Book of Mormon Monday

Scripture of the Day:

1 Nephi 3:1-8

1 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, returned from ^aspeaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father.

2 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, saying: Behold I have dreamed a ^adream, in the which the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brethren shall ^breturn to Jerusalem.

3 For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews and also a ^agenealogy of my forefathers, and they are ^bengraven upon plates of brass.

4 Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brothers should go unto the house of Laban, and seek the records, and bring them down hither into the wilderness.

5 And now, behold thy brothers murmur, saying it is a hard thing which I have required of them; but behold I have not required it of them, but it is a commandment of the Lord.

6 Therefore go, my son, and thou shalt be favored of the Lord, because thou hast ^anot ^bmurmured.

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.

8 And it came to pass that when my father had heard these words he was exceedingly glad, for he knew that I had been blessed of the Lord.

Historical Background:

Following their initial departure from Jerusalem, Lehi has a vision telling him that his sons need to return to Jerusalem to get the scriptures to take along with them. Because they had already traveled a great deal, Nephi's brothers murmured about the difficulty of the request. Nephi, having receive his own revelation from the Lord, asserted his faithfulness to his father.

Gospel Principles Outlined:

1) Always seek the Lord's guidance in your life.

2) Respond with faith to the direction that we receive from the prophet.

3) Be obedient to the command's of the Lord.

4) Trust the revelation that you have received in the past.

5) Honor your parents.

What I Learned Today:

Sometimes, when I read this scripture, I forget that Lehi is speaking to Nephi as the prophet and not as his father. Lucky for us, though, Nephi did not forget this fact. It is very important for us to have the faith necessary to follow the prophet. This faith is not a blind obedience without regard to what is being request of us, but instead a faith know that the prophets have consistently led the members of the Church to safety. Often, members of the Church are criticized for "blindly" following the prophet without exercising free will. This criticism neglects the fact that the faith of many of the members of the Church is based on the rational and consistent application of gospel principles with direct revelation and blessings coming because of that application. Do not doubt the prophet receives revelation from the Lord. That has always been the case and it is a great blessing to know that we can trust that and continue to receive our own guidance as we go along.

For more, read, "We Are Doing a Great Work and Cannot Come Down" by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

Things I Will Implement:

I am excited for General Conference in the next couple of weeks. I will look for specific and direct ways that I can follow the prophet and learn the Lord's will for me in my life.