Whoso Shall Publish Peace

1 Nephi 13:37 ". . and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be."

Peace seems a distant goal, but publishing it daily through small words and actions can spread joy.

Because of Pride

1 Nephi 12:19 ". . and because of the pride of my seed, and the temptations of the devil, I beheld that the seed of my brethren did overpower the people of my seed."

A little self examination: Pride is at the heart of my excuses when "overpowered."

What Desirest Thou?

1 Nephi 11:2 "And the Spirit said unto me: Behold, what desirest Thou?"

The Lord knows all the questions and answers, and he knows we learn best by asking our own.

One Eternal Round

1 Nephi 10:19 "For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round."

With God, there's no beginning, middle, or end. I don't have to understand it, just believe it.

Commandments: General and Specific

1 Nephi 9:3 ". . I have received a commandment of the Lord that I should make these plates, for the special purpose that there should be an account engraven of the ministry of my people."

The Lord gives general commandments to everyone, like the Ten Commandments, and specific commandments to each of his children. It is our job to listen and learn both, then to go and do.

The Tree of Life

1 Nephi 8:10 "And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy."

The tree of life represents the love of God,  where lies the nest of happiness. (1Nephi 11:25)

Have We Forgotten?

1 Nephi 7:11 ", , how is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us . ."

Every day is a day to be grateful to the Lord for blessings too numerous to count.

What to Write?

1 Nephi 6:5 ". . the things which are pleasing unto the world I do not write, but the things which are pleasing unto God and unto those who are not of the world."

Write. Then hope and pray that those who are "of the world" and "not of the world" will read and pray about what is written.

Discover the Genealogy

1 Nephi 5:16 "And thus, my father Lehi, did discover the genealogy of his fathers.."

I recently attended the annual RootsTech Conference in Salt Lake City (Feb 2-6, 2016), along with 27,000 other participants from 37 countries and all fifty states in the US. People all over the world continue to yearn for and "discover the genealogy of (their) fathers."

He Is Mightier Than All

1 Nephi 4:1 ". . let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands?"

"Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I Will Go and Do

1 Nephi 3:7 ". . I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

Just go and do, knowing God will prepare a way.

Because of Thy Faith

1 Nephi 2:19 "Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart."

The formula is always the same, not necessarily in this order: humility, faith, ask, diligence

Tender Mercies of the Lord

1 Nephi 1:20 ". . I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."

Faith is the key to all things good, and faith isn't faith without action.

About the Book of Mormon

"The Book of Mormon comprises fifteen main parts or divisions, known, with one exception, as books, each designated by the name of its principal author . . Namely: 1 Nephi, 11 Nephi, Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, Words of Mormon, Mosiah, Alma, Helaman, 111 Nephi, 1V Nephi, Mormon, Ether, and Moroni."

And tomorrow we start studying it.

The Testimony of Joseph Smith

"The Prophet Joseph Smith's own words about the coming forth of The Book of Mormon are: 
'On the evening of the . . twenty-first of September, 1823 . . I betook myself to prayer and supplication to Almighty God . . '"

As a result of Joseph Smith's account of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. millions have "betaken themselves to prayer and supplication to Almighty God," asking if the account is true.

We Have Seen the Plates

From the Testimony of Eight Witnesses: " . . Joseph Smith, Jun., the translator of this work has shown unto us the plates of which hath been spoken . . we have seen and hefted, and know of a surety that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken."

Having witnesses of the actual "golden plates" is great, but getting one's own testimony of the authenticity of The Book of Mormon through earnest study and prayer has far greater validity.

Be It Known

Testimony of Three Witnesses: "Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come: That we, through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this record . . and we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God . . wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true."
Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, Martin Harris

When we study and pray with faith and real intent, the Holy Ghost will witness to our hearts, and we can know just as surely that the Book of Mormon is true, as did the three witnesses.

Written by Ancient Prophets

From the Introduction: "The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation . . (and is) an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C. . . known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the Lord confounded the tongues at the Tower of Babel. This group is known as the Jaredites. . ."

The Book of Mormon is a history of early inhabitants of America (referred to as a"promised land.")

Three Purposes of The Book of Mormon

From the Preface: "--Which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever--And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations--"

Translated by Joseph Smith, Jr.

My Testimony of The Book of Mormon

Once again, my study of The Book of Mormon has brought me to page 531 — the last page — where the prophet, Moroni, invites us to “. . come unto Christ . .”

Moroni’s words remind me that Jesus Christ is, was, and ever will be my best friend and my God. He lives. He knows me and loves me . . . anyway. 

He knows and loves you, too. 

I look forward to beginning the study of The Book of Mormon again today, at the title page. I witness to you, along with millions of others who have read and studied the book that it is, indeed, another testament of Jesus Christ, in concert with the Holy Bible.

Jesus was born for us. He died for us, and he lives again . . . for us.

We can claim the grace of Jesus Christ by turning our hearts to him, by keeping his commandments, by forsaking our sins, by loving him — and each other.

This I know.

If you are uncertain that Jesus Christ can make the difference in your life, I urge you to seek him for yourself through sincere study and prayer. 

As you do, the truth will be made known to you by the power of the Holy Ghost, just as Moroni promised.

Renee Hawkley Pecora

February 9, 2016