Love Demands Sharing

 "13 And he read, saying: Wo, wo, unto Jerusalem, for I have seen thine abominations! Yea, and many things did my father read concerning Jerusalem—that it should be destroyed, and the inhabitants thereof; many should perish by the sword, and many should be carried away captive into Babylon."

1 Nephi 1:13

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/1?id=p13&lang=eng#p13

The prophet Lehi was filled with God's love for humanity, which led him to prayer, visions, and revelation. Good showed Lehi what would be! How could Lehi keep quiet? He had seen! He KNEW!

 Dear Mr. O.,

I thought of you again today as I considered with whom I should share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Lately, I have been feeling almost continuously prompted to share my witness of Jesus Christ. I attempted to share this witness years ago in your English class. (It seemed appropriate, as we were discussing life and philosophy, and what people believe.)

I know that Jesus is The Christ, the Living Son of the Living God (if you want to offer feedback about how I punctuated this sentence, by all means!). I say that I know. A prophet of the Lord Jesus Christ I think said it best, "and by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things," (Moroni 10:3-5, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ).

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.