1 Nephi 3-4
Reading Assignment for Monday: 1 NEPHI 3-4
LOOK FOR:
1 Nephi 3:7
H. David Burton, “I Will Go,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 43
“….may I offer an 'I will' for your serious consideration? It is I will become very well acquainted with the noble prophet Nephi through studying, pondering, and feasting upon the first two books of the Book of Mormon. My young friends, I promise that when you come to really know Nephi, you will be so impressed with his determination, courage, and desire to be obedient to the 'things the Lord commands' that you will have a strong desire to incorporate his attributes into your own lives. Then when you are tempted by the adversary, as you may be nearly every day, to deviate from the counsel of the prophets, the wishes of your parents, or what 'the Lord commands,' you can immediately have the words of stalwart Nephi automatically come to your mind: 'I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded' (1 Ne. 3:7). And when someone with whom you associate suggests you participate in something that is not as 'the Lord commands,' you can think of the courageous plea Nephi made to his elder brothers: 'Let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord' (1 Ne. 3:16).”
1 Nephi 3:3, 19-20 The Importance of Scripture
Elder Hales taught:
"On page one of the book of 1 Nephi—the very first book in the Book of Mormon—we learn that Lehi, in about 600 B.C., was directed by God to take his family and flee into the wilderness. But Lehi didn’t get very far before the Lord commanded him to send his sons back. Why? To retrieve the scriptures, the brass plates, which were so important that Lehi’s sons risked their lives and lost all their worldly possessions to recover them! Ultimately, it was the Lord’s help and Nephi’s faith that miraculously delivered the plates into his hands. When Nephi and his brothers returned, Lehi, their father, rejoiced. He began to search the holy scriptures “from the beginning,” and “found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth … insomuch that [Lehi and his posterity] could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto [their] children.”1
Indeed, the brass plates were a record of Lehi’s fathers, including their language, genealogy, and, more importantly, the gospel taught by God’s holy prophets. As Lehi searched the plates, he learned what all of us learn by studying the scriptures:
Who we are.
What we can become.
Prophecies for us and for our posterity.
The commandments, laws, ordinances, and covenants we must live by to obtain eternal life.
And how we must live in order to endure to the end and return to our Heavenly Father with honor.
So essential are these truths that Heavenly Father gave both Lehi and Nephi visions vividly representing the word of God as a rod of iron. Both father and son learned that holding to this strong, unbending, utterly reliable guide is the only way to stay on that strait and narrow path that leads to our Savior." (Oct. 2006)
Want More?:
Read this story from Elder Andersen and ponder how it relates to the chapters you just read:
LOOK FOR:
- What truth Nephi taught in 1 Nephi 3:7. What do you admire about his response?
- Ponder times when the Lord prepared the way for you to keep his commandments.
- How many attempts did the brothers make to get the plates? Why do you think God didn't just make it work the first time?
- What power phrases can you find in these chapters that give you strength? (A power phrase is a short phrase from the scriptures that gives you strength, motivation, or power)
1 Nephi 3:7
H. David Burton, “I Will Go,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 43
“….may I offer an 'I will' for your serious consideration? It is I will become very well acquainted with the noble prophet Nephi through studying, pondering, and feasting upon the first two books of the Book of Mormon. My young friends, I promise that when you come to really know Nephi, you will be so impressed with his determination, courage, and desire to be obedient to the 'things the Lord commands' that you will have a strong desire to incorporate his attributes into your own lives. Then when you are tempted by the adversary, as you may be nearly every day, to deviate from the counsel of the prophets, the wishes of your parents, or what 'the Lord commands,' you can immediately have the words of stalwart Nephi automatically come to your mind: 'I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded' (1 Ne. 3:7). And when someone with whom you associate suggests you participate in something that is not as 'the Lord commands,' you can think of the courageous plea Nephi made to his elder brothers: 'Let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord' (1 Ne. 3:16).”
1 Nephi 3:3, 19-20 The Importance of Scripture
Elder Hales taught:
"On page one of the book of 1 Nephi—the very first book in the Book of Mormon—we learn that Lehi, in about 600 B.C., was directed by God to take his family and flee into the wilderness. But Lehi didn’t get very far before the Lord commanded him to send his sons back. Why? To retrieve the scriptures, the brass plates, which were so important that Lehi’s sons risked their lives and lost all their worldly possessions to recover them! Ultimately, it was the Lord’s help and Nephi’s faith that miraculously delivered the plates into his hands. When Nephi and his brothers returned, Lehi, their father, rejoiced. He began to search the holy scriptures “from the beginning,” and “found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth … insomuch that [Lehi and his posterity] could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto [their] children.”1
Indeed, the brass plates were a record of Lehi’s fathers, including their language, genealogy, and, more importantly, the gospel taught by God’s holy prophets. As Lehi searched the plates, he learned what all of us learn by studying the scriptures:
Who we are.
What we can become.
Prophecies for us and for our posterity.
The commandments, laws, ordinances, and covenants we must live by to obtain eternal life.
And how we must live in order to endure to the end and return to our Heavenly Father with honor.
So essential are these truths that Heavenly Father gave both Lehi and Nephi visions vividly representing the word of God as a rod of iron. Both father and son learned that holding to this strong, unbending, utterly reliable guide is the only way to stay on that strait and narrow path that leads to our Savior." (Oct. 2006)
Want More?:
Read this story from Elder Andersen and ponder how it relates to the chapters you just read:
Elder Neil L.
Andersen
“In Brazil, I met
Aroldo Cavalcante. He was baptized at age 21, the first member of the Church in
his family. His faith burned brightly, and he immediately began preparing to
serve a mission. Sadly, Aroldo’s mother was diagnosed with cancer. Three months
later, only days before she died, she spoke to Aroldo of her greatest concern:
There were no relatives to help. Aroldo would need to take full responsibility
for his two younger sisters and his younger brother. He solemnly made this
promise to his dying mother.
“By day he worked in
a bank, and at night he attended the university. He continued to keep his
baptismal covenants, but his hopes for a full-time mission were gone. …
“Months later … ,
Aroldo studied the words that Samuel reprovingly spoke to King Saul: ‘To obey,’
he read, ‘is better than [to] sacrifice’ (1 Samuel 15:22). Aroldo received the
seemingly impossible impression that he needed to obey the prophet’s call to serve
a mission” (Neil L. Andersen, “Faith Is Not by Chance, but by Choice,” Ensign
or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 65).
“Undaunted by the
obstacles before him, [Aroldo] moved forward with enormous faith.
“[To pay for his
mission,] Aroldo saved every Brazilian cruzeiro he could. At age 23, he
received his mission call. … Aroldo still did not have enough money to pay the
full cost of his mission and the living expenses for his brother and sisters,
but with faith he entered the MTC. A week later he received the first of many
blessings. The bank that had employed Elder Cavalcante unexpectedly doubled the
money he was to receive as he concluded his work. This miracle, along with
others, provided the needed income for his mission and his family during his
absence” (Neil L. Andersen, “Faith Is Not by Chance,” 65–66).