God Wants Us to Participate

1 Nephi 17:8

And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters.

It was Nephi's ship, but God used it to carry the people to the promised land. God could have simply picked them up and transported them across the ocean, just as he carried Nephi to the top of the mountain. But He wanted them to participate in their own salvation. 

Thus, he says,  "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). He expects me to do all I can with my agency and the power and gifts He has given me. Not that what I do is essential to Him, but it is essential to me to gain experience and help others along the way. Had Nephi not built the boat, his brothers would not have had the experiences they had with the power of God and the many calls to repentance during the building and on the water. 

Nevertheless, it was not the boat that enabled Lehi's family to cross the ocean but God's power. 

God is willing to give me direction in how I should construct my life. If I follow the pattern He sets forth, I will be able to cross the ocean of mortality, with all its perils, waves, storms, and terrors, and land safely on the shores of the promised land, which is the celestial kingdom and eternal life.

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