Friday, March 16, 2007

2 Nephi 24-28

I have given everyone 2 weeks to get this section done. We need to catch up so we don't have to read the entire book before we get our pizza. That just pushes us back a week. Maybe we can double up in the summer?

I know you can do it! Keep reading!

2 Nephi 24
In this chapter, Isaiah talks about the destruction of Babylon, Assyria and Philistine, all of which happened.
This chapter also talks a lot about Satan. His motives are discussed in verses 12-16. Also in 16, it says that those who are tricked by Satan won't be happy to meet him. Satan is very crafty. We constantly have to be on our toes to stay on the straight and narrow path.

2 Nephi 25
Does it make you feel better that Isaiah was hard for the Nephites to understand too? (verse 1)
Don't worry though, Nephi is going to explain it to them and us. (verse 4)
Nephi talks about how is we understood how the Jews taught, we would understand Isaiah better. Since we don't, and neither did the Nephites, Nephi will explain. (verse 5)
In verse 8, Nephi again reminds us that the words of Isaiah are important. They tell us to come to Christ.
Another one of my favorite scriptures. I like it so much that I'll put the whole thing in here for you!
Verse 26: And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.
General Conference is coming up. Remind you of anyone?

2 Nephi 26
I think the verse that is the most important one of the chapter is 25. Christ will never make us leave. He will never turn His back on us. He is always there saying, Come unto me.

2 Nephi 27
This whole chapter is about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. It talks about the three witnesses and how learned men won't translate it. What a wonderful testimony of this book!

2 Nephi 28
In Heleman 5:12, it says:
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
And 2 Nephi 28:28 says:
...wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.
Let us be built on the rock!

Keep going!

2 Nephi 19-23

We can do it!

2 Nephi 19
I don't know about you, but I love Handel's Messiah. You might not recognize the name, but you will probably recognize some of the words in this chapter.
In this chapter, I just kept thinking about how we need to remember that He is always there for us, always waiting for us. We are the ones who need to bridge that gap. He will never turn His back on us.

2 Nephi 20
Verse 4: Isn't it wonderful to know that no matter what, we can always repent and come back to Him?
Verse 13 reminded me of a lot of times when I have been stubborn and not acknowledged the Lord's hand in my life. I was wrong. Don't be wrong like me!

2 Nephi 21
Verses 2-5 describe the Christlike qualities a leader should have. Doesn't it just remind you of President Hinckley??

2 Nephi 22
Verse 2 is one of my all time favorite scriptures! Highlight it in your scriptures if you haven't already!!
I love how in verse 6 it says that the "Holy One of Israel is in the midst of thee". He is here for us and the Holy Ghost can be with us all the time!

2 Nephi 23
See if you can see the signs of the Second Coming in verse 10.

Keep going! Pizza is involved!

2 Nephi 14-18

Here we are, still plodding along though Isaiah stuff! You can do it!

2 Nephi 14
In this chapter, to me at least, it seemed like the predictions began to be a bit happier, since Isaiah was talking about the millenium. That will be a wonderful time when Jesus Christ is actually here on earth!
In verse 6 we are told that the righteous will find protection and peace in the millenium. That sounds like a good reason to be among the righteous.

2 Nephi 15
If verses 1-6 about the vineyard are a little confusing, just read verse 7. It explains everything.
When I was reading verse 19, I just kept thinking, "Aren't we suppose to prove ourselves to God?" See if you can see why I thought that.
Verses 20-22 seem to me to be describing our world today. So many people are calling evil good and good evil. Have you noticed that?
In verses 26-29, Isaiah describes modern transportation - like airplanes and trains - in the only way he could. How would you describe something so foreign?

2 Nephi 16
In this chapter, Isaiah sees the Savior, atones for his sins and serves the Lord. Do we need to see the Savior in order to believe in Him? We shouldn't.

2 Nephi 17
Basically, this chapter talks about the Lord speaking to King Ahaz of Judah through Isaiah. He offers help, but the king denies it. Then Isaiah talks of the destruction of Judah from Syria.

2 Nephi 18
In this chapter, Isaiah is trying to get Judah to turn to the Lord for protection.

You can do it. Keep going!!

2 Nephi 9-13

Ok, it's been awhile, but here we go again...

2 Nephi 9
Verses 6-7 talk about how important it is for an atonement, especially after the fall. The atonement had to happen so that we could return to live with our Heavenly Father!!
Verse 10 - God has given us a way to escape Satan's grasp. That's an important gift.
Verse 18 - we are reminded that if we are to be righteous, we must both believe and ENDURE! It's not just that we say, "Yep, I believe" and that's it. We have to "[endure] the crosses of the world". It won't always be easy. Just as it wasn't easy for our Savior. But it will be worth it!!!
Verse 23 reminds me a lot of the 4th Article of Faith. What do you think?
Verse 41: In this verse we are reminded that the way to the Lord is narrow and straight, but it's also uncomplicated. There is no other way, and it will be difficult sometimes, but it is worth it!
Verse 45 is one of my favorite scriptures. It is a wonderful invitation! Read it again!

2 Nephi 10
Verse 23 is also one of my favorites. We have the ability to choose. It is up to us. That's an amazing gift!

2 Nephi 11
In verse 2 we learn that Nephi will teach about Isaiah because it is for us. Both Isaiah and Nephi have seen the Savior. We can learn much from both of them.
Verses 4-6: I know that these chapters in 2 Nephi are hard because Isaiah is somewhat difficult to understand. But in these verses Nephi tells us why he teaches Isaiah. The biggest reason he sites is that Isaiah proves to us who Christ is. That's something we need throughout our lives.
Verse 7 is a logic test. See if you can pass it.
Verse 8 also tells us to liken the words of Isaiah unto us. We are to look at what he says and see how that will effect us. Perhaps that will make getting through these chapters easier?

2 Nephi 12
In verse 2, Isaiah could be talking about either temples or church headquarters. Have you seen the movie "Mountain of the Lord"? If not, let me know, I have it. In "Mountain of the Lord", it talks about how President Brigham Young wanted Utah's name to be Desseret. The government at the time was not really into Mormons, so they decided to name the state Utah, which is a Ute Indian word meaning "top of the mountain". The government didn't know that they were fulfilling a prophesy from 2 Nephi 12:2. The Lord works in such mysterious ways, but He knows the end of the beginning, so it will all work out!!
In verse 3 is the phrase "Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths;" This means the Temple. I love the symbolism of going "up to the Temple". In the temple we are taught more about the gospel. We go up to the temple to reside with God, if only for a little bit. Go up to the temple as much as you can. There you can find peace!

2 Nephi 13
When I was reading verses 10-11, I just kept thinking, "You'll reap what you sow." We get out of this life what we put into it. I hope we're all working towards putting a lot into it!!
We as women have a lot of influence! Just think about it. If your mom is in a bad mood, is it easy to have a good, carefree day? In verses 16-25, Isaiah tells about what happens to the world if the women get wicked. Always remember who you are and what you believe! You can influence so much!!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

2 Nephi 4 - 8

Ok girls. This only took me about 1-1/2 hours to read. I know you can do it! Let's read the whole thing together!! :)

2 Nephi 4
Lehi goes through and blesses all of his family. Then he dies. It doesn't take long for Laman and Lemuel and those who follow them to get angry at Nephi again.
I love verse 15 - Does your soul delight in the scripture? I think that should be a goal, don't you?
Verses 15-35 show us that even Nephi has weaknesses, but he is still strong and relies on the Lord.

2 Nephi 5
So, Laman and Lemuel decide they are going to have to just kill Nephi. Nephi is told by the Lord to leave, so he and all those who follow him leave and become the Nephites. Those who stayed behind become the Lamanites. Nephi takes the scriptures and the Liahona with him. The Lord was with them so they prospered in the land. In verse 16, we learn that they built a temple. Throughout all this though, they got ready to protect themselves from the Lamanites. That would be a scary time, don't you think? Waiting to fight your brothers.

2 Nephi 6
Jacob, Nephi's younger brother, speaks to the Nephites. He quotes Isaiah, then explains it to them.

2 Nephi 7
Jacob continues to quote Isaiah throughout this chapter. The main question of the chapter, and the main question I want you to ask yourselves is - who leaves when we find ourselves far away from the Lord? Us or Him?

2 Nephi 8
Jacob is still quoting Isaiah. In verse 1, we are reminded that we are daughters of God. Do you really believe that? I hope so!

So, the questions to answer are - Who leaves when we find ourselves far away from the Lord?
Do we delight in the scriptures? and Do we really believe that we are daughters of God?

Keep going! I know we can do it!!

Monday, February 12, 2007

1 Nephi 21 - 2 Nephi 3

If any of you have been checking, I haven't been writing. Being so sick really got to me. So, I'm a week off. I'm going to try to get caught up this week. Where are all of you?

So...1 Nephi 21 is about Isaiah speaking to Israel. We're told that our responsibility is to bring the gospel to the whole earth.
I love verse 16 where it talks about how the Lord has engraven our images on His hands. He knows who we are and He atoned for our sins. Each of our sins. Whoever we are.
Verse 20 talks about how the church will expand in the last day. Orchard Heights is an example of that!

1 Nephi 22 is where Isaiah is speaking both literally and spiritually. I hope you noticed that in your reading.
Throughout this chapter the phrase "the righteous need not fear" is said 3 times. Do you think that is important! We are being asked to be righteous. To do those things that we have been taught to do and then we don't have to fear. That's a wonderful promise!
Verses 24-26 talks about the Millenium. Christ will reign here on earth, the righteous will be protected and Satan will have no power. That sounds like a great time, doesn't it?
Verse 28 reminds us that all can find peace with the Lord. Peace is important in this loud world.
Verse 31 gives us an equation. Obey + Endure = Saved It's as hard and as simple as that.

2 Nephi 1 is Lehi talking to his children.
Verse 6 talks about how the Americas weren't really found until Columbus because that was the way the Lord designed it. Others had been here before, but Columbus put this continent on the map - literally.
In verse 23, we are asked to Come unto Him. Who is that?

2 Nephi 2
Please please please read verse 14. It's Lehi's simple testimony of God. So wonderful!
In verse 18, Lehi talks about Satan. He is miserable, so he wants us to be miserable too. He will tell you enough truth to get you to believe him, but always remember, he is the father of all lies!
Verse 25 - "Men are that they might have joy." That includes us girls too. We are to be happy in this life. Not miserable. Happy! Always remember that!

2 Nephi 3
This whole chapter is Lehi talking to his some Joseph about Joseph who was sold into Egypt, who was talking about Joseph Smith. Lot's of Josephs. See if you can keep up!

Have a great week!

Sunday, January 28, 2007

1 Nephi 16-20

A lot of time passed in these 5 chapters. And a lot happened. Let's break it down.

Chapter 16 - In verse 7, we learn that there were a bunch of weddings when Lehi's sons married Ishmael's daughters. What a fun day that would have been!

In verse 9, we learn that they are about to start traveling again. In the next verse, the Liahona appears. This is a physical devise that will help them and show them which way to go. We later learn that it also depends on their faithfulness, much like the Holy Ghost??

Ishmael dies and his family is sad and begins to complain.

Chapter 17 - In this chapter, they reach the ocean and Nephi is told to build a ship. But first, let's look at verse 3. Part of it reads,
... And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; ...
All we need to do is keep the commandments and our burdens will be lightened. That sounds so good to me.
So, Nephi is commanded to build a ship. What does he say to that commandment? Does he complain that he doesn't even know what a ship looks like? No, in verse 9, he asks where he should go to find ore to make tools. He doesn't even question that the Lord will help him. And He does.
Of course, Nephi's brother's don't have that assurance about the Lord. They complain. But, do you know what? The Lord loves them too, so he has Nephi teach them from the scriptures and they come to believe that the commandment to build a boat is from the Lord.

So, in Chapter 18, they build the boat. They don't make it like man makes boats, but they make it like the Lord tells them to. The big part to me is that Nephi prays a lot to the Lord. He keeps up the dialogue so he can know what to do. We should always pray to our Heavenly Father. Not only does He want to help us, but He wants to hear from us.

They start their journey in the ships to the Americas. Nephi's brothers get angry with him again and tie him up. The Lord causes that the Liahona stops working and a huge storm begins to push them back. For four days, they are tossed about in the sea until they untie Nephi. Does this story remind you of any other stories in the Bible? Jonah, perhaps. I think about when the Apostles were with Christ in the boat and they woke Him up because they were scared. Christ calmed the seas and told them to be calm as well. It just shows that with the Lord on your side, anything is possible.

They arrive in the Promised Land. How great would that be?

Chapter 19 - In this chapter, Nephi explains again about the Small and Large Plates of Nephi. The Small Plates contain the spiritual matters of his people while the Large Plates contain the history. The 116 pages that were lost by Martin Harris are from the Large Plates - the history. What we have now is from the Small Plates, so we were actually blessed in that we now have a more spiritual record of the same time.

He then explains why he is going to quote Isaiah. The teachings of Isaiah are to give us hope and believe in the Lord more fully. That seems like a pretty good reason to me. Also, the Savior quoted Isaiah more than any other prophet in His mortal ministry. Another excellent reason!

Chapter 20 - begins the quoting from Isaiah. He talks of how the Lord has always given a prophecy, then fulfilled it to make sure we know that it is from Him that these things happen. He says he will always tell us first that it will happen, then it will happen when we don't expect it. Doesn't this make you want to listen to the Prophet just a little bit more closely?


Keep going! Next week is 1 Nephi 21 - 2 Nephi 3. I know we can do it!