1 Nephi 2
Sorry about the delay in posting this morning! I had a little glitch in my computer, which is now fixed :)
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Lehi takes his family into the wilderness by the Red Sea—They leave their property—Lehi offers a sacrifice to the Lord and teaches his sons to keep the commandments—Laman and Lemuel murmur against their father—Nephi is obedient and prays in faith; the Lord speaks to him, and he is chosen to rule over his brethren. About 600 B.C.
This chapter was filled with messages faith, personal revelation, testimony, obedience, etc. If I write about them all I would be here for hours! So, I'll just pick the top two things that grabbed me.
The first thing that hit me when I read this morning what the words of the Lord to Lehi "Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou has done..."
I know we hear a lot about being blessed because of our faith, or our Christ-like characteristics (kind, loving, etc) but here Lehi is blessed because of the things he DID.
It was his faith in action that brought upon the blessings of deliverance and a promised land.
I have a friend who studies a lot and serves a little. Every time I speak with them they are reading another book, or studying another website. They are full of knowledge and facts. But, that is all they do.
It's true that knowledge is power and wisdom is strength- but they alone cannot deliver you.
This chapter is a great reminder to me that knowing is not enough- it's the doing, and more specifically, doing the Right things, that will save us.
The other lesson in this chapter was the pattern Nephi taught (through his actions) about receiving personal revelation:
Nephi did not know for himself if what his father said was true (15)
1- He had a "great desire" to know for himself it it was.
2- He cried (prayed) unto the Lord
3- The Lord answered by softening Nephi's heart so he could know of the truthfulness of his father's words
4- He did not rebel
5- He was blessed for his faith and for seeking the Lord (19)
The only way to gain a testimony of spiritual matters is through spiritual confirmation, and that comes through personal revelation. The steps taught here are:
1. Have a desire to know
2. Pray and ask God
3. Listen and keep your heart open to His answer
4. Obey the promptings and act on your answer
5. Receive the blessings that come from your faith
I love that we can find lessons like this throughout the Book of Mormon!
What did you think/learn today?
The first thing that hit me when I read this morning what the words of the Lord to Lehi "Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou has done..."
I know we hear a lot about being blessed because of our faith, or our Christ-like characteristics (kind, loving, etc) but here Lehi is blessed because of the things he DID.
It was his faith in action that brought upon the blessings of deliverance and a promised land.
I have a friend who studies a lot and serves a little. Every time I speak with them they are reading another book, or studying another website. They are full of knowledge and facts. But, that is all they do.
It's true that knowledge is power and wisdom is strength- but they alone cannot deliver you.
This chapter is a great reminder to me that knowing is not enough- it's the doing, and more specifically, doing the Right things, that will save us.
The other lesson in this chapter was the pattern Nephi taught (through his actions) about receiving personal revelation:
Nephi did not know for himself if what his father said was true (15)
1- He had a "great desire" to know for himself it it was.
2- He cried (prayed) unto the Lord
3- The Lord answered by softening Nephi's heart so he could know of the truthfulness of his father's words
4- He did not rebel
5- He was blessed for his faith and for seeking the Lord (19)
The only way to gain a testimony of spiritual matters is through spiritual confirmation, and that comes through personal revelation. The steps taught here are:
1. Have a desire to know
2. Pray and ask God
3. Listen and keep your heart open to His answer
4. Obey the promptings and act on your answer
5. Receive the blessings that come from your faith
I love that we can find lessons like this throughout the Book of Mormon!
What did you think/learn today?
I enjoyed reading your thoughts there. Glad your computer is running again.
ReplyDeleteI love Lehi's words to his sons Laman and Lemuel in verses 9 and 10, almost like poetry, comparing them to rivers and valleys, and being righteous and steadfast. I noticed he used the word "continually" when he talked about "running into the fountain of all righteous."
We need to be "continually" filling our lives with things of righteousness too, so we may stay on the road back to our Heavenly Father.
Out of many, one thing that struck me was that Laman and Lemuel did not believe their father. But they went with him anyway. What a different world we would have if children had that kind of respect and obedience for their fathers.
ReplyDeleteLove your thoughts with this chapter, and all of them really! Thanks for doing this Michelle. I'm excited to study the scriptures with you.
ReplyDeleteI am SO excited you ladies are joining me! Yay!
ReplyDelete