2024, January 15, Monday, Journal Entry

 Not much going on today. Nothing planned. 

Come Follow Me 

1 Nephi 7

“When our lives are consistent with His gospel, we receive confidence through His Spirit to meet the challenges of each day. We can say with Nephi: ‘The Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him. … Wherefore, let us be faithful to him’ (1 Nephi 7:12).”

— Elder Rex D. Pinegar, then a General Authority Seventy, October 1980 general conference, “Decide To Decide”

1 Nephi 8

“Recently a group of bright, faithful young Latter-day Saints wrote down some of the most pressing questions on their minds. One sister asked, ‘Why doesn’t the Church defend itself more actively when accusations are made against it?’

“To her inquiry I would say that one of mortality’s great tests comes when our beliefs are questioned or criticized. In such moments, we may want to respond aggressively — to ‘put up our dukes.’ But these are important opportunities to step back, pray and follow the Savior’s example. Remember that Jesus Himself was despised and rejected by the world. And in Lehi’s dream, those coming to the Savior also endured ‘mocking and pointing … fingers’ (1 Nephi 8:27). ‘The world hath hated [my disciples],’ Jesus said, ‘because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world’ (John 17:14). But when we respond to our accusers as the Savior did, we not only become more Christlike, we invite others to feel His love and follow Him as well.”

— Elder Robert D. Hales, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2008 general conference, “Christian Courage: The Price of Discipleship”

"...there was the forlorn scene when Lehi cast his eyes anxiously about, searching for Laman and Lemuel that ‘perhaps [he] might see them.’ Finally, Lehi saw them, ‘but they would not … partake of the fruit’ (1 Nephi 8:17-18). Of all self-inflicted punishments, this eight-word epitaph describes the most awful and consequential!”

— Elder Neal A. Maxwell, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1999 general conference, “Lessons From Laman and Lemuel”

1 Nephi 9

“Sometimes when we are asked to be obedient, we do not know why, except the Lord has commanded. From 1 Nephi 9:5 we read, ‘Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not.’ Nephi followed instructions even though he didn’t fully understand the wise purpose. His obedience resulted in blessings to mankind all over the world. By not obeying our present-day leaders, we plant our seeds in stony places and may forfeit the harvest.”

— Elder Marvin J. Ashton, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1978 general conference, “Who Will Forfeit the Harvest?”