Book of Mormon Monday

Scripture of the Day:

Mormon 7:1-10

 1 And now, behold, I would speak somewhat unto the ^aremnant of this people who are spared, if it so be that God may give unto them my words, that they may know of the things of their fathers; yea, I speak unto you, ye remnant of the house of Israel; and these are the words which I speak:

  2 Know ye that ye are of the ^ahouse of Israel.

  3 Know ye that ye must come unto repentance, or ye cannot be saved.

  4 Know ye that ye must lay down your weapons of war, and delight no more in the shedding of blood, and take them not again, save it be that God shall ^acommand you.

  5 Know ye that ye must come to the ^aknowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and ^bbelieve in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the ^cvictory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up.

  6 And he bringeth to pass the ^aresurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his ^bjudgment-seat.

  7 And he hath brought to pass the ^aredemption of the ^bworld, whereby he that is found ^cguiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to ^ddwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the ^echoirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are ^fone God, in a state of ^ghappiness which hath no end.

  8 Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the ^agospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles ^bfrom the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles ^cunto you.

  9 For behold, ^athis is ^bwritten for the intent that ye may ^cbelieve that; and if ^dye believe that ye will believe this also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them.

  10 And ye will also know that ye are a ^aremnant of the seed of Jacob; therefore ye are numbered among the people of the first covenant; and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, and are baptized, first^bwith water, then with fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the ^cexample of our Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgment. Amen.

Historical Background:

Following a major war that led to the near complete destruction of the Nephite people, Mormon writes to the Lamanites that will survive.  He seeks to outline for them a description of their spiritual heritage and the blessings they can receive by turning to the gospel.

Gospel Principles Outlined:

1) Recognizing our spiritual heritage can help us build a righteous foundation in our own lives.

2) Look at the examples of righteousness that you have in your life.

3) Share your testimony in writing to future generations.

4) Recognize the many ways that the Savior has blessed your life and share that with others.

5) Use both the Bible and the Book of Mormon together in order to grow your testimony.

What I Learned Today:

I was touched by the faith and concern that are implicit in the counsel that Mormon gives to the Lamanites.  I had not previously noticed the love and tenderness that is the basis of this testimony.  This is especially moving since the Lamanites of his day had just killed nearly all of Mormon's people.  Our lives are filled with many opportunities and diverse ways of sharing our testimony with all people.

Things I Will Implement:

This weekend I will write a letter to my children outline some of the most important blessings I have received in the gospel and emphasizing why I hope they too will accept and live the gospel.