Learning and profit

2 Nephi 4:15

And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children.

Nephi pondered the scriptures not just with his mind but with his heart. Understanding the scriptures was more than a mental exercise for Nephi; it was an exercise of faith. He not only wanted to know the scriptures, but he also wanted to feel them, or rather, he wanted to feel God's power and blessing through them. He wanted to go beyond the words on the plates to the deeper spiritual meanings. Nephi wanted not only to understand the words of God but also to understand the mind of God. He wanted to know not just the writings but the Author.

The phrase "learning and profit" appears in various forms in several places. It seems that learning is important, but more so when it yields a profit, meaning when it is put to good use. Information is helpful only when we do something useful with it. I may believe, and even know, that God lives, but unless that knowledge affects my life and influences what I do and how I serve others, it is futile and vain. God does not give knowledge to satisfy idle curiosity but to change my life and enable me to serve Him profitably. 

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