3 Nephi 19

When Jesus came to the America's there were people who traveled all night to spread the "good news", so that more may see the Savior. When I think about their sacrifice, I desire to be more like them. I am sure they were tired from their travels. I wonder if some of them missed part of the Savior's visit for their desire to share with others His coming. And then I wonder if I am spreading the "good news" with as much joy and gusto as these people did?

In verse 9, I am taught another lesson on seeking my Savior. It states, "And they did pray for that which they most desired; and they desired that the Holy Ghost should be given unto them" (3 Nephi 19:9). Every Sunday we are given the opportunity to have the Holy Ghost to be with us. Every week when we take the sacrament, we are promised to have His spirit to be with us as we remember our Savior. As I think about the importance of the Spirit and the promises we have received to be able to obtain that spirit, I think I should be praying to have Christ in my thoughts on a daily basis.

It seems that the more the Spirit can remain with me, the more I come to Christ. The more I come to Christ, the more I am His servant. The more I am his servant, the more I become like Him. Becoming His is my ultimate goal.

I like in verse 23 it states, that the Savior can be in us if we believe on Him. And later it talks about how we can be purified in Christ through our faith in Christ. It seems to me that in order for this purification to happen, we need to be willing to seek the Savior, we need to make Him a part of our lives, and we need to ask for this purification. The scriptures talk about a desire that will occur within each of us

3 Nephi 12: Part 2

Last night we were having a family discussion on how to treat others that are unkind to you. My daughter had a soccer game, and there were several players on the other team who would purposefully push and shove our team, but then turn around and offer a hand of help to get up, or even a handshake. My daughter felt as if the hand offered was simply a tool to look better than what was actually happening--perhaps, a tool to look innocent in the eyes of the referee. The offered hand seemed quite insincere when the girls from our team were repeatedly shoved or pushed. At one point in time a player on our team was hit in the face, by the ball. The hit left our player dazed and unable to walk without support. My daughter heard a member from the other team laughing. This laughter caused my daughter to feel extreme anger and frustration towards this team. After a while of this behavior, the girls from our team no longer wanted to accept the offered hand of help. Instead, they simply wanted to ignore the attempt at kindness. Therefore, our family discussion revolved around whether or not it was appropriate to ignore the gesture? What did it mean to walk the high road? What would the Savior do?

In my scripture study today, I read: "But behold, I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you" (3 Nephi 12: 44). The point: whether it was the purpose of the other team to seem sincere with other motives on their agenda or not--it's not ours to judge. Frustrations are going to happen on a daily basis, but in order for us to follow the Lord's admonitions, we must be the better person. We must be kind to those who are unkind. I don't think this means that we allow others to hurt us, or to ridicule us. I think we can stand up for ourselves as well; however, I do believe that we must choose to be better than replicating their behavior with our frustrations. I believe we must rise above it, and be the "better person" by our actions.

When I was in middle school, I remember asking my dad on numerous occasions how to work through different social circumstances. Quite often he would respond, "Walk the high road". I heard this sentiment so many times as a youth that now as an adult, I quite often think about "walking the high road". He taught me to be better than succumbing to the ill will around me. He taught me to look beyond the here and now, and to become something more. He taught me to rise above my circumstances.

Quite often when my daughter is playing soccer, I often feel her team plays to the level of the opposing team. Some teams are extremely difficult. When we play these teams, we are solid and a definite force. Some teams are not as difficult; however, quite often when we play these less difficult teams, we are sloppy and imprecise.  And so it is with life, do we allow ourselves to succumb to the level of other people who may or may not have our standards, or do we rise above the negative attitudes of others and "walk the high road".

3 Nephi 12; Part 1

SALT OF THE EARTH A LIGHT ON A HILL

13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the salt of the earth; but if the salt shall lose its savor wherewith shall the earth be salted? The salt shall be thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men.

 14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

 15 Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house;

 16 Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

We are instructed to be the salt of the Earth, and a light to all nations. These verses speak to me about being courageous and strong in the face of difficulty. They say to me that I must choose to be different from the mainstream of society. These verses are a message from God encouraging His people to "BECOME". 

We have been given the Gospel. We have truth and light at our fingertips, and it is our blessing to be able to share it. More than anything I want to BECOME all that God wants me to become. I want to be His light. I want to be a candle for Him. I want to do all things well, so that someday when I meet Him--He can say "well done". 

I just read a talk about what it means to be the "salt of the earth". I was touched but Elder Asay. He said:

“When the Lord used the expression “savor of men,” he was speaking of those who represent him. He was referring to those who have repented, who have been washed clean in the waters of baptism, and who have covenanted to take upon them his name and his cause. Moreover, he was speaking of those who would share by covenant his priesthood power. He was speaking of you and me…

A world-renowned chemist told me that salt will not lose its savor with age. Savor is lost through mixture and contamination. Similarly, priesthood power does not dissipate with age; it, too, is lost through mixture and contamination…

Flavor and quality flee a man when he contaminates his mind with unclean thoughts, desecrates his mouth by speaking less than the truth, and misapplies his strength in performing evil acts. King Benjamin cautioned, ‘Watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God’ (Mosiah 4:30).

I would offer these simple guidelines, especially to the young men, as the means to preserve one’s savor: If it is not clean, do not think it; if it is not true, do not speak it; if it is not good, do not do it” (Carlos E. Asay, "Salt of the Earth: Savor of Men and Saviors of Men", April 1980 General Conference). 

In order for each of us to maintain our "savor", we must not let worldly influences contaminate us. We must keep the commandments, and by so doing, we will be the salt of the earth--a light on the hill.

3 Nephi 9

When we "come unto Christ", we are promised eternal life. It seems as if learning how to "come" should be a priority in our lives. In verse 3 Nephi 9:14 it says, "Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me" (3 Nephi 9:14). As I contemplate this scripture, my mind wonders what it means to "come unto Christ". Perhaps a formula for that is found in Moroni when he says, "Yea, come unto Christ and be perfected in him and deny yourselves of all ungodliness. And if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness and love God with all your heart, might, and mind, then is His grace sufficient for you. That by his grace, ye may be perfect in Christ"(Moroni 10:32). So, as we turn our hearts to God, and deny ourselves of things that are not "godly", we are "coming unto Christ". Further explanation of the meaning of "coming unto Christ" can be found in 3 Nephi 9 when it says, "Therefore, whoso repententh and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive..." (22). It further states, "And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost..." (20). 

Coming unto Christ is a process. It is something we must continually strive for and develop in our lives. It is accomplished by living the commandments day by day, reading our scriptures, saying our prayers, and simply placing the things of God above the things of the world. As we do this, our hearts our changed, and we become "like a little child", and we "come unto Christ". I believe it is something we must strive to accomplish in the everyday moments of our lives. I believe that we must be diligent in our testimony of Christ. I believe that is part of enduring to the end to keep Christ in our focus. It is so easy to allow the world to infiltrate our hearts. We must seek him every day, and as we do, we become His.

3 Nephi 7

I am inspired that after the scriptures speak of the people putting all of the prophets to death for their testimony, this chapter speaks of Nephi having the courage to stand despite the possible consequences. Nephi's testimony was so great he couldn't contain it within his heart. It didn't matter to him that it could possibly mean death. So great was his faith that God gave him the power to raise his brother from the dead (3 Nephi 7:19). In verse 20 it describes how the people felt of his raising his brother from the dead by saying, "And the people saw it, and did witness of it, and were angry with him because of his power; and he did also do many more miracles in the sight of the people, in the name of Jesus" (3 Nephi 7:20). 

I want to be like Nephi. I want the Lord to trust me like He trusted Nephi. I do not expect or care to raise people from the dead. That is not what I am saying. I am saying that I want to be the kind of person that would do anything for the Lord. The kind of person that would give up my life for His cause. I want to have a burning testimony within me that all can see--not for my own gain, but rather so that I may help others come to the truth. I want to become all that the Lord desires of me, and be the tool He intended me to be. I am positive that Nephi fulfilled all that the Lord required of him.

Later in this chapter, it talked about the importance of being "baptized unto water" in order to receive full repentance (24). What a testimony of the importance of baptism, of washing our sins away, of turning to our God through our act of being baptized.

Alma 38

When Alma speaks to his son Shiblon, he says, "And now my son, Shiblon, I would that ye should remember that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of of your trials and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day."

I trust that God can help me. I know that He can change that He can carry me through my trials, and make me whole. I will put my trust in Him. I will not quit. I will look forward to the day when I can look at these trials with a new perspective, because I will have known that God has been with me. All throughout the scriptures, it repeatedly says that we need to "endure". Satan is aware of each of us. It is his goal to pull us from God's pathway. When we make mistakes, he tries to convince us that we should quit and give up. I know that by putting my trust in God, I can endure. I can keep on the pathway to eternal life. There are times when I wish I could say I was perfect, but I know through these struggles, I am being refined into a more compassionate person. And someday I will have become the person the Lord would have me be.

At the end of this chapter it reminds us that it is only through Jesus Christ that we may be saved. As we turn to Him, He will carry us, refine us, and lift us along the path of righteousness.

Alma 27

Forgiveness

I am touched the people of Nephi were so Christ like and forgiving towards the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. So many times in our lives we hold to our frustrations towards others. When we have been wronged, it is difficult for us to let go of that wrong doing. When the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi came to the Nephites for protection. The Nephites not only protected them, but they also gave them a portion of their land. The scriptures do not explain in great detail what this entailed; however, I imagine that there were people living in the place which the Anti-Nephies inherited; therefore, I am confident that many of the Nephites moved in order to make room for the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. The Anti-Nephi-Lehies were Lamanites. These were brethren who had killed their families. These were men who had stolen their food. These men had done many awful and horrible things to them. And yet--the Nephites accepted them as brethren due to their repentance. This is a huge example to me of love and forgiveness. I am not sure that my heart would be so willing to love and accept. I think I would have struggled with not only giving them land, but then allowing my husband and sons to defend them after all they had done to me. When we hold onto the grudges in our lives, it only hurts us. Our spiritual progression stops. The Lord is our judge. He is the only one that has the right at judgment. It is our duty to love. To forgive.

Description of Who I Want to Become:

A description of the people of Ammon (their name had been changed by the people of Nephi) is given in chapter 27. It states, "And they were distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end.

These people are quickly becoming my heroes. They loved God with everything in them. They gave up so much to be perfect in Christ--their homes and riches. As soon as they had a testimony, the did everything they could to solidify that testimony and live by the truths they now understood. God came first in their lives--even unto death. Their faith was unshakable. They chose the right in all situations. They were firm in their beliefs. Their minds were set on eternity above all else. I love these people. I want to be like them.

Alma 26

Boast in God; With God ALL things are Possible

"But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things..." (Alma 26:11, 12).

There are so many phrases in these two scriptures that teach me a lesson on how I should be. First, all things good come from God. It is not by our own merits that we accomplish great things. It is only through our Heavenly Father that we are magnified in fulfilling His work on this earth. And we are magnified--He does help us become strong in order to do His work. Second, --somewhat similar to the first thought, but still different--I like how Ammon says "in his strength I can do all things" (verse 12). I want this thought to be solidified into my mind. If I could believe this phrase with all of my heart (which I do, but in the day to day actions I forget), then I know that I could magnify my purposes here on earth. I truly want to be all that God wants me to be. When I die, I want to know that I have accomplished his work on this earth. I do not want to wish I had been more. I know that this can be accomplished as we SEEK Him. And so I pray that I will ask and I will pray for HIM to help me do all things in His name.

Also in chapter 26, Ammon discusses how grateful he is to be saved from his sins, and he explains,  that "none that knoweth these things, save it be the penitent. Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing--unto such is given to know the mysteries of God" (Alma 26:22). This is a formula for me on my journey of becoming: repent, be penitent, exercise faith, do good works, and pray unceasingly. I pray that I may continue on this path, and become all that He wants me to become.

Finally, in ending, Ammon says, "I will give thanks unto my God forever" (Alma 26:37). God gives us all that we have. Eveything. All things good come from God. I need to be more grateful. I am sinning in my lack of gratitude. President Monson has said that to not be grateful is to sin. I need to repent in this area.