My 40 Day Book of Mormon Journey: Day 4

1 Nephi 20-22, 2 Nephi 1-2
This is some heavy stuff. I didn't cover everything because it goes so in depth, but I wrote what I felt about what I could understand...

Sometimes I feel like this when I read (the Isaiah chapters specifically)...

1 Nephi Chapter 20

v8-11 Men are born into sin... it is in our nature. God will not let our wickedness detract from His holiness. Whether or not we choose to obey Him, He will be glorified.

v13 The Lord created and orders the universe. All things obey Him.

v16 The gospel is not a secret. We can know truth by the Spirit.

v18 The Lord wants to bless us. His work will be done and His glory made known. The difference for us will be whether or not we obey Him along the way. If we do we can find peace, but there is no peace for the wicked.

1 Nephi Chapters 21-22

I didn't write anything for these chapters because I felt so overwhelmed with them. The main message I got from them was this: Christ is a light to the world and the restoration of His gospel spreads this light to everyone. The covenants of the Lord are a manifestation of His power. The Lord has a plan and it must come forth. The devil will continue to fight against the Lord. We know who is going to win, so what side are we on? We must all obey God and endure to the end to receive all God has to offer us.

2 Nephi Chapter 1

v2-3 Sometimes we do not fully understand the mercies of God until later on.

v5-6 All those who come to the promise land are led by God.

v5-12 The promises of America

v15 One way we can know God's love is by understanding what He did for us. He saved us from the bitterness of hell. His love is eternal. It is like we are wrapped up in a giant, celestial hug.

v19,20,23 God's ways are righteous and He promises blessings if we follow Him. In order to do so, we need to put away any sin and put on t"he armor righteousness."

2 Nephi Chapter 2

I really like this chapter.

It really drives home fundamental principles of the gospel. We are all lost without Christ. CHrist has redeemed our souls and made it possible for all mankind to be resurrected. The Fall was downward and forward. Men fell away from God, but now had the ability to know and choose for themselves right and wrong. That is why God created the earth. So we would be able to come and experience opposition. God lives. If He didn't, we wold not be here. There would be on one to even have the chance to deny Him because there would be nothing. But we are here. And God does live. More than anything else, I know that He lives and His gospel has been restored to the earth today. :)

Tomorrow's Reading:2 Nephi 3-5

My Book of Mormon Journey: Day 3

1 Nephi 16-19

This quote came to mind while I was reading chapter 16 verse 2. Don't be afraid
to change. Christ can sanctify you if you will give your sins to him. Let them go.

1 Nephi Chapter 16
v2 There is good and evil in the world. The truth is that the wicked will be punished and the righteous will be lifted up... Being uncomfortable when we hear truth does not mean it is false. It means we have something to work on.
v3-5 Obeying God takes giving ourselves to Him. It means listening to truth and being willing to change.
v7-8 Marriage is of God and blessings come from doing things His way.
v20 Hard things happen and they are a time to be tested. Will we turn to God for strength or murmur against Him?
v28 The Lord will direct us if we are diligent and faithful.
v29 "By small means the Lord can bring about great things." I love this verse. It helps me understand that I don't have to see an earth shattering miracle to see the hand of the Lord doing great things in my life.
v39 Blessings come from repentance... It is like being spiritually fed.

1 Nephi Chapter 17
v3 Blessings come from obedience.
v13 Obedience helps us know God.
v19 The wicked rejoice in the pain of others. I have seen this in the lives of those around me. I feel like the root of this problem is envy. It then grows into hate and bitterness. I know that Christ can take these feelings away and help us heal if we will let Him.
v23-32 I love how real and undeniable the scriptures are to Nephi. He truly understands how they are meant to teach us of God's dealings with men.
v30 God gave the children of Israel ALL things they needed, but they hardened their hearts. How do we harden our hearts?
v35 God does not hold one man above another. He favors the righteous and blesses them. By disobeying God, we reject His blessings.
v36 The Lord created the world for us.
v37-38 He will bless and raise up the righteous, but must destroy the wicked.
v39 God rules the universe.
v40 God loves those who accept Him and one way He expresses this love is with covenants.
v41 God can heal us. Will we accept it? Will we set aside our pride?
v45 Are we swift to do iniquity and slow to remember God? Where do we face? Do we remember the things we have felt?
v47 I can identify with Nephi's pain in this verse. It is hard to wathc those you love make choices that will hurt them. Still, in those experiences the Spirit will teach you.

The Lord can be our best friend.

1 Nephi Chapter 18
v1-3 I love the description of Nephi's relationship with the Lord in these verses. Nephi worked hard and obeyed the Lord, and as needed the Lord showed Nephi what to do. I especially like how Nephi says that the Lord showed him great things as he prayed oft. I believe that, if we obey God and pray oft, He will show us great things.
v9 The words "forget" and "remember" always stand out to me so this verse grabbed my attention. WE too often forget what God does for us and that leads us to do things we wouldn't if we were focusing on Him.
v11 Sometimes God lets us suffer for a moment so He can show His power.
v16 After all Nephi went through he thanked the Lord. What an example of faith! His relationship with the Lord doesn't waver. He trusts God will provide.


1 Nephi Chapter 19
This chapter talks a lot about the importance of history and record keeping. It all points to the same main goal: persuading men to believe in and remember Christ. Nephi talks about applying all scriptures to his own life and what a blessing that can bring. I know that obeying the commandments and reading God's words give life an added measure of light and invite the Holy Ghost.

Tomorrow's Reading: 1 Nephi20-22, 2 Nephi 1-2

My 40 Day Book of Mormon Journey: Day 2

1 Nephi 10-15

1 Nephi Chapter 10
v4 God sent the Messiah as the Savior of the world.
v5 All mankind would be lost and fallen without Jesus Christ.
v7-10 John the Baptist was called to prepare the way for Christ.
v9-10 The Savior is our example in all things. He was baptized not to be cleansed from sin, but because God commanded it and Christ was obedient.
v10 Christ took away the sins of the world.
v11 Christ conquered death and manifests himself through the Holy Ghost.
v17 Men can receive the power of the Holy Ghost if they have faith in the Son of God, the Messiah. Everyone who seeks it can receive the Holy Ghost.
v18 God is unchanging and has prepared the way for men. Repentance is essential.
v19 He who seeks shall find. That is a promise from God. That is the order of things. He will give us what we ask for in faith.
v20 Everything we do will be judged... If we seek wickedness then we will not be able to dwell with God.
v22 The Holy Ghost can give us inspiration to know what to say.

1 Nephi Chapter 11
Chapter 11-14 are Nephi's vision
v1-3 Desiring to know, believing you will receive answers, and pondering on truth invite the inspiration of the Spirit.
v6 The Lord, the most High God, is over all the earth and above all things.
v11 The Spirit can speak to us in many ways.
v16 Condescension: voluntary assumption of equality with a person regarded as inferior.
v17 I love how Nephi doesn't know everything, but he knows God lives His children and builds from there.
v21 Jesus Christ is the Son of the Eternal Father. They are two beings with one purpose.

Here we tie back to Lehi's dream!
v22 The tree in Lehi's dream is the love of God. It will bring a soul true joy. Just as people fell before the tree, we fall before the Lord and receive His love.
v25 The rod of iron leading to the tree is the word of God. The scriptures, the commandments... As we hold to them we will stay on the path to the Lord.
v27-34 Christ's life, ministry, and death... He was judged by the world.
v35-36 The building in Lehi's dream was the pride of the world. It is large and grand, but it is built on nothing and wil fall.
How will we approach the tree of life? How are you on your journey to the Lord?

 1 Nephi Chapter 12
v6 Following His crucifixion, Christ rose again. He conquered death and made it so all mankind will live again.
v8-9 The twelve apostles of Christ will judge the twelve tribes of Israel. They are able to do so because they are ordained and chosen of God.
v10 The twelve are made clean and righteous through Christ, who is the source of all good.
v11 Men can become clean through faith.
v16-17 The river of water are the depths of hell and the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil.
v18 The building is the pride and vanity of the world. The justice of God keeps it separate from the things of the God.
v19 Great suffering comes through pride and listening to the temptations of the devil.
v22 When men choose disbelief the chose to live below their potential.
v Distancing one's self from God leads to sin and misery.

1 Nephi Chapter 13
v4-6 The devil is the founder of the church which kills the saints of God and wars against good.
v8 Where is your heart? What do you desire?
v12 Here it talks about how Christopher Columbus was led by the Lord to the americas.
v14-19 The colonizing of America was directed by God. The Spirit led men to do what God asked them to do.
v17-19 Revolutionary War
v20-29 The coming forth of the Bible... It was pure and complete but plain and precious truths were removed. Covenants of God were removed. The Lord speaks plainly, but because of the things which were taken away, many stumble and Satan has power over them,
v32 Without those plain and precious truths men were in a state of blindness. God did not intend for it to remain his way forever.
v34 Christ would restore his gospel in His power.
v35 Part of that restoration includes the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.
v36 The Book of Mormon contains the gospel of Christ.
v37 Those who seek to build God's kingdom will be filled with the Spirit and will be lifter up at the last day, enjoying salvation after death.
v39 All scripture that comes forth comes through the power of Christ. We are reading the Doctrine and Covenants in seminary and everything is direct revelation from the Lord.
v40 The Book of Mormon and the Bible together will make known to the world that Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. All men must go to him or they cannot be saved.
v41 Men will come unto Christ according to His words which are found in the Book of Mormon and the Bible. They are one and testify of the one true God.
v42 Christ will manifest himself to all men in his time.

1 Nephi Chapter 14
v1-2 If we listen to the Lord then He will take away our stumbling blocks: whatever is getting in the way of our faith growing. We will prosper.
v3 Temptations of the devil are placed all around us with the purpose of destroying us. The devil and his children dig a pit for us, but they will be the ones who fill it.
v4 The captivity of the devil and the justice of God will both take place... Those who are wicked are bound in the chains which they have made according to the justice of God.
v7 The restoration of the gospel will lead to the convincing of souls to either peace and eternal life or spiritual captivity because of the hardness of their hearts.
v10 There is no middle ground. You belong to God or you are held captive by the devil. Covenants bind us to God.
v11 The devil's influence is everywhere.
v12 Though the restored church is few in number, it covers the world.
v13-14 The devil will gather up his followers and fight against the Lord and His church... But, armed with righteousness and the power of God, the covenant people will stand strong.
v15-16 The wrath of God leads to the destruction of the wicked.
v17 Everything God does is to fulfill His purposes.
v23-27 The Lord revealed to the apostle John what He revealed to Nephi... Others have seen and their records will come forth.

1 Nephi Chapter 15
v3 The things of God are hard for men to understand unless they ask Him.
v4-5 I have felt a portion of that pain. Watching someone you love make decisions that will lead to pain is heartbreaking.
v8 I love this question- "have ye inquired of the Lord?" I think we should ask ourselves that question regularly. v11 I love God's promises. If we will believe in Him. He can show us what we need to know.
v35-36 When men die, they dwell with God or they are cast out. Either they partake of the fruit or miss out on it.

Food for Thought
A strong theme I kept going back to in my mind was DESIRES. Any time I see that word in the scriptures it grabs my attention. What desires lead to what outcome? The scriptures make it pretty clear that we pretty much get what we want. By that I mean that if we desire to follow the enticings of the devil because they are attractive, then we can. And eventually we will be under His power. On the other hand, if we desire to follow Christ who has paid the ultimate price for us, who is above all things, then we can have eternal life in the world to come. The choice is ours. Eternal happiness or never ending sorrow. It shouldn't be hard to make this decision, should it? However, I think we need to constantly check ourselves and see where our choices are leading. Where are our desires taking us? We need to hold to the iron rod, the word of God, as we go along the path so that we can make it safely home.

Tomorrow's Reading: 1 Nephi 16-19

My 40 Day Book of Mormon Journey: Day 1

This is my first day of the journey and I'm still figuring things out. One thing that has hit me is that it will be crucially important for your journey to be reading the chapters. Otherwise, the things I write will make little sense. Now that we've started, let's see it through to the end!

I found this tree at a family reunion back in 2013.
I came across it today and it really spoke to me.
"NO STOP"
Got it. 

1 Nephi Chapter 1
Right away, we see answers to our seven questions! Here's what I found:

v1 We learn from Nephi that there is a God. He is good and we can know Him. Nephi also makes a record of his knowledge which shows us that history can help us share knowledge.
v3 History can help us share knowledge of truth.
v4 Here we learn that men must repent. For as long as men have walked the earth, there has been a call to repentance.
v5-6 Lehi prayed to the Lord. The Lord is someone we can communicate. We can speak to Him and He can answer us.
v7-8 The Spirit communicates truth to men.
v14 What a beautiful verse about the Lord! He is marvelous and great! He has all power, goodness and mercy. What a blessing to know that God is indeed good and He will be merciful to us. We must turn to Him.
v15 I love how Lehi rejoices after his vision. It tells me that God fills men with true joy.
v18-19 I feel like his shows two sides of the condition of man. Directed by God, man can do great things, but when they harden their hearts against God, they will block out and even fight against messages of truth. The message is plain, but hard hearts will not hear it.
v20 This is one of my favorite verses. The wicked will continue to fight the goo, but God will protect His people. There are "tender mercies of the Lord" all around us in our daily lives and I feel like they are a manifestation of His love for us. There is actually a great talk about it! Here it is if you want to check it out.

The Tender Mercies of The Lord: David A Bednar

1 Nephi Chapter 2
v1 God can communicate with man in many ways. Men are blessed for being faithful, but the wicked harden their hearts against the righteous.
v2-4 I really admire Lehi's obedience in this section. The Lord tells him to do something and he obeys quickly. I need to have that same attitude towards God's commandments.
v4 I also feel like this verse is a priority check. If you had to leave, what would you bring? What is most important to you?
v11 Laman and Lemuel murmur against their father because they were not focused on God.
v12-13 There are a few reasons they murmured:

• They were the oldest (and therefore thought they knew best and let pride get the best of them)
• They did not understand the ways of God, their creator
• They did not believe the words of the prophets (specifically those regarding the destruction of Jerusalem

When you let pride blind you and do not seek to understand God and His ways, chances are you'll have a problem with what He has to say.
v14 Lehi spoke with power because he was filled with the Spirit. The Spirit changes hearts if we will let it.
v16 If we desire to know God and seek Him then He will visit us in His way ad help us to know the truth.
v17 God gives knowledge by the Spirit.
v19-24 The Lord speaks to Nephi. Here I learned that God blesses the faithful. Those who rebel against God are cut off. The Lord is merciful and just.

1 Nephi Chapter 3 

v2 The Lord communicates with men.
v6 We can find favor in the Lord if we obey Him willingly.
v7 There is such power in this verse. Knowing that God will not ask us to do something without providing a way for us to do it fills me with hope and determination. Obedience may be difficult, but it is never impossible.
v17 Wickedness leads to destruction. Suffering come from wickedness.
v19-20 History preserves God's dealings with men so that future generations can be blessed.
v25 Wicked men lust after things. They are driven by passion rather than inspiration.
v29 The Lord favors the righteous. Wickedness hinders our ability to have a relationship with Him.

1 Nephi Chapter 4
v1 God is mightier than all the earth. If we are on His side, what can stop us?
v2 Men can have strength through the Lord and history helps us remember those things.
v3 The Lord can deliver you.
v6 The Spirit can guide you.
v10-13 The Spirit will direct you to the Lord's will. God is good and whatever He commands is good.
v14 God blesses men as they obey the commandments.
v15-17 History, the scriptures, tells us the laws of God.
v31 God gives strength.

1 Nephi Chapter 5
v2-3 Fear and doubt lead men to question what they know.
v4 God does speak to us. We can know of Him and His goodness only by revelation.
v5 The Lord does bless, provide, and protect.
v6 Men can be comforted with the words of the Lord.
v8 God gives commandments and protects those who are faithful to them.
v21 The commandments of God in scripture (in history) are meant to direct men.
v22 The Lord is wise beyond human understanding and knows what is best for us.

1 Nephi Chapter 6
v4 The purpose of history, specifically the scriptures and in this case the Book of Mormon, is to persuade men to come to God and be saved.

1 Nephi Chapter 7
v1 Marriage between a man and a woman is part of God's plan for His children.
v5,8 God softens the hearts of men, but they can choose to harden them.
v8-12 Men are prone to forget and wander away from the Lord.
v11-12 The Lord does great things for man and can do anything He wants.
v13 All things the Lord says will be fulfilled.
v14 Men lose the Spirit when they reject God's message.
v16 Sometimes hearing truth angers the wicked.
v17 There is power in a faithful prayer. God will give strength.
v20 Wickedness brings misery.
v21 Forgiveness comes from the Lord. Forgiveness heals.

1 Nephi Chapter 8 

This is a really beautiful chapter that I will be coming back to again when we read chapter 11. Take the time to understand what is happening in Lehi's vision.
v3 We can rejoice in the Lord
v8-10 The Lord, in His mercy, can deliver us from the darkness and show us the good.
v11-12 The "fruit" is sweeter and purer than anything. It fills a soul with joy.
v13-18 You can invite others to partake of the good, but their choice remains.
v19 There is a straight and narrow way to joy.
v23 distractions come on the path to joy. They are never good.
v27 People will mock the joy of others.
v34 Those who listen to the voice of scorn fall away from the right path. Who are you listening to?

1 Nephi Chapter 9
v5 The Lord knows it is important for us to keep records even if we do not understand.
v6 The Lord knows all things. His work will be done. He has all power and can do all things.

We finished day one! I really like looking for answers in the scriptures as I read. It makes it more special to me. I see the answers jumping out at me. Already I have felt a stronger connection with the Lord and have gained a bit of a better understanding who He is. I see how lost we are without Him and how He truly has all power. I'm looking forward to learning more. :)

Next Reading: 1 Nephi 10-15

My 40 Day Book of Mormon Journey: Introduction

The Start of A Journey

For the next forty days I will be reading the Book of Mormon cover to cover looking for answers to these questions:

1. Is there a God? If so, what is He like?
2. What is the origin of the universe?
3. What is the nature of man?
4. What is the basis of morals and ethics?
5. What is the cause of evil and suffering?
6. What happens to man after death?
7. What is the meaning of history?

These questions make up how any individual sees the world. I will be taking a journey to learn what answers the Book of Mormon provides. I have felt like I need to do this for a while and if there's one thing I've learned it's that you don't ignore the promptings of the Spirit! So here I am. Starting a journey of faith. I welcome anyone and everyone to join me and see where the Lord will lead.

(Of course, in this journey, you'll need a Book of Mormon! So please, make sure you have one! I would also recommend writing down the things that you read that you find interesting.)

Introduction
First things first, the introduction. Take time to read this and understand what it is saying. Start at the beginning. The introduction to the Book of Mormon offers valuable information regarding the purpose and contents of the book. It will do you good to take the time to read it. Here's what I learned today:
The purpose of the Book of Mormon is to 

• Show us what God has done for His children
• Teach us about God's covenants so we are not cast off
• Convince us that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God

The Book of Mormon is a book of scripture comparable to the Bible. Ancient prophets wrote those words by prophecy and revelation. God directed them to write what they did. It makes me think of the scripture in 2 Timothy, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV). The Book of Mormon came from God and it is scripture. God gave it to us to bless our lives.
The crowning event in the Book of Mormon is when Christ visits the Nephites following his resurrection. These chapters

• put forth the doctrine of the gospel
• outline the plan of salvation
• tell men what they need to do to have peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come.

It is an additional witness of Jesus Christ as our Savior. By reading it and living by the principles it teaches, I can draw closer to God than I could be reading any other book. Anyone who reads it and listens to the Spirit will receive a testimony from the Holy Ghost that it is true, that Christ lives, and that His gospel is restored to the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith.

These are some of the things that stood out to me while I was reading. Take the time to write down things that touched your heart or caught your attention. 
Next we'll be diving right into First Nephi!

Next Reading: 1 Nephi Chapters 1-9