Thank you for your posts for week 1. If you have not already posted for week 1, take care of it quickly so you do not fall behind.
For week 2, as you can see from the header, your post should come from your studies of 1 Nephi 6-15 and follow a similar pattern as your week 1 post:
- What principle did you learn?
- Why do you think the principle is important to you?
- How do you intend to apply it?
- Share your testimony of the principle.
Elder Richard G. Scott taught, "Principles are concentrated truth, packaged for application to a wide variety of circumstances. A true principle makes decisions clear even under the most confusing and compelling circumstances" (Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge, Ensign, Nov. 1993, 86).
Looking forward to your posts for week 2.
Thanks, Bro Palmer
I thought I would want to get it done early this week!
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading today i read 1 Nep 6:4 "For the fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved." I loved what it said. we read in the title page a similar declaration that the book was written to convince all men that Jesus is the Christ. So that part was not new but today it was a small treasure to read about the "and be saved" part.
I am reading a lot of books for my studies, and sometimes well often I feel like the material in the book is a waste of my time, it was not written for me and I do not understand it. With the Book of Mormon, I don't feel that. The Book WAS written for me and everything in it is helping me come closer to my God.
I do love the Book of Mormon and the light it brings to my life, I love the simple testimony it has simple but strong. As we read the Book of Mormon this year let us remember the purpose, to come unto God and be saved.
Great comment, thank you! Let the BofM light up your life!
DeleteAlthough there was a lot of good doctrine in the reading for this week, my mind goes back to 1 Nephi 10:6, 18-20. We would not have the Holy Spirit were it not for Christ. Heavenly Father knew that we would all fall, but the Savior provided us a way to come back from our mistakes. The Holy Ghost is God's gift to all those who seek him. Christ allows for the Atonement, but we cannot repent of our sins if we don't have the Spirit telling us that we have strayed from the teachings of God. The Holy Spirit can be with us at all times, so we must listen and follow the promptings so that in the end, we will be judged according to our works.We must live in a way that allows the Spirit to speak to us and guide us so that we may return to our Heavenly Father. It's been a blessing in my life to have the Spirit guiding me. I have avoided may bad situations because I have the Spirit with me.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. The Spirit is soooo important. Thanks for this.
DeleteIn 1Ne 8:26-27 Nephi describes the great and spacious building that was filled with all kinds of people who were making fun of those people who were partaking of the tree of life. Nephi writes that the building "stood as it were in the air, high above the earth" (v.26). In 1Ne 11 Nephi receives more knowledge about this building. It represents "the world and the wisdom thereof" (v.35). He continues to write, "that the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great" (v.36). I relate these verses with the scripture in Helaman 5:12. The great and spacious building has no foundation, it is floating in the air. Those who edify their lives on worldy things and their own pride have no lasting purpose or support. It is only when we build our foundation on Jesus Christ and center our lives on His Gospel and His Atonement that we will progress and reach our potential. It is a "foundation wheron if men build they cannot fall" (Hel 5:12). If the pride of the world is represented by a building without a foundation, we can see that to have Christ as our foundation we must get rid of our pride, be humble and rely on the Savior. I want to rely on Jesus Christ and recognize God's hand in my life and center all I do on Him and His teachings. The promise is specific and real, if we do this, we will not fall.
ReplyDeletePres. Packer said, "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior." May it also then be said that true doctrine, understood, provides a sure foundation as we struggle along with life's vicissitudes. Pure doctrine provides a foundation, a frame and a roof to help us through all of our challenges.
DeleteMy scripture this week is 1Nephi7:4 which says, "And it came to pass that we went up unto the house of Ishmael, and we did gain favor in the sight of Ishmael, insomuch that we did speak unto him the words of the Lord." I think that this scripture shows the importance of getting to know the in-laws before marriage. Too many people in today's world "fall in love" and then decide to get married without really planning or getting to know the person and their family. It is important to get to know your future spouse and especially in a spiritual way just how Nephi and his brothers did by speaking the words of the Lord.
ReplyDeleteRAHAHA! Sooo true, thank you!
DeleteI love the vision that Nephi sees in chapters 11-14. To me, it is a testament of the reality and divinity of the Book of Mormon. Often times as we read those chapters, we think of what we have learned in history class and it all makes sense. That is because we are looking at those events in hindsight. We already know what happened. But Nephi didn't have a history book. In order for us to actually accept the fact that he saw all of those (to him) future events, we need to determine if the Book of Mormon is true or not. Having determined that it is true, then these visions add so much more perception and depth to our understanding of the Lord and His power. These visions are great because they either help us gain a testamony of the Book of Mormon, or they add tremendously to it.
ReplyDeleteIn the reading, 1 Ne 11: 1-7 stuck out to me. This is the preface to Nephi's vision of the Tree of life. The Lord gives us great insight on how we recieve answers to our prayers.
ReplyDeleteVerse:
1. Nephi puts himself in a position to feel the spirit.
2. Nephi is already in tune with and worthy of the spirit.
3. Nephi has a righteous desires.
4-5. Nephi has faith in what he is asking for
6. Nephi receives the answer
7. Nephi is expected to act on the answer he is given.
I believe this pattern is the same for us. We need to prepare for the answers we want and then act on them when we have received them.
I know that God answers our prayers. I know he loves us and has a plan for each of us. He wants to help us, we just need to come to him and ask.
Absolutely, thank you!
DeleteSomething that I noticed in reading the story of Lehi's family in the wilderness is the importance of gratitude. After each successful trip to and from Jerusalem, Lehi and his family offer burnt sacrifices to the Lord in prayer and thanksgiving for His divine help and guidance. Throughout their entire journey, as they are grateful and remember the goodness of the Lord, they are assisted in their trials and guided in their paths. This is a principle that I have been striving to apply in my own life. Life gets crazy here at the academy, and it is really easy to get caught up in a downward spiral of negative and selfish thought. However, Lehi's example teaches us that the key peace and happiness through the storms of life is gratitude towards the Lord.
ReplyDeleteI know that keeping an attitude of gratitude is essential to my own happiness, and I am grateful for the scriptures that remind me of such simple yet important principles that I can improve upon in my own life.
Love this thought! That Lehi offered sacrifices is a doctrinal point lost to many. Moses was commanded to offer sacrifices (see Exodus 20:24-25), and since Lehi lived under the Mosaic Law, he also offered sacrifices in 1 Nephi 2:1, 5:9 & 7:22. I think each of Lehi's sacrifices referenced are connected to Leviticus 7:11-15, which prescribes how to offer a peace offering of thanksgiving. Interesting stuff if one is willing to explore it a little more deeply.
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