suppose, who were angry at him and who would soon (in the next chapter) try to kill him again. But he knew that this anger (or any other sin) did not serve him, or hurt his brothers. It simply paved the way for Lucifer to attack.

Why am I angry because of mine enemy? Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul. (2 Nephi 4:27,28, emphasis added)

Review the appeals Nephi makes in his prayer. He prays for wonderful things! (2 Nephi 4:31-34)

3. THE ANGER OF LAMAN AND LEMUEL INCREASES AGAINST NEPHI, AND THE LORD COMMANDS THE FOLLOWERS OF NEPHI TO SEPARATE FROM THE FOLLOWERS OF LAMAN. (2 Nephi 5)

As we mentioned in lesson #5, the hearts of Laman and Lemuel had become hard like unto a flint and the Lord seemed to have no way to soften them anymore. (See 2 Nephi 5:21) Thus, Nephi and Zoram and Sam and their families, and Jacob and Joseph [the] younger brethren, and also [his] sisters, and all who would go with [him] . . . did journey in the wilderness for the space of many days. (2 Nephi 5:6,7)

Notice the contrast in the lifestyles of these two groups:

The Nephites lived after the manner of happiness (2 Nephi 5:27). Since I want my family to live in the same way, I read 2nd Nephi 5 for insights into the way they lived, and the things that caused them to be happy. I found four things:

• And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things, according to the law of Moses (2 Nephi 5:10, emphasis added). Wickedness never was happiness (Alma 41:10), but obedience is. If we observe, that is watch carefully to insure that we are keeping the judgements and statutes and commandments, we will be much more likely to be happy.

• And the Lord was with us; and we did prosper exceedingly; for we did sow seed, and we did reap again in abundance. And we began to raise flocks, and herds, and animals of every kind (2 Nephi 5:11, emphasis added).

[The Nephites did learn to] build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance . . . And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cause my people to be industrious, and to labor with their hands (2 Nephi 5:15, 17, emphasis added). Any truly happy person will be engaged in worthwhile enterprise of some kind. Work is a key to happiness.

Spencer W. Kimball said, Work brings happiness, self-esteem, and prosperity. It is the means of all accomplishment; it is the opposite of idleness. We are commanded to work. (See Gen. 3:19.) Attempts to obtain our temporal, social, emotional, or spiritual wellbeing by means of a dole violate the divine mandate that we should work for what we receive. Work should be the ruling principle in the lives of our Church membership (See D&C 42:42; D&C 56:17; D&C 68:3032; D&C 75:29)(Spencer W. Kimball, And the Lord Called His People Zion, Ensign, Aug. 1984, 4).

In contrast to this, the Lamanites

. . . did become an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey. (2 Nephi 5:24)

• And I, Nephi, had also brought the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass (2 Nephi 5:12, emphasis added). Elder Nelson taught: Happiness comes when scriptures are used in shaping our lives (Russell M. Nelson, "A More Excellent Hope," Ensign, Feb. 1997, 63).

• And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon's temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine (2 Nephi 5:16, emphasis added).

Of course the Lamanites had been cursed. And they had been marked with a skin of blackness so that the Nephites would know they were cursed and stay away. Their cursing was a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. (2 Nephi 5:20,21; see also 2 Nephi 1:17,18,22) They were cut off from the presence of the Lord. They had no scriptures. They had no priesthood. They had no revelations. They had no temple. They had little or no access to the Spirit. A sore cursing indeed! We would be astonished if we were told, given these descriptions, that the Lamanites were immersed in happiness.

CONCLUSION:

It seems to me that there is another reason for this separation, in addition to the danger faced by Nephi. It has to do with the influence that Laman and Lemuel and their lifestyle might have on the others who went with Nephi.

When my mother remarried after 19 years of widowhood, she married a man of steel and certainty. He was my old scoutmaster and he was rugged. She learned not long after their wedding that her new husband suffered from a chronically sore big toe. It pained him greatly, but it was just a sore toe and he was tough as saddle leather. However, she was tougher and she got him to the doctor. An examination revealed melanoma. The toe was amputated.

One might ask, Why? It was just a toe. The disease was serious but it was localized in an appendage a long way from the center of things. Why all the fuss? We all know the answer. Cancer doesnt secure a toehold (sorry!) and stay put. It is always looking for an opportunity to expand. When you find a cancer, you get it out. My stepfather had waited too long to do that very thing. Within a year of the surgery, he was bedridden and riddled with cancer. All that could be done was to make him comfortable and wait for him to die. Nephi leaving Laman and Lemuel is an act of killing the cancer. Nephi must have known the great need to get away from the disease. And so, with all those who feared the disease, he packed up and pulled out.

The Lord has warned us many times about the danger of allowing such a condition to remain where it can influence us. In Numbers 16, the Lord warned the congregation about those who had rebelled against Moses and Aaron. Moses counseled the people:

Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. (Numbers 16:26)

That is exactly what Nephi did. He departed. In the October 1999 Conference, President Packer said it this way:

Young Latter-day Saints, shape up! Face up! Take hold of your lives! Take control of your mind, your thoughts! If you have friends that are not a good influence, make changes, even if you face loneliness, even rejection. (Ensign, Nov. 1999, p. 24)

If we do not depart from those who would lead us into wickedness, then what the Lord said to Israel may well become true unto us:

. . . they shall be [as thorns] in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. (Judges 2:3)

Young Men Lesson 7: "A Mighty Change of Heart"

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:04:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "Consider the state of your changed heart. Do you detect any rejection setting in as a result of the tendency of the natural man to become casual?" - Dale G. Renlund

Discussion Questions

• What does it mean to have a mighty change of heart? (see Mosiah 3:19; 5:1–2).

• How does a mighty change of heart affect your actions or behavior?

Excerpt from "Preserving the Heart's Mighty Change" by Elder Dale G. Renlund, October 2009 General Conference:

In December 1967 the first successful heart transplant was performed in Cape Town, South Africa. The dying man’s diseased heart was removed, and a healthy heart from a deceased donor was sewn in its place. Since then, over 75,000 heart transplants have been performed worldwide.

In each heart transplant recipient, the patient’s own body recognizes the new, lifesaving heart as “foreign” and begins to attack it. Left unchecked, the body’s natural response will reject the new heart, and the recipient will die. Medicines can suppress this natural response, but the medications must be taken daily and with exactness. Furthermore, the condition of the new heart must be monitored. Occasional heart biopsies are performed wherein small pieces of heart tissue are removed and then examined under a microscope. When signs of rejection are found, medications are adjusted. If the rejection process is detected early enough, death can be averted.

Surprisingly, some patients become casual with their transplanted hearts. They skip their medicines here and there and obtain the needed follow-up less frequently than they should. They think that because they feel good, all is well. Too often this shortsighted attitude puts the patients at risk and shortens their lives.

A heart transplant can prolong life for years for people who would otherwise die from heart failure. But it is not “the ultimate operation,” as Time magazine called it in 1967. 1 The ultimate operation is not a physical but a spiritual “mighty change” of heart. 2

To read the full talk, click here.

Young Women Lesson 7: Homemaking

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:02:00 -0700

source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "I believe it is by divine design that the role of motherhood emphasizes the nurturing and teaching of the next generation." - L. Tom Perry

Discussion Questions

• What kind of feeling do you want in your future home?

• What gifts and talents can help us contribute to a happy home now and in the future?

• What skills and attitudes do we need to further develop to have successful and happy homes?

Excerpt from "Mothers Teaching Children in the Home" by Elder L. Tom Perry, April 2010 General Conference:

I recently had the opportunity to travel with Elder Donald L. Hallstrom to visit five cities in the great central area of the United States. In each city we visited, we would hold a meeting with the full-time missionaries, followed by a meeting with the stake and ward leaders regarding missionary work. Between each of the two meetings, the stake Relief Society would prepare a light dinner for us to afford us time to meet with the stake presidents. When we reached Milwaukee, Wisconsin, two young families appealed to the Relief Society to let them prepare and serve the dinner. The two husbands manned the kitchen. The two mothers supervised the table arrangements and the serving of the food. Three young children handled the table setting and the serving of the food under the supervision of their mothers. This was an opportunity for the mothers to have a teaching opportunity with their children. It was very special to watch the children respond to every detail as they were taught by their mothers. They carried out their assignments completely and fully.

The experience caused me to reflect on the training I had received from my mother. Like the prophet Nephi and also like so many of you, I was born of goodly parents (see 1 Nephi 1:1).

One of my nieces recently shared with me four notebooks my mother had filled with notes as she prepared to teach her class in Relief Society. I would imagine these notebooks—and there are others I have not yet examined—represent hundreds of hours of preparation by my mother.

Mother was a great teacher who was diligent and thorough in her preparation. I have distinct memories of the days preceding her lessons. The dining room table would be covered with reference materials and the notes she was preparing for her lesson. There was so much material prepared that I’m sure only a small portion of it was ever used during the class, but I’m just as sure that none of her preparation was ever wasted. How can I be sure about this? As I flipped through the pages of her notebooks, it was as if I were hearing my mother teach me one more time. Again, there was too much in her notebooks on any single topic to ever share in a single class session, but what she didn’t use in her class she used to teach her children.

I believe it is even safe to say that while my mother was an enormously effective teacher among the sisters at Relief Society, her best teaching occurred with her children in the home.

To read the full talk, click here.

Book of Mormon Lesson 6: "Free to Choose Liberty and Eternal Life"

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:05:00 -0700

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: What would you say to your children if it were the last thing you would ever say to them? Consider this as you reflect on Lehi's words in this lesson.

Quote of the week:

I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase, mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to that counsel. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity the pure love of Christ will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness.

-Marion G. Romney, Conference Report, April 1960, p.112 p.113

INTRODUCTION:

One of the messages that the Book of Mormon sends to us across the years is that parents (particularly fathers) have an obligation to bless their children and to teach their children and to bear testimony to them. The Book of Mormon contains several chapters in which Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and Moroni are engaged in this work. When we read such things in this book, we must do more than believe the doctrine: we must follow the example. In fact, we will devote a lesson to this matter - lesson #29 when we study Alma 36-39. This lesson and the next will focus on what seem to be Lehi's final admonitions to his children. Nephi tells us this of these teachings:

And it came to pass after my father, Lehi, had spoken unto all his household, according to the feelings of his heart and the Spirit of the Lord which was in him, he waxed old. And it came to pass that he died, and was buried. (2 Nephi 4:12)

You might ask yourself what you would say to each of your children if it were the last thing you would ever say to them. As you consider this, reflect on the topics of which Lehi speaks, testifies, and prophesies.

1. LEHI EXHORTS HIS SONS TO REPENT, OBEY THE LORDS COMMANDMENTS, AND PUT ON THE ARMOR OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (2 Nephi 1)

The concept of mercy suggests receiving something we do not deserve. Anything that we receive that we have earned comes as a result of justice. Lehi begins his lessons to his offspring by speaking to Laman and Lemuel. He tells them that they are only alive because of the mercies of God is sparing their lives during their rebellions upon the waters. By rights and by the demands of justice, they should have been swallowed up in the sea. (2 Nephi 1:2)

He speaks of the mercies of God in warning them to flee from Jerusalem (1 Nephi 2:2) (which he knows by a vision has been destroyed [2 Nephi 1:4]), and in giving them a land of promise (2 Nephi 1:3,5).

Lehi says six things about this land of promise that you ought to mark in your scriptures. They are:

• It is a land which is choice above all other lands (2 Nephi 1:5).

• The Lord God . . . covenanted with [Lehi, that it] should be a land for the inheritance of [his] seed” (2 Nephi 1:6).

• It is also a land for all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord (2 Nephi 1:6).

• There shall none come unto this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord ((2 Nephi 1:6).

• If the inhabitants serve the Lord, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore they shall never be brought down into captivity (2 Nephi 1:7).

• This land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations (2 Nephi 1:8).

Notice the penalty pronounced upon the people of this land, if they should dwindle in unbelief.

He will bring other nations unto them, and he will give unto them power, and he will take away from them the lands of their possessions, and he will cause them to be scattered and smitten (2 Nephi 1:11).

This will come as a result of dwindling in unbelief. Notice the areas of dwindling mentioned in 2 Nephi 1:10. Try to give a grade to American society in each of these areas for the year 2012. Has this nation dwindled since the days of our ancestors?

People who dwindle, lose their belief in

The creation by God of the earth and all men

The scriptural record of the great and marvelous works of the Lord.

The possibility and ability to do things by faith

The commandments

The infinite goodness of the Lord

The Messiah

In how many of these beliefs is America (not the Church) still solid?

The warning given by Lehi here to his oldest sons might well be given to much of Western society.

O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe (2 Nephi 1:13).

In the next verse: Awake! and arise from the dust . . . (2 Nephi 1:14).

And in verse 23:

Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust (2 Nephi 1:23).

How is sin like sleep? What is there about the condition of Laman and Lemuel that is like sleep? Like a "deep sleep"? Like "the sleep of hell"? How is sin like groveling in the dust and dirt? What precisely does Lehi mean when he uses the words awake and arise? Lehi is certainly comparing wickedness to sleep. And the fact that he calls it "the sleep of hell" makes it pretty clear who is dispensing the sleeping pills. The comparison is intriguing. People who are in a deep sleep are hard to arouse. They are unaware of their surroundings. Danger can approach unobserved. It is impossible for them to make good decisions or to think clearly.

Twice in 2 Nephi 1 Lehi uses another image related to sleeping.

2 Nephi 1:13: Shake off the awful chains by which you are bound.

2 Nephi 1:23: Shake off the chains with which you are bound.

Each of their journeys into iniquity has increased the holding power of Satan over these boys. He did not start off with chains, of course. "In the beginning, he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords [his chains] forever" (2 Nephi 26:22).

This approach works very well because no one fears a flaxen thread. If a powerful enemy approached with an extensive chain forged with great links, even the bravest among us would run like an antelope. But when we see that he is only carrying a small, fragile, nearly invisible thread made of weakest of all natural fibers, we hold our place and trust in our strength. We can break a flaxen thread anytime we want to. With such insignificant restraint he will never be able to take us any place we do not want to go.

And so he takes us to the movies to watch sex and violence and to hear profanity. And he takes us to the TV for more of the same. And all the while he is singing lullabies and giving us the old pacifier and telling us that we are safe and that all is well.

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).

And all the while, the amount of profanity is increasing and the intensity of the sex is expanding (we really have come a long way, baby) and the degree of violence is multiplying. Lucifer is building a mighty cord from tiny flaxen threads; one that; if we allow him enough time to work on it, will be strong enough to pull a train up a hill. It will be nearly impossible to break. But we are having a nap and do not notice. He is so careful about it.

In 2 Nephi 1:21, Lehi says it this way: "Arise from the dust, my sons, and be men."

In a very real sense, Laman and Lemuel are babies, crawling in the dirt. They blame every-thing on somebody else. 440 years after this, their descendants will still be complaining that they were wronged in the wilderness by their brethren (Mosiah 10:12).

Let me create a hypothetical conversation between Lehi and his sons, with a few scriptural inserts.

Lehi: Sons, why did you try to kill Nephi?

L&L: He sought power and authority over us (see 2 Nephi 1:25)

Lehi: No, he sought the glory of God, and your own eternal welfare (2 Nephi 1:25). Now tell me, why do you murmur so much about Nephi?

L&L: He spoke plainly to us and he was sharp with us and he got angry at us (2 Nephi 1:26).

Lehi: Let me see if I understand this: You have tried to kill him at least three times, and you are upset that he got angry and spoke sharply and plainly to you? His sharpness was the sharpness of the word of God, and his anger was the truth, which he could not restrain (2 Nephi 1:26).

By the way, Lehi told Laman and Lemuel to wake up because Satan had power over them. Nephi once discovered that because of his anger at his brothers, he had given place for the enemy of [his] soul (2 Nephi 4:27). Notice who told Nephi to wake up.

Can you see why Lehi tells his boys to be men? And in the verses following this injunction, Lehi gives some wonderful clues about what true manhood really is. There is nothing here about slam dunks or beer commercials or fast cars or movie stars. Lehi would not have given a half a sentence to the manhood of Stallone or Van Damme or Schwartzeneggar. Here are some of the things suggested by this chapter that comprise manhood:

• be determined (2 Nephi 1:21)

• be in one mind and in one heart (2 Nephi 1:21)

• put on the armor of righteousness (2 Nephi 1:23)

• shake off the chains (2 Nephi 1:23)

• arise from the dust (2 Nephi 1:23)

• rebel no more (2 Nephi 1:24)

• be an instrument in the hands of God (2 Nephi 1:24)

• don't seek for authority or power (2 Nephi 1:25)

• speak plainly and truthfully (2 Nephi 1:26)

One final note, also related to manhood. Lehi tells Zoram that he has been a true friend to Nephi. Consider the implications of true friendship.

Many years ago I taught the gospel to a wonderful man in Sorocaba, Brazil. He was a mechanic who had recently left his place of employment and began to repair cars in his garage. But following his baptism, the family came on hard times and he returned to his former workplace in order to return to financial solvency. Not long after, I found that he had started smoking again.

Why? I wanted to know. What happened?

He told me something like this: All my old friends work there and they all smoke. They keep offering me cigarettes and trying to get me to smoke. It is really hard to say no all the time.

He and I had a sincere visit about what constitutes a real (a true) friend. True friends help you reach your righteous goals. They direct you to Christ. They stand by you in your struggles and trials. When a true friend sees you walking a tightrope over a towering waterfall, he does not stand on the side and throw rocks at you.

2. LEHI TESTIFIES OF THE ATONEMENT OF JESUS CHRIST (2 Nephi 2:1-10)

The promise Lehi makes to his 5th son in 2 Nephi 2:2 is so sweet that it is worth writing on your fridge in black marker:

And he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.

This sounds suspiciously like the promise made in D&C 90:24:

Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another (emphasis added).

D&C 100:15 says:

Therefore, let your hearts be comforted; for all things shall work together for good to them that walk uprightly, and to the sanctification of the church (emphasis added).

Lehi's testimony of the atonement in these verses is one of the clearest witnesses of grace in all of the standard works. Lehi says to Jacob, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer (2 Nephi 2:3). I wonder how long you would have to read in the standard works to find a man more consistently righteous than Jacob. But Jacob will not be saved because of his righteousness. He will be saved because of the righteousness of Christ. To put this in other words, no amount of obedience and righteousness can earn us entrance into the Celestial Kingdom. Paul taught this with great clarity in Romans.

For by the law is the knowledge of sin; therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight (JST Romans 3:20).

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus . . . (Romans 3:23,24).

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law (Romans 3:31).

Or, as Lehi said it with startling simplicity, you cant earn exaltation, because salvation is free (2 Nephi 2:4). This being true, we have a great responsibility.

Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise. (2 Nephi 2:8)

The merits of Christ are synonymous with his grace and are mentioned several times in the scriptures. They are worth a scripture chain, beginning with the verse above.

2 Nephi 31:19
19 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. (emphasis added)

Alma 24:10
10 And I also thank my God, yea, my great God, that he hath granted unto us that we might repent of these things, and also that he hath forgiven us of those our many sins and murders which we have committed, and taken away the guilt from our hearts, through the merits of his Son. (emphasis added)

Helaman 14:13
13 And if ye believe on his name ye will repent of all your sins, that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his merits. (emphasis added)

Moroni 6:4
4 And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith. (emphasis added)

D&C 3:20
20 And that the Lamanites might come to the knowledge of their fathers, and that they might know the promises of the Lord, and that they may believe the gospel and rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ, and be glorified through faith in his name, and that through their repentance they might be saved. Amen. (emphasis added)

3. LEHI TEACHES THE IMPORTANCE OF OPPOSITION AND THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE GOOD FROM EVIL (2 Nephi 2:11-30)

It seems to me that there are 5 great conditions discussed in this chapter, four of which make agency possible, the fifth being agency itself. Together they create an environment where agency can exist and make us accountable for the choices we make within the framework of this freedom God has given us. As I reviewed the significant scriptures in 2 Nephi 2 and tried to outline them, I found that I had made an acronym, one that has helped me remember and teach the attributes and requirements of agency for several years. The acronym derived from these verses is P-O-L-K-A

P: Power to chooseWherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other (2 Nephi 2:16).

O: God placed man in an environment of Opposition; that is, in a place where there was an Opportunity to choose. For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility (2 Nephi 2:11).

L: God gave unto man Laws, so that he would know what God wanted him to choose. And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin . . . (2 Nephi 2:13).

K: God gave man Knowledge and taught all men sufficiently that they would Know the difference between good and evil, that is, between obeying a law, and breaking it. And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. . . (2 Nephi 2:5).

A: These conditions, taken together (Power to choose, the Opportunity to choose, the Laws that help us know what to choose, the Knowledge of what is good and what is evil) comprise what we call Agency, or freedom of choice: Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself (2 Nephi 2:27).

The key to our agency was the action of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Lehi's comments about this seem to be paraphrase of Moses 5:10-11, and give clear evidence that the book of Moses as we now have it in the Pearl of Great Price was in fact engraven on the Plates of Brass. Lehi wrote

And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin (2 Nephi 2:22,23).

The comparable text in Moses says

And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God. And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient (Moses 5:10,11).

CONCLUSION:

Lehi's lessons are all Christ-centered. Christ has the keys to Laman’s and Lemuel's chains. He has given Lehi the land of promise. He has set the perfect example of true manhood and true friendship. And he has provided the blessing of an infinite and eternal atonement. Without his merits, his mercy, his grace, the effects of the fall would be irreversible. And he has placed us in an environment where we can choose for ourselves, with our agency, whether we want the blessings of these gifts. Lehi was correct: How great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth . . . (2 Nephi 2:8).