Flooding My Life with the Book of Mormon 2.0

1 Nephi 8:32 And it came to pass that many were drowned in the depths of the fountain; and many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads. The opposite of righteously pressing forward is wandering. Many are simply lost, not striving to reach the tree of life and not headed for the great and spacious building, simply wandering about, going wherever the road takes them. They are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. They saunter along strange, unfamiliar roads, enticed by whatever is new and intriguing, looking for something they cannot make or describe, hoping to stumble onto something good with no real goal in mind. They are not only lost from Lehi's view, but even from their own view. They can be the hardest to reach. 

1 Nephi 8:28 And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost. Peer pressure can be totally destructive to our spiritual health. Satan knows how our pride works, and he uses others to wound our pride. It is not easy to remain steadfast in the face of criticism and mocking. Humility and meekness are the antidotes to the poison of pride and humiliation. We must fear God more than we fear man. 

1 Nephi 8:27 And [the great and spacious building] was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit. A ploy of Satan is to make me feel foolish and to doubt myself and my judgment when I choose righteously. If he can get me to doubt and wonder if I am doing the right thing, I will pause, and in that moment, he will pounce. He will play on my FOMO and tempt me to wonder if I am missing something pleasant or important. He wants me to compare the value of God's blessings with the luxuries of the world. He is banking on the natural man overcoming the child of Christ just long enough to distract me, turn my head, and eventually turn my heart from God. He is very seductive and clever. He doesn't need me to jump into his lap; he just needs to catch my attention. 

1 Nephi 8:24 And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree. The way to God requires effort and exertion and is always forward, never backward or sideways. Don't confuse effort, however, with self-aggrandizement. Keeping with Lehi's allegory, I do not build the path, forge the iron rod, plant and grow the tree, or produce the fruit. God does these things for me. They are gifts.  He requires my effort, however. He does not pluck me out of my comfortable easy chair, drop me at the base of the tree, and force-feed me the fruit. I must choose His gifts through my diligent actions.  Nor does He require me to walk the path perfectly from beginning to end. When I stray, He has provided a Savior to rescue me, dust me off, clean me up, and set me in the rig...

1 Nephi 8:21 And I saw numberless concourses of people, many of whom were pressing forward, that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree by which I stood. The Lord lays the path before me, but He does not make me enter it. He puts it in plain view, but I choose whether to walk it.  Many ignore the path as they live their lives. They may even stumble onto it by accident, but just keep going in another direction. Others search for the path but have a hard time finding it in the broad expanse of the world.  Nevertheless, God's path is always open and in plain sight, and the Lord has sent an army of messengers into the world to guide the sincere seekers to it. Some may have to search harder than others, but all can find it. Elder J. Golden Kimball reportedly said that he may not follow the covenant path perfectly, but he tries to cut across it as often as possible.

1 Nephi 8:20 And I also beheld a strait and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood; and it also led by the head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a world. What President Nelson has called the "covenant path" is always designated by the scriptures as the "strait and narrow path." Strait is a synonym for narrow, but the prophets in the scriptures are not being redundant. Strait also means strict. So the path is strict and narrow. No deviations are allowed. We are either on the path, or we are not. It leaves no room for lateral movement. Faith in Christ, repentance, and baptism are the only ways to enter the path. Making and keeping covenants and keeping the commandments of the gospel are the only ways to stay on the path. A step to either side is a step off the path and into trouble. On the other hand, while the path is strait and narrow, it is endless in its length. It provides no restrict...

1 Nephi 8:19 And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood. The sequence of events is worth noting. Lehi reached the tree without the rod of iron or the strait and narrow path. He simply followed the man in the white robe, i.e., the Holy Ghost. Sariah, Nephi, and Sam reached the tree by obeying Lehi, i.e., the living prophet. Only when Laman and Lemuel refused to obey did Lehi see another way, namely, the iron rod (the scriptures) and the strait path (the law). Our leaders today emphasize the scriptures and the commandments in the hope that they will lead us to the prophet, who will lead us to the Holy Ghost, who will escort us to the tree of eternal life.