Scripture Study: 1 Nephi 15:7-11

by Tristi Pinkston | More from this Blogger

27 Mar 2008 07:30 PM

Nephi has just come down the mountain from his vision of the latter days, and is met by his unbelieving brothers. Filled with the Spirit, he's in the perfect mindset to teach his brothers the things they need to know, but he finds them unreceptive, which concerns him greatly.

7. And they said: Behold, we cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken concerning the natural branches of the olive-tree, and also concerning the Gentiles.

8. And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord?

Nephi knows from personal experience that the Lord is the source of all truth and knowledge. Any time we need to understand something, especially of a spiritual nature but it works with all things, we can go to the Lord and ask Him to help us to understand. This is how Nephi obtained the vision he just had-he went into the mountains and prayed. I doubt he expected to receive a vision, but he had faith that his prayer would be answered, and it was, beyond his wildest dreams.

9. And they said unto me: We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.

This is interesting to me. Laman and Lemuel know they aren't living up to the standards required to receive revelation from the Lord, but most of the time, they don't care. In this verse, they almost sound sorry. Not sorry enough to repent and change their ways, but a little bit sorry nonetheless.

10. Behold, I said unto them: How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord? How is it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts?

11. Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?-If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.

Nephi understands the steps that must be taken if we want to have interaction with the Holy Ghost. We must keep our hearts open to Him. We must ask, believing that He will answer, and we must obey Him. When we do these things, He pours His spirit out upon us. But Laman and Lemuel love doing their own thing more than they love following the voice of the Lord. They don't like anyone telling them what to do - not their father, not the Lord, and certainly not their little brother.

From today's reading: what can we do to more fully live the commandments so we can have the Spirit to be with us more consistently?

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Look Toward Eternity!

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Learn more about Tristi Pinkston

I've been a blogger for Families.com since August of 2006.

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