2 Nephi 6-7

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you are relaxing a little bit and taking a breather from this week. I know I am! For my second post this week I want to touch on just a few verses in 2 Nephi chapters 6 and 7. The end of verse 7 reads, "...and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me." Part of verse 13 reads, "....And the people of the Lord shall not be ashamed. For the people of the Lord are they who wait for him; they still wait for the coming of the Messiah." Verse 7 in chapter 7 reads, "For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." So, I'm guessing you are sensing the pattern I found about not being ashamed. I think this is such a great principle for members to know, especially the youth and young adults. This is the time in our lives that we get to learn how to stand up for ourselves. We make more and more decisions without  our parents, we have to rely on our own testimonies, we are growing up all while the world is throwing evil at us left and right. I know it isn't always easy to declare your membership in the church. In high school there were times when I wondered if keeping my standards and living as a Latter-day Saint all the time was worth it. Believe me when I say it is! Heavenly Father has mansions in heaven prepared for those that endure to the end. I challenge you, but the youth especially, to say, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ" when you wake up or when you feel tempted to lower your standards or as you walk down the hallways at school because "it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" (Romans 1:16). Be a proud follower of Jesus Christ. I know some people think we are weird, but really, every person on Earth is their own kind of weird :) Remember, "I'm a Mormon. I know it. I live it. I love it." (Click on the link to watch a cute video)

The last chapter of 1 Nephi!

Is it snowing where you live? It's snowing where I live. I still haven't gotten used to it. I would describe it as a blizzard, but most Utahns would call it a "light flurry." So while I am cooped up in my dorm room I thought I'd write my second post for the week (back to back posts, I know, wild). So we are ending 1 Nephi today. I have gotten through 1 Nephi probably a million times, but then my scripture reading habits start to fade and the rest of the Book of Mormon gets a little dusty....but not this time! Stick with me guys, be proud we've finished a whole book in a book! This chapter discusses the last days and what will happen to the Gentiles, Israel, the righteous and the wicked. We are the Gentiles and it is our job to preach the gospel to Israel like....now. In verse 7 we read, "And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the house of Israel have been scattered and confounded, that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles..." now on to verse 8, "And after out seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed..." This "marvelous work" is the restoration of the gospel and all the events that led up to it which helped it occur, like Christopher Columbus finding America and the Constitution including the freedom of religion in it. As the chapter goes on Nephi tells of the blessings the righteous will receive and the punishments the wicked will receive. As Nephi talks about wars and famines and people perishing, it sounds like a scary event doesn't it? As soon as I began thinking this, I read the first line of verse 22, "And the righteous need not fear..." It is such a comfort to know that if I am righteous I will prosper and be blessed in the end. Living the gospel doesn't always seem easy in the world we live in today. The world tells us that it's okay to party and drink and smoke. They tell us that mother's don't really need to take care of their kids because a successful career is really important. They tell us our standards on marriage are way too strict. Do not let your guard down because the world tells you to. Remember your standards and goals at all times! What is your goal? A temple marriage, to be sealed with your family forever, to obtain eternal life. I love this promise, "the righteous need not fear." We are not alone in this world and when we endure to the end, we will certainly not be alone in the very last days. I don't know if we are allowed to have a favorite apostle, but if we are my favorite is Elder Jeffery R. Holland :) His talks are absolutely amazing. In the last General Conference he said, "You never check your religion at the door. Not ever." I hope that we can all make an effort to really live out this phrase, because it is so, so important.

1 Nephi 8

This week I have been working on my handout making skills (who woulda thunk it, I know) so in the next few weeks I hope to have a few handouts to give you guys! This college student only has so much time on her hands, so we'll see when these handouts actually get done.....anyway, today is a wonderful day! It is the day we take a closer look at 1 Nephi chapter 8. This is the famous "Tree of Life" chapter. I want to focus first on the people in verse 21. We read, "And I saw numberless concourses of people, many of whom were pressing forward, that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree by which I stood." Alright, so these people sound like they are in pretty good shape right? Now read verse 23, "And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness....insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost." Uh oh, what happened? They got lost, but they were on the path to the tree, right? Did you notice what they didn't do though? They didn't grab a hold of the iron rod. I have never noticed that til reading the chapter this time around. It wasn't enough for them just to be on the path towards the tree. Remember, tree of life = love of God, iron rod = word of God. The scriptures hold such importance in our gaining a testimony of this gospel. The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion, so it is vital to "feast upon" them. In verse 30 we read, "But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward: and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree." This verse just sends goosebumps up and down my arms. These people pressed forward, and did not stop. I love the word "until" used here, because it is saying that the people endured to the very end, the very end! That had to have been hard because they "fell down" when they reached the tree of life. This life isn't easy, but the Lord has blessed us with countless outlets to help us make it through. When I was in high school, I liked Seminary, but I definitely didn't appreciate it as much as I should have. I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to attend Seminary, and I am absolutely loving the religion classes I am enrolled in here at BYU. I hope that everyone, not just Seminary and BYU students will hold on to the word of God, for I know that it leads to a place of peace and happiness.
This is an awesome video about Seminary....watch it! Seminary Can Change Lives

1 Nephi 4

Second post of the week....woohoo! Alright, so we skip a couple of chapters and head over to chapter 4. This is the awesome chapter when Nephi kills Laban and gets a hold of the brass plates. Let's start in the middle of verse 5, "And after they had hid themselves, I, Nephi crept into the city and went forth towards the house of Laban. (6) And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. (7) Nevertheless I went forth...." Isn't that awesome? Nephi went forward with faith, relying on what the Spirit revealed to him what he should do. Now look over at verse 16 where we read, "And I also knew...(17) And, again, I knew...(18) Therefore I did obey..." In all of these verses Nephi was practicing obedience  whether he knew what he was supposed to do or not. In verses 16 through 18, how did he know what he was to do? He was in tune with the Spirit! Through the Spirit we can receive knowledge and truth so that the path we must take is clear. In chapter 5 verse 8, Nephi's mother Sariah says, "Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness...." Before she knew for sure that what they were doing was the right thing, she had faith in her husband and in the Lord. Faith and works people. I found an awesome article by President Monson called Believe, Obey and Endure that goes along with this topic. He is speaking to the young women of the church, so I loved this one! I hope you do, too.
http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/general-young-women-meeting/2012/03/believe-obey-and-endure?lang=eng&query=obedience