Enos 1:15

Well, our family just got back from Utah so that's why my post is a little late if you were wondering. Anyway, this verse in Enos tells us how we should pray and ask things of the Lord.

Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it.

This scripture really made me think about all the times which I have asked the Lord for something, and if I was really sincere when I asked. Well the answer is yes and no. I really do try to mean what I pray, but sometimes my mind wanders and I don't really think about what I am saying to Heavenly Father. I really will try harder to ask in faith when I pray, and I challenge you to be more sincere in your prayers. I know if we do what the scriptures say, and head the words of the prophet we will receive many blessings and we'll be saved. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Kudos to the Beehives and Jake

No specific verse comments from me today. I'm just really impressed with the Beehives and their comments and insight. What a great way to support each other in getting acquainted the idea of posting to the blog as well.

As for Jake Hansen. Way to go brother. Not only is it extremely impressive how regular you have been at posting, which in turn shows you have been reading, but your insights and comments on what you're reading are very genuine and interesting. Keep up the good work.

I'm sure we're all finding that regular study of the Book of Mormon is helping us in our personal spiritual development. Thank you, Bishop, for helping us get on track.

Dee Whittier

2 Nephi 25:23

This verse says, "For we labor dilligently...to believe in Christ." That is so true! Testimonies don't just pop up one day, we have to work for a strong one. It's just like conditioning yourself- the first day you go to the Gym, you can't go very long or hard, and you're exhausted at the end. However, by the time you've been going for a while, you can go longer and harder and you're muscle is starting to show. You're fit to compete! In the world today, it's hard to resist temptation, so you need to make sure you've been excercising yourself enough through prayer and scripture study and keeping the commandments to be able to properly withstand. Just like a little seed, we grow slowly. But if you use fertilizer and good soil, you'll grow stronger and quicker.

1 Nephi Chapter 18 Verse 10

"And I, Nephi, began to fear exeedingly lest the Lord should be angry with us, and smite us because of our iniquity, that we should be swallowed up in the depths of the sea; wherefore, I, Nephi, began to speak to them with much soberness; but behold they were angry with me, saying: We will not that our younger brother shall be a ruler over us."

This verse stuck with me because of the line saying " We will not that our younger brother shall be a ruler over us." I have great respect for Nephi because he was able to stand up to his brothers and stay spiritually strong and keep Gods commandments. Somtimes it can be hard to stand up to people that are older than you.

1st Nephi 15:25

Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which i possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things.

I think this is a really good scriptures because I think that we should always give heed to the word of God, and keep his commandments.

D&C 25:12

To me this means if you are righteous and have a prayer in your heart you will be able to get many blessings

2 Nephi 25:16

The Jews have been scattered and God is really mad at them for a really long time, until the generation is come to believe in Christ. To me, I believe this is our generation because before Joseph Smith came, God was kinda mad because the greatest nation, the Nephities, destroyed themselves through wickedness. They had the gospel and they blew it! Could this be our future? Yes, because the second coming is quickly approaching, and if we don't repent, we could be destroyed. "...until they shall be persuaded to believe in Christ, the Son of God, and the atonement, which is infinite for all man-kind. And when that day shall come that they shall believe in Christ, and worship the Father in his name, with pure hearts and hands and not look forward anymore for another Messiah..." WE must be all these good things to be saved/safe. If we do all this, we WONT turn out like a bad Nephite in the last days.

1 Nephi 19:6

"Nevertheless i do not write anything upon plates save it be that i think it be sacred...'
OK so i know i'm a little behind, but verse kind of stuck out at me. I think that it is just proving again that these things in the Book of Mormon are true and important. I know that there is a reason why God gave us these scriptures. i'm really glad that we have this challenge and blog, because i have found so much more than I thought i could in just a few chapters!

2 Nephi 16:8

The verse states, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said: Here am I; send me." Part of becoming more like Christ is willingness to serve. And you know, sometimes it really hard to bring yourself to give service. Maybe you don't feel like you'll have time, or are embarrassed, or just don't want to. How often have we sat there as still as possible when asked to volunteer for a prayer? Or ignored the sign-up sheets that are passed around? Or watched somebody drop a book in the hallway and completely ignore it? Don't get me wrong- sometimes our physical abilities or schedules don't allow us to do these things! I personally have been trying to improve the amount of service I willingly give. As I've heard it said, "If you're not giving service willingly, you're better of not giving it at all."

Jacob 6:11

I almost forgot to blog today, but I'm glad I remembered. Anyway, I was reading my 2 pages and I stumbled upon this verse: O then, my beloved brethren, repent ye, and enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow, until ye shall obtain eternal life.

The part in the scripture which I have highlited in red really stood out to me. Repent Ye. It is very important for us to repent because not one of us is perfect. The scriptures say no unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of God. So because none of us are clean or pure we could never enter into the magnificeint kingdom which God dwells in. Really it is a requirement to repent of our sins if we ever want eternal life. We must also take the sacrament each week and renew our baptizimal covenents. Then we must move on with life and never go back. For Heavenly Father really will forgive us and won't hold us accountable at the last day. But like I said, we must really ask for forgiveness sincerely. There will be consiquences, but the Lord will give us mercy. I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon and I know that all the wonderful things the prophets of old have written are true. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Resisting Temptation 2 Nephi 13

I've always found this chapter from Isaiah to be very tempting. By tempting I mean that since half of it is spent chastising the "daughters of Zion" for their worldliness, it's pretty tempting to tease the women I know about their "mantles, wimples, and crisping-pins." (vs 22) But I'm not going to do it, because I don't even know what those things are, and because I also feel the real point to this chapter is for all of us (both men and women) to heed the warning to avoid the temptations of vanity and outward appearance that the world is so anxious and ready to heap upon us. The Lord is much more interested in what we are like on the inside than what we may look like externally.

Great are the Words of Isaiah

I just finished reading 2 Nephi chapters 6 and 7. Though it takes more focus while I read these chapters since Jacob (Nephi's brother) quotes Isaiah a lot, once in a while the beauty of what he's talking about is quite evident. In 7:6-8 it seems to saying that since Jesus suffered humilitation and pain, we can feel confident that he will always be with us to help us overcome trials in our own life.

Nephi

I just recently finished the second book of Nephi and I just wanted to share all the great things he did and how faithful he was.

When the Lord asked him to go to Laban and retrieve the plates, he was couragoues and had faith that he and his brothers would be protected and that they would get the plates. He did not complain when his older brothers beat him up and sought to take away his life. He always forgave his brothers even when they did really harsh things to him.

Nephi was always faithful and never murmered even when the prophet did. He never blamed the Lord and was always in tune with the spirit. Nephi always did what Heavenly Father, and his earthly father, Lehi, asked him to do. Nephi was never prideful, and never used his preisthood for bad purposses.

I really look up to Nephi and am sad to be leaving his book in the scriptures. I know that he really did see Lehi's dream of the iron rod and the great and spaceous building. I beleive in his teachings and I will always strive to hold to the rod of iron. I say these things humbly in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior and redeemer. Amen

Temptation vs Peace

We have completed week five of the scripture challenge issued September 12th to read two pages a day in the Book of Mormon. That puts us at page 70. Those keeping up will have already read one of my favorite chapters - 2nd Nephi chapter 4. I love verses 15 - 35 which is sometimes called the psalm of Nephi. Verse 27 has a great message where Nephi says "Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul?"

First, I think it should give us all hope that someone a strong as Nephi has given in to temptation, and has overcome it. But the great message I get from this verse is the motivation it gives for not letting ourselves give in to temptation - it destroys our peace and afflicts our soul! It's just not worth it. A person may have lots of challenges in the world, but if they can still feel peace if they are righteous. I pray we can all avoid temptation and feel the peace that comes from doing so and follow Nephi's advice in verse 28, "Awake my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul."

1 Nephi 17:45

Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the lord your god. Ye have seen an angle and he spake unto you;.yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he has spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore,he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were divided asunder.
I really like this scripture because I think that a lot of the time we have the gosple right in front of our eyes, but we are past feeling and so caught up in the world that we do not hear the words that are being taught. When I read the scripures I always think that Laben and Lemual are horible and I dont know how they can be so blind from the gosple. They had miricals right before there eyes, and angles speek unto them but they still reject the gosple and turn away. I know that sometimes I am just as blind and turn away from something that is right in order to seek more worldly things. I know that when we follow that of the world we can never be as happy as when we follow the teachings of the gosple. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

2 Nephi 26:4-6

Wherefore, all those who are proud,and do wickedly, the day that cometh shall burn them to up, saith the Lord of Hosts, for they shall be as stubble. Well, last night I was reading along until I came upon this verse. The verse is a warning to us. For if we are evil and wicked we will be destroyed. I don't know about you , but I know I don't want to be one of those who are burned like unto the stubble in the field.

So after reading that verse, you don't want to be wicked. But then you continue reading on to the next verses. And they that kill the prophets, and the saints, the depths of the Earth shall swallow them up, saith the Lord of Hosts; and mountains shall cover them, and whirlwinds shall carry them away, and buildings shall fall upon them and crush them to pieces and grind them to powder. Now you are really going to try hard to be righteous.

Now you think there could be no other punishments you could bring upon yourself for being wicked. But then we go on another verse. And they shall be visited by thunderings, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and all manner of destructions, for the fire of the anger of the Lord shall be kindled against them, and they shall be as stubble, and the day that cometh shall consume them, saith the Lord of Hosts. If you listen closely it says that the anger of the Lord will be kindled against the wicked. For Heavenly Father is the most powerful being in the universe, and he is going to kindle his anger against those who are wicked and destroy them. Why would you ever even want to do something evil ? There is always a consequence for your inequities. But we are not perfect. That is why we must always hold to the rod and make good desisions. Even if we let go for the littlest of seconds we could easily be sent on the road to destruction.

In conclusion, if we disobey the commandments and are wicked we will be: burned up, swallowed by the depths of the Earth, covered by mountains, carried away by whirlwinds, crushed and ground to powder by buildings, and the Lords anger will be kindled against us. I know that the Savior lives and that the Book of Mormon truely is another testament of him. I know that the scriptures are true and that the prophets who wrote in them were inspired by the Lord. I know that if we hold fast to the rod and endour to the end we will be saved in the last day. I know Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us and knows us by name. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

1 Nephi 8 - Tree of Life

I love that Lehi felt such a strong desire to share the fruit with everyone he could: Sariah, Nephi and Sam, even Laman and Lemuel, his sons who seemed like they would not be receptive and were so hostile toward him, their own father. I guess if you have a truly strong, deep love of the Savior and the Gospel, you won't be aboe to keep yourself from sharing it and the joy that comes with it! Even with people who are unrighteous or unkind to you. I think we could all develop a strong love for the gospel and others in that way, that we won't be able to keep ourselves from sharing it with everyone we can.

Also as I was reading this chapter, I realized that everyone - everyone - in Lehi's dream got a chance to see the tree, the fruit, and the iron rod. They all had the chance to go to it. In life or even after we die, every one of God's children will get a chance to go all the way to the "tree", or eternal life. Some will see it and do everything asked of them and make it all the way. Some will start toward it, then fall back into the mists of darkness, while others will see it but won't take one step toward it. And some will come out of the darkest mists and go all the way. I guess my point is that we all get a chance to get on the right path, some at different times than others. Whether we get out of, go back into, or stay in those mists of sin and temptation is our choice. He will let us all see the iron rod, the correct path, and give us opportunities to follow it and learn and grow and improve, but our end result is our choice, and only our choice. I hope we will all end our journey here in the celestial kingdom, the tree of life, with our Father in Heaven and Savior Jesus Christ.

1st Nephi - Saturated With The Spirit

Tonight marks three weeks since I issued the challenge to read two pages a day in the Book of Mormon and to share your thoughts on this blog. There have been 21 blog entries so far and I appreciate all the excellent contributions. Those who have kept up on the challenge should be on page 42 or 1st Nephi, chapter 18.

Watching conference this weekend I noticed many speakers talk about the importance of daily scripture study. Considering where we are in our challenge I was particularly struck by a comment by Elder Jay Jensen. He said, "It is no wonder that missionaries invite sincere seekers of truth to begin their study of the Book of Mormon in First Nephi. This book is saturated with the spirit of the Lord. In these early chapters there is a clear message that revelation and the Holy Ghost is given not only to prophets, but to fathers and mothers and children."

I hope you all see that message too. I love 1st Nephi. It's inspiring to me. Having recently finished chapter 17 I am so impressed with Nephi's sermon to his brothers who didn't think he could build a ship. Nephi lists for them all the wonderful miracles the Lord has done, like the parting of the Red Sea. Nephi then tells them if the Lord can do all that, he certainly can guide him to build a ship. It inspires me that whatever the Lord may want us to do, we can do with his help.

I invite all of you who have not yet written something on the blog to contribute and those who have already written to keep it up. I'd love to see everyone contribute each week.

Bishop Hildebrandt