2 Nephi 1
Click here to read the chapter online
I'm gonna start today with a question: Lehi talks in verses 6 & 7 about how this land is consecrated, and that none shall come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.
What do you think that meas? Do you think it is referring to no major groups of people (lehi, jarod, etc) or every single person? And if it's every single person, that does that mean (and I asking this in total sincerety) that EVERY person who steps foot in America was brought here: illegal aliens, terrorists, tourists, etc.?
I know- maybe I'm being nit-picky - but the Lord did say that none shall come into this land...
You guys are super smart- what do you think?
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I LOVE verse 15. It is so sweet and tender. It shows that you cannot help but love the Lord when you have a strong testimony in Him and of Him.
I also love verse 21. So many times we focus on how hard life is, and we tell each other we are special and things will be ok if we just believe. I guess that's true, but I'm a fan of quit your whining and get to work. Stand up and be men, and women. Take your thumb out of your mouth, Do you job. Accept your call. Get to work. Be determined to rise above and to succeed.
Sounds a little harsh, I know.
There are times when we are wounded and need to recover with care, but much, if not most, of life is work. We can find joy in it and purpose in it- but it requires great effort and consistency. The Lord has a work and a glory, why should we expect any different from us?
That's what Lehi is telling his sons. Awake! Shake off your chains. Be obedient. Be men! (and women!)
There is a great work for us in these latter days. I know I want to stand up and work! I am determined to be in one mind and one heart with the Lord, united in my purpose and my privileges.
Salvation isn't cheap, and I want to do all in my power to earn mine.
I'm gonna start today with a question: Lehi talks in verses 6 & 7 about how this land is consecrated, and that none shall come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.
What do you think that meas? Do you think it is referring to no major groups of people (lehi, jarod, etc) or every single person? And if it's every single person, that does that mean (and I asking this in total sincerety) that EVERY person who steps foot in America was brought here: illegal aliens, terrorists, tourists, etc.?
I know- maybe I'm being nit-picky - but the Lord did say that none shall come into this land...
You guys are super smart- what do you think?
------------
I LOVE verse 15. It is so sweet and tender. It shows that you cannot help but love the Lord when you have a strong testimony in Him and of Him.
I also love verse 21. So many times we focus on how hard life is, and we tell each other we are special and things will be ok if we just believe. I guess that's true, but I'm a fan of quit your whining and get to work. Stand up and be men, and women. Take your thumb out of your mouth, Do you job. Accept your call. Get to work. Be determined to rise above and to succeed.
Sounds a little harsh, I know.
There are times when we are wounded and need to recover with care, but much, if not most, of life is work. We can find joy in it and purpose in it- but it requires great effort and consistency. The Lord has a work and a glory, why should we expect any different from us?
That's what Lehi is telling his sons. Awake! Shake off your chains. Be obedient. Be men! (and women!)
There is a great work for us in these latter days. I know I want to stand up and work! I am determined to be in one mind and one heart with the Lord, united in my purpose and my privileges.
Salvation isn't cheap, and I want to do all in my power to earn mine.
Is there an internet site which makes it easy to follow blogs and podcasts?
ReplyDeleteI don't have an iPod, does that matter?.
my web page ... www.ourweekly.com
Feel free to surf my webpage ... Paxil Lawsuit
In answer to your question... I think every person is brought here or ALLOWED to come here in the Lord's time and at His will. In the beginning it was righteous people who came to help build a nation. But in verse 11 it says when the country starts to fall from the grace of God because of wickedness... other nations are going to come in and take away the power and freedoms of the people. Oh man- that is definitely the case right now in our country.
ReplyDeleteLegal, illegal,terrorist or whatever- the Lord can keep them out at His will or let them in. It was really the choice of the people because He's going to do what He says He will. I don't necessarily think the Lord said... ooh, you, terrorist - hijack that plane and run it into the building. But I think with all things, good or bad, He allowed it to happen because it was a potential wake up call to a choice nation. Unfortunately, that moment of warning didn't make the necessary changes to become a righteous nation as a whole like it could have.
I think the thing that struck me in this chapter was the generational component to a "righteous people." Kind of frustrated me when I read it and the reality hit home that I can be as strong and good as I can be, but still be affected by the unrighteousness of the next generation. I guess it strikes a hard chord with me this morning because I was in a conversation with a friend last night and he was (and in a secular, non-LDS way) saying this very same thing about our society right now.
I like the courage building verse 23. We should awake- wake up, get up, stand up. Put on the armor of righteousness - protection, power, and you get a sword. Shake off the chains - don't let others tie you down, know that you are a free person. Come out of obscurity - be courageous, stand-up, be counted. Arise from the dust- quit being a low-life slithering around like a snake on the ground and do something good with your life.
I believe the Lord wants to bless us. He wants us to have all we need and much more. But it is just like teaching a child to be obedient, you don't get the blessing of the cookie unless you pick up your toys. We don't get, or get to keep blessings, without the corresponding good behavior. Sometimes those blessings are individual others are family, community, country and even, world.
Yes, I believe it is every person who comes here. But I believe as a society we must be a righteous and religious people or the "society" will receive it's reward. We may all feel the results of those consequences.
ReplyDeleteI have always been a strong woman & felt pulling up your bootstraps is vital to living. Must be a generational thing :)
This chapter, talks about living righteously and prospering in the land 3 times. To me this is the message of the BofM and Nephi doesn't want us to forget it.
But my most favorite part of this chapter is vs 31 Wherefore, because thou hast been faithful thy seed shall be blessed with his seed, that they dwell in prosperity long upon the face of this land; and nothing, save it shall be iniquity among them, shall harm or disturb their prosperity upon the face of this land forever.
Like Zoram, I am a convert and I feel his blessing from Lehi pertains to me and my family.
I hesitate to even make this comment but, alas, I feel this is as good a time as ever. We often ask ourselves (or our Sunday School teachers do), why was this Book of Mormon written for our day? What does it contain that is so important for the 1830-2100 time period.
ReplyDeleteIf you take a 30,000 foot view of the BOM (and the title page even references this) it speaks of two civilizations, the Nephite and Lamanite civilizations and the Jaredite civilization who were wiped off the face of this land because they didn't do what 2 Nephi verse 9 says, but they did what happened in verse 10. They became wicked, they rejected truth, they rejected God, but the were destroyed. Their destruction came about because of the Gadianton Robbers who infiltrated their judgement seats and changed their laws, overtook the government and restricted the peoples freedoms.
We need to do as Lehi said it verse 13, we need to wake up from the "sleep of hell." Go to the online version of the book of mormon and do a search for "gadianton robbers". Then liken those scriptures unto us and our government, but don't make the mistake of thinking about the Gadiaton Robbers as the mafia, or gangsters, because that's not what it's about. These robbers overtake judgement seats and governments. Look at our government. Look at our land, look at our laws. Is this the land of the free? Last time I checked, free isn't paying 50% in taxes. Heck, King Noah was the most wicked king in the BOM and he only taxed his people 20%. Free isn't being groped at an airport. Free isn't having your constitutional rights stripped from you.
ReplyDeleteAs for the terrorists coming into the Americas, my question is what terrorists? The scariest thing about our day is Satan is the great deceiver and we all don't even know we are being deceived. If Satan were to deceive a people, how would he do it? I laugh sometimes when I go to Sams Club and see that they now have 60" tv sets so we can put them in our homes and let the media tell us what is happening. I sometimes ask people how they know what the truth is around the world. We need to realize that our "truth" is what we are told by the media. It's hard to find information any other way. Thank heavens for the internet know which allows us to receive other points of view.
I wish all Mormons would wake up to the BOM. It has fortold the things that are going on right now. Deception, wicked judges, overtaxing, debt, wicked leaders, restricted freedoms, and we are all buying into it without knowing it. I think Mormon must be rolling in his grave when he sees what is going on and how the general majority of the world really believes that governments are to protect us. The leading cause of death in the last 100 years = government (see china, germany, rwanda, soviet union, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democide)
This has turned into a complete rant. Let me take a breath. In our church, we are told by our prophets and leaders to believe and have faith, but we are told to find answers for ourselves and obtain our own testimonies. When have you ever heard CNN tell you, "This is what happened on 9/11, but why don't you go online and spend a few weeks researching, read some eye witness accounts, talk with the firefighters and policeman, and be informed. Ask the physicists and airline pilots how plausible the attacks were." NEVER!
We need to wake up. Big time. Especially Mormons who have a book that fortells everything that was going to happen. Please, if you haven't already, read this book not just to learn about Jesus, and know how to live a peaceable life, but read it to learn how to preserve our nation's freedom from tyranny.
Satan's threat from the beginning was to build up armies and navies, false priests who oppress, and tyrants that murder. It's all happening right before our very eyes, and it's happening in the land of promise, the free land, the covenant land. We are not free, we are lied to, our leaders are immoral, they lie, the cheat on their wives, they seek out innocent blood and riches, and we've all been warned.
With all this said, I know that the majority of people are good. We have many government leaders who are good. But we need to realize that we are not a beacon for freedom anymore. We are heading down the path of destruction that the Nephites and Jaredites were. Somehow things need to change.