1 Nephi 6
1 Nephi 6
Short and sweet. It showcases Nephi's intent and purpose of his record keeping- not a lot else here to distract us from that.
Must be pretty important.
"...for I desire the room that I may write of the things of God."
Nephi had a finite amount of space, and had to choose, out of all the good things he could write, which were the best things. He knew that the best things were the things of God.
This makes me look at my life- my time and my attention. I have only a finite amount of time (and even then, I don't know just how much time that really is.) I need to choose out of all the good things I can be doing and focusing on, and make sure is it only the 'best' things- the things of God - that I make room for. To me, that's my discipleship, my faith, my activity in the church, my marriage, my family, my community and being an instrument in His hands.
His entire purpose - the entire purpose the Book of Mormon - is to persuade people to come unto Christ (the God of the Old Testament, the Gd to which Nephi refers to in verse 4.)
All the stories we read about, all the doctrine we learn, is all for the sole purpose of bringing me closer to my Savior.
That makes the Book of Mormon very personal to me- very special. It's written as to help me become closer to my Savior. And it does the job beautifully.
Your thoughts?
Short and sweet. It showcases Nephi's intent and purpose of his record keeping- not a lot else here to distract us from that.
Must be pretty important.
"...for I desire the room that I may write of the things of God."
Nephi had a finite amount of space, and had to choose, out of all the good things he could write, which were the best things. He knew that the best things were the things of God.
This makes me look at my life- my time and my attention. I have only a finite amount of time (and even then, I don't know just how much time that really is.) I need to choose out of all the good things I can be doing and focusing on, and make sure is it only the 'best' things- the things of God - that I make room for. To me, that's my discipleship, my faith, my activity in the church, my marriage, my family, my community and being an instrument in His hands.
His entire purpose - the entire purpose the Book of Mormon - is to persuade people to come unto Christ (the God of the Old Testament, the Gd to which Nephi refers to in verse 4.)
All the stories we read about, all the doctrine we learn, is all for the sole purpose of bringing me closer to my Savior.
That makes the Book of Mormon very personal to me- very special. It's written as to help me become closer to my Savior. And it does the job beautifully.
Your thoughts?
What I sat here pondering this morning is about Morton's words when he talked about being able to include only a hundredth part of the words that had been written. So, these really are the best of the best things that the Lord wanted us to be able to read, to keep us strong and to help us understand His work and His will! I love the scriptures and I'm so grateful for the time, thought, and discretion that went into making them the best of the best!
ReplyDeleteWho's Morton? Jk. (I know, stupid autocorrect on your phone, lol)
DeleteI know I'm so excited for the time when we get the rest of the records....hopefully sooner than later!
I felt like Nephi was telling me... tighten up the calendar, cut out the fluff, pay attention to what is really important, quit worrying about the little things, prioritize your world, choose which master you are going to serve (and that would be God) and then serve Him.
ReplyDeleteFrom my perspective... birthday coming up(always a moment to realize how fast life rushes by), latter-day prophesy being fulfilled on a daily basis, our constitution being shredded before our very eyes, the lines between good and evil being drawn thicker and wider.... time is short. Meaning, either my time here is short, or all our time is short before the second coming. Either way- making a choice to take the increasingly small amount of time I have and filling it with only the most important things... not really any different than Nephi only wanting to document the important things because he didn't have much space.
Amen!!
DeleteThe verse that struck me was verse 5 - "Wherefore, the things which are pleasing unto the world I do not write, but the things which are pleasing unto God and unto those who are not of the world."
ReplyDeleteThis is something that I'm always thinking about. It's hard because not all of the world is bad, like what was said in previous posts it's trying to focus on what has eternal significance.
Liz, you're totally right. It's the good, better, best thing. I think there is time for the better, and even the good, but it seems the bulk of our efforts should be focused on the best - the things of eternity. :)
DeleteWhen I read verse 5 I thought of this quote from Ezra Taft Benson: "I have noticed within the Church the difference in discernment, in insight, conviction, and spirit between those who know and love the Book of Mormon and those who do not. That book is a great sifter." — "The Book of Mormon is the Word of God," General Conference, April 1975.
ReplyDeleteI love the last sentence. It is the "great sifter."
Thanks Ben for that insight. I love Pres. Benson and his great wisdom!
ReplyDeleteI have much the same feelings as Angie in all those same areas. I am shocked and amazed at all that is happening around us and to us. I am also looking for the areas that I must assume responsibility for myself, my family, my community and my country. We live in "exciting" times :)
This year my main goal is to live a "Inspired Life", in all areas. It is not easy and it is a continual sifting, reapplying priorities and simplifying.
This chapter helps me to put better into words, "the things that are pleasing to God".
WOW! I could just say "Amen" to all of the comments here. Thank you, Ben for sharing that about the Book of Mormon being the "great sifter". That is so true!
ReplyDeleteThis short chapter makes me feel introspective. Reading about Nephi’s purpose to persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham prompts me to ask myself, “What is my purpose?” What legacy am I going to leave behind? What should my focus be for my time on earth? What can I do to help my family, friends and acquaintances want to come unto Christ? This chapter helps me realize how important it is to be more concerned with what God thinks than what the world thinks…Now, the question is will I turn that realization into action as I seek to understand and strive fulfill my purpose?