Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Accepting The Lord's Will and Timing- 1 Nephi 18:9

1 Nephi 18:9

Accepting the Lord's Will and Timing/Courage

What
 9 And after we had been adriven forth before the wind for the space of many days, behold, my brethren and the sons of Ishmael and also their wives began to make themselves merry, insomuch that they began to dance, and to sing, and to speak with much brudeness, yea, even that they did forget by what power they had been brought thither; yea, they were lifted up unto exceeding rudeness.


Why
They slipped back into their rebelliousness. Things got a little dull and they didn't have faith. They were ungrateful for their blessings. They forgot about the power of God that they had seen and that had taken them forward. They did not accept the Lord's will and timing and they were rebellious cowards.

Pattern

Exodus Chapter 32

Rioting and rebelliousness
Aaron makes a golden calf, which Israel worships—Moses serves as a mediator between God and rebellious Israel—Moses breaks the tablets of stone—The Levites slay about 3,000 rebels—Moses pleads and intercedes for the people.
Driven
Ether 6
The Jaredite barges are driven by the winds to the promised land—The people praise the Lord for His goodness—

Christ
Matt. Chapter 27
Jesus is accused and condemned before Pilate—Barabbas is released—Jesus is mocked, crucified, and buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathæa.
Matt. 8
25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye afearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and brebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

Conference
Elder David A. Bednar
From a Church Educational System devotional, “That We Might ‘Not … Shrink,’” delivered at the University of Texas at Arlington on March 3, 2013.
Accepting The Lord's Will and Timing
In his October 1997 general conference message, Elder Maxwell taught with great authenticity: “As we confront our own … trials and tribulations, we too can plead with the Father, just as Jesus did, that we ‘might not … shrink’—meaning to retreat or to recoil (D&C 19:18). Not shrinking is much more important than surviving! Moreover, partaking of a bitter cup without becoming bitter is likewise part of the emulation of Jesus.”1
The Savior did not shrink in Gethsemane or on Golgotha.
Elder Maxwell also did not shrink. This mighty Apostle pressed forward steadfastly and was blessed with additional time in mortality to love, to serve, to teach, and to testify. Those concluding years of his life were an emphatic exclamation point to his example of devoted discipleship—through both his words and his deeds.
I believe most of us likely would expect a man with the spiritual capacity, experience, and stature of Elder Maxwell to face serious illness and death with an understanding of God’s plan of happiness, with assurance and grace, and with dignity. But I testify that such blessings are not reserved exclusively for General Authorities or for a select few members of the Church.
Many of the lessons we are to learn in mortality can be received only through the things we experience and sometimes suffer. And God expects and trusts us to face temporary mortal adversity with His help so we can learn what we need to learn and ultimately become what we are to become in eternity. But some things I absolutely do know. I know we are spirit sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. I know the Eternal Father is the author of the plan of happiness. I know Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I know Jesus enabled the Father’s plan through His infinite and eternal Atonement. I know the Lord, who was “bruised, broken, [and] torn for us,”2 can succor and strengthen “his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:12). And I know one of the greatest blessings of mortality is to not shrink and to allow our individual will to be “swallowed up in the will of the Father” (Mosiah 15:7).
Though I do not know everything about how and when and where and why these blessings occur, I do witness they are real. And I know that as you press forward in your lives with steadfast faith in Christ, you will have the capacity to not shrink.
[There is a lot more to this talk and it should be read in entirety]

Eliza R. Snow
(from Daughters In His Kingdom)
“I will go forward, I will smile at the rage of the tempest, and ride fearlessly and triumphantly across the boisterous ocean of circumstance and the testimony of Jesus will light up a lamp that will guide my vision through the portals of immortality.”

Apply
Elder Bednar asked “do you have the faith NOT to be healed?” I think that is far more important than having the faith to be healed because it signifies real faith and submission. Praying with all of our hearts for what we want but being willing to accept His will. As we understand the plan of salvation we are strengthened.
Not shrinking under our trials as Nephi's brothers did but being strong like Nephi and Lehi even though they went through the same trials.

If we are humble and submissive we can be strong and face our trials with courage and know that he will drive our ship through the “ocean of circumstance” and we will go forward with faith and we will reach that promised land/ celestial kingdom.

Hymns
105 Master The Tempest Is Raging
Matt. 8  23 ¶And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
 24 And, behold, there arose a great atempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye afearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and brebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
 27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the asea obey him!

Children
120- Nephi's courage
Nephi 3:7

 7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: 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.


Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Trust (1 Nephi 18:8)

1 Nephi 18:8
TRUST

What
8 And it came to pass after we had all gone down into the ship, and had taken with us our provisions and things which had been commanded us, we did put forth into the sea and were driven forth before the wind towards the promised land.

The Lord took them in the sea to a better land, a land of promise.

2 Ne. 10:29
20  And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off; nevertheless, we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance; but we have been led to a better land, for the Lord has made the sea our path, and we are upon an isle of the sea.

Why
the Lord took them to a land where they could have freedom from persecution and the freedom to worship as they pleased.

Pattern
1 Ne. 2:20
20  And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands.
Promised Lands

Gen. 12:1
unto a land that I will shew thee.

Gen. 12:7;Gen.13:14–17;Gen. 15:7, 18; Gen.17:8; Gen.24:7; Abr. 2:19

Lord … said, Unto thy seed will I give this land.

Gen. 26:3

unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries.

Gen.28:13;Gen.35:12;Gen. 48:4

land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it.

Gen.48:21;Gen. 50:24

God shall … bring you again unto the land of your fathers.

Ex. 20:12

upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Ex. 32:13

all this land … will I give unto your seed.

Num. 27:12;Num.34:1–12

see the land … given unto the children of Israel.

Deut. 1:8;Deut.34:1–4

possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers.

Josh. 21:43

Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware.

1 Chr. 16:18; Ps. 105:11

Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan.

Acts 7:5

yet he promised that he would give it to him.

Heb. 11:9

By faith he sojourned in the land of promise.

1 Ne. 2:20;1 Ne. 5:5;1 Ne. 7:13;1 Ne.10:13;1 Ne. 12:1

ye … shall be led to a land of promise.

1 Ne. 5:5;2 Ne. 1:5

I have obtained a land of promise.

1 Ne. 7:13

we shall obtain the land of promise.

1 Ne. 10:13

should be led … into the land of promise.

1 Ne. 12:1

I looked and beheld the land of promise.

1 Ne. 13:14

multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise.

1 Ne.13:30;2 Ne. 1:5–7; Ether 1:42; Ether10:28;Ether 13:2;D&C 38:20

land which is choice above all other.






2 NEp2 Ne. 10:11
11  And this land shall be a land ofliberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles.
2 Ne. 10:11

Josh. 21:43
43  ¶And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.

D&C 109
64  And the children of Judah may begin to return to the lands which thou didst give to Abraham, their father.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not to thine own understanding.

Christ
Jesus trusted the Father completely. He faithfully fulfilled His mission and did all that was asked to the best that he could. Which was perfect.

2 Corinthians 1:9

    9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
    10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

Matthew 6:10

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.


Talk- Gary L. Stevenson Presiding. Bishopric Jan 14 2014 BYU
Shortly after the Church was organized in Palmyra, New York, Lucy Mack Smith remained in Waterloo, New York, with a large group of Saints while her husband, Joseph Sr., and sons, including Joseph Jr., departed before her to Kirtland, Ohio. Her responsibility was to bring this group to Ohio when she received word from Joseph.
Well, word came in early spring 1831. Lucy, with the help of some of the brethren, began to move the group to Buffalo, New York, with the intention of making passage to Ohio by ship on Lake Erie. In her words:
When the brethren considered the spring sufficiently open for traveling on the water, we all began to prepare for our removal to Kirtland. We hired a boat . . . ; and . . . we numbered eighty souls.
And then, as they pushed off into the Erie Canal, headed to Buffalo:
I then called the brethren and sisters together, and reminded them that we were traveling by the commandment of the Lord, as much as Father Lehi was, when he left Jerusalem; and, if faithful, we had the same reasons to expect the blessings of God. I then desired them to be solemn, and to lift their hearts to God continually in prayer, that we might be prospered.
About halfway to Buffalo from Waterloo, passage along the canal became impossible. Conditions for the eighty Saints were uncomfortable, and murmuring began almost immediately. Lucy, relying on the Lord, had to unite their faith:
No, no, . . . you will not starve, brethren, nor anything of that sort; only do be patient and stop your murmuring. I have no doubt but the hand of the Lord is over us.When they arrived in Buffalo on the fifth day after leaving Waterloo, the harbor leading to Lake Erie was apparently frozen solid. They took passage on a ship with Captain Blake, a man acquainted with Lucy Smith and her family. After a couple of days, although conditions on the ship were not conducive for all of them to stay while awaiting notice of departure, Lucy reported:
Captain Blake requested the passengers to remain on board, as he wished, from that time, to be ready to start at a moment’s warning; at the same time he sent out a man to measure the depth of the ice, who, when he returned, reported that it was piled up to the height of twenty feet, and that it was his opinion that we would remain in the harbor at least two weeks longer.
This was devastating news to the group, as supplies were low and conditions were difficult. Lucy Mack Smith further recorded her admonition to the Saints:
You profess to put your trust in God, then how can you feel to murmur and complain as you do! You are even more unreasonable than the children of Israel were; for here are my sisters pining for their rocking chairs, and brethren from whom I expected firmness and energy, declare that they positively believe they shall starve to death before they get to the end of their journey. And why is it so? Have any of you lacked? . . . Where is your faith? Where is your confidence in God? Can you not realize that all things were made by him, and that he rules over the works of his own hands? And suppose that all the Saints here should lift their hearts in prayer to God, that the way might be opened before us, how easy it would be for him to cause the ice to break away, so that in a moment we could be on our journey!
Now, please observe here the great faith of Mother Smith—how she chose to trust in the Lord and how she asked that the Saints with her not lean unto their own understanding:
“Now, brethren and sisters, if you will all of you raise your desires to heaven, that the ice may be broken up, and we be set at liberty, as sure as the Lord lives, it will be done.” At that instant a noise was heard, like bursting thunder. The captain cried, “Every man to his post.” The ice parted, leaving barely a passage for the boat, and so narrow that as the boat passed through, the buckets of the waterwheel were torn off with a crash, which, joined to the word of command from the captain, the hoarse answering of the sailors, the noise of the ice, and the cries and confusion of the spectators, presented a scene truly terrible. We had barely passed through the avenue when the ice closed together again, and the Colesville brethren were left in Buffalo, unable to follow us.
As we were leaving the harbor, one of the bystanders exclaimed, “There goes the ‘Mormon’ company! That boat is sunk in the water nine inches deeper than ever it was before, and, mark it, she will sink—there is nothing surer.” In fact, they were so sure of it that they went straight to the [news] office and had it published that we were sunk, so that when we arrived at Fairport we read in the papers the news of our own death.6
“And with all thy getting get understanding,” or, said another way, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”7

Conference April 2016- Eyring
Trust in that Spirit Which Leadeth To Do Good
My prayer for the sisters in the kingdom, wherever they may be or in whatever circumstances, is that their faith in the Savior and gratitude for His Atonement will lead them to do all they can for those God asks them to serve. As they do, I promise that they will move up the path to become holy women whom the Savior and our Heavenly Father will welcome warmly and reward openly.

April 75- Marion D. Hanks
Trust In The Lord

“The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet … to walk upon mine high places.” (Hab. 3:17–19.)
Our religion is “not weight, it is wings.” It can carry us through the dark times, the bitter cup. It will be with us in the fiery furnace and the deep pit. It will accompany us to the hospital room and to the place of bereavement. It can guarantee us the presence of a Captain on the rough voyage. It is, in short, not the path to easy disposition of problems, but the comforting assurance of the eternal light, by which we may see, and the eternal warmth, which we may feel. “The Lord is good: Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” (Ps. 34:8.) In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Conference Oct.2014-Ballard
Stay In The Boat and Hold On!
And finally, President Young reminded the Saints: “We are on the old ship Zion. … [God] is at the helm and will stay there. … All is right, sing Hallelujah, for the Lord is here. He dictates, guides and directs. If the people will have implicit confidence in their God, never forsake their covenants nor their God, He will guide us right.”3
Given the challenges we all face today, how do we stay on the Old Ship Zion?
Here is how. We need to experience a continuing conversion by increasing our faith in Jesus Christ and our faithfulness to His gospel throughout our lives—not just once but regularly. Alma asked, “And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren [and sisters], if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?”4
Along with rule number one as I’ve applied it, remember rules two and three: always wear a life jacket, and hold on with both hands. The words of the Lord are found in the scriptures and the teachings of the apostles and prophets. They provide us counsel and direction that, when followed, will act like a spiritual life jacket and will help us know how to hold on with both hands.
We need to become like the sons of Mosiah, who “waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth.” We can become men and women “of a sound understanding.” This can be accomplished only by our “search[ing] the scriptures diligently, that [we] might know the word of God.”7
In searching the scriptures and the words of past and current apostles and prophets, we should focus on studying, living, and loving the doctrine of Christ.
In addition to developing the habit of personal scripture reading, we need to be like the sons of Mosiah and give ourselves “to much prayer, and fasting.”8


Apply
We can trust in the Lord. Get on the ship and stay there doing our best. In trusting in Him we can give up our worries and know that he answers our prayers and then give our troubles too Him. Stay in the ship as Nephi did and he will move us on the the promised land which is life eternal in the Celestial Kingdom with Him. If we will look at life in the way Heavely Father looks at it, we will see that it is a journey and that we can have patience and trust in Him.
As Lehi's family, we can put all our trust in him. As they put everything in the ship and closed it up and went out to sea they exhibited complete trust that He would take them to the Promised Land. Give ourselves to much prayer and fasting while all the time fully trusting and believing in Him.


If we truly trust in Him, then we can have peace of mind and true happiness. We know that He will bless us and our loved ones. He has not forgotten us. “Stay in the boat and hold on! “


Hymn 237
Do What is Right
Helaman 10:4-5 4  Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with  unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine  own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.
 5 And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt dnot ask that which is contrary to my will.


Children
158-Dare To Do Right

96-Faith

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Families and Hardship 1 Nephi 18:7

1 Nephi 18:7
Theme- families and Harship

What
7 And now, my father had begat two sons in the wilderness; the elder was called  Jacob and the younger son Joseph .

Even though Lehi and Sariah were traveling and in the wilderness and suffering great hardship, the Lord blessed them with two more sons. That made the journey even harder for them and especially for Sariah. It also gives an idea that they were maybe still in their forties or at least still in their childbearing years, when they began this journey. They four sons who were perhaps in their teens or early 20's and and now two more little ones.

Revelation from Joseph Smith tells us that the two oldest sons of Ishmael were married to Lehi and Sariah's daughters. So that makes two daughters and six sons.

2 Nephi 5:6
 6 Wherefore, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did take my family, and also aZoram and his family, and Sam, mine elder brother and his family, and Jacob and Joseph, my younger brethren, and also my sisters, and all those who would go with me. And all those who would go with me were those who believed in the bwarnings and the revelations of God; wherefore, they did hearken unto my words.

Ishmael and his wife probably had two sons and seven daughters. One daughter may have been older than the two boys as she is the one who married Zoram.

That would make 10 in Lehi's family and 11 in Ishmael's family plus Zoram. A total of 22 people plus many grandchildren who were also born in the wilderness under hard circumstances. We only know that they did have children during their sojourn. Perhaps Ishmael was a little older than Lehi, we don't know, but his oldest daughter married Zoram. Ishmael died on the journey

1 Nephi 16:7

7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, took one of the daughters of Ishmael to wife; and also, my brethren took of the daughters of Ishmael to wife; and also Zoram took the eldest daughter of Ishmael to wife.

1 Nephi 16:34

34 And it came to pass that Ishmael died, and was buried in the place which was called Nahom.

1 Nephi 17:1

1 And it came to pass that we did again take our journey in the wilderness; and we did travel nearly eastward from that time forth. And we did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness; and our women did bear children in the wilderness.

1 Nephi 17:1

1 And it came to pass that we did again take our journey in the wilderness; and we did travel nearly eastward from that time forth. And we did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness; and our women did bear children in the wilderness.

1 Nephi 17:4
.  4 And we did sojourn for the space of many years, yea, even eight years in the wilderness.

If Ishmael's wife didn't bear children in the wilderness that would leave 12 couples who were of childbearing age. If they each had two children like Sariah then there would have been 24 children born Since it was an 8 year journey they may have had many more children than 2 per couple during that time. in the wilderness That would be a total of 46 people and it could have been more or less than that. We can be sure that there was a large family there to board that ship.

600 B.C. Probable Lehi trail
Ensign 1976- September- In Search of Lehi's Trail Part 1
So, after a great deal of study, we felt almost ready to construct a hypothetical passenger list and itinerary for Lehi’s departure from Jerusalem. We began with his party. We know that Lehi took his wife Sariah and four sons. The party may have included daughters as well, since Nephi casually mentions “my sisters” many years later when they were in the promised land (2 Ne. 5:6); but they could have been born in the wilderness. Later the group was joined by Ishmael and his wife, at least two married sons and their families (1 Ne. 7:6), five unmarried daughters, and Zoram, Laban’s former bondsman. It seems safe to estimate, then, that Lehi’s party faced the desert with at least twenty people. (See Illustration 4.)
Elder Erastus Snow noted that the Prophet Joseph Smith said Lehi’s daughters married Ishmael’s two sons. (JD, 23:184.)

Part 1 and part 2 of In Search of Lehi's Trail are valuable resources giving a lot of history and background to help understand Lehi's journey.

Why
They journeyed for 8 years. During that time, the Lord sent them marriages and children to continue on the posterity. They were a chosen people who would be led to the promised land. It would not end with just the original family of Lehi. They were commanded to “multiply and replenish the earth”

Genesis 1:28

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Pattern

Genesis 9:1

    1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenishthe earth.
    2 And Adam knew his wife, and she bare unto him sons and daughters, and they began to multiplyand to replenish the earth.
    28 And the Gods said: We will bless them. And the Gods said: We will cause them to be fruitful andmultiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and to have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Christ
Multiplying and replenishing the earth is a part of the plan of salvation. So this verse does point to Christ and the plan which He and the Father are the authors of.

Conference
4/15 Boyd K. Packer
The Plan of Happiness

The commandment to multiply and replenish the earth has never been rescinded. It is essential to the plan of redemption and is the source of human happiness. Through the righteous exercise of this power, we may come close to our Father in Heaven and experience a fulness of joy, even godhood. The power of procreation is not an incidental part of the plan; it is the plan of happiness; it is the key to happiness.
The desire to mate in humankind is constant and very strong. Our happiness in mortal life, our joy and exaltation are dependent upon how we respond to these persistent, compelling physical desires. As the procreative power matures in early manhood and womanhood, very personal feelings occur, in a natural way, unlike any other physical experience.
10/11 Neil L. Andersen
The family is ordained of God. Families are central to our Heavenly Father’s plan here on earth and through the eternities. After Adam and Eve were joined in marriage, the scripture reads, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.”2 In our day prophets and apostles have declared, “The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.”3
This commandment has not been forgotten or set aside in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.4 We express deep gratitude for the enormous faith shown by husbands and wives (especially our wives) in their willingness to have children. When to have a child and how many children to have are private decisions to be made between a husband and wife and the Lord. These are sacred decisions—decisions that should be made with sincere prayer and acted on with great faith.
...It was not in the Garden of Eden that Adam and Eve bore their first child. Leaving the garden, “Adam [and Eve] began to till the earth. … Adam knew his wife, and she [bore] … sons and daughters, and [acting in faith] they began to multiply and to replenish the earth.”11
It was not in their Jerusalem home, with gold, silver, and precious things, that Lehi and Sariah, acting in faith, bore their sons Jacob and Joseph. It was in the wilderness. Lehi spoke of his son Jacob as “my first-born in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness.”12 Lehi said of Joseph, “Thou wast born in the wilderness of [our] afflictions; yea, in the days of [our] greatest sorrow did thy mother bear thee.”13
In the book of Exodus, a man and woman married and, acting in faith, had a baby boy. There was no welcoming sign on the front door to announce his birth. They hid him because Pharaoh had instructed that every newborn male Israelite should be “cast into the river.”14 You know the rest of the story: the baby lovingly laid in a little ark made of 
Apply
Families and hardship are well acquainted..Married couples should have children if it is possible. It doesn't have to be easy or convenient. We are expected to go through hardships in this life. In doing so we learn to rely on the Lord. The family proclamation has been given to us today. It is to live by and cherish. Families are eternal. If we seek the Lord, he will bless us to find joy even in hard times. Lehi and Sariah and their family were great examples of this.

Hymns
300- Families Can Be Together Forever
 48 Foreshadowing the great work to be done in the temples of the Lord in the  dipensation of the fulness of times, for the redemption of the dead, and the  sealingof the children to their parents, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse and utterly wasted at his coming.

Children
198- A Happy Family