2 Nephi 25

Hello all! I apologize for making this post so late this week. March Madness, homework and socializing have gotten in the way this week. Aw, who am I kidding? Really it's just been March Madness and socializing.....anyway....Today I will be discussing chapter 25 in 2 Nephi. Throughout Second Nephi, Nephi and Jacob both quote the prophet Isaiah. Often times it is hard to understand the symbolism and the history that Isaiah describes. I know when I get to some of these chapters I think "alright, get through it as fast as possible and it will all be over soon." I don't recommend that kind of thinking. Verse 4 explains, "...the words of Isaiah...are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy." Luckily, we don't all have to be prophets in order to have this spirit. The Lord has blessed us with the ability to receive inspiration for ourselves and our families. This blessing comes with obedience to "the laws and ordinances of the gospel." If you feel stuck reading Isaiah, or any verse within the scriptures, pray, ponder, and wait for the Lord to reveal understanding to you. Moving on to verse 23 we read, "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ..." and onto verse 26, "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ..." I love these verses! I think this might be my new life motto. With all the missionaries now going into the mission field, I am so excited to hear about how how the gospel is growing throughout the world. For those (like me) not going on missions, it is still our job to "rejoice in Christ." Be an example to kids at school, coworkers, fellow athletes. I am so grateful for missionary work and for Latter-day Saints who are fantastic examples to others. We were each given the light of Christ and we just shine with it when we share our testimonies through word and deed.

1 Nephi 11

Happy Monday! I am stuffed from the Superbowl and spiritually enriched from Stake Conference this weekend. Now I'm ready to write about 1 Nephi 11. So my favorite verse in this chapter is verse one. It says, "For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot." Look at all those verbs used, just to get an answer to his prayers. He wanted to know, and he believed the Lord would show him those things. He also sat pondering. He wasn't doing the dishes, or feeding the camels, he set aside time to receive this answer. The word "ponder" has really hit me as I have learned more about the Book of Mormon this semester. When it comes to prayer and reading the scriptures, I guess I always thought if I thought about it for a few minutes, or maybe a day, I would get an answer or some inspiration. But to ponder is much more than that. Ponder is defined as "to consider something deeply and thoroughly; to weigh carefully in the mind." Another verse I like is 7, but mostly just the last part, "and after ye have witnessed him ye shall bear record that it is the Son of God." With all the BYU students preparing for missions, missionary work has been a pretty big topic around here. Even if I don't go on a mission, I think it is still important to know that if I have a testimony, I gotta share it! One of the ways that I am doing that is writing it down (well, typing it out), or "bearing a record." One last thing. In verse 31 we read how the Lord is able to heal "multitudes of people who were sick and afflicted with all manner of diseases..." Now, I know they are talking about physical sickness, but what about spiritual sickness? Heavenly Father has the power to  heal "all manners" of sins we commit, as long as we take the first step and repent. His atonement is infinite, absolutely infinite, for which I will eternally be grateful.