Flooding My Life with the Book of Mormon 2.0

1 Nephi 19:9 And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men. To be kind is to be sympathetic, helpful, gentle, and loving. So Jesus's loving kindness is His innate nature to be kind because He loves everyone. He is sympathetic to His persecutors because He sees from their perspective. Given what they know and believe and the circumstances in which they live, He understands why they are cruel, vicious, and hateful.  This loving kindness is born out of His atonement. Having suffered all things in the flesh, having lifted every person's burden, having experienced every pain, anguish, affliction, and illness, He knows me personally, intimately, directly, and perfectly. And that knowledge inspires sympathy, not anger; kindness, not r...

1 Nephi 19:7 For the things which some men esteem to be of great worth, both to the body and soul, others set at naught and trample under their feet. Yea, even the very God of Israel do men trample under their feet; I say, trample under their feet but I would speak in other words—they set him at naught, and hearken not to the voice of his counsels. To "set at naught" is to ignore and to consider of no worth. This is not ignorance but a deliberate defiance and disregard for God and His laws.  God has created the universe, the earth on which I live, and me. He has given laws and guidelines in the form of commandments that inform me of how best to thrive and be happy among His creations and with others. They are not arbitrary restrictions or punishments. He is telling me how He has set up the universe and designed mortal life to my best advantage.  What arrogance I portray if I take possession of the world He has created for me and then say to Him, "Thanks, but I don't ...

1 Nephi 19:6 Nevertheless, I do not write anything upon plates save it be that I think it be sacred. And now, if I do err, even did they err of old; not that I would excuse myself because of other men, but because of the weakness which is in me, according to the flesh, I would excuse myself. To be sacred is to be connected to God and used for religious purposes. Nephi therefore wrote about what he thought was related to God, and he intended his words to help us worship God. Thus, he filtered everything he wrote through this lens of sacredness, and we should read his writing through the same lens.  We should ask what is sacred about everything we read in the books of Nephi. Even the verse we often take lightly--"And my father dwelt in a tent" ( 1 Nephi 2:15 )--had sacred significance to Nephi. The tent represented the sacrifice that his father Lehi was willing to make to be obedient to God. Lehi had left his home and all his possessions to travel through a wilderness and live ...

1 Nephi 19:5 And an account of my making these plates shall be given hereafter; and then, behold, I proceed according to that which I have spoken; and this I do that the more sacred things may be kept for the knowledge of my people. God reveals sacred knowledge to the prophets and then commands them to write and preserve their words so that we may benefit from what the Lord has revealed. This is the purpose of scripture: to give us knowledge. Thus, we do not all have to be prophets to have the knowledge of prophets.  In God's economy, it is more efficient for Him to reveal a truth once and then spread it by the written word among all people than to reveal the same truth a million times to a million individuals, each of whom may receive, interpret, and apply the truth slightly differently. In this way, God doesn't have to start over fresh with each person, but we can build on the learning of others.

1 Nephi 18:11 And it came to pass that Laman and Lemuel did take me and bind me with cords, and they did treat me with much harshness; nevertheless, the Lord did suffer it that he might show forth his power, unto the fulfilling of his word which he had spoken concerning the wicked. Nephi was no stranger to persecution. Sadly, the persecutors were his own brothers. God knew Laman and Lemuel would be troublesome to both Lehi and Nephi. Why did He send such rebellious boys to Lehi and Sariah? Didn't the Lord know how much harder the family's escape from Jerusalem and voyage across the ocean would be because of these two recalcitrants? Of course, He did. That's exactly why He placed them in the family. The righteous needed opposition to strengthen their righteousness. We see over and over that God permits bad things to happen to good people for a variety of reasons. I doubt that Nephi knew in the moment he was being lashed to the mast what good thing the Lord had in store for h...

1 Nephi 18:3 And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things. Line upon line and precept upon precept--I do not expect God's revelations to be one and done. There is no end to His words. Once I learn the process to open the channel of communication, He constantly reveals knowledge to me. The mount to which Nephi went to communicate with the Lord was his temple. The mount is almost always a synonym for the temple in the scriptures. Just as Nephi went often to the mountains to ask God questions and receive instructions, I should likewise go often to the temple to ask my questions and receive direction directly from God. President Nelson has repeatedly taught that God will teach us directly and personally in the temple, and that we can learn things no man can teach us.

1 Nephi 17:51 And now, if the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should build a ship? God is not stingy with His power. He is willing to use it constantly on my behalf. He has performed miracles for others, and He performs miracles for me. He is not partial or capricious. When I exercise faith, humble myself, trust in Christ, and seek diligently, I receive manifestations of God's power in my life.  God works by power. Whenever people see His power or action, they call it a miracle. Miracles are acts that defy limited human reason, but they do not defy God's reason. He can empower me to do anything He wants done. His power can remove the constraints by which I normally operate in the world. If I am willing to accept it, and set aside my personal fears and doubts, God can do many wonderful things for me and through me.

1 Nephi 17:48 And now it came to pass that when I had spoken these words they were angry with me, and were desirous to throw me into the depths of the sea; and as they came forth to lay their hands upon me I spake unto them, saying: In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I am filled with the power of God, even unto the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried reed; and he shall be as naught before the power of God, for God shall smite him. When a person speaks or acts in the name of a higher authority, they are stating that the authority has been delegated to them to speak or act. They act in place of the higher authority, as if they were indeed the very one they represent. As an agent, their acts are as binding and authoritative as if the higher authority were performing them directly. The city, in the form of the city council, authorizes police officers to enforce the laws of the city. All governments ...

1 Nephi 17:46 And ye also know that by the power of his almighty word he can cause the earth that it shall pass away; yea, and ye know that by his word he can cause the rough places to be made smooth, and smooth places shall be broken up. O, then, why is it, that ye can be so hard in your hearts? If God has the power to change the very crust of the earth that seems so permanent and immutable, He surely has the power to change me--a fleshy, weak, squirmy mortal. He can make rough places smooth. If He can flatten Mount Everest and fill in the Grand Canyon, He can smooth out the rough spots in my character.  He can also break up smooth surfaces. If He can churn up the West Utah Salt Flats, He can likewise break up my smooth pride, conceit, and self-sufficiency to humble me and bring me to my knees.  But whatever He can tear up, He can also smooth out again. He won't leave me broken in pieces if I repent and turn to Him for healing.

1 Nephi 17:44 Wherefore, the Lord commanded my father that he should depart into the wilderness; and the Jews also sought to take away his life; yea, and ye also have sought to take away his life; wherefore, ye are murderers in your hearts and ye are like unto them. According to the Law of the Gospel, to think and wish murder makes one as guilty as if he had committed the act. The Law of Moses was not concerned with my thoughts as long as I controlled my actions. Christ's law goes much deeper. I must not only be free of the acts of sin but also free of the desires for sin. Nevertheless, I can repent of the sins of my heart, and Christ can give me a new heart through the power of His atonement. 

1 Nephi 17:41 And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished. God permits afflictions in my life so I will turn to him. Turning to God is easy, yet many refuse. No one is forced. But without God's help, their afflictions can be fatal. The task is to look . I don't have to run, break down walls, climb high mountains, or walk on water. I just have to look to Christ--turn my eyes away from the shiny objects and tempting allurements of the world and focus my attention on Christ.  He will come to me and send me His power if I do no more than open my eyes and let in His light. Nothing is simpler than to look, yet S...

1 Nephi 17:33 And now, do ye suppose that the children of this land, who were in the land of promise, who were driven out by our fathers, do ye suppose that they were righteous? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. God favors those who righteously follow Him and obey Him. If I turn from my righteousness, I lose His favor. I do not lose His love, but I cut myself off from His blessings. When people who have turned away from God pit themselves against righteous people whom God favors, the unrighteous group will lose.  When two unrighteous groups face each other, the winner is decided not by God's grace but by the world's formula of superior numbers, craftiness, and power. He with the biggest bomb wins. And sometimes, there are no winners in a battle between unrighteous combatants, as was the case with the wicked Jaredites, who wiped themselves out. This is not a zero-sum game, however. There does not have to be a loser for there also to be a winner. God has enough blessings and to spare ...

1 Nephi 17:32 And after they had crossed the river Jordan he did make them mighty unto the driving out of the children of the land, yea, unto the scattering them to destruction. The children of Israel had to cross the river before God would make them mighty. They had to put themselves in the right place and exercise their faith. God parted the river for them, but they had to follow the priests and walk through it before the Lord would bless them with victories over their enemies. I likewise must put myself in the right place to receive God's greatest blessings. I must stand in holy places. To get to those holy places, I must cross over the river that separates me from God. That river is the sin in my life, which has carved a deep chasm between me and my Father.  Christ can stop the waters and build a bridge over the chasm for me by His atonement when I repent. Once I cross into the holy places, such as the temple, God gives me power to face and defeat my enemies--Satan, temptation,...

1 Nephi 17:29 Yea, and ye also know that Moses, by his word according to the power of God which was in him, smote the rock, and there came forth water, that the children of Israel might quench their thirst. Note the passive voice. The Israelites did not feed themselves; they were fed. God provided the manna; the people had only to gather it daily. Similarly, we do not concoct the gospel and feed ourselves with it. God provides it through his prophets, who deliver it in scripture and in living oracles, and through direct revelation by the Holy Ghost. Our responsibility is to gather it daily and consume it.

1 Nephi 17:26 Now ye know that Moses was commanded of the Lord to do that great work; and ye know that by his word the waters of the Red Sea were divided hither and thither, and they passed through on dry ground. Deliverance is always miraculous. The deliverance of Israel from the Egyptians is the ultimate Old Testament symbol of the miraculous deliverance Christ would perform in the atonement. He provides a way back to the Father when I can find no way back on my own. He parts the sea of sin and mortal weakness so I may traverse a straight, solid path to God.