Day 10: 2 Nephi 1-2

Hi Everyone!

How is your week going so far?  I can't believe it is almost Thursday!  I'm actually looking forward to Saturday night as that is when my husband gets home.  He has been gone with some of the youth in our church since Monday morning.  It's been a loooooong week so far.  With that said, I will not have a long post tonight.  I just got my 3 boys to bed and I had an extra, sweet 10 year old all day, too.  Not a lot of time to work on my blog but I have loved what I've been reading today.  Lehi was a very wise parent.  I will share some of my favorite scriptures today and leave you with a nice song by Hilary Weeks.  Very inspirational.

I want to start by saying how much I love my family.  I'll be honest, it's been a struggle this week but I know that this is what the Lord wants me to be doing with my time.  Raising 5 little ones is a tough job and I know I fall short of perfection but I also know that the Savior makes up for my imperfections through the Atonement.  Read about the Atonement HERE.

2 Nephi 1: 14
"Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave, from whence no traveler can return; a few more days and I go the way of all the earth."

2 Nephi 1:16
"And I desire that ye should remember to observe the statutes and the judgments of the Lord; behold, this hath been the anxiety of my soul from the beginning."

Lehi knows that he is at the end of his life on the earth and he takes his last moments to exhort his children one last time to make good choices.

2 Nephi 1:21
"And now that my soul might have joy in you, and that my heart might leave this world with gladness because of you, that I might not be brought down with grief and sorrow to the grave, arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity;"

The next verse if probably my favorite out of this chapter.

2 Nephi 1:23

"Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness.  Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust."

I found this great quote in the New Era on lds.org.

Whole armor

“Examine your armor. Is there an unguarded or unprotected place? Determine now to add whatever part is missing. … Through the great principle of repentance you can turn your life about and begin now clothing yourself with the armor of God through study, prayer, and a determination to serve God and keep his commandments.”

I love the picture below.  If we are doing our best to be disciples of Jesus Christ, we are putting on the armor of God.  By serving others we are serving Him.  Love how this picture shows our young missionaries who are out serving every day.

In 2 Nephi Chapter 2, Lehi is talking to his son Jacob who was his first born in the Wilderness during their times of tribulation.  He has great council for Jacob and talks to him about the fall of Adam & Eve and the Freedom to Choose.

2 Nephi 26-27

26  "And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall.  And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given."

27  "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man.  And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."

Mormon.org said on Freedom to Choose…

God’s Plan Includes Freedom of Choice

"Imagine going out to eat and ordering a salad, only to have the waiter tell you that you may not have it, that you must have the soup instead. How would you feel? The choice between soup and salad is a fairly benign one, but it demonstrates a characteristic of human nature: we don't like to be forced into decisions we're capable of making for ourselves. We resist compulsion. Even when we face more serious decisions, ones with moral implications, it is important that we choose for ourselves. God gave us our agency and will always respect our freedom to make choices. While we are "accountable" for our choices and there will always be consequences for those choices both good and bad, God has never approved of using force. In fact, God fosters the spirit of freedom and He knows that the human spirit requires freedom to effectively serve and believe in Him. He told Adam and Eve not to eat the forbidden fruit, but He also said, "nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself."

Fortunately, most of us live in circumstances that allow us to use our God-given moral agency every day to make choices that will determine our destiny.

It’s important not to trample on other people’s freedoms in pursuit of our own. Even when we feel our way of thinking may be for someone else's "own good," it's important that everyone has the right to their own opinion and beliefs."

It's funny because I hadn't read today's chapters yet this morning and this was our scripture of the day.  It has to do with choices and our freedom to "choose" for ourselves.

I hope you all have a wonderful night!  I will leave you with this song of hope and inspiration.


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