1 Nephi 3:7 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.
“GO and DO” stood out so strongly to me as I read these seven chapters! This immediately brought to my remembrance the youth theme this year—GO AND DO! Following one of my co-crusaders, Debbie Olson’s main theme for her Come, Follow Me video, is “GO AND DO!” I’m going to take a wild guess—that it is time to GO AND DO.
Where do we need to go and what do we need to do? That’s the million dollars question—and Nephi gives us some super tips.
GO PRAY!! DO IT OFTEN—DAILY!! Nephi and Lehi give us great examples of PRAYING! We can following Lehi by praying for those we love and those we know. We could start with our families, friends, and those we minister to, “prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people.” (1 Nephi 1:5) Due to his prayers, and most likely fasting, the Lord communicates with Lehi in a dream that he should leave Jerusalem. (1 Nephi 2:2) It was a hard thing that the Lord was asking of Lehi’s family, so Nephi followed his father’s example and prayed to receive his own answers, “I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart.” (1 Nephi 2:16) We, too, can seek to know for ourselves the questions of our hearts, as well as relief from our burdens so that we can carry them with ease, or if possible be freed from them, “I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound.” (1 Nephi 7:17) Prayer and open communication with heaven is what will guide us away from spiritual distractions, and through our personal wilderness of trials and tribulations until we reach the promised land—eternally safe in Heavenly Father’s arms.
GO SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES! DO IT WITH DILIGENCE! Every effort should be made to preserve the brilliance of the scriptures in our lives and homes. “Wisdom in God that we should obtain these records, that we may preserve unto our children the language of our fathers.” (1 Nephi 3:19) This is done by searching them daily, together or alone, but making them an important, irreplaceable part of life. “Lehi, took the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, and he did search them from the beginning.” (1 Nephi 5:10) Searching the scriptures will change our hearts and minds, they are absolutely the most “desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us!” (1 Nephi 5:21) For they are full of “things of God.” (1 Nephi 6:3)
1 Nephi 5: 22 Wherefore, it was wisdom in the Lord that we should carry them with us, as we journeyed in the wilderness towards the land of promise.
GO FOLLOW THE HOLY GHOST! DO IT WITH EXACTNESS! As we seek to be filled with the Holy Ghost, the powers of heaven will be opened and available to us, and we will have access to those things we need to see and know, “thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne.” (1 Nephi 1:8) The Holy Ghost will help us to know what we should and should not do. “And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.” (1 Nephi 4:6) The Holy Ghost will give us the words to say in any situation if we will be patient and attentive, “Filled with the Spirit, and began to prophesy.” (1 Nephi 5:17) He will comfort us, as we see Nephi experiences while bound and left to be devoured by wild beasts; he will help change hearts, which Nephi exemplifies with his forgiveness after the cruel acts from his brothers. Ultimately, the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift given to us by our Heavenly Father, we just have to be willing to act upon the promptings we receive, “ I did obey the voice of the Spirit.” (1 Nephi 4:18)
1 Nephi 2:19 Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart.
GO TESTIFY! DO IT OFTEN! Our testimonies fought Satan pre-mortally and they will fight him here on earth as well. We can stand firm for truth and righteousness, “I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.” (1 Nephi 1:3) We must share the good news of Jesus Christ’s love, “he testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world.” (1 Nephi 1:19) As we share what we know, we can help others come to Christ and follow him, “that after this manner of language did I persuade my brethren, that they might be faithful in keeping the commandments of God.” (1 Nephi 3:21) As we practice testifying, our hearts will be strengthened and our desire to bring others with us to Christ will be magnified, “the fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved.” (1 Nephi 6:4) When words don’t seem to have their place in a situation remember the power of example, “Behold ye are mine elder brethren, and how is it that ye are so hard in your hearts, and so blind in your minds, that ye have need that I, your younger brother, should speak unto you, yea, and set an example for you?” (1 Nephi 7:8)
1 Nephi 4:3 …..ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel (Or Holy Ghost) hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt?
GO TRUST THE LORD! DO NOT FEAR! There comes a point when all this effort must come together and we must trust God to have this. We must turn our will over to him with full confidence that he knows better than we do. “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.” (1 Nephi 3:7) Do we truly understand who God is and the power he possesses, and do we truly believe we are His children and that He will fight our battles if we trust Him?! “He is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands? (1 Nephi 1:4) This trust is easy during the calm waters, but we must trust God during the storms as well. “I know that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of Laban, and bring them down again unto us in the wilderness.” (1 Nephi 5:5)
1 Nephi 4:3 Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us,
GO OBEY THE LORD! DO NOT HESITATE! The promises for obeying the Lord are great! That’s reason enough! “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.” ( 1 Nephi 2:20) Our desire to obey the Lord will increase as we we study and learn the goodness of God, because we have prayed and developed that communication through the Holy Ghost and we trust Him to lead us to where we need to be. We trust him to prepare us for the eternities. “He was obedient unto the word of the Lord, wherefore he did as the Lord commanded him.” (1 Nephi 2:3) We must obey and follow God even if we are asked to leave our home, money, and safety–even if our trials take us through the wilderness of tribulation. “We will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us.”(1 Nephi 3:15)
1 Nephi 1:20 I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.
GO GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD! DO IT EVERY DAY! I have found that gratitude changes attitude and makes difficult situations beautiful. Lehi’s family were asked of God to DO some really hard things, yet they were able to maintain their trust and faith even when the horizon appeared impossible. What was their secret? I firmly believe it was in their attitude, which was strengthened by their gratitude to the Lord. “He built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our God.”(1 Nephi 2:7) They had just left all they had known, including their material possessions, friends, and culture. Fear and uncertainty could have filled their hearts and minds, but instead they chose gratitude. Not just tired, curl up in the sleeping bag and utter a few words of thanks—no, they built an altar to the Lord. Can we not hit our knees during our grueling trials and close our eyes, allowing that effort to penetrate our aching souls and renew our strength to carry on? “They did rejoice exceedingly, and did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave thanks unto the God of Israel.” (1 Nephi 5:9) Gratitude brings the rejoicing into times when murmuring would be the norm. “They did give thanks unto the Lord their God; and they did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto him.” 1 Nephi 7:22) There’s three examples of the most tender moments of thanks between God and His children. May we carry that devotion and gratitude with us throughout our lives, especially during the toughest moments. Let us GO AND DO ALL THAT THE LORD NEEDS IS TO, with faith, trust, and gratitude!
1 Nephi 1:14 And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!
-Sherri Jorgensen
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