1 NEPHI 15 bonus

Bonus Material for 1 Nephi 15.  Read this chapter tonight.

1 Nephi 15:10. “Because of the hardness of your hearts”

Elder Gerald N. Lund

“We feel things in our hearts. In the scriptures, the prophets teach that personal revelation is closely linked to the heart. …

“The heart is a tender place. It is sensitive to many influences, both positive and negative. …

“… Individual agency is so sacred that Heavenly Father will never force the human heart, even with all His infinite power. Man may try to do so, but God does not. To put it another way, God allows us to be the guardians, or the gatekeepers, of our own hearts. We must, of our own free will, open our hearts to the Spirit, for He will not force Himself upon us” (Gerald N. Lund, “Opening Our Hearts,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2008, 32, 33).

1 Nephi 15:11. A pattern for learning spiritual things

Elder Paul V. Johnson

“Answers to spiritual questions are given to individuals who don’t harden their hearts; who ask in faith, believing they will receive; and who diligently keep the commandments. Even when we follow this pattern, we don’t control the timing of getting answers. Sometimes our answers come quickly, and sometimes we must place questions on the shelf for a time and rely on our faith that has developed from the answers we do know” (Paul V. Johnson, “A Pattern for Learning Spiritual Things” [address given at the Seminaries and Institutes of Religion satellite broadcast, Aug. 7, 2012]).