My 40 Day Book of Mormon Journey: Day 7

Day 7: 2 Nephi 12-24

Sometimes I feel like I've messed up too many times to try again. I feel like Christ wouldn't want me to follow Him because I'm not clean. But the more I learn about my Savior the more I see that those things just aren't true. I'm not too far gone. Christ wants me to follow Him because through Him I can be made clean! One verse that really hit me while I was reading was 2 Nephi 12:5, "O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord; yea, come, for ye have all gone astray, every one to his wicked ways." I like that we are all called to follow Christ and we don't have to be perfect to do it. He knows we each have our struggles with sin, we each have our "wicked ways," and still He invites us to follow Him. Only in Him can those sins be taken away.
I love the verses that talk about the envy of Ephraim being taken away.  2 Nephi 21:12-13 in this case. Jealousy has been a constant struggle in my life. I know Christ can and IS helping me with it, but I stumble a lot. I love to know that someday the envy will be gone. I have seen Him help me recognize when I am letting envy creep into my mind. I feel His love when I ask Him to help me take it away. It has been a process and I'm still learning, but it is really wonderful. I love being able to see someone else's successes and happiness and feel joy for them. Instead of envy poisoning how I see someone I start to see them how Christ would and that is an incredible blessing. Why would I ever hold onto my jealousy when I know the blessings that come from giving it to God? Yet sometimes I do. But He never fails to remind me what I really want. And that is to follow Him.
In the last days and forever, I want to be on the Lord's side. I know I need to be purified and cleansed from my wicked ways, but I WANT to be the Lord's. I feel like that's a step in the right direction.
These chapters told us that God will destroy the wickedness of the world as He did with Assyria. He will destroy their idols. So, what do we worship? Do we have any idols before God? We can't play for both teams, "no man can serve two masters,"(Matthew 6:24). We may not bow down in front of a golden calf or a shrine of graven images, but putting anything before the Lord is creating an idol and a false god. We all need to look inside ourselves and check where our hearts are. Do we love God with all our hearts, souls and minds? (Matthew 22:37). He has to come first. Only then will everything else fall into place.
We know who is going to win in the end. In the battle between good and evil, God has already won and good has triumphed. The trick is, we need to know what side we're on.

Day 8: 2 Nephi 25-33

My 40 Day Book of Mormon Journey: Day 6

2 Nephi Chapters 6-11

2 Nephi Chapter 6
v2 Jacob receive authority from God.
v3 The entire intent of his message is to help the souls of his people. It's not about personal gain. It's about being concerned for the welfare of another individual.
v3-4 THIS is why members of the church may seem "pushy' at times. We know what's at stake. We have an honest concern for those around us and want them to have the blessings that God is just waiting to give them.
v5 We can apply the scriptures to our own lives.
v6 The Lord sets the standard for us. He lights the way.
v7 Anything we go through in our efforts to follow the Lord will be worth it. We will be filled with joy. We will not be ashamed.
v10 The Lord's judgement is good.
v11 We receive the mercy of God as we turn to Christ.
v12 The Lord is true to His covenants. He requires something of us in return.
Doctrine and Covenants 82:10
v13 Why aren't we ashamed? We stand out and we're different so why aren't we ashamed? Because we know who we are waiting for! We KNOW He will come. We know His power and His love. The mockery of the world means nothing in the light of the gospel.

2 Nephi Chapter 7
I felt like this chapter talked a lot about how God will not abandon His covenant people. What a blessing to know that truth. Something else that really hit me in this chapter was the end. The last verse intrigued me. I looked at the cross references to find out more... What does it meant to "walk in the light of your own fire and in the sparks which ye have made?" I read in Deuteronomy 12:8 and Judges 17:6 and learned that it means doing whatever you decide is right- making yourself the ultimate standard. Going by personal whim. Where does this lead? This verse tells us that this will cause us to "lie down in sorrow."

2 Nephi Chapter 8
v8 God's righteousness and Salvation extend forever. He has everything covered. There is no trial of experience we could go through that would surprise Him. He has paved the way and knows every step each of His children must take. The journey is different for everyone, but the destination is the same.
v12-13 Don't fear men. They are not mighty. Trust in God who created the universe and knows all things.

2 Nephi Chapter 9
Wow there is so much in this chapter. Christ suffered death for all that all will be resurrected. That is His free gift to us. We all receive immortality. In order to receive eternal life and live in God's presence we must follow His laws. EVERYONE will have the chance to accept of reject Him. We must hearken to His voice. We must repent. We must be baptized. He really does have everything covered. Our mortal perspective only allows us to see so much, but God knows all things. He will take care of it.
I imagine coming to the Savior in tears and telling Him all my fears and worries. I can picture Him listening to every word then putting his hands on my shoulders and saying, "I've got this. I've been there. Follow me." Following the Savior has been and continues to be the most worthwhile endeavor of my life. It is not always easy because it requires me to change and change can be uncomfortable, but it is ALWAYS worth it. My growing knowledge has led me to act and to let Him change me. I know God will take His children by the hand and guide them along their path. He knows every step that His children must take to make it back home. He is patient. He is kind. He is our Father. He will never give up on us.

2 Nephi Chapter 10
We are free to choose! What a remarkable gift! The choice is ours: eternal life or death. What we may forget is that that choices we make every day take us a step closer to either one or the other. Through the grace of God we can make it.

2 Nephi Chapter 11
God lives. How do we know? We're here- living, breathing, feeling, thinking... Start with what you know and build from there. Take the simple truths that you even just WANT to believe and let that be the start of your journey. God will help you know Him. He loves you. Just ask Him. It may take some time to understand how He speaks to you, but when you hear His voice it touches your soul. Let Him show you.

Tomorrow's Reading: 2 Nephi Chapters 12-24

My 40 Day Book of Mormon Journey: Day 5

2 Nephi Chapters 3-5

2 Nephi Chapter 3
v4 The more I read, the more I learn how important the covenants we make with God are.
v6 The Lord chose Joseph Smith.
v8 The Lord called Joseph Smith to do His work.
v11 The Lord gave Joseph Smith power to do His work.
Ok, it's important for us to understand that Lehi is a descendant of Joseph in Egypt. That helps us understand the power of the prophecy in verse 12. Lehi's descendants wrote the Book of Mormon and "the fruit of the loins of Judah" wrote the Bible. There is great power in joining these two books of scripture. There is even a verse in the Old Testament which talks about this: 
"The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions:then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick ofEphraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand" (Ezekiel 37:15-17).
v12 The scriptures bring peace and settle contention. They are God's words.

The great work Joseph refers to in his prophecy is the restoration of the gospel. It brings God's children unto salvation. God gives men power and strength to do His will.

The restoration of the gospel is such an important and powerful truth. When you understand the restoration, everything else falls into place. Because the gospel was restored we have a living prophet of the Lord today: Thomas S Monson. We have the Book of Mormon which testifies of Jesus Christ. We have the priesthood of God, the authority of the Lord put into the hands of men, to bless His children through eternity. What a time to live!

2 Nehi Chapter 4
I find it interesting that Lehi's dying words were all calling his family to obey and remember the Lord. I liked how he said that, "if ye are brought up in the way ye should go, ye will not depart from it." That places a large responsibility on the parents, for one thing, but it also tells me how blessed I am. I was raised up in the way I should go. I am so amazed at the faith of those who find the gospel later in life and accept it. That, to me, is incredible.
v15-16 I love Nephi's attitude in these verses! He DELIGHTS in the things of the Lord. What do I delight in?

Verses 15-35 are known as Nephi's Psalm

What powerful verses. Nephi feels the weight of his natural sinful state and mourns, but he knows he can trust in God. God gives him strength. God fills him with love. God gives him knowledge and protection.

26-30 I love how is giving himself completely to God. He knows that he can't do it on his own. I love how he asks God to help him turn from sin and rejoice. Sometimes I get caught up in all that's wrong with me and with the world, even though I have such a reason to have joy. I can choose joy through the Lord! He will change my heart. I have seen it. This chapter ends with a promise: God will give to those who ask.

2 Nephi Chapter 5

v4 It's so tragic to thing that after hearing so much truth Nephi's brethren still chose anger. They chose to turn from the truth. 

v5-6 God will protect His children. We need to believe His words.

v29-32 The Lord commands Nephi to keep a record. Nephi only writes the things of God. If we are pleased with the things of God, we will be pleased with Nephi's words.

Something I find interesting in this chapter is the comparison of the Nephites and the Lamanites. The Lamanites were cursed and cut off from God's presence and because of this curse they became idle, wicked, and mischievous. Man, left on his own, will reach his lowest point. The Nephites, on the other hand, obeyed the Lord and He was with them. They worked hard, they learned much, and they built a temple where they could enter into covenants with the Lord. They "lived after the manner of happiness." Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that what we all want? It starts with having the Lord with us. It requires us to live His way.

Tomorrow's Reading: 2 Nephi 6-11