Flooding My Life with the Book of Mormon 2.0

1 Nephi 8:8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies. God has a boatload of loving blessings in store for us. He wants to reach out and bless us constantly. But He must balance blessings with our need to experience trials. If He took away every trial and affliction immediately as we encounter them, we would not learn to possess our souls in faith and patience. Nevertheless, He has an abundance of loving blessings for us, and He will bestow them upon us according to His wisdom and in His own due time.

1 Nephi 8:7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste. In Lehi's dream, his being in the dark and dreary waste was not a mistake. He did nothing wrong, nor was he being punished. In fact, the man in the white robe, who symbolized the Holy Spirit, led Lehi into the wilderness deliberately. My wilderness experiences are not punishments but opportunities to learn and grow. In fact, when I am at my very best and most in tune with the Spirit, it may be the very moment that the wilderness looms before me. If I continue to follow the Spirit into the dark and dreary waste, as Lehi did, I will eventually end up where the Lord wants to take me.

1 Nephi 7:21 And it came to pass that I did frankly forgive them all that they had done, and I did exhort them that they would pray unto the Lord their God for forgiveness. And it came to pass that they did so. And after they had done praying unto the Lord we did again travel on our journey towards the tent of our father. Nephi instantly forgave his brothers at the first sign of contrition. The Savior taught His disciples to forgive not just seven times, but seventy times seven. If Nephi could forgive his brothers so frankly, surely God can forgive. God is forgiving by nature. He does not hold a grudge.  When I turn away from sin and sincerely repent, He too forgives me frankly. I may beat myself up, but my Father never does. Natural, mortal consequences may exact a stiff toll for bad choices, but my Savior demands no ransom from me. He has paid the ransom in advance, and He offers my release from guilt as a gift freely given.

1 Nephi 7:17-19 But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound. And it came to pass that when I had said these words, behold, the bands were loosed from off my hands and feet, and I stood before my brethren, and I spake unto them again. And it came to pass that they were angry with me again, and sought to lay hands upon me... Nephi saw the loosing of his bands as a miracle from God. Laman and Lemuel saw it only as inept knot tying. We see things differently through the lens of our hearts.

1 Nephi 7:16 And it came to pass that when I, Nephi, had spoken these words unto my brethren, they were angry with me. And it came to pass that they did lay their hands upon me, for behold, they were exceedingly wroth, and they did bind me with cords, for they sought to take away my life, that they might leave me in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts. Laman and Lemuel were angry because they knew Nephi was right, but they did not want to admit it. They wanted what they wanted, and they did not want to be told they were wrong. Nephi had pricked their conscience.  When faced with guilt, I have two options: change the behavior that triggered the guilt, or eliminate the reminder of the guilt. Laman and Lemuel did not want to change, so they chose to attack the reminder. Had they succeeded in killing Nephi, their guilt for disobeying the Lord and abandoning their father would have only been compounded by the guilt of murder. They might have pushed it out of their minds for a w...

1 Nephi 7:14 For behold, the Spirit of the Lord ceaseth soon to strive with them [at Jerusalem]; for behold, they have rejected the prophets, and Jeremiah have they cast into prison. And they have sought to take away the life of my father, insomuch that they have driven him out of the land. I can drive righteousness from me by my choices, and I can hold it at bay by my stubborn rebellion. I can become so hardened that the Spirit of God must flee from me. If I were to persist in such a state to the very end, I would lose all hope. The glorious message of Christ, however, is that if I will turn around, I will find that He has been right behind me all along. I am never beyond his reach if I choose to seek him. God has great patience, but He can judge when men are hardened beyond reach. He expelled Lucifer when He knew he could not be turned. Men can likewise become so determined to choose evil that their time of probation is wasted. Rather than let such evil corrupt the next generation, H...

1 Nephi 7:13 And if it so be that we are faithful to him, we shall obtain the land of promise; and ye shall know at some future period that the word of the Lord shall be fulfilled concerning the destruction of Jerusalem; for all things which the Lord hath spoken concerning the destruction of Jerusalem must be fulfilled. The promised land is always a symbol for exaltation. Exaltation is based on faithfulness. Now, faithfulness is not flawless execution. I make many mistakes and fall into many temptations on my way to the promised land of the celestial kingdom. But if I am faithful, I will repent through the atonement of Christ and seek His redemption. By Christ's atonement, He will justify me and sanctify me. I will be worthy of the promise of exaltation because Christ will make me worthy. That is my faith. The promise of God to his faithful followers is that all things will work in their favor. They will be saved, and the wicked will receive justice. Nevertheless, I may have to wai...

1 Nephi 6:5 Wherefore, the things which are pleasing unto the world I do not write, but the things which are pleasing unto God and unto those who are not of the world. The litmus test of whether I am of the world or attuned to God is how pleasing the Book of Mormon is to me. If I am truly seeking God and want to please Him, I will love the Book. And I LOVE  the Book of Mormon.