3 Nephi 14 Ask, Seek, Knock

My blog has become a chore as I hustle to keep up.  I have a new assignment with my job that involves travel to another seminary each day.  I now don’t have time to ponder and think about what I’m writing.  So my posts have become stiff and lifeless.  I am sorry.  But for now that is all I can do. 

Jesus instructs us to get the post out of our eye before we go about trying to pick the slivers out of our neighbor’s eye.  Keep things that are sacred—sacred.  Ask, seek, knock.  Keep the golden rule.  By our fruits we will be known.  Come unto Jesus and get to know him personally.  Build our house upon the rock of Christ’s words and doctrine.

3 Nephi 13 No Man Can Serve Two Masters

The new covenant was very different from the prescriptive, rule driven, Old Testament.  Jesus clearly establishes a higher law, while specifically doing away with bad traditions that had grown up in the church.  For example, he wanted the people to be generous with their offerings but he wanted them to make the donations in private instead of making a big show.  The same was true for prayer, fasting, and washing.  He taught them to turn their hearts away from the treasures of the world and instead lay up treasures in heaven.  He warned them to serve God and not Satan.  To the Twelve, he said to go out and preach without worry.  Take no thought for what you will eat or drink or what you will wear.  I will take care of you.  “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.  Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.”

3 Nephi 12 All Things Have Become New

Jesus chooses 12 Apostles.  I believe they held all the keys that the Apostles at Jerusalem held.  In other words, there were two sets of apostles on the earth at the same time.  I believe Jesus did this because the old and new worlds were completely separated from one another.  Jesus did not neglect his other sheep.  The Sermon at the Temple was the same as the Sermon on the Mount.  Two verses stuck out for me.  3 Nephi 12: 47-48:

“Old things are done away, and all things have become new.  Therefore, I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.

3 Nephi (part three) The Doctine of Christ

The prophet, Nephi, then came forward and kissed the feet of the Savior.  Jesus bade him rise and he did.  Jesus then gave him the power to baptize.  Next, Jesus gave Nephi the correct the baptismal prayers and then gave a strict charge to baptize by immersion:  that there would be no “disputations” among them from this time forward.  Jesus continued his instructions regarding his doctrine:

“And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom….And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things.

3 Nephi 11 (part 2) They All Went Forth

Twenty-five hundred people had gathered at the temple in Bountiful after the three days of darkness and the great destruction had taken place.  They had heard from out of the darkness the Lord speaking to them words of sorrow because of the rebellion and sins of the people.  Yet, the more righteous of the people had been spared destruction.  Now the darkness was gone.  The people at the temple were conversing about what had happened and the miracles that had taken place.  They knew that the sign that Samuel the Lamanite had told them would happen at the death of the Savior, had been given.  Suddenly, they heard a very quiet voice coming out of heaven.  It was not harsh or loud, but it pierced them deeply.  In like manner, the voice was heard again, but was still not understood.  Finally, the voice was heard a third time, and this time it was understood:  “Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.”  As they looked up they saw a man descending out of heaven wearing a white robe.  They thought it was an angel.  But then he spoke: 
“Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.”

As proof of his Atonement, Jesus had all of the people come forward, one at a time, and feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet.  When this was completed, (it would have taken over three hours) the people were overjoyed!  “Hosanna!” they shouted, “Blessed be the name of the Most High God!  And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and worship him.”

3 Nephi 11 Christ Came to the Ancient Native Americans

In my personal history I recorded an event from my full time mission to the Navajos.  I recounted how I had arrived at the mission home in Salt Lake City with great concern about my abilities.  It didn’t help that the first day I was there, the mission home president told us that on the morrow he was going to have several missionaries come forward and pass off a concept from one of the discussions.  I was petrified and had trouble sleeping.  I went to the bathroom at four in the morning, sat on the tile floor with my back up against the wall and tried desperately to land on a short concept that perhaps I could commit to memory.  After many minutes I came to the concept in the Relationship to Christ lesson that had an amazing effect upon me then, and throughout my mission.  One of the paragraphs began with a title something like:  “After Christ was resurrected, he appeared to the people at the temple in America.”  I learned for myself that Christ had visited the ancient Native Americans and testified to them of his atonement and resurrection. 

This experience changed the course of my mission and my life. For one thing, I knew what I was going to say to the Navajo people when I visited them in their homes:  Did you know that Christ came to your people after his resurrection?  And I did!  My mission was wonderful because I never had to worry about what I was going to say first to the people I contacted.  I was able to replace fear with faith.  The way this experience has affected me since my mission is that I have a strong testimony of Christ and his atonement because as I shared my testimony with the Navajos, it went down deep into my heart.  That testimony has grown stronger over the years as I have shared my testimony with my family and my students.

3 Nephi 10 Christ Will Gather Us Under His Wings

Jesus proclaims that he is like a mother hen, eager to gather her chickens under her wings.  He says it twice.  I am hopeful that this will be the future for me and my family; that we will be gathered as a family of righteous men and women.  I pray that Lord will take us under his wing now and keep us close, as we keep him close.

3 Nephi 9 Come Unto Me

Out of the darkness came the voice Christ:  “Wo, wo, wo unto this people….”  There were no expletives in the language of this ancient people.  One “wo” would be strong; two would be very strong; three is the maximum!  This is as bad as it gets: a triple “wo.”  Notice what Satan and his angels do when we commit sin:  they laugh and rejoice.  This was the case with these great cities that had been destroyed because of their wickedness.

After recounting the many losses, the Savior then turns to those who had been spared “…because ye were more righteous than they….”  Jesus pleads, “…will ye not now return unto me and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?  Yea…if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life.  Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.  Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God….And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit...whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive…for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved.

To my beloved family:  come unto Christ, be happy, you are blessed.

3 Nephi 8 The Rocks Were Rent

Thirty-three years had passed away from the time of Christ’s birth.  “And the people began to look with great earnestness for the sign which had been given by the prophet Samuel, the Lamanite, yea, for the time that there should be darkness for the space of three days over the face of the land….And it came to pass in the thirty and fourth year, in the first month on the fourth day of the month, there arose a great storm, such an one as never had been known in all the land…terrible tempest…terrible thunder…sharp lightnings…the city of Zarahemla did take fire…the city of Moroni did sink into…the sea…the earth was carried up upon the city of Moronihah…and the highways were broken up…and thus the face of the whole earth became deformed…the rocks were rent in twain.

Then came three days of darkness where the people could feel the vapor of darkness; there was no light; candles would not light; fires could not be lit. 

The people began to mourn and howl saying: “O that we had repented before this great and terrible day.”

3 Nephi 7 Like a Dog to His Vomit

Nephi continues in faithfulness even though all of the people except a few had become wicked.  Nephi is visited by angels daily and is able to convert some people by working many miracles among them including raising his brother, Timothy, from the dead after he had been stoned by the people.  It only took six years for the faithful and righteous Nephites to return to utter wickedness: “…like the dog to his vomit, or like the sow to her wallowing in the mire.”

3 Nephi 6 From Riches to Rags: Spiritual Darkness

Our last chapter started with “…there was not a living soul among all the people of the Nephites who did doubt in the least the words of all the holy prophets who had spoken…Therefore they did forsake all their sins,…and did serve God with all diligence day and night.”  In this chapter, only a few years later, when the people had become rich and prosperous, it all goes down-hill (again!).  Two great leaders, Gidgiddoni and Lachoneus, did their best to keep things going.  Some of the Lamanites also kept the faith.  But the majority of the people gave themselves to Satan’s temptations.  Wickedness reigned.  The people killed the prophets and began practicing the secret combinations that would lead them to total destruction.

3 Nephi 5 Mormon's Testimony of Christ

Mormon bears his testimony:  “I am called Mormon…Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.  And it hath become expedient that I, according to the will of God, that the prayers of those who have gone hence, who were the holy ones, should be fulfilled according to their faith, should make a record of these things which have been done—Yea, a small record of that which hath taken place from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem, even down until the present time….I have reason to bless my God and my Savior Jesus Christ, that he brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem…”

Mormon goes on to bear witness that the Lord will keep all the promises he has made to the House of Israel, including gathering them together “from the four quarters of the earth” in the latter days.  “And they shall they know their Redeemer, who is Jesus Christ.”