He Will Separate the Wheat From the Tares

In the October 1986 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, President Ezra Taft Benson taught that the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion and it was written for our day.

As I read the Book of Mormon, I often reflect on how the events described are parallels to the events happening in our day.

During my study this week, I came across this scripture in Alma 1:24-25:

24. For the hearts of many were hardened, and their names were blotted out, that they were remembered no more among the people of God. And also many withdrew themselves from among them.

25. Now this was a great trial to those that did stand fast in the faith; nevertheless, they were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them.

This scripture talks about how many of the members of the church of God began to fall away after being deceived by wicked men who sought riches and power over the people by practicing priestcraft.

In our day, there are many great deceptions taking place. Just as in the days of Alma, many are falling away from the true church of Christ because they have been deceived.

Those who wish to justify sin, push their agendas, using the media and lies that are very convincing and powerful. They try to convince us that if we do not accept, approve of and even encourage sin in its many forms, we are haters; we are bigots; we are not true Christians because we do not love people for who they are. It seems that they are unable to understand what we believe- that we must love the sinner but hate the sin, and have compassion for those who struggle.

In the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, Christ describes how the wicked will be separated from the righteous in the harvest at the end of the world. Will we be among those who remain and abide the day of His coming?

The Parental Duty to Teach Our Children

My patriarchal blessing instructs me to teach my children the gospel and prepare them for their Heavenly Home. I know that it is important to teach them the truths of the gospel and I find joy and satisfaction in doing so.

I find powerful examples of this important principle in the Book of Mormon. The very first verse of the Book of Mormon highlights the importance of teaching our children and of the children's responsibility to open their heart to the righteous teachings of their parents.

1 Nephi 1:1 says, "I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days."

We should not lose the significance of this first verse. Nephi knew of the goodness of his parents. He knew this because of the example they had set all of their lives. He knew this because of the things that they had taught him and as he experimented on their words and sought confirmation from God of the truthfulness of their teachings, he gained a knowledge of their truthfulness.

Another similar scriptural example is Enos 1:1, which says, "Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it—". Is it not significant that this prophet also starts off by making a reference to his father and the things he had taught him pertaining to the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

If we do not teach our children, how will they know the truthfulness of the gospel? They will never know it on the same level they would if they were taught by their parents.

The most important truths we can teach are children are the Plan of Salvation that our Heavenly Father has prepared for us, and which we agreed to follow before coming to this earth. Central to this plan is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We must teach them about the fall of Adam, spiritual rebirth through repentance and baptism, the atonement, the resurrection, the final judgement of our souls and the eternal consequences of the decisions we make in this life.

There are other powerful examples in the Book of Mormon that illustrate the effects of righteous parents on the rising generation. A couple of these examples include Alma and his son Alma the younger and the 2,000 stripling warriors who were taught by their mothers.

My own parents have taught me many things from the scriptures and the words of the living prophets about the Plan of Salvation. They are truly goodly parents. I am so thankful for the things they have taught me that gave me the foundation I needed to go forth and find things out for myself through living the principles of the gospel, experimenting upon the word and the confirmation of the Holy Ghost.

This week I have taken some opportunities to teach my oldest son some of the truths of the gospel. I taught him about work, service and self-reliance. I feel joy and a sense of accomplishment for passing this knowledge on to him.

I am far from being a perfect father, but as I continue to teach my sons the truths of the gospel I hope to plant seeds in their hearts that will grow and produce spiritual fruit in them as they mature.

Lists in the Scriptures

Have you ever noticed that there are many lists in the scriptures?

Probably the most famous list of all is the list of the ten commandments of God, given to Moses on Mount Sinai. The ten commandments are found in the Holy Bible in the Book of Exodus, chapter 20. They are also found in the Book of Mormon in the Book of Mosiah, chapter 13.

In the General Priesthood Meeting of the October 2015 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the living prophet and president of the church, Thomas S. Monson said, "My message to you tonight is straightforward. It is this: keep the commandments.

"God’s commandments are not given to frustrate us or to become obstacles to our happiness. Just the opposite is true. He who created us and who loves us perfectly knows just how we need to live our lives in order to obtain the greatest happiness possible. He has provided us with guidelines which, if we follow them, will see us safely through this often treacherous mortal journey."

I learned in my BYU-Idaho Pathway classes this week that lists are a grouping of items included or excluded for a purpose.

There are at least three types of lists in the scriptures. The three types of lists in the scriptures include things ordered by Chronology, Hierarchy or the steps in a Process.

When we come across a list in the scriptures, we should ask ourselves why each item is on the list. We should ask if the order of the items on the list is important.

A good example of this is the Fourth Article of Faith, which says, "We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost."

The order of the items on this list is important. We must first have faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ. By having faith in Him and His mercy and grace we will have a desire to repent of our sins. Once we have repented of our sins, we are then ready for baptism by someone who has authority. We are following Christ's example by being baptized by immersion by someone who has authority.

Once we have been baptized by immersion in the water by someone having the authority, we are ready to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. This is one of the most important and precious gifts that our Heavenly Father can bestow upon us. But we have to take all of the other steps in the process before we an receive it.

What lists can you find in the scriptures and why are they important to you?

Reconcile Yourself with the Will of God and be Saved Through Grace

As I studied the Book of Mormon this week, I thought about how important it is to seek the will of God and how we must reconcile ourselves with the Will of God.

In 2 Nephi 10:24 it says, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved."

How do we reconcile ourselves with the will of God?

In life we go to people who are learned in order to be taught. Many of us are born of goodly parents and learn many truths from them. We also go to schools and universities to gain knowledge.

God is omniscient. That means he knows absolutely everything, even down to the most minute detail. And He is truly our Father in Heaven. Therefore he loves us and his work and glory is to help us reach our potential. He wants to share his knowledge and wisdom with us and help us become like Him.

His work and his glory is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39).

In our eternal quest to gain knowledge, intelligence, wisdom and light, we should all go to the source of all truth. The source of all truth is our Heavenly Father. "O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it." (2 Nephi 9:20).

In light of this knowledge, and knowing that "the natural man is an enemy to God," should we not "yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and put off the natural man and become a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, become as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father?" (Mosiah 3:19).

We are all imperfect. We are all unclean and we also know that "The kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God." (1 Nephi 15:34).

That is why our Loving Heavenly father sent his Son, even Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Redeemer.

In the October 2015 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency taught some very important and inspiring principles in his talk entitled "The Gift of Grace".

He said, "Even if we were to serve God with our whole souls, it is not enough, for we would still be “unprofitable servants.” We cannot earn our way into heaven; the demands of justice stand as a barrier, which we are powerless to overcome on our own.

"Salvation cannot be bought with the currency of obedience; it is purchased by the blood of the Son of God. Thinking that we can trade our good works for salvation is like buying a plane ticket and then supposing we own the airline. Or thinking that after paying rent for our home, we now hold title to the entire planet earth.

These words really struck me. I realized that I often put too much trust in my own efforts, thinking that my effort is the main part of working out my salvation. Though I know that my efforts and my obedience and my broken heart and contrite spirit are an important component of becoming worthy of salvation, the larger part lies in the atonement and the gift of grace that God has given us. The power of his atonement truly is infinite.

President Uchtdorf said, "The grace of God is our great and everlasting hope.

"Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the plan of mercy appeases the demands of justice “and [brings] about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.

"Our sins, though they may be as scarlet, can become white as snow. Because our beloved Savior “gave himself a ransom for all,” an entrance into His everlasting kingdom is provided unto us.

"The gate is unlocked!

"But the grace of God does not merely restore us to our previous innocent state. If salvation means only erasing our mistakes and sins, then salvation—as wonderful as it is—does not fulfill the Father’s aspirations for us. His aim is much higher: He wants His sons and daughters to become like Him.

"With the gift of God’s grace, the path of discipleship does not lead backward; it leads upward.

"It leads to heights we can scarcely comprehend! It leads to exaltation in the celestial kingdom of our Heavenly Father, where we, surrounded by our loved ones, receive “of his fullness, and of his glory."

"All things are ours, and we are Christ’s. Indeed, all that the Father hath shall be given unto us. To inherit this glory, we need more than an unlocked gate; we must enter through this gate with a heart’s desire to be changed—a change so dramatic that the scriptures describe it as being “born again; yea, born of God, changed from [our worldly] and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters.

And so we see that we are all saved through grace.

President Uchdorf asked, "If grace is a gift of God, why then is obedience to God’s commandments so important? Why bother with God’s commandments—or repentance, for that matter? Why not just admit we’re sinful and let God save us?

"Or, to put the question in Paul’s words, “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” Paul’s answer is simple and clear: “God forbid.”

"Brothers and sisters, we obey the commandments of God—out of love for Him! Trying to understand God’s gift of grace with all our heart and mind gives us all the more reasons to love and obey our Heavenly Father with meekness and gratitude.

"As we walk the path of discipleship, it refines us, it improves us, it helps us to become more like Him, and it leads us back to His presence. “The Spirit of the Lord [our God]” brings about such “a mighty change in us, … that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.

"Therefore, our obedience to God’s commandments comes as a natural outgrowth of our endless love and gratitude for the goodness of God. This form of genuine love and gratitude will miraculously merge our works with God’s grace. Virtue will garnish our thoughts unceasingly, and our confidence will wax strong in the presence of God.

"Dear brothers and sisters, living the gospel faithfully is not a burden. It is a joyful rehearsal—a preparation for inheriting the grand glory of the eternities. We seek to obey our Heavenly Father because our spirits will become more attuned to spiritual things. Vistas are opened that we never knew existed. Enlightenment and understanding come to us when we do the will of the Father.

"Grace is a gift of God, and our desire to be obedient to each of God’s commandments is the reaching out of our mortal hand to receive this sacred gift from our Heavenly Father."

In parting I share with you the words of Jacob, from the Book of Mormon:

"Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life." 2:Nephi 10:23)

I will seek daily to reconcile myself with the will of God and choose the way of eternal life, putting my faith in my Savior Jesus Christ, that I may be Saved by his Grace.

What will you choose?

Getting an Education and Providing for your Family

This week I learned that I can become more like my Heavenly Father by getting an education and providing for the temporal needs of my family.

The lessons that I studied in the BYU Idaho Pathway program gave me confidence that I can be successful in getting an education and advancing in my career or maybe even starting a new career to provide better for my family.

A Reason For The Hope That Is In Me - 1 Peter 3:15

I wanted to share some of the reasons for the hope that is in me as Peter challenges in 1 Peter 3:15.

The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ has given me the answers to the basic questions that most everyone asks: Who am I? Where am I from? Why am I here? Will I just cease to exist after I die? If not, where will I go and what will it be like? Having this knowledge, as revealed in the scriptures and the words of the living prophets and apostles gives me a sense of purpose and a sense of direction. It also helps me make the right decisions and recognize my mistakes and reconcile my thoughts, words and deeds with God and those that I have offended.

One of the many blessings that the Gospel has brought me in my life is the knowledge between good and evil and the peace and happiness that I feel when I do what is right. The scriptures teach us that "men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25). I think that so many people in the world are unhappy and they likely don't even know why they feel that way. Perhaps they don't have a clear understanding of what is good and what is evil. They cannot be happy in their sins because "wickedness never was happiness" (Alma 41:10). This is not to say that I live a perfect and happy life. What I can say, though, is that when times are tough I know that through God's justice and mercy, through the atonement of Jesus Christ and the influence of the Holy Ghost I can have hope for a brighter future.

 I am so grateful for the knowledge, peace and happiness that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has brought and continues to bring into my life. I feel a great responsibility to share the good news of the gospel with others.

Journey to the Promised Land

My professor in the BYU-Idaho Pathway program, Mike Haugen, challenged me to look at the parallels between Nephi building a ship and journeying to the promised land and our journey back to our Heavenly Father.

In 1 Nephi 17:17 we read, "And when my brethren saw that I was about to build a ship, they began to murmur against me, saying: Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters."

Brother Haugen said, "The story of Nephi's family journeying to the promised land is a very good parallel for us, of our journey back to our promised land or the presence of our Father.

"I think one thing we all experience in life... is somebody pointing the finger of scorn at us; somebody pointing the finger of doubt at us, saying you can't build that ship, you can't cross these waters and make it back to the promised land.

"And that specific person is Satan. Satan is very good at getting us to think that we can't build a ship, that we can't make it back. And if he can get us to think that then he has won.

"And the truth from our Heavenly Father and my testimony to you as you study these chapters is that you identify how you, working with a kind Father in Heaven and his son Jesus Christ can overcome great waters.

"And think in your life where you have done that; where the Lord has helped you overcome some pretty rough waters in your life and that we all can return to our Father."

This is my challenge to you, the reader of this blog as well.

I try to imagine myself in Nephi's place. I think of how hard it would be for me to do what Nephi did; to sojourn for the space of many years, yea, even eight years in the wilderness.

After arriving in the Land Bountiful I imagine myself giving thanks to the Lord for his many blessings. I try to imagine myself, after having been in the land Bountiful for many days, hearing the voice of the Lord, telling me to arise and to get into the mountain. (1 Nephi 17:7)

I might think to myself, What for? Why do I need to go into the mountain?

I hope that I would be obedient to the Lord and go up into the mountain as Nephi did and cry unto the Lord.

I can imagine myself hearing the words the Lord speaks to me, saying, "Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters." (1 Nephi 17:8)

Yikes! I am afraid I would have reacted more like Laman and Lemuel than Nephi if the Lord told me to build a ship. I don't know how to build a ship! But I hope I would have faith in the Lord.

Here we see that Nephi had to put forth a significant amount of effort and faith to do the will of the Lord and follow his promptings at each step in the process. When the Lord told him to go into the mountain, Nephi didn't know what for, but he was obedient and went into the mountain and cried to the Lord. Only then did the Lord tell him what He wanted him to do.

So it is with us, we have been given some commandments or in some cases, revelations that we need to follow. In some cases, only when we are obedient and do as we are commanded, do we find out what more the Lord has in store for us. Then we are given further instructions.

The Lord wants us to rely on Him and not on ourselves alone. He wants us to show our trust in Him, even though we cannot see the end from the beginning.

"For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have." (2 Nephi 28:30)

The Lord always prepares a way for us to accomplish the thing that he has commanded us. In the account of Nephi, the Lord showed him the manner in which he was to build the ship.

Heavenly Father also sent his son to show us the way to live.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people." (Alma 7:11)

"He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;" (D&C 88:6)

Christ truly gave us a perfect example of how to live and keep all the commandments of the father. He lived a perfect life as a perfect example for us. He is the Savior of the world.

He showed us how to return to our promised land, which is the presence of the Father.

"As we look to Jesus as our Exemplar and as we follow in His footsteps, we can return safely to our Heavenly Father." (President Thomas S. Monson, October 2014 General Conference).

Nephi recognized that he did not have tools to make a ship, he asked the Lord, "whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?"

As Nephi, we must press forward and continue along the straight and narrow path that leads to Eternal Life in the presence of our Heavenly Father. We must pray and ask for guidance in each step along the way. Our Heavenly Father knows what we stand in need of. He knew that Nephi needed tools to build the ship, but he didn't drop down a toolbox out of heaven. We blessed Nephi with the knowledge and abilities that he asked for in order to accomplish the thing that the Lord had commanded him.

As we take each step, the path before us will be made clear by His light. We make a step and the Lord lights the way a little further, giving us the confidence to take another step. But we must ask the father to guide us. And in this manner we press forward with faith, persevering until the end, until we have returned to our Heavenly Father.

In 1 Nephi 17:13-14 we read the Lord's promise to Nephi and to us, "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.

"Yea, and the Lord said also that: After ye have arrived in the promised land, ye shall know that I, the Lord, am God; and that I, the Lord, did deliver you from destruction."

This is my testimony, that if we trust in the Lord and seek his light and follow his example, we will reach our promised land.

It was not easy for Nephi to build a ship. He had never done it before. He was faced with strong opposition from his brothers who pointed the finger of scorn at him. But Nephi put his faith in the Lord. He was guided by the Lord step by step relying on Him to receive more light in each step of the process.

Our journey through mortality to the Promised Land, the presence of our Heavenly father, will undoubtedly be accompanied by affliction and opposition. To successfully reach our destination we will require the same faith in the Lord and our sincere efforts to follow in his footsteps.

It will all be worth our efforts, for "as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)

I am so grateful for Jesus Christ and his atonement. He has prepared the way. He is the Way to return to our Heavenly father and I know that we can accomplish this magnificent goal by putting our faith in Him.

This is my testimony. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Learning by the Power of the Holy Ghost

Henry B Eyring shared the following key to being a lifelong learner:

“Because I am clean, the Holy Ghost can teach me.

“I imagine many of you have had some experience where you were taught by the Holy Ghost. You have had times in your life when you were keeping the commandments of God and the Holy Ghost could be close to you and teach you easily. If you persisted, you felt the power of the Holy Ghost adding to your capacity to learn. You felt the Holy Ghost nudging you in the direction of truth, confirming truth when you found it, even bringing ideas directly to your mind. That may not have happened often to you and it may not have lasted long. But if it has happened to you once, you know it is possible.”

I know this is true, that “by the power of the Holy Ghost [we] may know the truth of all things.” (Moroni 10:5)

Perhaps the most powerful experience I have had with learning through the power of the Holy Ghost is when I began my mission at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah.

I was to serve a Spanish-speaking mission in Nicaragua. I remember my first night at the MTC very vividly. I was sitting in a room with a group of nine or 10 other missionaries. We had begun our first Spanish lessons. As we practiced some basic Spanish, I quickly realized that I was going to fall behind quickly. The rest of the elders seemed to be picking up the language quickly, while I was struggling. A sense of fear came over me. I am not a quick learner. I felt that if I fell behind it would be extremely difficult for me to be successful in learning he language.

However, I had a great desire to serve the Lord “with all [my] heart, might, mind and strength” (D&C 4:2). I knew that a critical component of achieving that goal was to learn the language as quickly as possible. I remember having a profound feeling that night that I couldn’t learn it on my own.  I was going to have to rely on the Lord to help me learn. I would give Him the glory for helping me learn the language.

That night before I laid down in bed, I knelt and said one of the most sincere, faithful, humble and hopeful prayers of my life. I told Heavenly Father that if I was to learn Spanish, it would not be because of my own efforts or my own intelligence, it would be because he had blessed me with the ability to learn the language.

I had faith that he would do just that because I knew he wanted me to be an effective and successful missionary as much, probably even more, than I wanted to. My faith was also bolstered by my confidence that I was living in a way that kept me clean and worthy to learn through the power of the Holy Ghost.

I slept well that night. I had turned my fears of failure over to the Lord and knew that he would help me.  Beginning the next day, I began to carry a prayer in my heart that the Holy Ghost would help me to learn the language. Though I had to work very hard, I never again felt that I could not learn the language or keep up with the class. My abilities and confidence in speaking the language expanded every day.

These blessings continued as I began my missionary service in Nicaragua. I memorized and delivered the discussions in Spanish to the wonderful Nicaraguan people day after day. I made great efforts every day to understand and make myself understood. Though I often say that I had a headache for the first 6 months of my missionary service in Nicaragua, every day I “felt the Holy Ghost nudging [me] in the direction of truth, confirming truth” and helping me learn the language. Meanwhile my understanding and appreciation for the basic principles of the gospel distilled upon my soul. The truth and beauty of the Plan of Salvation sank deep into my heart. May the glory be to God for the many blessings He pours out upon his children.

I am so thankful for this experience. It has given me a great sense of the love Heavenly Father has for me and all of his children. It has given me confidence in my ability to learn through the power of the Holy Ghost. I have had similar experiences since then. In fact, I have felt that same influence of the Holy Ghost as I have participated in in the Pathway program.

When We Need Him Most

We all have trials and afflictions in our lives. These are the times when we need Him most.

When things get difficult in life, we may choose to react in one of the following ways:

• we can start to give up our faith in our Heavenly Father and turn our hearts from him; or 
• we can "endure [our afflictions] well", and "God shall exalt [us] on high. [We shall] triumph over all [our] foes." (Doctrine and Covenants 121:8) 

How do we endure our afflictions well? What will we do when times get tough, when we need him the most?

I would like to share an insight that I gained this week as I studied the 1 Nephi 1-5.

Nephi, one of he first prophets in the Book of Mormon, was an incredible example of faith and trust in God. Nephi had "seen many afflictions in the course of [his] days", yet he knew he had been "highly favored of the Lord in all [his] days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God." (1 Nephi 1:1).

This "knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God" is what set him apart from his elder brothers, Laman and Lemuel. From an early age each of them had heard the words of their father as he taught them the truths of the gospel, but Nephi pondered upon them and they sank deep into his heart and he became "highly favored of the Lord".

Nephi was told by his father that he had dreamed a dream in which he was commanded to tell his sons to return to Jerusalem and retrieve the brass plates from Laban. Laban was a notable citizen of Jerusalem who commanded great wealth and many servants (wikipedia: Laban - Book of Mormon). The brass plates contained "the record of the Jews and also a genealogy of [his] fathers. (See 1 Nephi 3:3) It was critical to Lehi and his family that they have the teachings contained on the brass plates in order to preserve the language of their fathers and the word of God.

Speaking of the brass plates, Elder Bruce R McConkie said "The value of the Brass Plates to the Nephites cannot be overestimated. By means of them they were able to preserve the language (1 Ne. 3:19), most of the civilization, and the religious knowledge of the people from whence they came.

"From prophet to prophet and generation to generation the Brass Plates were handed down and preserved by the Nephites. (Mosiah 1:16; 28:20; 3 Ne. 1:2.) At some future date the Lord has promised to bring them forth, undimmed by time and retaining their original brightness, and the scriptural accounts recorded on them are to ‘go forth unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people."

So we see that the brass plates were not only important to Lehi and his family but to every nation, kindred, tongue and people!

Lehi told his son, Nephi, that his brothers had murmured, "saying it is a hard thing which I have required of them". However, it was not something that Lehi was commanding them to do, "but it is a commandment of the Lord." (1 Nephi 3:5)

Nephi responded with the words found in a well known scripture, "I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them:" (1 Nephi 3:7).

Nephi and his brothers took up their journey into the wilderness back up to the land of Jerusalem. It was a dangerous and difficult journey of over 180 miles (See Book of Mormon Student Manual, Chapter 2).

Upon arriving outside the walls of the City of Jerusalem Nephi and his brethren did consult with one another and cast lots to determine who would go into the city to ask Laban for the brass plates.

The lot fell up on Laman who went into the city and asked Laban for the plates. This didn't work out so well for Laman. Laban was angry and did not give him the plates. He called Laman a robber and threatened his life. Laman ran out of the city and joined his brothers outside of the city walls. (See 1 Nephi 3:10-13)

In the next verse we see that all of the sons of Lehi, even Nephi himself started to get discouraged. 1 Nephi 3:14 says "And we began to be exceedingly sorrowful, and my brethren were about to return unto my father in the wilderness." Even Nephi began to be exceedingly sorrowful.

This is where we should ask ourselves the following question: How would I react in the situation that the sons of Lehi faced after one of their brothers has been thrust out of the presence of Laban with a threat to his life?

We know that the Lord had commanded them to go and get the plates, and they knew it. We know that they had attempted and had failed and their very lives were in danger.

This was one of the points when they needed the Lord the most.

Even though Nephi was feeling exceedingly sorrowful, when he saw that his brothers were about to return to their father in the wilderness, he said the following, "But behold I said unto them that: As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us."

This is where Nephi really proved his faith in the Lord. He was absolutely determined to accomplish the thing which he Lord had commanded him. He would not return to his father until he had done so.

The story continues and they make another attempt, this time coming up with a bit more of a strategy of their own, to "go down to the land of our father’s inheritance, for behold he left gold and silver, and all manner of riches." (1 Nephi 3:16) They would seek to exchange their father's riches for the brass plates. This attempt proved to be a failure as well. Laban took possession of their riches and threatened all of their lives.

When Nephi finally decides that if he wants it done right, he will have to do it himself (my words, not his). He goes alone and was "led by the spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which [he] should do." (1 Nephi 4:6)

By relying on the Lord he was able to accomplish the thing that the Lord had commanded him, for the Lord "delivered [Laban] into his hands." (1 Nephi 4:11) Nephi had to exercise great faith to accomplish the thing that he had been commanded.

When we are discouraged, when things are at their worst, will we continue to put our trust in the Lord and find the way that he has prepared? Will be seek the guidance of the Spirit to help us find the way?

I share with you my testimony that when are in the midst of our greatest trials, when we need Him most, if we rely on the Lord and follow the promptings of the Spirit we can accomplish much more than we otherwise could! Many times we will not be able to see the end result from the beginning, but the Lord in his perfect knowledge will prepare the way as we press forward with faith.