Now I Know of a Surety

Lehi took his family and traveled three days into the wilderness before stopping to offer sacrifice (1 Nephi 2:6-7). At that point, Lehi dreamed a dream in which the Lord told him to send his sons back to get the brass plates. Why did the Lord let Lehi and his family travel three days before telling them that they needed to return? It seems like it would have been easier to obtain the plates before leaving in the first place.

I think there a couple of hints in 1 Nephi as to why the Lord waited to tell Lehi. First of all, the Lord waited until Lehi had offered sacrifice. In other words, Lehi received revelation after being obedient to the voice of the Lord and after performing a temple ordinance. My understanding is that Jewish law required a Jew to travel three days from the temple in Jerusalem before this sacrifice could be made.

The journey back to Jerusalem to retrieve the plates also proved to be a growing experience for Nephi. He learned that the Lord would guide him through the Spirit, as we see in 1 Nephi 4:6.

But it my mind, the real answer to this question can be found in 1 Nephi 5:8. In this verse, we see Sariah's reaction to the return of Nephi and his brethren with the plates. I think her words are very revealing: "Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness." It appears that Sariah needed to gain a testimony of her husband, the living prophet. She needed to know of a surety that he was called of the Lord, and that the hand of the Lord was guiding him. By waiting three days before sending Nephi and his brothers back for the plates, the Lord, in his infinite wisdom and mercy, provided a means for Sariah to gain this testimony.

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A Few Thoughts on the Resurrection

In the Bible Dictionary entry for "Resurrection," it says that the doctrine of the Resurrection is "the center point of hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ." I usually only think about the blessings of the Resurrection when someone close to me passes away, but after reading this I felt like perhaps the doctrine of the Resurrection is a doctrine that should be making a bigger difference in my life. I decided to try and gain a better understanding of the connection between the Resurrection and having hope. How important is hope in this gospel?

Moroni 7:41 tells me that I should "have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection." In 1 Thes. 5:8, the armor of God is discussed, and the helmet is called the "hope of salvation." Connecting these two scriptures, it seems like having a hope because of the Atonement and Resurrection is an important part of protecting myself against Satan.

I found it interesting that hope is connected with the head (the helmet). As I thought about this, another scripture came to mind: Jacob 3:2. Here we are told that if we have a firm mind, then we can feel the love of God forever. How can I have a firm mind? Seems like wearing a helmet of hope would be useful. Hope can certainly help me fight off mental afflictions like discouragement.

The doctrine of the Resurrection is a powerful doctrine that should fill my life with hope and help me to have a "firm mind."

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A Few Thoughts on the Atonement

I taught Sunday School again today. The lesson was on the Atonement, in specific the events that occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane. Here are a few of the thoughts that I shared in my lesson:

The Atonement can be found everywhere in the scriptures if we just look. For example, in 1 Nephi 17:8, the Lord tells Nephi, "Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters." The Lord "carries" us to the promised land. It is only through his Atonement that we can make it across the waters, past the trials of this life, and to the Celestial kingdom.

In Romans 8:16-17, we are told that we can be joint heirs with Christ, "if it so be that we suffer with him." What does it mean to suffer with Christ? As I read about Christ's experience in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46), I noticed that he took Peter, James, and John to the Garden and asked them to "watch" with him. I wonder if one possible way that we can "suffer with" Christ is by doing exactly what Jesus asked his disciples to do in the Garden: watch and pray. Be there, in a sense, and stay awake.

Finally, I noticed that before the Atonement occurred, Christ had the attitude "Thy will be done" (Matthew 26:39). Perhaps before the Atonement can become a reality in my life, I must also have the attitude, "Thy will be done."

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Laws, Rites, and Ordinances

Yesterday a friend of mine sent me the following in an email:

K, guys. So here is the deal. I love the NPR podcast "This I Believe." Users write in and submit stories of stuff that they believe in - sometimes it is in relation to spiritual stuff, sometimes with hardships in life, sometimes life lessons, etc. Kinda gushy sometimes - but something I find pretty inspirational and cool. So, recently, this following podcast came out. This has been a hot topic lately with some of my friends (more in relation to dating than marriage - but same principle). And I want to know what all of you think about it. It is short - so either read it or listen to it and tell me what you got. Do you agree? Not agree? See flaws in her argument? Etc.

So, let me here what you have got to say.

You can either read or listen to the segment here.....

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10536016

I read the article, and then spent about an hour writing my thoughts about it. I must say that by the end of the hour I had gone somewhat off-topic, so my response doesn't accurately reflect what was written in the article. But I had a few thoughts that I wanted to post here for the sake of remembering them. Here they are:

A few years ago I went and did some sealings in the temple. It was amazing because the sealer, Bro. Jack Rose, would stop after every ordinance and ask us questions about different parts of the ordinance. One phrase he pointed out has stuck in my mind till now: "laws, rites, and ordinances." When we are sealed, we covenant to keep the laws, rites, and ordinances of marriage. He pointed out that the word was "rites," not "rights." And then he spent several minutes teaching us about what that meant. Basically, he talked about all the little acts that make all the difference. And he promised us that if we put in our best effort, then the Lord would help us to keep this covenant. He shared a personal experience where the Lord let him know of something his wife needed so that he was able to take care of it before she had to ask. I'm single so I may be wrong, but I get the feeling that the rites of marriage probably affect the happiness of the marriage as much as, if not more than, anything else.

Again, I'm not married, so I haven't tried this out yet, but I have to believe that if I pray every night with faith that the Lord will help me meet the needs and wants of my spouse, then He is going to answer my prayers. Of course, I have to be willing to put in the effort. And I have to do it for the right reasons. If I do it expecting a reward or some sort of return favor, then I have the wrong attitude. As with keeping the commandments, my motivation for keeping the laws, rites, and ordinances of marriage should be love, not potential blessings or rewards.

I also feel that we shouldn't wait until we are married to start putting in the effort. If we learn how to do things that take effort and aren't fun now, then it should be easier when those things become part of the marriage covenant (the rites). If we start doing little things now (washing dishes, learning to put the toilet seat down, being more responsible with money, etc., etc., etc.), isn't that a way of showing love towards our future spouse?

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Parallels

There are many parallels to be found between the journey that Nephi took to the promised land and my journey through life to the Celestial Kingdom. Here are five that I have spent some time thinking about in the last couple of years:

NEPHI: Nephi went to the temple often (1 Nephi 18:3, 1 Kings 3:2), and the Lord showed him from time to time how to build the ship that allowed him to cross the ocean (1 Nephi 18:1). The ocean could be considered to be Nephi's greatest obstacle to reaching the Promised Land.
ME: If I go to the temple and pray to the Lord often, the Lord will show me, line upon line, how to overcome my greatest obstacles and weaknesses.

NEPHI: Many times, Nephi probably built part of the ship without knowing beforehand how it would work or be incorporated into the rest of the ship.
ME: The Lord will tell me things that I may not understand or see how to fit into my life. If I incorporate these things into my life with faith, the finished product will allow me to overcome my obstacles and reach my promised land.

NEPHI: Nephi was promised that if he kept the commandments, he would be guided towards the promised land (1 Nephi 17:4). Not only that, but he would know that he was led by the Lord.
ME: If I keep the commandments, God will show me how to grow closer to him. I will recognize the Lord's guidance in my life, and know that he is leading me.

NEPHI: After the Lord commanded Nephi to build a ship, Nephi asked the Lord where to find ore to make tools (1 Nephi 17:8-9). Nephi sought out raw materials, not a finished product.
ME: When the Lord gives me a commandment to build or accomplish something, I shouldn't expect him to give me a finished product. I need to seek out raw materials, make tools, and then put in the time and work it takes to build my ship.

NEPHI: Nephi's brothers opposed him, telling him that he could not build a ship (1 Nephi 17:19).
ME: I also will face opposition in my life when trying to build my "ship." I may be told that what I am trying to do is impossible, and that I am "lacking in judgement." I must persevere and have faith as Nephi did.

Well, I'm running out of time for this post. Perhaps I will continue these thoughts in another post in the near future. There are definitely more parallels to be written about.

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If I Wash Thee Not, Thou Hast No Part With Me

As I have been preparing to teach my Sunday School lesson this week, I have spent a lot of time thinking about John 13:6-10. Here are a few of the things I have been thinking about:

In John 13:8, Peter tells the Lord that "thou shalt never wash my feet." As I thought about Peter's statement, I wondered if maybe I sometimes have this same attitude with the Lord. Are there things that I should let the Lord do for me or help me with that I don't? Do I ever depend too much on myself or my own talents and abilities? A line of Hymn #124, Be Still My Soul, came to my mind: "Leave to thy God to order and provide." How often do I fail to do that? Lately I have realized that I sometimes try to take certain aspects of my life into my own hands, when instead I should trust God and let him guide me and provide for my needs. (A topic for another day: how can I do that and still follow the counsel from D&C 58:26-27?)

Approaching this verse from a slightly different direction, do I have sins, pains, doubts, or anything else that I, for whatever reason, am not letting the Lord wash away? Am I letting the Lord wash or heal me as completely as he wants to? Or do I have a favorite sin, or maybe an emotional wound, that I can't give up or get over? The Lord wants to wash me. He wants to heal me. What is stopping me from letting him do that fully?

I think these are important questions to ask myself. Just look at the consequence of not allowing the Lord to wash me,which is also found in John 13:8 - "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me."

Peter, after having these consequences made clear, decides that he wants the Lord to wash "not [his] feet only, but also [his] hands and [his] head" (John 13:9). At first, I thought that perhaps Peter was being a bit overzealous. The Lord tells him in the next verse that only his feet needed to be washed. But then I read the JST of verse 10, and from that it is clear that the hands and head also needed to be washed. It wasn't necessary at this time for Peter simply because his hands and his head were already clean. So maybe Peter wasn't necessarily being overzealous - maybe he just wasn't trusting in the washing that had already been done.

Again, I wonder if maybe I am also like Peter in this verse at times. The Lord has forgiven me of many sins in the past; he has washed those parts of me clean. Do I trust in his forgiveness? Or do I allow Satan to cause me guilt and pain for areas of my life that are now clean?

It is easier to feel the Savior's love, and to "love one another," when I let the Lord wash me and heal me completely, and when I trust in his forgiveness and love.

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Learn With Joy and Not With Sorrow

This comes from an email I wrote on November 7, 2005:

Jacob 4:3 - "Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents."

Jacob here is talking about the difficulty of writing upon the plates. His motivation for doing this difficult task and his understanding of its purpose are explained in verse 3. The phrase from that verse that sticks out to me the most right now is "that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow." Wouldn't you say that we could apply this phrase to ourselves and our use of the scriptures? God has given us the scriptures, and if we use them correctly, then our learning will be joyful. If we choose to ignore the scriptures or try to learn on our own, then our learning may be filled with sorrow.

Just another reason that daily scripture study is a good idea.

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He Shall Heal Them

This is from an email I wrote on October 18, 2005:

2 Nephi 26: 8-9:
8) But behold, the righteous that hearken unto the words of the prophets, and destroy them not, but look forward unto Christ with steadfastness for the signs which are given, notwithstanding all persecution—behold, they are they which shall not perish.

9) But the Son of righteousness shall appear unto them; and he shall heal them, and they shall have peace with him, until three generations shall have passed away, and many of the fourth generation shall have passed away in righteousness.

I found these verses interesting because Nephi is talking about those people who are righteous enough to survive the destruction that came with Christ's death. The interesting thing is that, even though these people were good, in verse nine we see that they still needed healing. Once they are healed, "they shall have peace." That sounds like a spiritual healing to me.

In other words, good people need Christ's healing, too.

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The Labor Which They Had to Perform

This is from an email I wrote on April 19, 2007:

Why is it that in general we seem to feel that repentance has to take a long time? Maybe I just haven't looked hard enough, but I can't find anywhere in the scriptures that says that repentance needs to take a lot of time. In fact:

Alma 34:31 - "...if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you."

Most of the big conversion stories in the scriptures happen fairly quickly. Sure, Alma the Younger suffered for 3 days, but the moment he thought of the Savior and cried out for mercy, he "could remember his pains no more" (Alma 36:16-19).

Seems to me like the three day thing is actually symbolic of the Savior's death and resurrection. Saul also passed through a 3-day period as part of his conversion where he couldn't see anything and he didn't eat or drink (Acts 9:4-6).

My conclusion is that, with the exception of your more serious sins like murder and fornication, repentance only requires as much time as it takes for us to turn to the Lord fully and completely. (Actually, the same thing can probably be said of the more serious sins - but with those, it is much more difficult to turn to the Lord fully and completely, and more time is needed.) All we have to do is look (1 Nephi 17:41). Perhaps we take longer at times to repent because we underestimate how powerful the Atonement really can be.

Just a thought.

-John, who probably thinks too much

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Let Patience Have Her Perfect Work

This is taken from an email I sent out on April 8, 2007:

Just a quick thought: have any of you ever noticed the first 4 verses of James chapter 1? We all know the significance of verse 5, but I think the surrounding context is very interesting, too:

v1: James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
v2: My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (JST: many afflictions);
v3: Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
v4: But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
v5: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

I wonder why we always separate verse 5 from verses 2, 3, and 4. It seems to me that James is telling us that passing through affliction and learning patience are two important keys necessary to gaining wisdom from God. Once Joseph learned from God that none of the churches was true, he certainly had to pass through many afflictions (JS-H 1:22) and practice incredible patience (3 years passed before he was again visited by Moroni, and it wasn't until 7 years later that he got the plates). Any thoughts?

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Conformed to the Image of His Son

This is taken from an email I sent out on April 3rd, 2007:

Tonight in the temple, the phrase "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Moses 2:26) stuck out to me for some reason. Isn't it it redundant to say image AND likeness? Does anyone have any ideas on that one? As I wondered about that redundancy, a scripture came to mind that I read a long time ago:

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:28-30).

Perhaps when God said, "Let us make man in our own image," he was referring both to the creation of our bodies AND to the whole testing process we go through here on Earth. Not only are we made in His image physically, but through the trials and adversity that we pass through while we are here, we are made in His image spiritually.

Just a thought.

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Stronger Than the Waters

This comes directly from an email I sent out to a few friends about two months ago. Rather than go through and rewrite it, I decided to just copy and paste it directly into the post:

Genesis
So Monday night I prayed about a few things that I have been concerned about recently. And then I opened the scriptures, hoping that perhaps I might find an answer there. I asked God if there was any place in particular where I could read to find an answer (an effective tool I learned in my Keys to Scripture Study class), and perhaps coincidentally, Genesis came to mind right away. I flipped through Genesis, noting all the times in the book that God tells us to "fear not, I am with thee." (Luckily I had them all marked due to a strange desire I had last year to read the book of Genesis.) I also found that scripture in chapter 18 that says nothing is too hard for the Lord. At the time, I found both of those thoughts comforting.

Moses and Pharaoh
I then continued flipping the pages until I came to Exodus 5:22-23. This is the part that I find interesting, and if anyone has any thoughts on it, feel free to share. God commands Moses to go to Pharaoh and ask him to free the children of Israel. Moses does so, but Pharaoh not only turns Moses down, but makes the burdens on Israel heavier. In verses 22 and 23, Moses goes to the Lord and asks Him why he was sent to Pharaoh if things were only going to get worse. To put this into my own words, Moses did what God told him to do, but it didn't turn out at all like he expected it to.

An answer?
Mostly this became a lot more interesting to me on Tuesday, when I also tried to follow some promptings I had and got a result that I wasn't entirely expecting. So it became obvious to me that the Lord was trying to teach me something. What I am not entirely sure of is what He wants me to learn. Has anyone had any experiences like this that could enlighten me? I feel like I have actually had my share in the last few years, but I can't say that they have ever made any sense to me. I still don't know why I felt so good about interviewing with IBM, for example, or why I felt like I needed to stay in Provo for Fall 2005. I turned down two internships because of that latter feeling.

My ideas
This is what I have been thinking since last night:
1) First of all, in the next chapter of Exodus, the Lord answers Moses and tells him that now he was going to show forth His power and free the Children of Israel. So perhaps God sent Moses to Pharaoh so that Moses could gain an appreciation for how powerful God truly is. Perhaps Moses had to learn that it was necessary to depend on God to be delivered from captivity.
2) Tuesday afternoon as I was waiting in the temple chapel for the session, I felt like reading Moses 1. I was impressed by the experience that Moses had, both with Satan and with God. Once Moses commanded Satan to depart, he called upon the Lord again and the Lord returned. This is what he said to Moses: "Blessed art thou, Moses, for I, the Almighty, have chosen thee, and thou shalt be made stronger than many waters." The obvious reference there is to how Moses was able to command the Red Sea to part, but I think there could be more meaning than just that.

Waters and storms
For the Nephites and Jaredites crossing the ocean, the waters could be considered the largest obstacle they faced before reaching the promised land. I could go off for an hour about how these journeys are symbolic of our journey to the Celestial kingdom, but I won't. Suffice it to say that the storms (of life) pushed Lehi's family off course because of the wickedness of Laman and Lemuel, but only pushed the Jaredites toward the promised land because they had yielded their hearts to God.

So what if when the Lord told Moses that he would be "stronger than the waters," He was referring not only to the Red Sea, but also to the trials and afflictions that Moses would face in life? Perhaps Moses' experience with Pharaoh was one way in which the Lord was building him up to be stronger than the "fiery darts of the adversary."

Being filled with light
A few weeks ago in the temple I asked God how I could be filled with light, and He answered me by showing me some interesting connections in the scriptures I had been reading that week. The Jaredite barges were filled with light continually (Ether 6:10), even when they were swallowed up by the waters of the sea. How? They were airtight. God showed the Jaredites how to build them. If I am to be filled with light, I also need to be airtight against temptation and trials and afflictions. If I build my foundation on the Savior, the winds and storms of life will have no effect upon me (Hel. 5:12). I must not let the winds penetrate and beat upon my heart. I must have a firm mind (Jacob 3:2).

Conclusion
So basically, perhaps God prompts us to do things that won't work out so that He can build us up. Make us "stronger than the waters." And show us how dependent we really are on His hand for deliverance.

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Having Light Continually

A few months ago, I was sitting in the Celestial Room, and for whatever reason I was feeling the need to be filled with more light. So I prayed and asked God how I could be filled with more light. Immediately the following thoughts came to my mind:

The Jaredite barges were filled with light "continually," even when swallowed up by the sea (Ether 6:10). How? They were airtight (Ether 6:7). God showed the Jaredites how to build them.

I need to be airtight against my temptations and my afflictions and trials in order to be filled with light. If I build my foundation on the Savior, the winds and the storms of life will have no effect on me (Hel. 5:12). I must not let the winds penetrate and beat upon my heart. I must also have a firm mind (Jacob 3:2). If I commend myself to the Lord, the storms that I encounter will only push me forwards towards the Promised Land (Ether 6:4-5). The Lord has command over the winds and the waves (Hymn #105).

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The Distant Scene

Nephi couldn't see the Promised Land when he and his family loaded up their ship and set off into the ocean.

That's the thought I had last night as I lay in bed, wondering about certain things in my life that have been causing me frustration of late. For some reason I am in a stage of my life where God wants me to "be still" and to wait on His timing. I guess I needed a reminder last night that others have gone through what I am going through, and things worked out in the end for them. Nephi and his family did make it to the Promised Land.

A couple of related thoughts from last night:

• Once he was headed towards the promised land, Nephi had no way of knowing how much farther he would have to travel to reach his destination. He could only know whether or not he was headed in the right direction.
  
• Nephi used the Liahona (i.e. scriptures) to make sure he was on the right course.
  

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This is my first blog entry ever.

Hi. Since this is my first blog ever, I have decided not to go for anything too fancy. I don't know that I could be fancy even if I wanted to be - I am studying engineering, not English. At the same time, I enjoy writing, and hopefully the process of writing this blog will help me to think about the things in my life that really matter.

My goal is to simply share some of the ideas and thoughts that come to me as I read and ponder the Scriptures. I am convinced that there are many treasures hidden in the scriptures, waiting to be found by those who look.

I have chosen Doctrine and Covenants 42:61 as my general theme for the blog: "If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal."

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