1 Nephi 16

 As the families of Lehi murmured, we read that even Lehi had begun to murmur and Nephi tells us - 

"...I said unto my father: Whither shall I go to obtain food?

24 And it came to pass that he did inquire of the Lord, for they had humbled themselves because of my words; for I did say many things unto them in the energy of my soul.

25 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came unto my father; and he was truly chastened because of his murmuring against the Lord, insomuch that he was brought down into the depths of sorrow."  (1 Nephi 16:23–25)

We all are not perfect.  Lehi, after being chastened of the Lord, experience Godly sorrow.  Would that all of us had the opportunity to experience this kind of sorrow.

1 Nephi 15

 Even in his young age, Nephi understood the gathering of Israel saying- 

"...it will not come to pass until after they are scattered by the Gentiles; and he meaneth that it shall come by way of the Gentiles, that the Lord may show his power unto the Gentiles, for the very cause that he shall be rejected of the Jews, or of the house of Israel.

18 Wherefore, our father hath not spoken of our seed alone, but also of all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant which should be fulfilled in the latter days; which covenant the Lord made to our father Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed."  (1 Nephi 15:17–18)

Another promise given to Abraham.

1 Nephi 14

 In vision, Nephi testified that - 

"...I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord..." (1 Nephi 14:14)

Entering into and faithful keeping of covenants brings the power of the Lamb of God.

1 Nephi 13

 Nephi learns about  - 

"...the formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away.

27 And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men.

28 Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God.

29 And after these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles..."  (1 Nephi 13:26–29)

I note that it was after the formation of the great and abominable church (kingdom of the devil) that took away plain and precious things and covenants, that it went to the gentiles.  The gentiles of other religions received the book or the Bible after.

1 Nephi 12

"The angel said to Nephi - 

"...Thou rememberest the twelve apostles of the Lamb? Behold they are they who shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel; wherefore, the twelve ministers of thy seed shall be judged of them; for ye are of the house of Israel.

10 And these twelve ministers whom thou beholdest shall judge thy seed..."  (1 Nephi 12:9–10)

The common understanding in the Church is that the angel is referring to the final judgement.  But my impression is as Church leaders, they will judge the saints in this life much like many priesthood leaders are called to judge.

1 Nephi 11

 Being of the house of Israel does not guarantee promised blessings for we read in Nephi's vision - 

"...Yea, behold the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb."  (1 Nephi 11:35)

It all hinges on covenant keeping and righteousness.

 

Elder Gerrit W. Gong - Love is Spoken Here

 Elder Gong taught that we could hear and speak love through - 

First, the gospel language of warmth and reverence.

Second, the gospel language of service and sacrifice.

And that brings us to the gospel language of covenant belonging.

"May we each learn to speak and hear His love here, in our hearts and homes, and in our gospel callings, activities, ministering, and service.

In God’s plan, we will each transition one day from this life into the next life. When we meet the Lord, I imagine Him saying, with words of instruction and promise, “My love is spoken here.”"

1 Nephi 10

 Nephi teaches - 

"...wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round."  (1 Nephi 10:19)

I like David J. Ridges definition of "one eternal round" -

“from eternity to mortality, then back to eternity.”

Ridges, David J.. The Book of Mormon Made Easier, Part 1 (The Gospel Studies Series) (p. 66). Cedar Fort, Inc. Kindle Edition. 

In my mind, this is the New and Everlasting Covenant which suggests it is new every time it is revealed.

1 Nephi 8

 In Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life, he sees - 

"And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree.

25 And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed."  (1 Nephi 8:24–25)

Of all groups of people mentioned in the vision, for me, this seems the most troubling.  I see many return missionaries that my fit this description

1 Nephi 7

 Yesterday, I gave another patriarchal blessing to a young woman.  I was very impressed by her as well as others that were much the same.  Nephi is his young is just as impressive as he says to his brothers - 

"...I, your younger brother, should speak unto you, yea, and set an example for you?

9 How is it that ye have not hearkened unto the word of the Lord?

10 How is it that ye have forgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord?

11 Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us, in delivering us out of the hands of Laban, and also that we should obtain the record?

12 Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him?..."  (1 Nephi 7:8–12)

He emphasizes the word "forgotten".  While other Bood of Mormon prophets emphasize the word "remember".  It left me thinking of myself where I need to remember, not forget.

President Henry B. Eyring - Our Constant Companion

President Eyring taught - 

"We need, and you will need, the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. Now, we desire it, yet we know from experience that it is not easy to achieve. We each think and say and do things in our daily lives that can offend the Spirit.

When that happens, as it will, we may feel disapproval from the Lord. And we may be tempted to feel we are alone. It is important to remember the sure promise we receive each week as we repent and partake of the sacrament: “That they may always have his Spirit to be with them.”5

If you have felt the influence of the Holy Ghost today, you may take it as a sweet evidence that the Atonement is working in your life."

He added - 

"As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has said: “Whenever these moments of our extremity come, we must not succumb to the fear that God has abandoned us or that He does not hear our prayers. He does hear us. He does see us. He does love us.”6

That assurance has helped me. When I feel distant from the Lord, when answers to my prayers seem delayed, I have learned to follow the counsel of President Nelson to review my life for opportunities to repent. He reminds us, “Daily repentance is the pathway to purity, and purity brings power.”"

"If you want to receive the companionship of the Holy Ghost, you must want it for the right reasons. Your purposes must be the Lord’s purposes. If your motives are too selfish, you will find it difficult to receive and sense the promptings of the Spirit.

The key for me and for you is to want what the Savior wants. Our motives need to be driven by the pure love of Christ. Our prayers need to be “All I want is what you want. Thy will be done.”"

1 Nephi 4

 One new thing caught my interest this morning.  As Nephi responded to his brothers that they should not give up in acquiring the brass plate of Laban, he tells them - 

"...Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands?

2 Therefore let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh did follow and were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea.

3 Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt? Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians."  (1 Nephi 4:1–3)

I note that Nephi compares Laban to the armies of Pharaoh suggesting "and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians".  It seems to me that he already had a premonition that Laban should be destroyed.

1 Nephi 3

 I find it interesting that after seeing an angel of the Lord and being promised - 

"...Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands."  (1 Nephi 3:29)

That  - 

"...Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur, saying: How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands? Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us?"  (1 Nephi 3:31)

Wickedness never seems to bring rational thought.

1 Nephi 1

 Though I have blogged about this in the past, Nephi writes - 

"...behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."  (1 Nephi 1:20)

My thoughts this morning was concerning "power of deliverance".  Many callings where we have been "chosen" and experience a overwhelming challenge, we are promised the power of deliverance or in other words - 

"...he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."  (1 Nephi 3:7)

Elder Dale G. Renlund - Jesus Christ Is the Treasure

 Elder Renlund, speaking about looking beyond the mark stated of the Savior - 

"He is our mark. If we incorrectly imagine that there is a need for something beyond what He offers, we deny or diminish the scope and power He can have in our lives. He has claimed the rights of mercy and extends that mercy to us.7 He is the ultimate “source [to whom we should] look for a remission of [our] sins.”8 He is our Advocate with the Father and champions what the Father has wanted all along: for us to return to Him as inheritors in His kingdom. We need to, in the words of the prophet Alma, “cast about [our] eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for [our] sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection.”9 Jesus Christ is our treasure."

"As an eight-year-old, I had mistakenly presumed that the water of baptism washed away sins. Not so. In the years since my baptism, I have learned that sins are cleansed by the power of Jesus Christ through His atoning sacrifice as we make and keep the baptismal covenant.10 Then, through the gift of repentance, we can remain clean. I have also learned that the sacrament brings a powerful virtuous cycle into our lives, enabling us to retain a remission of our sins."

"When we have the Holy Ghost with us, we will be inspired and guided to make and keep other covenants, such as those we make in temples. Doing so deepens our relationship with God..."

"Brothers and sisters, I encourage you to remember and always focus on Jesus Christ. He is our Savior and Redeemer, the “mark” to whom we should look, and our greatest treasure. As you come to Him, you will be rewarded with strength to face life’s challenges, courage to do what is right, and the ability to fulfill your mission in mortality. Treasure the opportunity to repent, the privilege of partaking of the sacrament, the blessing of making and keeping temple covenants, the delight of worshipping in the temple, and the joy of having a living prophet."

BofM - introduction

 In his introduction, Moroni stated the this record is - 

"...to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever..."(Title Page, 2)

"...they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away."  (1 Nephi 13:26)

“…behold, ye are the children of the prophets; and ye are of the house of Israel; and ye are of the covenant which the Father made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.

26 The Father having raised me up unto you first, and sent me to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities; and this because ye are the children of the covenant—”  (3 Nephi 20:25–26)

One must enter into covenants to obtain the Celestial Kingdom.  Other kingdoms do not require covenants.