Equity and Justice

3 Nephi 6:4 ". . and they had formed their laws according to equity and justice."

Big words, those.

We Have Reason

3 Nephi 5:20 "I am Mormon, and a pure descendant of Lehi. I have reason to bless my God and my Savior Jesus Christ,"

As pure descendants of Adam and Eve, we have reason to bless our God and our Savior Jesus Christ.

They Were Prepared

3 Nephi 4:10 ". . when the armies of Giddianhi did rush upon them they were prepared to meet them; yea, in the strength of the Lord they did receive them."

Faith fosters preparation which fosters strength which fosters more faith.

Make a Plan

3 Nephi 3:21 ". . we will prepare ourselves . . "

Success starts with a plan.

The Hearts of the People

3 Nephi 2:2 ". . it was wrought by men and by the power of the devil, to lead away and deceive the hearts of the people; and thus did Satan get possession of the hearts of the people again, insomuch that he did blind their eyes and lead them away to believe that the doctrine of Christ was a foolish and a vain thing."

Is there a story that recurs more often than this one?

Every Whit

3 Nephi 1:20 "And it had come to pass, yea, all things, every whit, according to the word of the prophets."

"Whit" means every single particle.

That They Might Believe

Helaman 16:4-5 ". . Nephi was baptizing, and prophesying and preaching, crying repentance unto the people . . that they might know that the Christ must shortly come . . to the intent that they might believe;"

Today's prophets told us what to remember and prepare for as recently as ten days ago
(October 3-4, 2015 in General Conference lds.org/generalconference).

Saith The Lord (times 3)

Helaman 15:17 "And now behold, saith the Lord, concerning the people of the Nephites (those who have been nurtured in the gospel): If they will not repent, and observe to do my will, I will utterly destroy them, saith the Lord, because of their unbelief notwithstanding the many mighty works which I have done among them; and as surely as the Lord liveth shall these things be, saith the Lord."

Lack of appreciation for our blessings results in losing them.

Believe on His Name

Helaman 14:13 "And if ye believe on his name ye will repent of all your sins, that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his merits."

When we repent, it doesn't "even the score" with Jesus for what He has done for us.
We are not able to pay the debt for His "unspeakable gift."
Repentance is evidence that we believe on His name.
As we demonstrate belief in Him through daily repentance, our sins are remitted.

Who Wants Happiness?

Helaman 13:38 ". . ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head."

The freeway of sin, with it's many fascinating exits, may be the fastest way to arrive; but the destination will not be happiness.

Because of Their Ease

Helaman 12:2 ". . at the very time when (God) doth prosper his people . . yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One -- yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity."

Why?

Pride Leads to Destruction

Helaman 11:37 ". . they did wax stronger and stronger in their pride, and in their wickedness; and thus they were ripening again for destruction." 

Humanity seems destined to repeat its entanglement in the ever-destructive cycle of pride.

I Will Bless Thee Forever

Helaman 10:5 ". . And now, because thou hast (sought God's will and kept His commandments) with such unwearyness, behold, I will bless thee forever;"

The rest of this chapter confirms that "forever blessings" aren't necessarily immediate ones.

Making the Connection

Helaman 9:41 ". . he has told us the thoughts of our hearts . ."

Prophets can help us make the connection between our thoughts and our heart's desires.

Pride: 101

Helaman 8:6 "And now we know that this (destruction) is impossible, for behold, we are powerful, and our cities great, therefore our enemies can have no power over us."

History. Been there. Done that. Looks like. The world's gonna. Do that. Again.

Who Wants Everlasting Misery?

Helaman 7:16 ". . how could you have given way to the enticing of him who is seeking to hurl away your souls down to everlasting misery and endless wo?"

Why would we choose the misery of Satan's plan when we can choose the happiness of God's?

Preaching with Great Power

Helaman 6:5 " . . many did preach with exceedingly great power and authority, unto the bringing down many of them into the depths of humility, to be the humble followers of God and the Lamb."

As in this weekend's General Conference sessions (Oct 3-4, 2015).
We can watch/listen to them again anytime, anywhere!
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions?cid=HP14GC&lang=eng