While I was reading and pondering these versus last night and this morning I was blown away by the simplicity and powerfulness of versus 7. I have included verse 7 below just in case you don't have access to it while reading this posting.
Verse 7 from Chapter 3 of 1Nephi in the Book of Mormon:
7. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I awill go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no bcommandments unto the children of men, save he shall cprepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
What a powerful and insightful statement this is. I have read it over many times in the last two days as I have thought and ponder this single versus.
I remember as a child and a young adult often wondering to myself if I could ever live my life by following all of the commandments? I use to view the commandments as a punishment of sorts and something my parents would use to try to keep me in line when there was something else in my life that I really wanted to do, but that didn't fit their idea of something I should be doing at the time. I grew up not fully understanding all of the commandments and thus looking at them as a form of punishment and parental control. I use to think to myself there isn't anyone who can live all the commandments all of the time, and if you can't be perfect in trying to do this then why even try to live your life according to the commandments?
Now I know there can be many different ways to comprehend the versus above, and I know it can mean many different things to many different people. To me it means just starting with the basics in our lives of the 10 commandments and trying to live those commandments each and everyday. As it states above he will never command us to do anything that he hasn't already prepared a way for us to accomplish the thing which he has commandeth of us.
I know I am not perfect and I know I may never live all the commandments every day of my life but I now know also about the process of repentance and of the atonement of Jesus Christ for our sins. I know that each day I strive to live the commandments and strive to be a better person that Heavenly Father will make a path for me through all of these worldly trials and tribulations to be able to realize my end goal in life which is to be with him again someday.
I want to leave you with a question. Tell me how this one simple versus might of helped you in your life? or how it might of changed the way you look at things in your life?
Till next time,
Mr. S
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
1 Nephi - Chapter 2 - Verses 1 thru 24
While reading this chapter I couldn't help but think to myself what would it be like to give up all of your worldly possessions and go into the wilderness and live? I can only imagine how hard that would be and here Lehi just did what was asked of him to do. What a man of great faith. He probably didn't understand fully why he was being asked to move his family but in his mind it was an easy decision to make. He picked up everything and went into the wilderness to live because he had been asked by God to do so.
It never once mentioned that Lehi worried about how they would live or survive he took the essentials with him and went to find his new home. In this day and age that would seem like a crazy thing to do. If you witnessed your friends or family just all of sudden one day pick up a few belongings and go off into the woods to live you would think they had lost their minds. But Lehi didn't even think twice about what he needed to do he just did it. What a time this must of been in his life and the life of his family as his family didn't know if they would live or die in the wilderness but they had to have faith in Lehi that he was doing what he was told to do. I am sure it took a lot of faith and courage on the part of his wife and his children to follow him away from everything they had ever known and loved.
I often wonder if I would have enough faith if this was asked of me to do? Could I up and leave "everything" if this is what was asked of me from our Heavenly Father?
As always feel free to share your thoughts and comments on this topic.
Till next time,
Mr. S
It never once mentioned that Lehi worried about how they would live or survive he took the essentials with him and went to find his new home. In this day and age that would seem like a crazy thing to do. If you witnessed your friends or family just all of sudden one day pick up a few belongings and go off into the woods to live you would think they had lost their minds. But Lehi didn't even think twice about what he needed to do he just did it. What a time this must of been in his life and the life of his family as his family didn't know if they would live or die in the wilderness but they had to have faith in Lehi that he was doing what he was told to do. I am sure it took a lot of faith and courage on the part of his wife and his children to follow him away from everything they had ever known and loved.
I often wonder if I would have enough faith if this was asked of me to do? Could I up and leave "everything" if this is what was asked of me from our Heavenly Father?
As always feel free to share your thoughts and comments on this topic.
Till next time,
Mr. S
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
1Nephi - Chapter 1 - Verses 1 thru 20
While reading this chapter last evening and early this morning I was able to reflect on it words and think about how that must of been for Lehi. How he must of felt during a time when a lot of people were claiming to be prophets and prophesying of things to come, to actually be chosen to be visited by God and shown many things about the people he lived among everyday, and of things to come for the those people. That in itself must of been an incredible thing for him to witness but then for him to also have to turn around and go amongst the people and tell them the things he had witnessed and have them mock him and not believe what he was telling them must of been even a harder thing for Lehi to endure.
How many times in our own lives have we seen others going down a path that we know isn't right or that we know can't end well for them and try to help them go down a different path only to watch them continue to choose to go down the wrong path? I guess that is where our free agency comes into play we all have the right to make our own decisions in life, but I think that some thing that is often overlooked by us about making our own decisions in life is the fact that we must always remember that with the power to make our own decisions also comes the flip side of making decisions... the consequences of our decisions.
While the consequences of our decisions may sometime be good and bad I think this world would be a lot different place today if we as a person could realize that for what ever reason we made that decision we are the ones who made it, and that the consequences that come with that decision are ours to own. So many times in life we try to find someone to blame for the bad decisions we have made in our lives and the consequences that have followed those decisions. There are many things that we can learn from this first chapter of Nephi but for today I would like to leave you this question.
What would this world be like today if we realized that with the power to make our own decisions in life also comes the power of ownership of the consequences of that decision?
Please as always feel free to leave your thoughts and comments about this post.
Till next time,
Mr. S
How many times in our own lives have we seen others going down a path that we know isn't right or that we know can't end well for them and try to help them go down a different path only to watch them continue to choose to go down the wrong path? I guess that is where our free agency comes into play we all have the right to make our own decisions in life, but I think that some thing that is often overlooked by us about making our own decisions in life is the fact that we must always remember that with the power to make our own decisions also comes the flip side of making decisions... the consequences of our decisions.
While the consequences of our decisions may sometime be good and bad I think this world would be a lot different place today if we as a person could realize that for what ever reason we made that decision we are the ones who made it, and that the consequences that come with that decision are ours to own. So many times in life we try to find someone to blame for the bad decisions we have made in our lives and the consequences that have followed those decisions. There are many things that we can learn from this first chapter of Nephi but for today I would like to leave you this question.
What would this world be like today if we realized that with the power to make our own decisions in life also comes the power of ownership of the consequences of that decision?
Please as always feel free to leave your thoughts and comments about this post.
Till next time,
Mr. S
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Purpose of this Blog
This is my first post on this blog. This blog is going to be about my journey through the Book of Mormon. I am going to try to post at least three times a week if not more about what I am reading in the Book of Mormon and what I think about what I am reading. Also I am sure some of my experience through out this time and other things going on in my life during this journey will enter into this blog also but for the most part this blog is setup to show my journey through the Book of Mormon.
I hope that you will enjoy reading about my journey and I hope that you will comment and make this a fun blog for everyone to read. I also hope that everyone that reads this blog can understand this is just my point of view and that we all continue to learn and grow each and every day so please cut me some slack as I get started on my journey.
I am sure some of the people that will read this blog have already read the Book of Mormon and may have a better understanding of its teachings and principals, but while this maybe the case I hope they can remember and respect that this is my journey through the Book of Mormon, and this blog will be about the way I see and interpret what I am reading, and how it reflects and interacts with my life.
So enough about the purpose of the blog lets get started on the journey. As a wise man once said "Every journey starts with the first step...." So please come back and visit my blog as I take that first step and start down what I am sure will be an enlightening path not only for me but also for you the reader as you follow and hopefully comment on my journey through the Book of Mormon.
Till next time,
Mr. S
I hope that you will enjoy reading about my journey and I hope that you will comment and make this a fun blog for everyone to read. I also hope that everyone that reads this blog can understand this is just my point of view and that we all continue to learn and grow each and every day so please cut me some slack as I get started on my journey.
I am sure some of the people that will read this blog have already read the Book of Mormon and may have a better understanding of its teachings and principals, but while this maybe the case I hope they can remember and respect that this is my journey through the Book of Mormon, and this blog will be about the way I see and interpret what I am reading, and how it reflects and interacts with my life.
So enough about the purpose of the blog lets get started on the journey. As a wise man once said "Every journey starts with the first step...." So please come back and visit my blog as I take that first step and start down what I am sure will be an enlightening path not only for me but also for you the reader as you follow and hopefully comment on my journey through the Book of Mormon.
Till next time,
Mr. S
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