Flooding My Life with the Book of Mormon 2.0

1 Nephi 6:4 For the fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved. Nephi was a missionary at heart, whether to his wayward brothers, his children, descendants in generations to come, or to the whole world. His work and glory were to bring people to Christ, who was in fact the God of Abraham and the Old Testament. His method of persuasion was to bear his testimony and show the goodness and tender mercies of his God. His life was rich with spiritual experiences, which provided an abundance of evidence that God worked in Nephi's life. He wanted to share as much as possible with others in the hope of convincing them that they, too, could have a rich relationship with God. When I read the Book of Mormon, I set myself on the path to discovering and enriching my life with Christ.

1 Nephi 6:3 And it mattereth not to me that I am particular to give a full account of all the things of my father, for they cannot be written upon these plates, for I desire the room that I may write of the things of God. Nephi's attitude towards his plates informs me about the attitude I should have towards life. Just as Nephi did not want to clutter his plates with worthless trivia, so he would have plenty of room to write about the things of God, I should avoid filling my daily life with worthless trivia, so I have room to receive the things of God. Like many, I seem to spend my whole life chasing after stuff that will mean nothing in the judgment and resurrection. As a result, I leave too little time for the things of God, which will make all the difference at the last day. My priorities, judged by how I allocate my time, are upside down. Rather than squeeze God into my busy day, I'm better off squeezing only a fraction of the things of the world into a God-filled day.

1 Nephi 5:21 And we had obtained the records which the Lord had commanded us, and searched them and found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children. Do we see the scriptures, as did Nephi, to be of great value and worth to us? Do we treasure them? Are they more precious to us than gold and silver? When I take time with the scriptures that I might otherwise have spent turning a profit, I demonstrate their value.

1 Nephi 5:14 Photo by Barbara Olsen And it came to pass that my father, Lehi, also found upon the plates of brass a genealogy of his fathers; wherefore he knew that he was a descendant of Joseph; yea, even that Joseph who was the son of Jacob, who was sold into Egypt, and who was preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he might preserve his father, Jacob, and all his household from perishing with famine. Our journals and personal histories can be as scripture to our descendants. They may not be pronouncements for the church, but they can give guidance and strength to our families.

1 Nephi 5:8 And she spake, saying: Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness; yea, and I also know of a surety that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of the hands of Laban, and given them power whereby they could accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded them. And after this manner of language did she speak. Sariah's testimony was based on outcomes. This is shaky ground for a testimony. At first, she lost faith in God because she thought He had not protected her sons, and now her faith in God was stronger because He had indeed protected them. What would happen to her faith when the next thing goes wrong? I may want God to protect me from every problem and every danger, but the fact is, He will not protect me constantly. I have to experience adversity and trials. If He kept me from every difficulty, this life would be wasted. I would return to Him weaker than when I left Him. This life is a probation, me...

1 Nephi 5:4 And it had come to pass that my father spake unto her, saying: I know that I am a visionary man; for if I had not seen the things of God in a vision I should not have known the goodness of God, but had tarried at Jerusalem, and had perished with my brethren. Ultimately, I need my own testimony through personal revelation to know God's plan for me. Prophets, scriptures, church, and commandments are all part of the formula, but the answer is personal revelation.