Lesson 16: Ye Shall Be Called the Children of Christ

This week I did a handout, mostly because my shoulder hurt too much to write on the board. I'm a visual learner, so I feel like my learning is reinforced if I see it in writing. It's great too, as both a teacher and class member, to have an outline of where the lesson is going.

Last week we began discussing King Benjamin’s sermon. How would you summarize what he taught in chapters 2-3?

Serve others, serve God, we are all unprofitable servants & indebted forever, beware of contentions/evil spirit, keep the commandments, sin/guilt causes us to shrink from Lord’s presence, remember awful state of the unrepentant and the happy state of those who keep the commandments, salvation only possible through Christ’s Atonement, we must “put off” the natural man, we will be judged according to our works

Now, think back three weeks, to general conference. Do you remember President Monson’s closing remarks? He said,

“As your humble servant, I echo the words of King Benjamin in his address to his people when he said: “I have not commanded you to … think that I of myself am more than a mortal man. But I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind; yet I have been chosen … by the hand of the Lord … and have been kept and preserved by his matchless power, to serve you with all the might, mind and strength which the Lord hath granted unto me.”

Is it a fair to compare King Benjamin’s sermon to general conference? Did we figuratively “pitch our tents” toward the Temple? Note that King Benjamin caused his words to be written so the people who were unable to hear it at the time could read them…if you were in that situation, have you read the words from conference?

What was the reaction of the people to King Benjamin’s sermon? (v. 1-2) How does our reaction to general conference compare?

Why do you think King Benjamin emphasized his people’s “nothingness” and unworthiness? Doesn’t that contradict our belief that “I am a Child of God” and “the worth of souls is great”?

How can King Benjamin’s words to his people give us hope when we are discouraged by our weaknesses?

From Nancy W. Jensen on the LDS Gospel Doctrine Plus blog: "Remembering our nothingness causes us to feel “poor in spirit,” but if we stop here, we just experience despair and guilt (downward spiral). Remembering God’s greatness and goodness and patience as well impels us to come unto him (upward spiral)."

Why is it essential for us to recognize our dependence on the Lord?

What did understanding their “carnal state” lead King Benjamin’s people to do? (See Mosiah 4:2.)

What caused them to become “filled with joy”? (See Mosiah 4:3.)

“God wants each of His children to enjoy the transcendent blessing of peace of conscience. A tranquil conscience invites freedom from anguish, sorrow, guilt, shame, and self-condemnation. It provides a foundation for happiness. It is a condition of immense worth, yet there are few on earth that enjoy it. Why? Most often because the principles upon which peace of conscience is founded are either not understood or not adequately followed.”

—Richard G. Scott, Oct. 04 GC

What enabled them to be forgiven of their sins? How did they know they had been forgiven? How can we know that we are forgiven after we repent?

What did King Benjamin teach about how we obtain a remission of our sins? (See Mosiah 4:1–10.)

What did he teach about how we retain a remission of our sins? (See Mosiah 4:11–26.)

How can we know we have obtained & retained a remission of our sins?

Evidence/Blessings:

“There is a surefire way to determine if you have been spiritually reborn: Look at the way you treat others.”

—D. Kelly Odgen, Andrew C. Skinner (Verse by Verse: The Book of Mormon, Vol. 1, p. 320)

Why do you think serving others helps us retain a remission of our sins? (Mosiah 4:26.)

How can we develop a generous heart regardless of our financial situation?

Mosiah 4:17-20 "Are we not all beggars?" I missed this connection, but my friend Julie was teaching today and showed President Uchtdorf's talk "The Merciful Obtain Mercy". I LOVE it!

Mosiah 4:27 What does it mean to do all things “in wisdom and order”? How can you be helped by this counsel?

King Benjamin taught his people that to avoid sin and maintain their commitment to God, they must watch their thoughts, words, and deeds (Mosiah 4:29–30). How are our thoughts, words, and deeds related? How will our words and deeds be affected when we watch our thoughts?

King Benjamin’s people experience a “mighty change” and covenant to do God’s will in all things.

How did the people know that King Benjamin’s words were true? (See Mosiah 5:2.) What effect did the Spirit of the Lord have on the people? (See Mosiah 5:2–5.)

Once we have experienced a “mighty change … in our hearts” (Mosiah 5:2), what challenges do we face in maintaining this change? How can we meet these challenges?

What does it mean to become children of Christ? (See Mosiah 5:2, 5–7.) What does it mean to “take upon [ourselves] the name of Christ”? (See Mosiah 5:8–11). What can we do each day to help us keep Christ’s name written in our hearts? (See Mosiah 5:11–15.)

King Benjamin asked, “How knoweth a man the master whom he has not served?” (Mosiah 5:13). How have you come to know Christ better through serving Him?

“And again, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of all these things, and had consecrated his son Mosiah to be a ruler and a king over his people, and had given him all the charges concerning the kingdom, and also had appointed priests to teach the people, that thereby they might hear and know the commandments of God, and to stir them up in remembrance of the oath which they had made, he dismissed the multitude, and they returned, every one, according to their families, to their own houses.” (Mosiah 6:3)

How can the organization of the church help us better live the gospel?

1)Teaching and 2) renewing of covenants are both important tools for remembering.

Excerpts from Donald L. Hallstrom's talk, “Converted to His Gospel through His Church” (April 2012 general conference):

“Some have come to think of activity in the Church as the ultimate goal. Therein lies a danger. It is possible to be active in the Church and less active in the gospel. Let me stress: activity in the Church is a highly desirable goal; however, it is insufficient. Activity in the Church is an outward indication of our spiritual desire. If we attend our meetings, hold and fulfill Church responsibilities, and serve others, it is publicly observed.

By contrast, the things of the gospel are usually less visible and more difficult to measure, but they are of greater eternal importance. For example, how much faith do we really have? How repentant are we? How meaningful are the ordinances in our lives? How focused are we on our covenants?

I suggest three fundamental ways to have the gospel be our foundation:

1. Deepen our understanding of Deity. A sustained knowledge of and love for the three members of the Godhead are indispensable. Mindfully pray to the Father, in the name of the Son, and seek direction from the Holy Ghost. Couple prayer with constant study and humble pondering to continually build unshakable faith in Jesus Christ. “For how knoweth a man the master … who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?” (Mosiah 5:13).

2. Focus on the ordinances and covenants. If there are any of the essential ordinances yet to be performed in your life, intently prepare to receive each of them. Then we need to establish the discipline to live faithful to our covenants, fully using the weekly gift of the sacrament. Many of us are not being regularly changed by its cleansing power because of our lack of reverence for this holy ordinance.

3. Unite the gospel with the Church. As we concentrate on the gospel, the Church will become more, not less, of a blessing in our lives. As we come to each meeting prepared to “seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118), the Holy Spirit will be our teacher. If we come to be entertained, we often will be disappointed. President Spencer W. Kimball was once asked, “What do you do when you find yourself in a boring sacrament meeting?” His response: “I don’t know. I’ve never been in one” (quoted by Gene R. Cook, in Gerry Avant, “Learning Gospel Is Lifetime Pursuit,” Church News, Mar. 24, 1990, 10).

In our lives we should desire what occurred after the Lord came to the people of the New World and established His Church. The scriptures read, “And it came to pass that thus they [meaning His disciples] did go forth among all the people of Nephi, and did preach the gospel of Christ unto all people upon the face of the land; and they were converted unto the Lord, and were united unto the church of Christ, and thus the people of that generation were blessed” (3 Nephi 28:23).

The Lord wants the members of His Church to be fully converted to His gospel. This is the only sure way to have spiritual safety now and happiness forever.”

Lesson 12: Seek Ye for the Kingdom of God

What do you know about Jacob?

• Was a son of Lehi and Sariah (1 Ne. 18:7)
• Was born in the wilderness (1 Ne. 18:7)
• He saw the Savior in his youth (2 Ne. 2:4)
• He was ordained to the priesthood by Nephi (2 Nephi 6:2; Jacob 1:18)
• Instructed by Lehi—“Opposition in all things” “Broken heart & contrite spirit” “Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy”
• Saw great visions—destruction of Jerusalem, return of Jews from Babylon, appearance of Christ to them, his rejection by them, crucifixion, Jews to be smitten & afflicted, later come to a knowledge of Redeemer
• He became custodian of the small plates and succeeded Nephi in the ministry
• He “labored diligently,” “obtained his errand from the Lord” and “magnified his calling”

Jacob magnifies his calling from the Lord:

What does the word “magnify” mean? (To enlarge, to increase in significance, to cause to be held in greater esteem or respect.) What does it mean to “magnify” a calling in the Church?

What are some phrases that describe how Jacob magnified his calling?

• Obtained his errand from the Lord (Jacob 1:17).
• Had been consecrated, or set apart (Jacob 1:18).
• Took responsibility (Jacob 1:19).
• Taught the word of God with all diligence (Jacob 1:19).
• Labored with his might (Jacob 1:19).

How do we obtain our errand from the Lord?

How can we find out what the Lord wants us to do in our callings?

Why is it so important that we magnify our callings?

What are some good examples you have seen of people magnifying their callings?

How can we better magnify our callings?

How have you been blessed as you have done your best to fulfill your callings?

“In general conference last year, Elder M. Russell Ballard warned against the deterioration of family relationships that can result when we spend excess time on ineffective activities that yield little spiritual sustenance. He cautioned against complicating our Church service “with needless frills and embellishments that occupy too much time, cost too much money, and sap too much energy. … The instruction to magnify our callings is not a command to embellish and complicate them. To innovate does not necessarily mean to expand; very often it means to simplify. … What is most important in our Church responsibilities,” he said, “is not the statistics that are reported or the meetings that are held but whether or not individual people—ministered to one at a time just as the Savior did—have been lifted and encouraged and ultimately changed.”

—Dallin H. Oaks, Good, Better, Best. GC 2007

Jacob warns against the love of riches, pride, and unchastity.

Riches:

“So often it is the order of things that is fundamental in the Lord’s instructions to us. The Lord is not telling us that we should not be prosperous. This would be inconsistent with the many records we have of Him blessing His people with prosperity. But He is telling us that we should seek prosperity only after we have sought and found Him. Then, because our hearts are right, because we love Him first and foremost, we will choose to invest the riches we obtain in building His kingdom.”

—L. Tom Perry, Apr 87 GC

“Seek not for riches but for wisdom; and, behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.” (D&C 11:7.)

I liked this comment by Julie M. Smith:

"It seems that every time the topic of wealth comes up in a classroom, people go into Justification Mode instead of Introspection Mode. They “aim” the verses at the super-rich (that is, they do not consider themselves wealthy, despite the fact that a lower middle class American has more wealth than pretty much everyone in history and the vast majority of people on earth today), they tell you about the GA that they knew once who had a Ferrari, they tell you that the poor would misuse additional money (by buying drugs), they tell you that we shouldn’t encourage dependency by just giving the poor stuff, they tell you that they are saving their money so they can always be self-sufficient and go on a mission when they retire. Why does the wall go up, and what might we do about it?"

“The possession of riches does not necessarily constitute sin. But sin may arise in the acquisition and use of wealth. … ‘For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.’ Book of Mormon history eloquently reveals the corrosive effect of the passion for wealth. … Had the people used their wealth for good purposes they could have enjoyed a continuing prosperity. But they seemed unable for a sustained period to be simultaneously wealthy and righteous” —Spencer W. Kimball

What are the four proper uses of money, according to Jacob?

1. To clothe the naked.
2. To feed the hungry.
3. To liberate the captive.
4. To administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.

Pride:

You should really read the whole thing, but here are a few excerpts I loved from President Uchtodorf’s talk, Pride and the Priesthood:

“It is almost impossible to be lifted up in pride when our hearts are filled with charity. “No one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love.” When we see the world around us through the lens of the pure love of Christ, we begin to understand humility.

Some suppose that humility is about beating ourselves up. Humility does not mean convincing ourselves that we are worthless, meaningless, or of little value. Nor does it mean denying or withholding the talents God has given us. We don’t discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves. It comes as we go about our work with an attitude of serving God and our fellowman.

Humility directs our attention and love toward others and to Heavenly Father’s purposes. Pride does the opposite. Pride draws its energy and strength from the deep wells of selfishness. The moment we stop obsessing with ourselves and lose ourselves in service, our pride diminishes and begins to die.”

“Let me conclude with words from President Ezra Taft Benson’s inspired message of 21 years ago:

“Pride is the great stumbling block to Zion.

“We must cleanse the inner vessel by conquering pride. …

“We must yield ‘to the enticings of the Holy Spirit,’ put off the prideful ‘natural man,’ become ‘a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord,’ and become ‘as a child, submissive, meek, humble.’ …

“God will have a humble people. … ‘Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.’ …

“Let us choose to be humble. We can do it. I know we can.”

Immorality:

(See Jacob 2:23–24.) How do many people today try to excuse unchastity?

What counsel and comfort did Jacob give to those who had been hurt by the immorality of others? (See Jacob 3:1–2.)

According to Jacob, how were the Lamanites blessed for being chaste? (See Jacob 3:5–7.) What are the blessings of being morally clean?

“In the second chapter of the book that bears his name, Jacob condemns men for their “whoredoms.” He told them they had “broken the hearts of [their] tender wives, and lost the confidence of [their] children, because of [their] bad examples before them.” What were these grossly wicked “whoredoms”? No doubt some men were already guilty of evil acts. But the main focus of Jacob’s great sermon was not with evil acts completed, but with evil acts contemplated.”

—Dallin H. Oaks, Apr 05 GC

Jacob testifies of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

After calling his people to repentance, Jacob ended his sermon by testifying of the hope of forgiveness through the Atonement. How do the scriptures and the prophets help us gain a testimony of the Atonement? (See Jacob 4:4–6.) How can we obtain the hope in Christ that Jacob spoke of? (See Jacob 4:10–12.)

What do you think it meant that the Jews looked “beyond the mark”? (See Jacob 4:14. The Jews delighted in expounding the difficult texts of scripture, but without faith and the help of the Holy Ghost they could not understand them. They despised the “words of plainness” in the scriptures and looked for salvation in some other way than through Jesus Christ.)

How might we sometimes “look beyond the mark” in our daily living? How can we be more diligent in remembering the importance of the Savior in our lives?

“Today there is a tendency among some of us to “look beyond the mark” rather than to maintain a testimony of gospel basics. We do this when we substitute the philosophies of men for gospel truths, engage in gospel extremism, seek heroic gestures at the expense of daily consecration, or elevate rules over doctrine. Avoiding these behaviors will help us avoid the theological blindness and stumbling that Jacob described.” —Quentin L. Cook

Lesson 10: He Inviteth All to Come Unto Him

I loved Bruce Satterfield's post on this week lesson at Meridian Magazine.

He references many great talks that go along with this week's lesson, including several by one of my all-time favorite prophets, Ezra Taft Benson:

The Book of Mormon is the Word of God

Beware of Pride

I Testify

Here are some of the others:

Beware of False Prophets and False Teachers by M. Russell Ballard

Spiritual Security by Charles Didier

Overcome . . . Even As I Also Overcame by Neal A. Maxwell

And here's another one I loved:

Come Unto Christ by Henry B. Eyring

Lesson 5: Hearken to the Truth, and Give Heed Unto It

1 Nephi 16 - 22.

Class Member Study Guide.

Gospel Doctrine Teacher's Manual.

B of M Teacher Resouce Manual.

FAIR Study Aid.

Feast Upon the Word.

Gospel Doctrine Plus.

Meridian Magazine.

JOURNEYS

Chapters 16-18 are all about the journey of Lehi and his family through the wilderness and to the promised land. What aspects of their journey stand out to you?

Here are a few observations:

• They were commanded to leave.
• It was a sacrifice—they left their home, riches & comfortable life.
• It was important to travel as a family.
• Like the children of Israel, they travelled in the wilderness.
• They had to backtrack, and there were unexpected twists.
• They were headed to an unknown, but promised, land.
• They were guided (by dreams, visions, the Liahona, the spirit, the voice of the Lord, scriptures, prophets, angels).
• They experienced life events, such as marriage and children, along the way.
• The journey was much longer than they expected.
• They suffered afflictions, including hunger, thirst, fatigue, fear, pregnancy, childbirth, “mechanical” failures, heat, desolation, contention, death and storms.
• They were also nourished, strengthened, led, taught, and provided for, according to their faith and obedience.
• Some complained, focusing on the negative aspects and idealizing what they left behind.
• Others recognized the blessings and focused on the positive, recognizing the hand of the Lord in their lives.

Does any of that seem familiar?

“Like Lehi, we have been commanded to separate ourselves spiritually from the world to escape the of sin. Like Lehi, we each have a journey to take with our families either into the “precious land” of our Father’s kingdom or into captivity and death.

Our destiny is entirely our choice. We can choose to hearken or not. We can choose as Nephi did to listen to the Lord and be preserved by his power, or to choose as Laman and Lemuel did to harden our hearts. Both paths are hard, but while one leads to darkness and futility, the other leads to the light. The path that leads to the Savior, although challenging at times, is ultimately the path of “simpleness and easiness,” and our labor is to look to Christ and live (1 Ne. 17:41).”

—Breck England, Meridian Magazine

How does their journey compare to our own? What lessons can we learn from their journey and reactions?

I loved the thoughts of Nancy W. Jensen, at www.gospeldoctrineplus.blogspot.com. The following is adapted from her lesson. I highly recommend you read her excellent post (just click on the link above). I put brackets around my additions.

"AND THUS WE SEE, that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth 1) nourish them, and 2) strengthen them, and 3) provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; WHEREFORE, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness" (1 Nephi 17:3).

But not everyone on the trip felt so positive about the journey, and no one felt so positive about it all the time. Let's look at this story to see how we can be better travelers and find joy in our journeys.

HOW TO BE A HAPPY CAMPER DURING LIFE'S TRAVELS

Trust in the Lord.

[How has trusting the Lord helped you through your trials? How can we be better at trusting Him?

What doctrines and principles, if properly understood, will help us to be trusting, grateful, faithful and obedient, like Nephi?

Joseph Smith taught “that three things are necessary in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation. 
First, the idea that he actually exists. 
Secondly, a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes. 
Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to his will. (Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith, 3:2-5)]

After re-telling the story of Exodus to his brothers, Nephi reminded them of the character of God:

"And he loveth those who will have him to be their God. BEHOLD, he 1) loved our fathers, and he 2) covenanted with them, yea, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he 3) remembered the covenants which he had made; WHEREFORE, he did bring them out of the land of Egypt.” (1 Nephi 17:40)

Use the scriptures as a map.

Nephi wanted his brothers to see that they were being guided by the Lord, and that they would reach their destination, so he likened their journey unto another journey they were familiar with from their scriptures, the Brass Plates.

Similarly, as we study the scriptures, there are many things we can learn about the Lord's dealings with his people over centuries of time that will help us see and understand that by His word, everything will work out in the end for us as well.

Be patient.

When they stopped at the shore of the Red Sea, they called the place Bountiful. When they got to America, they called that land Bountiful, too. There is never any indication that Lehi knew that the promised land would be across the sea until Nephi was told to build a ship when they were already living in a wonderful location. It seems very likely that the travelers thought that the Bountiful by the Red Sea was their final destination, their promised land. Was it possibly a little disheartening to find out that they had only just begun their journey at that point, eight years after leaving Jerusalem, and the most treacherous part lay ahead? [1 Ne. 17:4] When we find that a difficult life journey has yet another twist to it, can we calmly load up our bags and keep going?

[Think about how your life has deviated from your plans—what have you learned from the surprises?

Quote by C.S. Lewis:

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity]

Have faith even while having questions.

When the Lord commanded them to leave this beautiful and fruitful land Bountiful by crossing a treacherous sea in a homemade ship, everyone had questions. But Nephi's questions were useful. "Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship?" Do the questions we ask when we are in challenging positions reflect our faith? Instead of asking "Why me?" as Laman and Lemuel did, can we ask, "What do you want me to do?" as Nephi did?

[A comparison of the questions asked by L&L and Nephi would make a great study topic. Also, there is a great book by Wendy Watson Nelson called Change Your Questions, Change Your Life—I highly recommend it.]

Don't look back.

Laman and Lemuel chose to whine and complain. "It would have been better" to have died in Jerusalem, they said. However, they didn't really think they would have died in Jerusalem, because the next thing they said was that instead of suffering in the wilderness, "we might have enjoyed our possessions," "we might have been happy." (1 Ne. 17:20-22) But the destruction of Jerusalem really did happen and their "afflictions in the wilderness" were mighty blessings compared to the real "might-have-beens."

Do we complain about our blessings?

See the blessings in every part of the journey. Be Grateful.

[I admit I tend to focus too much on the destination. “I’ll be happy when…

• Finals are over
• I graduate
• I get married
• I get pregnant
• This pregnancy ends!
• I don’t have to change diapers anymore J
• Etc.

What strategies do you use to find joy in the journey? How have you taught your children to do this?

"Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings. Said one well-known author: “Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend … when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”

—President Thomas S. Monson, Finding Joy in the Journey, Oct. 2008 conference]

Focus on what is important.

I love finding general conference talks that go along with what I'm studying in the Book of Mormon. Here are a few more excerpts from the above talk given by President Monson in October 2008:

“I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."

"Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us."

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved."]

Recognize the Lord's hand in the journey.

"I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led." (1 Ne. 17:13)

Look for "the light in the wilderness." Give thanks for it in your evening prayers. Keep track of it in your journal.

JOURNALS

One of the first things the Lord commanded Nephi to do after the families arrived in the promised land was to keep a record (1 Nephi 19:1). What are the blessings we receive when we record sacred events in our lives? How do you journal, and what strategies help you to do it?

Henry B. Eyring's October 2007 conference talk, O Remember, Remember was the inspiration for my own commitment to journaling. After hearing his talk I began a family blog as well as a private journal specifically to record the hand of the Lord in my life. If you are looking for motivation to start, or restart, or keep going, I highly recommend reading his talk.

Another journaling experience that I loved was an anniversary gift for my husband. Years ago, on January 1st, I began writing down something each day that I appreciated about him. I kept it up until our anniversary (alright, only until February 22nd). It was a great way to focus on my blessings, and hopefully show him my gratitude and love.

If you are overwhelmed at the idea of having to write a lot, you might want to check out a "one-sentence journal," like this one, or an online version, here.

1 Nephi 19:23 tells us that Nephi used the scriptures to teach his brethren, and that he "did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning." How can scripture journals help us to do this in our own lives? What suggestions do you have for doing this? (See the links on the sidebar for some great ideas online).

ISAIAH

Nephi gave some compelling reasons to study Isaiah:

• That we might be more fully persuaded to believe in the Lord (19:23)
• That we might have hope (19:24)

I am NOT an expert on Isaiah. In fact, I remember skipping 2nd Nephi entirely the first time I read the Book of Mormon, reading it only after I'd finished the rest of the book, simply because I had been stalled there so many times. I now have a greater appreciation of Isaiah, especially the beautiful language and portrayal of the Savior. I'm looking forward to learning more this time through. I recommend reading the Feast Upon the Word post by Joe Spencer (scroll down to the bottom for the part about Isaiah).

For now, here is one scripture that seems to me to sum up much of what we learn in this lesson:

"Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter to the end of the earth; say ye: The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob. And they thirsted not; he led them through the deserts; he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them; he clave the rock also and the waters gushed out. And notwithstanding, he hath done all this, and greater also, there is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked" (1 Nephi 20:20-22).