Chapter 4

I rely daily upon the atonement of Christ.  The atonement gives me hope.  Otherwise, I would despair because of my weaknesses and sin.  Jacob asks, “…why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him?”  He testifies, “…we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken….”  Jacob also teaches that we can know the truth of all things by the Spirit: “…the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not.  Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly for the salvation of our souls.”

Chapter 3

Jacob gives us these beautiful words regarding the pure in heart: “Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction.  O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.” 

Chapter 2

Jacob calls his sons and his grandsons to repentance for two flagrant sins.  First is pride.  Second is sexual sin.  I would pass this call to repentance on to my sons and grandsons.  Avoid pride.  One form of pride is enmity or hate.  We are all guilty of it.  We should avoid anger and control our tempers.  More importantly, we must keep ourselves sexually pure.  Avoid watching other people have sex either in the movies or the videos we look at on the internet.  Avoid looking at, fantasizing about, or engaging in any sexual behavior that is disloyal to your sisters, mother, wives, and children.  Sex belongs to marriage between husbands and wives only.  If you have made mistakes, take the walk to the bishop’s office if needed.  Go before the Lord in humility and with a broken heart.  He will heal you and your relationships.  

The Book of Jacob, Chapter 1

The death of Nephi must have been extremely difficult for the Nephites.  He had been there for them from the beginning.  He had led their army in defending against the Lamanites, wielding the sword of Laban on their behalf.  When my parents died there was a void in my life and the lives of my brothers.  They had been there for us from the beginning.  They defended us and nurtured us.  I honor them.  Jacob, Nephi’s younger brother now led the way.  He was the prophet.  He had seen the Savior and had spent his ministry inviting his people to come unto Christ.  I too, invite my family to come unto Christ.  I invite you to trust Jesus.  He keeps all of his promises.  Thank you for your love and kindness to us as your parents.  

Chapter 33

“When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men….And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day.”  Nephi’s final words are full of hope and warning.  I love my children and grand children.  I hope that knowledge will enter them by the power of the Holy Ghost and that it will make a positive difference in their lives.  I warn them against pride and choosing to disobey the Lord’s commandments.  Not to create fear, but out of love, and a desire for them to have the happiest possible life.  Come unto to Christ.