Mormon Reflections on the Word: Learning From the Journey
There are many examples in the scriptures of the Lord relocating His people: Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, the Jaredites being led to the promised land, and Lehi and his family being called to travel to the promised land are just a few examples. In these instances, the Lord is calling on the people to have faith in Him and His plan. At these times, He doesn’t tell them what they are to expect and doesn’t give them reasons they have to go to that particular place. The Lord requires them to follow Him. He does this to bring them closer to Him and to strengthen their faith in Him. We, too, are called by the Lord at times to make this same sacrifice in our lives. He will ask us to leave a place or part of...
Mormon Reflections on the Word: Mormon’s Charity
Hey, everyone. So, I wanted to share a cool insight that I got from the Book of Mormon this week. Just a little background for anyone that’s interested: The Book of Mormon is a record of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas; it also testifies that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and contains the fulness of His gospel. There are two main groups of people it discusses: the Nephites, who are usually righteous, and the Lamanites, who are usually wicked. This week I was reading in Mormon chapters 1-6. At this particular time, the Nephites have become exceedingly wicked and have “willfully rebelled against … God.” Mormon, a righteous Nephite, is appointed to be the leader of the Nephite armies and gives an...
Mormon Reflections on the Word: Without Sail or Anchor
The people of the Book of Mormon teach us many important lessons through their experiences. One of the purposes of the Book of Mormon is to help us discover and learn from the mistakes of these people in ancient America. In Mormon 5:18, the fallen Nephite people teach us a very important lesson. They show us that when we forsake God and neglect to follow His commandments, we fall under Satan’s power. When we fall under Satan’s power, we have no foundation or guiding light. Satan does not love his followers. He does not care about their lives nor does he try to guide them like our loving Heavenly Father does. The path of wickedness is one of loneliness and confusion. When the Nephites decided not to follow God’s...
Mormon Reflections on the Word: Trust in His Will
This week we read in Ether chapter 2 about the Brother of Jared. He was building a ship in order for the people to cross the waters. When constructing the boat, they built all the walls to be “tight like unto a dish” (Ether 2:17). The fact that the Lord had them build sturdy, protected ships that were “tight” completely relates to our own lives. Just as their boats were tight, we must be “tight” in our friendships, marriages, and testimony. We must have strong faith that allows us to be unbreakable, just as their boats were. Just as the boats were their mode of transportation to make it to their destination, the gospel is the vehicle by which we return to live with our Heavenly Father. Another interesting...
Mormon Reflections on the Word: You Only Live Once
Many times, and more so now in college than in any other time of my life, the people around me are constantly inviting me to YOLO or live according to the motto “You Only Live Once”. They, and often I too, think that happiness can be found in a brief moment of thrill or excitement.This instantaneous rush leads them to act on impaired judgment and sudden impulses. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but often leads to pursuing the “lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). John teaches in his first epistle that these things are “of the world.” He goes on to teach that we must “love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love...
Mormon Reflections on the Word: Surely There Could Not be a Happier People
BYU Students Share Letters & Reflections on Scripture BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes. In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures. In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of...
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