Hope- 1 Nephi 19:24

1 Nephi 19:24

HOPE

What

 24 Wherefore I spake unto them, saying: Hear ye the words of the prophet, ye who are a aremnant of the house of Israel, a bbranch who have been broken off; chear ye the words of the prophet, which were written unto all the house of Israel, and liken them unto yourselves, that ye may have hope as well as your brethren from whom ye have been broken off; for after this manner has the prophet written.

Hear, liken

Why

that ye may have hope

Pattern

remnant of the house of Israel-

2 Kgs. 19:31

31  For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zealof the Lord of hosts shall do this.

Branch-

Gen.49:

22  ¶Joseph is a fruitful bough,even a fruitful bough by a well;whose branches run over the wall:
23  The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him,and hated him:
24  But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the 

1 Ne. 15:12 (12, 16)

12  Behold, I say unto you, that the house of Israel was compared unto an olive tree, by the Spirit of the Lord which was in our father; and behold are we not broken off from the house of Israel, and are we not a branchof the house of Israel?

16  Behold, I say unto you, Yea; they shall be remembered again among the house of Israel; they shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive tree, into the true olive tree.

Hear

John 5:39

39  ¶Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Josh. 1:8

8  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Deut. 17:19

19  And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear theLord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:

That we might have hope!

Christ

This verse talks about hearing the words of the prophets by studying the scriptures which speak of Christ and are the words of Christ. Nephi is talking especially of Isaiah.

Conference

10/16- LeGrande R Curtis Jr.

There Is Power In The Book

I encourage everyone receiving this message, including the Aaronic Priesthood bearers convened in this meeting tonight, to discover the power of the Book of Mormon. As President Thomas S. Monson has encouraged: “Read the Book of Mormon. Ponder its teachings. Ask Heavenly Father if it is true.”8 During that process you will feel the Spirit of God in your lives. That Spirit will be part of your testimony that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God’s true Church on the earth today. That testimony will help you resist temptation.9 It will prepare you for “the great call of diligence … to labor in the vineyards of the Lord.”10 It will stand as a sure anchor when accusations or slanderous statements are used to challenge your faith, and it will be a rock-solid foundation when you are challenged with questions you cannot answer, at least immediately. You will be able to discern truth from error, and you will feel the assurance of the Holy Ghost reconfirming your testimony over and over again as you continue to read the Book of Mormon throughout your life.

I also encourage all parents hearing or reading this message to make the Book of Mormon an important part of your home. As our children were growing, we read the Book of Mormon as we ate breakfast. This is the bookmark that we used. On the front is a quote from President Benson promising that God would pour out a blessing upon us as we read the Book of Mormon.11 On the back is this promise from President Marion G. Romney, formerly a counselor in the First Presidency: “I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. … The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness.”12

Now, many years after our children have left home and are raising their own families, we can see clearly the fulfillment of President Romney’s promise. Our family is far from perfect, but we can testify of the power of the Book of Mormon and the blessings that reading it has brought and continues to bring into the lives of our whole family.

The greatest power of the Book of Mormon is its impact in bringing us closer to Jesus Christ. It is a strong witness of Him and His redeeming mission.13 Through it we come to understand the majesty and power of His Atonement.14 It teaches His doctrine clearly.15 And because of the magnificent chapters describing the visit of the risen Christ to the Nephites, we see and experience Him loving, blessing, and teaching those people and come to understand that He will do the same for us if we come to Him by living His gospel.16

Brethren, I testify of the power in the Book of Mormon. Whether reading it in English, Italian, or French, in print or on an electronic device, I have found the same wonderful spirit flowing from its chapters and verses into my life. I testify of its ability to draw us closer to Christ. I pray that each of us will take full advantage of the power that is in this wonderful book of scripture. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

10/15 Devin G. Durrant SS Presidnecy

My Heart Pondereth Them Continually

My second invitation is quite different from and much more important than the first. It is this: I invite you to “ponderize”3 one verse of scripture each week. The word ponderize is not found in the dictionary, but it has found a place in my heart. So what does it mean to ponderize? I like to say it’s a combination of 80 percent extended pondering and 20 percent memorization.

There are two simple steps:

First, choose a verse of scripture each week and place it where you will see it every day.

Second, read or think of the verse several times each day and ponder the meaning of its words and key phrases throughout the week.

Imagine the uplifting results of doing this weekly for six months, a year, 10 years, or more.

Consider this invitation and supreme blessing shared by Nephi: “If ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.”12 In the spirit of “feasting upon the word of Christ,” ponderizing is like taking a bite of delicious food and then chewing very, very slowly in order to enjoy it to its fullest.

The Savior said, “Treasure up in your minds continually the words of life.”5 Ponderizing is a simple and edifying way to do just that.

I believe Nephi was a ponderizer. He said, “My soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them [continually], and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children.”6 He was mindful of his children as he pondered and wrote the scriptures. How might your family benefit as you continually strive to fill your mind with God’s words?

Jesus Christ Is Our Example

Jesus Christ must have developed a love for the scriptures at an early age. He must have been reading and pondering the scriptures as a young child in order to have meaningful discussions with the wise doctors in the temple at age 12.13 He began his mission at age 30,14and He referenced the scriptures early and often throughout His ministry.15 Can we not safely say that Jesus spent at least 20 years studying and pondering the scriptures as part of His mission preparation? Is there something you need to be doing today to prepare yourself spiritually for future opportunities to teach and bless your family and others?

Apply

Any way that we can ponder the scriptures every day like eating a delicious meal or brushing our teeth, we will be blessed. The scriptures will bless our souls and we will have hope. We will have joy in spite of troubles because we will have faith in Christ and the atonement. We can look forward to living with Him again. Hope is essential to happiness and the scriptures give us that hope.

Hymn

89-The Lord Is My Light

14- Sweet Is the Peace The Gospel Brings

Children

109- Search, Ponder and Pray

108 See the Lord Earlly