Keep A Journal- 1 Nephi 19:5

1 Nephi 19:5

Keep A Journal

What

 5 And an account of my making these plates shall be given hereafter; and then, behold, I proceed according to that which I have spoken; and this I do that the more sacred things may be kept for the knowledge of my people.

1- Nephi said he would proceed or do what he said he would do.

Why

2-His reason is to preserve the knowledge of the sacred things so that his people and we could have it in many years to come after Nephi's life was over.

He was commanded to do it and he desired to keep the commandments and could see the future benefits of his writings and the writings that would come after his on the very plates that he created and by his direction.

Pattern

This wasn't the first time that Nephi said that he would do what he had been commanded to do.

1 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.

Obedience-from The Guide to the Scriptures

OBEDIENCE, OBEDIENT, OBEY

See also Bless, Blessed, Blessing; Commandments of God; Hearken; Joy; Law; Walk, Walk with God

In a spiritual sense, obedience is doing God’s will.

• Noah did according to all that God commanded:Gen. 6:22;
• Abraham obeyed the Lord:Gen. 22:15–18;
• All that the Lord hath said will we do:Ex. 24:7;
• Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it:Deut. 6:1–3;
• Love the Lord and obey his voice:Deut. 30:20;
• To obey is better than sacrifice:1 Sam. 15:22;
• Fear God, and keep his commandments:Eccl. 12:13–14;
• Not every one shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of the Father:Matt. 7:21; ( 3 Ne. 14:21; )
• If any man will do his will, he shall know if the doctrine is of God:John 7:17;
• We ought to obey God rather than men:Acts 5:29;

Sacred / Holy-Guide to the Scriptures

Spiritual and moral perfection. Holiness indicates purity of a person’s heart and intent.

Trifle not with sacred things:D&C 6:12;

• You cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me:D&C 9:9;
• Ye shall bind yourselves to act in all holiness:D&C 43:9;

Christ

the purpose of writing the sacred things was to testify of Christ. It was written because he commanded them to be written.

Every soul who obeys my voice shall see my face and know that I am:D&C 93:1;
We will prove them to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord shall command:Abr. 3:25;

Conference 10/07 Henry B. Eyring

O Remember, Remember

When our children were very small, I started to write down a few things about what happened every day. Let me tell you how that got started. I came home late from a Church assignment. It was after dark. My father-in-law, who lived near us, surprised me as I walked toward the front door of my house. He was carrying a load of pipes over his shoulder, walking very fast and dressed in his work clothes. I knew that he had been building a system to pump water from a stream below us up to our property.

He smiled, spoke softly, and then rushed past me into the darkness to go on with his work. I took a few steps toward the house, thinking of what he was doing for us, and just as I got to the door, I heard in my mind—not in my own voice—these words: “I’m not giving you these experiences for yourself. Write them down.”

I went inside. I didn’t go to bed. Although I was tired, I took out some paper and began to write. And as I did, I understood the message I had heard in my mind. I was supposed to record for my children to read, someday in the future, how I had seen the hand of God blessing our family. Grandpa didn’t have to do what he was doing for us. He could have had someone else do it or not have done it at all. But he was serving us, his family, in the way covenant disciples of Jesus Christ always do. I knew that was true. And so I wrote it down, so that my children could have the memory someday when they would need it.

I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.

More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened.

Tonight, and tomorrow night, you might pray and ponder, asking the questions: Did God send a message that was just for me? Did I see His hand in my life or the lives of my children? I will do that. And then I will find a way to preserve that memory for the day that I, and those that I love, will need to remember how much God loves us and how much we need Him. I testify that He loves us and blesses us, more than most of us have yet recognized. I know that is true, and it brings me joy to remember Him. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

From sunday School manual-//www.lds.org/youth/learn/ss/marriage-and-family/journal?lang=eng
• How will keeping a personal journal bless me and my family?
• The Lord and His prophets have emphasized the importance of keeping records. Writing in a personal journal gives us an opportunity to reflect on our lives and recognize the many blessings God has given us. Our journals can also be a source of inspiration and strength to future generations of our families.
  
  
• What experiences have taught you the importance of keeping a journal? Are there any entries in your journal or a journal of an ancestor that could be inspiring to the youth?
• How will the youth be blessed by keeping a personal journal? What reasons might they have for not writing in a journal? How can you help them see the spiritual reasons for record keeping?

1 Nephi 1:1–3; Alma 37:8–9; Moses 6:5, 45–46(Examples of record keeping in the scriptures)

1 Nephi 6:3–6 (What to include in a personal record)

3 Nephi 23:6–13 (The Savior chastises the Nephites for the incompleteness of their records)

Henry B. Eyring, “O Remember, Remember,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 66–69; see also the video “O Remember, Remember”

Spencer W. Kimball, “The Angels May Quote from It,”New Era, Feb. 2003, 32–35
Here is a quote from this wonderful article Your story should be written now while it is fresh and while the true details are available.

A journal is the literature of superiority. Each individual can become superior in his own humble life.

What could you do better for your children and your children’s children than to record the story of your life, your triumphs over adversity, your recovery after a fall, your progress when all seemed black, your rejoicing when you had finally achieved?

Some of what you write may be humdrum dates and places, but there will also be rich passages that will be quoted by your posterity.

Get a notebook, a journal that will last through all time, and maybe the angels may quote from it for eternity. Begin today and write in it your goings and comings, your deepest thoughts, your achievements and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies. Remember, the Savior chastised those who failed to record important events

FamilySearch Memories Gallery

Apply- You may click on any of these blue links and it will take you to more information. 

We may not be asked to write scriptures but we are asked to serve others, to be his hands and to journal what we do. We are asked to leave a record of the sacred things that happen in our lives.

Hymns

237-Do What Is Right

270- I'll go where You Want Me To Go

Children

197-Quickly I'll Obey

Testimony of Two Nations- 1 Nephi 19:4

1 Nephi 19:4

Testimony of Two Nations

What

 4 Wherefore, I, Nephi, did make a record upon the other plates, which gives an account, or which gives a greater account of the wars and contentions and destructions of my people. And this have I done, and commanded my people what they should do after I was gone; and that these plates should be handed down from one generation to another, or from one prophet to another, until further commandments of the Lord.

1- Nephi had two sets of plates

2-He recorded the wars and destruction on the first set.

3-As he tells in verse 3, the second set was for the commandments and the ministry and prophecies.

4-He would have these records handed down from one prophet to another after he was gone.

Why

A record was to be kept of the people of Lehi and all his descendants to testify of Christ so this record could be preserved to bring forth to us in the latter days so that we could know Christ, learn of Him and His teachings and ministry on this continent.

3 Nephi 27:25

25 For behold, out of the books which have been written, and which shall be written, shall this people be judged, for by them shall their works be known unto men.

1 Nephi 1:16

16 And now I, Nephi, do not make a full account of the things which my father hath written, for he hath written many things which he saw in visions and in dreams; and he also hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children, of which I shall not make a full account.

Pattern

The pattern of keeping records by prophets to testify of Christ and the plan of Salvation began with Adam.

The first five books of the Old Testament were written by Moses. We must assume that he had records and knowledge of Adam and the creation from existing records he had at the time. Following Moses, Joshua and other prophets wrote.

The New Testament is written by apostles as they record the life and teachings of Jesus and subsequent happenings after His death by apostles.

3 Nephi 23:13

13 And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written; therefore it was written according as he commanded.
• 2 Nephi 29
•  7 Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?

 8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.

 9 And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.

 10 Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written.

 11 For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.

 12 For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.

 13 And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.

 14 And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever.

Christ

The scriptures were written by prophets to testify of Christ.

Conference

4/05 Boyd K. Packer

The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ—Plain and Precious Things

Joseph Smith said, “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (Book of Mormon introduction; see also History of the Church, 4:461).

...When I first read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover, I read the promise that if I “would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if [the things I had read were] true; and if [I would] ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he [would] manifest the truth of it unto [me], by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moro. 10:4). I tried to follow those instructions, as I understood them.

If I expected a glorious manifestation to come at once as an overpowering experience, it did not happen. Nevertheless, it felt good, and I began to believe.

The next verse has an even greater promise: “By the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things” (Moro. 10:5; emphasis added). I did not know how the Holy Ghost worked, even though the Book of Mormon explains it a number of times in a number of ways.

I studied and learned that “angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ.” It said, as well, that one is to “feast upon the words of Christ; [with the promise that] the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do” (2 Ne. 32:3).

And it says plainly that “if ye cannot understand … it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock” (2 Ne. 32:4).

I also read, “If ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do” (2 Ne. 32:5). I had already done that when I was confirmed a member of the Church by the “laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost” (A of F 1:4).

...The prophet Nephi also said that he had written “the things of my soul … for the learning and the profit of my children” (2 Ne. 4:15). I had read that before, and it did not mean all that much to me, either. But later when we had children, I understood that both Lehi and Nephi felt just as deeply about their children as we feel about our children and grandchildren.

I found these scriptures to be plain and precious. I wondered how young Joseph Smith could have such insights. The fact is I do not believe he had such penetrating insights. He did not have to have them. He just translated what was written on the 

From the Book of Mormon we learn about:

The plan of salvation or “the great plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8; see also Alma 42:5, 8, 12, 30).

The doctrine of Christ and the Atonement (see 2 Ne. 31:2–21; 2 Ne. 32:1–6; 3 Ne. 11:31–40; 3 Ne. 27:13–21).

Why death is necessary (see 2 Ne. 9:4–6; Mosiah 16:8–9; Alma 12:25–27).

Life after death in the spirit world (see Alma 40:11–14).

The workings of the evil one (see 2 Ne. 2:27; Alma 28:13; 3 Ne. 2:2).

The order of the priesthood (see Mosiah 29:42; Alma 4:20; Alma 5:3, 44; Alma 13:1–10).

Sacramental prayers (see Moro. 4:3; Moro. 5:2).

A sure way to judge between good and evil (see Moro. 7:16).

How to retain a remission of your sins (see Mosiah 4:26).

Clear, prophetic warnings and many, many other things pertaining to the redemption of man and to our lives. All are parts of the fulness of the gospel (see D&C 20:9).

The Book of Mormon confirms the teachings of the Old Testament.  It confirms the teachings of the New Testament. It restores “many plain and precious things” (1 Ne. 13:28) lost or taken from them (see also 1 Ne. 13:20–42; 1 Ne. 14:23). It is in truth another testament of Jesus Christ.

Apply

One thing is for sure and that is that we will not live on this earth forever. At some time we will all face death. And then what? Where are we going? Who will be there? What is the purpose of this life? Will life go on after this life? Will I see my family again? Do I have a Father and Mother in heaven? Is there a heaven or a hell? If so who goes where and why? Is love eternal?

For these reasons and to answer these questions I want to know all I can. I want to do all the good I can and by reading and studying these precious works I can feel the Savior's love and guidance in my life and find peace and trust in Him.

I am ever grateful for the scriptures and the knowledge and faith that they bring.

Hymns

65-Come All Ye Saints Who Dwell On Earth

Luke 9:23-24

 23 ¶And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it

Children

5-I Know My Father Lives

The Purpose of Scriptures-1 Nephi 19:3

1 Nephi 19:3

 
The Purpose of Scriptures

What
 3 And after I had made these plates by way of commandment, I, Nephi, received a commandment that the ministry and the prophecies, the more plain and precious parts of them, should be written upon these plates; and that the things which were written should be kept for the instruction of my people, who should possess the land, and also for otherwise purposes, which purposes are known unto the Lord.
1-Nephi commanded to write the ministry and prophecies on these plates
2-for the instruction of his people
3-for purposes which are known unto the Lord.

Why
Sacred records are important.  They become scriptures that shape the lives of the people who embrace them.  They give us knowledge, examples and teachings that help us understand our purpose in life, or per-existence and  why we are here, what we should do while we are here and where we will go in the next life depending on what we do here.  They tell us of our Eternal Father in Heaven and the plan of happiness.

These records would bless all the descendants of  Lehi who would accept them.  They would be preserved and brought for in our day to bless us and not only us but to bless our ancestors as we do their temple work vicariously.

The Book of Mormon is a testament of Jesus Christ who is  Our redeemer and exemplar.  It is another testament of the New Testament and the Old Testament.  What a wonderful blessing we have to be able to study from these scriptures along with the modern day revelation in the Doctrine & Covenants and the teachings of our modern day apostles given us in our general conferences in these latter days.
The Lord knew what would happen in our days and that Satan would try to destroy the work.  When a part of the translation Joseph Smith made was lost he received this counsel.
 D&C 10:
 8 And because you have delivered the writings into his hands, behold, wicked men have taken them from you.
 9 Therefore, you have delivered them up, yea, that which was sacred, unto wickedness.
 10 And, behold, Satan hath put it into their hearts to alter the words which you have caused to be written, or which you have translated, which have gone out of your hands.
 11 And behold, I say unto you, that because they have altered the words, they read contrary from that which you translated and caused to be written;
 12 And, on this wise, the devil has sought to lay a cunning plan, that he may destroy this work;
 13 For he hath put into their hearts to do this, that by lying they may say they have caught you in the words which you have pretended to translate.
 14 Verily, I say unto you, that I will not suffer that Satan shall accomplish his evil design in this thing.
 15 For behold, he has put it into their hearts to get thee to tempt the Lord thy God, in asking to translate it over again.....
 38 And now, verily I say unto you, that an account of those things that you have written, which have gone out of your hands, is engraven upon the plates of Nephi;
 39 Yea, and you remember it was said in those writings that a more particular account was given of these things upon the plates of Nephi.
 40 And now, because the account which is engraven upon the plates of Nephi is more particular concerning the things which, in my wisdom, I would bring to the knowledge of the people in this account—
 41 Therefore, you shall translate the engravings which are on the plates of Nephi, down even till you come to the reign of king Benjamin, or until you come to that which you have translated, which you have retained;
 42 And behold, you shall publish it as the record of Nephi; and thus I will confound those who have altered my words.
 43 I will not suffer that they shall destroy my work; yea, I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.
 44 Behold, they have only got a part, or an abridgment of the account of Nephi.
 45 Behold, there are many things engraven upon the plates of Nephi which do throw greater views upon my gospel; therefore, it is wisdom in me that you should translate this first part of the engravings of Nephi, and send forth in this work.


Pattern
Exodus 32:16
16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
3 Nephi 23:13
13 And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written; therefore it was written according as he commanded.
3 Nephi 27:25
25 For behold, out of the books which have been written, and which shall be written, shall this people be judged, for by them shall their works be known unto men.
1 Nephi 14:28
28 And behold, I, Nephi, am forbidden that I should write the remainder of the things which I saw and heard; wherefore the things which I have written sufficeth me; and I have written but a small part of the things which I saw.
3 Nephi 27:26
26 And behold, all things are written by the Father; therefore out of the books which shall be written shall the world be judged.
Doctrine and Covenants 18:30
30 And you have that which is written before you; wherefore, you must perform it according to the words which are written.
Doctrine and Covenants 128:7
7 You will discover in this quotation that the books were opened; and another book was opened, which was the book of life; but the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works; consequently, the books spoken of must be the books which contained the record of their works, and refer to the records which are kept on the earth. And the book which was the book of life is the record which is kept in heaven; the principle agreeing precisely with the doctrine which is commanded you in the revelation contained in the letter which I wrote to you previous to my leaving my place—that in all your recordings it may be recorded in heaven.
Doctrine and Covenants 69:3
3 And also that he shall continue in writing and making a history of all the important things which he shall observe and know concerning my church;
Doctrine and Covenants 76:113
113 This is the end of the vision which we saw, which we were commanded to write while we were yet in the Spirit.

Conference
10/06 Hales
Holy Scriptures : the Power Of God Unto Salvation

The fate of these civilizations, as recorded in scripture, is a testimony to all the world: if we don’t have the word of God or don’t cling to and heed the word of God, we will wander off in strange paths and be lost as individuals, as families, and as nations.
As with voices from the dust, the prophets of the Lord cry out to us on earth today: take hold of the scriptures! Cling to them, walk by them, live by them, rejoice in them, feast on them. Don’t nibble. They are “the power of God unto salvation”3 that lead us back to our Savior Jesus Christ.
If the Savior were among us in the flesh today, He would teach us from the scriptures as He taught when He walked upon the earth. In the synagogue at Nazareth, “there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. … And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”4 Later when the Sadducees and Pharisees posed a difficult question, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.”5 And after His
...The fate of these civilizations, as recorded in scripture, is a testimony to all the world: if we don’t have the word of God or don’t cling to and heed the word of God, we will wander off in strange paths and be lost as individuals, as families, and as nations.
As with voices from the dust, the prophets of the Lord cry out to us on earth today: take hold of the scriptures! Cling to them, walk by them, live by them, rejoice in them, feast on them. Don’t nibble. They are “the power of God unto salvation”3 that lead us back to our Savior Jesus Christ.
If the Savior were among us in the flesh today, He would teach us from the scriptures as He taught when He walked upon the earth. In the synagogue at Nazareth, “there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. … And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”4 Later when the Sadducees and Pharisees posed a difficult question, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.”5 And after His
Brothers and sisters, I testify that the scriptures have been “kept and preserved [for us] by the hand of the Lord … for a wise purpose in him.”9Lehi prophesied, “These plates of brass should never perish; neither should they be dimmed any more by time.”10 The Lord covenanted with Enos to preserve and bring forth the scriptures “in his … due time.”11 Of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Moroni recorded, it was “written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed.”12The scriptures which we have give prophecies and promises, and they have been fulfilled in our day.
What a glorious blessing! For when we want to speak to God, we pray. And when we want Him to speak to us, we search the scriptures; for His words are spoken through His prophets. He will then teach us as we listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
If you have not heard His voice speaking to you lately, return with new  eyes and new ears to the scriptures. They are our spiritual lifeline. Behind the darkness of the Iron Curtain, the Saints survived because they heard His voice through the scriptures. In other parts of the world, when members couldn’t attend Church for a time, they continued to worship God because they heard His voice through the scriptures. Throughout all the wars of the past century and the conflicts that rage today, Latter-day Saints survive because they hear His voice through the scriptures. For the Lord has said, “The scriptures shall be given … to the salvation of mine own elect; for they will hear my voice, and shall see me, and shall not be asleep, and shall abide the day of my coming; for they shall be purified,even as I am pure.”13
Over two millennia ago, Isaiah wrote of the word of God, “Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever.”14 That time is now. This world needs the scriptures today. Before the coming of the Savior, it was necessary that all God’s children be tutored in the preparatory law of Moses, which allowed“an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”15 Many in this world still live by that fearsome code, and the evidence of it is around us.
“And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”21
We are living in the latter days, brothers and sisters, in the fulness of times. We must remember that we have control over who we are no matter how difficult the world becomes. Like those in 1 Nephi, the true and faithful will be able to withstand the fiery darts of the adversary when he is loosed upon this earth.22Despite all the turmoil in the world, when the Savior comes to His temple, as He did in the Book of Mormon, those who are true and faithful will be there. May we be among them, I so pray,in the name of Jesus  Christ, amen.

Apply
I can only mirror the words of Elder Hales “If you have not heard His voice speaking to you lately, return with new  eyes and new ears to the scriptures. They are our spiritual lifeline”

Hymns
277- As I Search The Holy scriptures

Children-
109-Search Ponder and Pray

2 Nephi 4:15
 15 And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children.

He Knoweth All Things- 1 Nephi 19:2

1 Nephi 19:2

He Knoweth All Things

What

 2 And I knew not at the time when I made them that I should be commanded of the Lord to make these plates; wherefore, the record of my father, and the genealogy of his fathers, and the more part of all our proceedings in the wilderness are engraven upon those first plates of which I have spoken; wherefore, the things which transpired before I made these plates are, of a truth, more particularly made mention upon the first plates.

1- Nephi has been commanded to make a second set of plates

2-He didn't know prior to this time that he would be making a second set

3-On the first set he recorded the record of Lehi, his genealogy and the journey in the wilderness.

4-Nephi testifies that these records are true.

Why

One record was for secular things (the first one)

One record was for sacred things (the second one)

both records were sacred though because he didn't write anything except he thought it would be sacred and important enough to be recorded in this difficult manner.

In the latter days part of the translation was stolen. Because Nephi had made a second record, Joseph Smith could use it and the evil men who had stolen it could not dispute the record.

D&C Section 10 

 10 And, behold, Satan hath put it into their hearts to alter the words which you have caused to be written, or which you have translated, which have gone out of your hands.

 11 And behold, I say unto you, that because they have altered the words, they read contrary from that which you translated and caused to be written;

 12 And, on this wise, the devil has sought to lay a cunning plan, that he may destroy this work;

 13 For he hath put into their hearts to do this, that by lying they may say they have caught you in the words which you have pretended to translate.

 14 Verily, I say unto you, that I will not suffer that Satan shall accomplish his evil design in this thing.

 15 For behold, he has put it into their hearts to get thee to tempt the Lord thy God, in asking to translate it over again.

 16 And then, behold, they say and think in their hearts—We will see if God has given him power to translate; if so, he will also give him power again;

 17 And if God giveth him power again, or if he translates again, or, in other words, if he bringeth forth the same words, behold, we have the same with us, and we have altered them;

 18 Therefore they will not agree, and we will say that he has lied in his words, and that he has no gift, and that he has no power;

 19 Therefore we will destroy him, and also the work; and we will do this that we may not be ashamed in the end, and that we may get glory of the world.

Pattern

From D& C. Instructor's Guide-the Lost Manuscript Lesson 3-

Having Faith in God and His Purposes (Scripture Analysis, Discussion)

The experience of the loss of the 116 manuscript pages offers an excellent opportunity to teach what the prophet Mormon knew so emphatically: “I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come” (Words of Mormon 1:7).

President Harold B. Lee said that a testimony that God knows all things is a beginning point to faith in God: “ ‛O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it.’ (2 Nephi 9:20) Now, if you will just keep that in mind you have a beginning point, you have a relationship with Him. We are His son, His daughter. He knows us. He knows the very things and the times before appointed, and the place where we would live, and the times in which we would live.” (“To Be on Speaking Terms with God,” University of Utah devotional address, 12 Oct. 1973, p. 4.)

Ephesians 2:10

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Jeremiah 1:5

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Doctrine and Covenants 76:13

13 Even those things which were from the beginning before the world was, which were ordained of the Father, through his Only Begotten Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, even from the beginning;

Christ

Jesus was ordained to come to earth and to save all who would accept him from their sins.

Doctrine and Covenants 132:28

28 I am the Lord thy God, and will give unto thee the law of my Holy Priesthood, as was ordained by me and my Father before the world was.

Conference-10/1985- Neal A Maxwell

Premortality, A Glorious Reality

“Everything in our life happens as though we entered upon it with a load of obligations contracted in a previous existence … obligations whose sanction is not of this present life, [which] seem to belong to a different world, founded on kindness, scruples, sacrifice, a world entirely different from this one, a world whence we emerge to be born on this earth, before returning thither.” (Marcel Proust, in Gabriel Marcel, Homo Viator, New York: Harper and Row, 1963, p. 8.)

And finally, there are these more familiar lines:

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: …

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

...

This declaration to Jeremiah: “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jer. 1:5) was paralleled in the 1842 Book of Abraham:

“Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;

“And God … said: These I will make my rulers; … and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.” (Abr. 3:22–23.)

The Book of Abraham, in corroborating section 93, used words whose full measure you and I have scarcely begun to take: “if there be two spirits, … notwithstanding one is more intelligent than the other, [they] have no beginning; they existed before, they shall have no end … for they are … eternal.” (Abr. 3:18.)

From long experience, His sheep know His voice and His doctrine. Meanwhile, the soul weaving in process for such a long time goes on as described in these anonymous lines:

My life is but a weaving

Between my Lord and me;

I cannot choose the colors

He worketh steadily.

Ofttimes He weaveth sorrow

And I in foolish pride,

Forget that He seeth the upper,

And I the under side.

Not till the loom is silent

And the shuttles cease to fly,

Shall God unroll the canvas

And explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful

In the Weaver’s skillful hand,

As the threads of gold and silver

In the pattern He has planned.

May we so believe, so trust, so submit, and so behave, I pray in the name of Him who is the “Lord of the narrow gate and the needle’s eye” (C. S. Lewis, At the Breakfast Table, p. xxv), even Jesus Christ, amen.

Apply

The beautiful words of the poem above say it all. Sometimes we forget that we only see the underside. The best thing we can do is to trust in Him and try to be as Christlike as we can. We are all placed under difficult circumstances and asked to do things that we do not understand but we are eternal beings and “our lives have meaning, purpose and direction” (RS theme).

May we remember to trust the Lord in all things. Especially in the hard times. He knows every detail of our whole eternal existence.

As Joseph Smith said “when the Lord gives a commandment, do it.”

Hymns

189- O Thou, Before The World Began

284-If You Could Hie To Kolob

301-I Am A Child Of God

Children

4-I Lived In Heaven

D&C 138 56 Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men.