Who is in Control?

Mormon 5:24 ". . repent ye, and humble yourselves before him, lest he shall come out in justice against you--lest a remnant of the seed of Jacob shall go forth among you as a lion, and tear you in pieces, and there is none to deliver."

God is in control of the universe. We are in control of our choices.

Repentance is the Antidote

Mormon 4:10 ". . and yet the Nephites repented not of the evil they had done, but persisted in their wickedness continually."

Wickedness can be a spring board for more of it.
Repentance is the only antidote.

The Lord had Spared Them

Mormon 3:3 ". . they did not realize that it was the Lord that had spared them, and granted unto them a chance for repentance."

Blessings are most apparent after they are gone.

Destruction Hung Over My People

Mormon 2:8 ". . nothwithstanding the great destruction which hung over my people, they did not repent of their evil doings; . ."

There is a connection between repentance and safety.

Know the Goodness of Jesus

Mormon 1:15 ". . I was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus."

We can know of the goodness of Jesus every day when we pray, remember him, and pay attention.

286 Years in Four Pages!

4 Nephi 1 is a four-page account of the 286 years following Jesus Christ's resurrection and his prophetic visit to some of his "other sheep" on the American continent.
It documents the time from A.D. 34, when;
(verses 2-18)". . the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land . . and there were no contentions and disputations among them . . there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift . . even they were blessed and prospered until an hundred and ten years had passed away . . and there was no contention in all the land." 
and then;
(verses 24-49) "And now, in this two hundred and first year there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride . . And they began to be divided into classes . . the people did harden their hearts . . And it came to pass that when three hundred years had passed away, both the people of Nephi and the Lamanites had become exceedingly wicked one like unto another . . and there were none that were righteous save it were the disciples of Jesus . . And it came to pass that when three hundred and twenty years had passed away, Ammaron, being constrained by the Holy Ghost, did hide up the records which were sacred -- yea, even all the sacred records which had been handed down from generation to generation . . that they might come again unto the remnant of the house of Jacob, according to the prophecies and the promises of the Lord."

I wonder.
What would a comparative 286-year-four-page version for The United States of America be?
(A.D. 1730-2016)

Seek the Words of Jesus

3 Nephi 30: ". . hear the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God . . "

Since we cannot hear the words of Jesus Christ in 'real time,' we must seek them in the scriptures.

The Consequences of Denial

3 Nephi 29:6 "Yea, wo unto him that shall deny the revelations of the Lord, and that shall say the Lord no longer worketh by revelation, or by prophecy, or by gifts, or by tongues, or by healings, or by the power of the Holy Ghost!"

"Wo" is a two-letter word with connotations I, for one, have the desire to avoid.

What Would We Ask?

3 Nephi 28:1 ". . Jesus . . spake unto his disciples, one by one, saying unto them: What is it that ye desire of me after that I am gone to the Father?"

Jesus knows the desires of our hearts. Do we know and share them in our prayers?

To Be A Christian

3 Nephi 27:5 "Have they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name shall ye be called at the last day;"

To take the name of Christ upon oneself is both an honor and a responsibility.

The Gift to Future Generations

3 Nephi 26:2 "And he saith: These scriptures, which ye had not with you, the Father commanded that I should give unto you; for it was wisdom in him that they should be given unto future generations."

The gift of scriptures to study, live by, and pass to future generations is everything.

The Proud Shall Be Stubble

3 Nephi 25:1 "For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch."

There is good, and there is evil.
Good will finally triumph over evil.
And that will follow an incomprehensible burning.

A Book of Remembrance

3 Nephi 24:16 ". . and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name."

That which is not written down is mostly forgotten.

Write Important Things

3 Nephi 23:11 "And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them?"

How can important things be remembered and transferred to our descendants if not written?

Great Shall Be the Peace

3 Nephi 22:13 "And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children."

Parents and children can gain peace by teaching and following the Lord's teachings.

Who to Trust?

3 Nephi 21:10 ". . my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil."

If we need reasons to trust God, there's the fact that his wisdom trumps cleverness every time.

Appreciate What We Have

3 Nephi 20:28 ". . when they shall have received the fulness of my gospel, then if they shall harden their hearts against me I will return their iniquities upon their own heads, saith the Father."

Taking blessings for granted is a precursor to losing them.

Stay Tuned to the Apostles!

3 Nephi 19:6 "And the twelve did teach the multitude; and behold, they did cause that the multitude . . should pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus."

In our day, the Twelve Apostles teach us during broadcasts of LDS General Conference, held annually on the first weekends of April and October. Stay tuned!

Never Give Up

3 Nephi 18:32 ". . ye shall not cast him (the unrepentant soul) out of your synagogues, or your places of worship, for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them."

Jesus can heal those who minister and those to whom ministry is given.

Faith to Be Healed

3 Nephi 17:8 ". . I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you."

There are wounds of the body and of the spirit. Healing is possible through faith in Jesus Christ.