President Gordon B. Hinckley on the Book of Mormon

"I take in my hand the Book of Mormon. I read its words. I have read Joseph Smith's explanation of how it came to be. To the unbelieving it is a story difficult to accept, and critics for generations have worn out their lives writing books intended to refute that story and to offer other explanations than the one given by Joseph the Prophet. But to the open-minded, this critical writing has only stimulated them to dig deeper; and the more deeply they dig, the greater the accumulation of evidence for the validity of Joseph Smith's story. Still, as has been demonstrated for a hundred and fifty years, the truth of the Book of Mormon will not be determined by literary analysis or by scientific research, although these continue to be reassuring. The truth about the origins of the Book of Mormon will be determined today and tomorrow, as it has been throughout the yesterdays, by reading the book in a spirit of reverence and respect and prayer."
(Praise to the Man, Ensign, Aug 1983, 4)

Monday, September 13, 2010

Day 16 - 2 Nephi 4-6

Nephi continues to proclaim his call to action, to "awake" and "no longer droop in sin" after testifying of the great blessings provided to him from the Lord. He repeats the promise that all prophets have testified: "that God will liberally to him that asketh".

One of the great blessings of life is work. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell stated: "...work is always a spiritual necessity even if, for some, work is not an economic necessity." Part of this work was the building of a temple. The Nephites knew the importance of having a temple in their midst to perform the necessary ordinances commanded by the Lord.

Because of their faithfulness in keeping the commandments of the Lord, they "lived after the manner of happiness". Though the work was hard, though they were persecuted by their brethren, it was their attitude that made all the difference. Though situations may have been tough, though offenses may have been given, though not everyone was on the same level spiritually, each member had to choose to be happy.
"The more we know of Jesus, the more we will love Him. The more we know of Jesus, the more we will trust Him. The more we know of Jesus, the more we will want to be like Him and to be with Him by becoming the manner of men and women that He wishes us to be, while living now 'after the manner of happiness'" - Elder Neal A. Maxwell, April 2001 G.C.
Posted by Caleb at 7:10 AM

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