Obedience 1 Nephi 16-18 Building One's Own Boat

If the sun were me or I were the sun.
I would shine my light for everyone.

I would not let the cold of storm
keep the earth from knowing warm.

I would not let the dark of night
make me want to hide my light.

I would not let the thick of cloud
keep me from shining- shining - out loud

I would shine on field and flower
and help them know of God's power.

I would not miss one single day
to share my light - to brighten another's way.

I would set my course..
I would set my mind.
I would set my path.
I would shine. I would shine. I would shine.


The sun comes up. The sun goes down. The world spins round. And, the sun shines. It lifts my soul, it brightens my way. It is one of God's creations that knows obedience. It is one of God's creations that displays it's purpose and power daily. It's sureness of path inspires and calms me.

With God's help, Nephi knew he could build a boat.

Like the sun that obeys God's design, Nephi knew the power that comes from obedience. He understood that God gives us commandments and sets us on a path because He loves us! God wants us to know who we are. He wants us to know our potential. But, unlike the sunshine, a knowledge of who we are is something that can't be given; It must be uncovered through our willingness to obey. The power of self is something that we have to discover.

The only way we can actually discover who we are and the power of God that lies within us is to follow God's commandments. So I ask the question, "Why does God not politely ask us to obey his commandments?"He could ask, "Would you please keep the commandments?"

The reason. God is Great. God is the creator of all things both in heaven and in earth.(17:36-39) He knows what is best for us. To ask is to suggest. Keeping the commandments is not a suggestion. It's a sure way. Like the sun, it's a path that is meant to teach us how to shine, how to give warmth, how to love, how to help all around us grow, how to learn consistency, how to stay the course and be still in an eternal realm where agency holds the key to eternal joy.

Nephi was able to build a ship and he knew it. Not because of his own power but because of the power that comes from obedience to God's commandments. (1N17:49-51)" He understood that, "When we obey God - we follow the influence of the Spirit and choose to conform to His will." (PmGpg.72)

Lehi discovers the Liahona at his tent door

But we are human. We are not the sun. We have weaknesses. When Nephi's bow breaks, Lehi and his family succumb to their hunger and begin to murmur. They had only just begun their journey when they forgot God's goodness - how he  blesses us when we obey. God knows our weaknesses. He blesses us and teaches us line upon line.. precept on precept. (2 N28:30)

To Lehi he gave a Liahona: a ball of curious workmanship whereby he might learn how God blesses us through our obedience to faith, and diligence to duty, and willingness to heed to the God's spirit.

the Liahona 

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them.1 Nephi 16:28 

To Nephi he instructed through prayer.

 And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been in the land of Bountiful for the space of many days, the voice of the Lord came unto me, saying: Arise, and get thee into the mountain. And it came to pass that I arose and went up into the mountain, and cried unto the Lord.1 Nephi 17:7

Nephi was instructed to build a ship. Though his brothers mocked him and complained, he held sure in his belief that if God had commanded it, it was possible. His brothers had forgotten those who wanted to take their lives and the promised destruction of Jerusalem.  Wanting to remember their ancestral heritage of God's hand in their lives, Nephi spoke to them of Moses. He asked:

Do ye believe that our fathers, who were the children of Israel, would have been led away out of the hands of the Egyptians if they had not hearkened unto the words of the Lord? 

Yea, do ye suppose that they would have been led out of bondage, if the Lord had not commanded Moses that he should lead them out of bondage?1 Nephi 17:23-24

Lehi's travels led them through dangerous dessert

Keeping the commandments of God protects us. It was pointed out in last nights class that while traveling in the dessert the Lord commanded the family troop to not build fire. That seems like an odd thing - when fire is needed for warmth and the preparation of food. But by not building fire, the family was protected from marauding bands that would have robbed and carried them away. The light from a dessert fire carries long and far and offers no protections from the evil heart of man.

The only protection against man's choice for evil is man's choice for good. When we choose to live God's commandments we choose protection, power, love, light and eternal life.  Alma taught about the commandments when he said,

 Wherefore, he gave commandments unto men,...., knowing good from evil, placing themselves in a state to act, or being placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good—Alma 12:31

But Keeping the commandments does more than protect us. It helps us discover our eternal spirit. It helps us discover and remember a purpose greater than survival. It helps us give light and warmth and become a source for good. It helps us learn to love as God loves and see the world as He intended it to be: a place for us to grow and learn - a place for us to share his love and bask in the warmth of his word.

I can't be the sun. But I can be like Nephi. I can say..

Wherefore, I Linda, did strive to keep the commandments of the Lord, and I did exhort my brethren to faithfulness and diligence.1 Nephi 17:15

And like Nephi I can build my own ship of sure faith that will carry me.  I am sure there will be times when God will ask things of me that others will mock. And I myself may question, but it is my prayer that the experiences I have will help prepare my heart so that it will not be hard, but willing - and that it will not murmur - but be filled with gratitude. And that it too - like the sun - will learn to shine, shine, shine and spread God's glorious love to all who will not only embrace it, but use it as a source of strength as they too learn the power that comes from keeping God's commandments.

Desire : What desireth thou?

1 Nephi 11:1-22

Desire

All of us have desire. The question is what do we desire? How does what we desire affect our belief in God? What is the connection between what we desire, what we believe and what we know? How does this relate to our family?

(Words and Phrases)

ponder in mine heart (vs. 1)- Nephi desired to know what his father knew. He believed all that his father expounded to him concerning "the dream". He took his desire, added it to his belief and began to "ponder in his heart". He meditated, prayed, and thought deeply about all that he had been told. He loved his father and he recognized the love of God within his father and within his father's words.

DESIRE + BELIEF+ (PONDERING) = KNOWLEDGE

what desireth thou? (vs. 2) Over fifty years ago, my father had a desire to know God. The dark and dreary world had left him in dire circumstances, and he recognized that he needed God's love in his life. My grandmother had taught him of God. He believed in God. He took this belief coupled it with his desire and he asked God. He received his "vision" (answer) that opened up a new way of life for my father. As he followed that answer and learned to listen to the gift of the Holy Ghost, this particular desire changed his life.

His desire changed my life. I (like Nephi) desire to know all that my father knows, to believe the scriptures as he understands them, and to learn with the same power of the Holy Ghost that radiates so beautifully from his voice, his words, and his life.

He set a path for me, for my children, for his family. He set a path filled with the joy of God's love (vs. 22) when his desire spurred his belief to ponder a greater gift.

"thou shalt behold" the thing which thou desireth (vs. 6) God loves us. He has promised us if we will ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, he will manifest the truth of his love unto us. Nephi asked and he will receive (the next 4 chapters )of God's truth.

We all have our own personal "visions" of truth that are connected to our desires. Weather the truth we seek is of a spiritual, scientific, personal or political nature, it does not matter. God knows all things. He can help us discover what we seek.

I think that Nephi's formula has been used and known by many great men (not just prophets).

I think of the Wright Brothers and their desire to fly. They desired to fly + they believed they could fly + they pondered (studied) how they could fly + they asked God and all of their errors to help them learn the rules of flight + then they listened to the answers that came both in the whisperings of their minds, the experience and science of their experiments, and the power of their belief.

desire + believe+ ask+ study(ponder) + listen = success and learning of knowledge

Be careful what you pray for. Know your desires. Know your beliefs. Know your God.

to know the interpretation (vs. 11) - We don't always get what we are taught the first time. After Nephi saw the "tree of life" he said "I believe it is precious above all" (vs. 9) Nephi understood that what he saw was special. He knew what it did to his soul. But he also understood that he didn't understand.

When the angel asked a second time what he desired, he said to know what it means? The tree of life as we learn in vs. 22 represents the "love of God". This is why before explaining this to Nephi he took time to show Nephi the birth of Christ through his virgin mother Mary.

It is a great gift to understand that the love of God is "most desirable above all things".

I believe that when we desire... to have the love of God.... as the foremost desire in our life... everything else falls into place.

the most joyous to the soul (vs 22)-

When I was a young girl my father taught me of his beliefs. He taught me of his conversion and how God opened up "his mind" and took away the clouds of disbelief. He taught me how to read the scriptures and liken them to myself. He taught me to write things of great importance and to let God's love flow through me. He shared with me how the Holy Ghost inspired him, giving him hope and new ideas to help him solve his problems.

As I grew the desire to do and experience all that I have seen my father experiences grew in me. Like Nephi I recognized the love of God within my father's words. I desired to not only accept his belief as his belief but to make it my own.

Today I have a testimony of God's love. His love has carried me.....Because I desired to know. Because I believed in God.... because I pondered.... and studied... and put it to the test. I experimented with God's word and learned not only of God's love for me, but of its truth.

Life is rich with good things to know. There are many things in life that we can desire. God will answer all of our prayers and help us learn to desire for the good and wise things.

If we desire to become a doctor we set our life on a course to become a doctor believing that one day we will be a doctor. If we (like the Wright Brothers) have a desire to fly (or whatever has not yet been done) we need only to believe, to study, to ponder, and to ask for truth.

As great as the mysteries are amidst the fields of science, there is no greater mystery than to personally discover the Joy of God's love as it opens up our personal vision to a life filled with righteous desire.