1 Nephi 15 - 20

As a matter of note, I have not made any entries since last Monday because I was on a Pioneer Trek with the youth of our stake. And this morning, I'm working hard to catch up.

It is interesting to me that so many people of the world are very much like Nephi's brothers, Laman and Lemuel. There attitude is that of, if they don't know then no one else knows.

Nephi after returning from "being carried away in the spirit" he found his brothers disputing some of the spiritual things taught by their father. And Nephi

"...spake unto [his] brethren, desiring to know of them the cause of their disputations."
(Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 15:6)

To which they responded -

"...we cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken..." (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 15:7)

And Nephi asked -

"...Have ye inquired of the Lord?" (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 15:8)

To which they responded -

"...We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us." (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 15:9)

Isn't that the same answer so many people of this world give in response to spiritual matters? Nephi then teaches this basic truth in learning the mysteries of God -

"...How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord? How is it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts?
11 Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you." (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 15:10 - 11)

What a great promise to those who sincerely desire to know the truth.

In the same conversation regarding the dream of their father of the Tree of Life, Laman and Lemuel asks Nephi -

"...What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?" (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 15:23)

And again Nephi teaches another great promise -

"...it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction." (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 15:24)

And Nephi tells us he -

"...did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things." (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 15:25)

Simple principles of truth are revealed in a few words of Nephi in this discussion with his brethren. As we keep the commandments of God with diligent study of God's words, that is the scriptures and council of modern day prophets, and inquiring of the Lord with faith and believing, the promise is the mind will be enlighted and heart will be touched, and spiritual truths will be made known.