What does this chapter teach me about God's relationship with His children?
What does this chapter teach me about my Savior?
How can I use the principles and examples from this chapter to improve my own relationship with the Savior and my Heavenly Father?
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS TO PONDER
What do you think it means to endure the "crosses of the world" in verse 18?
In verse 51, Jacob admonishes his people not to "spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy." How do we see this happen in the world today? In what ways might we find ourselves doing this?
I read this chapter more than once this week and came away each time feeling so grateful for a Savior because I need one! But the first few verses were what soothed my soul yesterday at my nephew's Bris. Yes Bris! My sister is married to a Jew and so I went out of love for her and her husband and baby.
ReplyDeleteFor many reasons it was a hard event to watch and the cutting was the least of it. But the words of Nephi kept going through my head: "He has spoken unto the Jews, by the mouth of his holy prophets, even from the beginning down, from generation to generation, until the time comes that they shall be restored to the true church and fold of God; when they shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise."
The people in attendance at the Bris were so earnest! Their rituals are profound in their lives and I can see why but to know that at some point they will be gathered back in gave me the peace I really needed.
In response to the second question, it actually makes me think of Elder Eyring's story about his father working in the onion patch. To summarize the story, his father suffered from cancer and it was very painful for him to move his body. Despite this, he had an opportunity to weed an onion patch in service for the church and so he literally dragged his body along the dirt with his arms to be a part of this service project. He wanted to contribute what he could. It was very painful for him to do this, but he did so with a smile, and when he finally finished his labor, someone pointed out to him that the row he had worked so hard to weed was one that didn't need to be done because it was going to be sprayed the very next day. When Elder Eyring conversed with his father about this event, his father responded that he wasn't sorry for the effort he had put forth because it was for the Lord and he knew it would matter to the Savior and that was the most important thing.
ReplyDeleteI think the world often confuses that which is of true value with that which is worthless or wasted energy. One could easily have heard the onion patch story and thought, "What a waste!" In economic terms, it was. However, if we're keeping the bigger picture in our minds as to why we're here, no effort for the Lord's cause is wasted. If the purpose of our being here is to become like our Savior and to bless the lives of others, then every effort to do our best in doing the right thing is priceless. And it's often those efforts that appear so worthless!
I know so many people who are going through very difficult trials right now who I don't think have "spent their money for that which is of no worth," so to speak. I think they have truly invested their lives in doing the right things and are continuing to work through their trials with the same righteous motives and efforts. Now is the time for them to really draw upon the faith that because they HAVEN'T just wasted their efforts on the things of the world, that they will be endowed with more than enough strength from above to overcome their trials if they continue doing their best to follow the Savior. The Atonement is more powerful than we realize. And there is spiritual power that accompanies every righteous effort we put forth. The Spirit will always be in attendance during those moments. Even if it feels like we're just weeding an onion patch that's gonna get sprayed anyway.