Mosiah 27

Mosiah 27:36

Great missionary scripture! It talks about being an instrument in the hands of God and bringing the knowledge of the truth to the knowledge of their Redeemer. I found this to be a very powerful description of what my job will be when serving my mission. I will be used to bring the knowledge to those that know little to nothing about the truth of the gospel and who know nothing of our Redeemer.

Mosiah 27:37

It talks about how blessed the people are because they sought to bring peace, they did good and declared the Lord to be the Leader. It really sets a guideline of how I should be living my life if I want to be blessed. I need to acknowledge the Lord as the most powerful person in the world. I will aspire to do good in everything and bring peace to those around me. I will look to be a leader and example to those around me.

When reading the Book of Mormon this time around i've been paying close attention to missionary scriptures that will help me to teach the people of Brazil. I find great comfort when i come across these scriptures. I feel very blessed by these experiences and grow more and more anxious to get out in the field to teach.

Naked vs. Clothed

Here's an interesting comparison

2 Nephi 9:14 - Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.

it's an interesting comparison that when we sin and are wicked we are naked, but when we are righteous we are clothed with purity. Powerful images for me.

The Atonement

So for some reason today I backed up a chapter and read the 1st two verses of 2 Nephi 7. Wow, what a great couple of verses about the Atonement.

1 - Yea, for thus saith the Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever? For thus saith the Lord: Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement? To whom have I put thee away, or to which of my creditors have I sold you? Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.

2 - Wherefore, when I came, there was no man; when I called, yea, there was none to answer. O house of Israel, is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make their rivers a wilderness and their fish to stink because the waters are dried up, and they die because of thirst.

Two things jumped out for me. First, The Lord never abandons me, I abandon the Lord and Second, The Lord is able to redeem me, regardless of my weaknesses and shortfalls.

Fear

2 Nephi 8 has a reoccurring theme of fearing the Lord and not fearing man.

7 - Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.



12 - I am he; yea, I am he that comforteth you. Behold, who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of man, who shall die, and of the son of man, who shall be made like unto grass?
13 - And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth, and hast feared continually every day, because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor?

I think so often in my life, I get caught up in fear of how I will look and what people will think of me. I think the Lord is saying here to let that go, focus on Him and developing a loving relationship with him. Then perspective will clear, and obedience will increase.

Obedience

1 Nephi 20:18 - O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments—then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.

A thought came to me that the river and the sea are both flexible and ever changing in form but constant in purpose. - not bad for Isaiah (huh)

The Lord wants to lead me.

1 Nephi 17:13 - And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led.

I think often in my day, I forget the partnership the Lord wants to have with me. I get caught up in my desires and my wishes and I forget that the Lord wants very much to take me by the hand and lead me along. One of my favorite of all scriptures is in D&C 78

17 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;

18 And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.

There's a lot of comfort for me knowing He wants to be my partner.

Power

So I was reading in 1 Nephi 14 tonight (yeah I had to catch up) and vs. 14 resonated with me.

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.

I think I'm going to really focus on the promise of power as it is sprinkled throughout the Book of Mormon.