My Testimony of Jesus

Jesus is the Son of God. I learned this by the power of the Holy Ghost when I was not seventeen years old.

Miracles and Belief (1 Nephi 3:31)

In The Book of Mormon, brothers  Laman and Lemuel are reproved by an angel when they are beating their younger brothers with a rod (see 1 Nephi 3, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ). The angel then commands them to return to Jerusalem with the promise that their daunting foe, Laban will be delivered into their hands.

The light from the vision has hardly faded before Laman and Lemuel are complaining again! Laban "can command fifty, yea, he can slay fifty, then why not us?" they ask. 

Were visions so commonplace to them that seeing an angel was no big deal? The two doubting brothers do not comprehend God's power! 

Before we're too quick to judge, think about the miracles of the last few hundred years! (Penicillin, space flight, horseless carriages, just to name a few.) How quickly have we forgotten? How quickly do we forget the God who has created us? The smart phone I'm typing this on is a miracle, as is the very existence of life itself. How quickly we forget.

God Knows Me

God brought this knife back to a small boy.

God knows me--knows everything about me and so does His Son Jesus Christ.

In The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, God knew Nephi (He knows all of us. We are His children. He is literally the Eternal Father of our spirits). Nephi's earthly Father, Lehi, has visions and revelations of God the Eternal Father and of His Beloved Son, The Messiah, Jesus Christ (see 1 Nephi, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ). Inspired by his father's testimony, Nephi sought God. He believed his father's words. He knew Heavenly Father's character. He knew Heavenly Father's attributes. God, our Heavenly Father, knows all of humanity. Each and every soul! He loves us! He cares for us! He seeks us as a tender parent! (See 1 Nephi 8:37.) His deepest desire is our welfare, success, and happiness, now and forever. 

When we pray, God hears us. One of the most profound questions we will ever ask in life is whether we hear Him. Nephi heard Him (for examples see 1 Nephi 2:16-24; 3:1). Nephi remembered Him. Doing so gave Nephi great power--to obtain the Brass Plates, to build a bow and provide food for his family, to escape his brothers time and time again, and to build a ship. Because Nephi heard God, his family was very, very blessed. He saved their lives (more than once--see 1 Nephi 16, 2 Nephi 5). Nephi heard Jehovah, the antemortal Jesus Christ (see John 1:1).

Heavenly Father's Promise To ALL

"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." (1 Nephi 15:11, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ)

Consistencies Among Scriptural Experiences

Lehi's experience of seeing a pillar of fire and receiving communication from God is very consistent, both with the experience of Moses and the Children of Israel, and with the visions of Latter-day Prophet, Joseph Smith. (compare Lehi's experience with other visionary experiences in the scriptures).

Interestingly, some Rabbinical traditions hold that the "window" in the Ark of Noah was, "a stone that shone in darkness;" an interesting similarity to the stones which the Brother of Jared formed from molten rock and which the Book of Mormon indicates Jesus touched and caused to glow.

Wealth: Ye suppose that Ye are Better than They

"And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they," (Jacob 2:13, Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ).

How People in the Book of Mormon Overcame Challenges Through Faith in Jesus Christ

This morning I've been contemplating how people in The Book of Mormon overcame their challenges through faith in Jesus Christ. There were those who became firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ (Helaman 3:35).

Nephi overcame great challenges, as did his father Lehi. What did Nephi do? Nephi always remembered. He always remembered God. He always remembered that God had directed them! He seems to have had a simple and tremendously powerful faith in God's character and attributes. When all around him were failing, Nephi remembered!!! (See 1 Nephi 16 in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.) How did he do it? Was it because he was faithful in prayer? I can't help but think that that was part of it. (Those who stayed close to God in Lehi's vision of the tree fell down and worshipped.--1 Nephi 8:30.)

I believe that sincere prayer--daily prayer--can keep us close to God. For Latter-day Saints, prayer is a conversation with God. It is worship and our attempt to commune with God. Sometimes it is relegated to meaningless recitation, but at its best, prayer brings us into harmony with God. The purpose of prayer is for the one who is praying to come closer to God--to draw near to him--to become one with Him. When we pray, our souls can draw nearer to God. In the end, nearness to God and learning to seek unity with him are what bring us great joy. Through true prayer, we may know God (See John 17:3 and Joseph Smith History 1:15-20). There is deep and abiding satisfaction in learning to become like God.

Consider, from The Holy Bible and The Book of Mormon, what Jesus Christ has taught us about prayer.