1 Nephi 3:1-4
1 Nephi 3:1
1 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, returned from speaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father.
1 Nephi 3:2
2 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, saying: Behold I have dreamed a dream, in the which the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brethren shall return to Jerusalem.
When I received my assignment to speak in the priesthood session, I called Elder Backman, the new director of the Young Men program, and asked for suggestions on a subject needing the special attention of those holding the Aaronic Priesthood. Within a few days I received a memo back from Elder Backman, and his response was, “The youth are at a most interesting time in their lives. They will soon be making major decisions which will shape their future, such as going on missions, college, a profession, marriage, etc.” His counsel was to speak on making right decisions.
Attached to his memo was a “Peanuts” cartoon that pictured Linus standing with a nice, firm snowball in his hand as Lucy enters the picture. She surveys the situation and makes this comment to Linus: “Life is full of choices. You may choose, if you wish, to throw that snowball at me. You also may choose, if you wish, not to throw that snowball at me. Now if you choose to throw that snowball at me, I will pound you right into the ground! If you choose not to throw that snowball at me, your head will be spared.”
Then Linus, throwing the snowball away with a disgusted look on his face, said, “Life is full of choices, but I never get any.”
Linus is right that life is full of choices. But I have found him to be wrong in the second part. Decisions are before us every step of the way. Richard L. Evans said in the film Man’s Search For Happiness: “Life offers you two precious gifts. One is time, the other, freedom of choice—the freedom to buy with your time what you will. You are free to exchange your allotment of time for thrills. You may trade it for base desires. You may invest it in greed. You may purchase with it vanity; you may spend your time in pursuit of material things. Yours is the freedom to choose. But these are not bargains, for in them you find no lasting satisfaction” (italics added).
There is a great account in the very beginning of the Book of Mormon of a family that had some grave decisions to make. Just imagine that you are living in that time and you are a member of Lehi’s household. You are living in Jerusalem in a very comfortable home, warm and secure, surrounded with many of the good things of life. As you arise one morning, your father calls a family council. He states that he had a dream last night, and then makes a startling statement to you: “Go get your sleeping bags and the tents. Just take what provisions we can carry on our backs. Don’t worry about the gold and silver and your precious things. We will have no room for them. I have been commanded by the Lord that we should depart into the wilderness.” And the scripture records, “And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness” (1 Ne. 2:4).
You have only gone a short distance when your father has another dream. He calls you to him and says, “Behold I have dreamed a dream, in the which the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brethren shall return to Jerusalem.
“For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews and also a genealogy of thy forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass.
“Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brothers should go unto the house of Laban, and seek the records, and bring them down hither into the wilderness” (1 Ne. 3:2–4).
CONTINUE READING HERE.... L. Tom Perry, "Making the right Decisions", October 1979
1 Nephi 3:3
3 For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews and also agenealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass.
3. This Commandment Is Just Too Hard
Following the Lord’s command, the prophet Lehi led his family into the wilderness. During the first few days of the journey, Lehi instructed his son Lemuel to be “firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord!”14 [1 Nephi 2:10.]
However, when the prophetic requirement came to return to Jerusalem to retrieve the brass plates, containing a “record of the Jews,”15 [1 Nephi 3:3.] the two oldest boys rebelled, saying, “It is a hard thing.”16 [1 Nephi 3:5.]
Despite his older brothers’ murmuring, Nephi’s faith in and obedience to the Lord’s commands led to obtaining those brass plates. A nation was built, a language was preserved, and the gospel of Jesus Christ was taught for generations to come.
At times we may rationalize that the Lord will understand our disobedience because our special circumstances make adherence to His laws difficult, embarrassing, or even painful. However, faithful obedience, regardless of the apparent size of the task, will bring the Lord’s guidance, assistance, and peace.
The Prophet Joseph Smith petitioned the Lord on two occasions, asking if a prominent friend, Martin Harris, could take the first 116 handwritten pages of translated material from the book of Lehi from Harmony, Pennsylvania, back to Palmyra. Each time, the Lord counseled Joseph to avoid entrusting the manuscript to Mr. Harris.
Martin was seeking to use the translated material as evidence to stop his associates from spreading rumors about his friendship with Joseph Smith. On the third request the Lord granted Joseph’s appeal.17 [See History of the Church, 1:20–21; Doctrine and Covenants 3; 10.]
Martin lost the manuscript, and as a result the plates were taken from the Prophet Joseph Smith for an extended period. This was a painful lesson for the Prophet Joseph, who said, “I made this my rule: When the Lord commands, do it.”18 [Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 160.] This should and can be our rule as well.
The Lord’s response when we obey His commandments is sure. He has promised us, “If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life.”19 [Doctrine and Covenants 14:7.]
Additionally He has counseled us, “I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end.”20 [Doctrine and Covenants 76:5; emphasis added.]
Obedience to the Lord’s commandments provides us confidence in our chosen path, qualifies us for His guidance and direction as we pursue our efforts, and offers us the potential to become like our Savior, Jesus Christ, and return to our Father’s presence.
It is my prayer that each day will find us striving to be more obedient to the laws, ordinances, and commandments of the gospel of Jesus Christ in order that He may more fully bless our lives.
I testify that obedience to God’s commands brings the blessings of heaven; that our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, live; that the Book of Mormon is the word of God; and that President Thomas S. Monson is the Lord’s prophet for our day, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
1 Nephi 3:4
4 Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brothers should go unto the house of Laban, and seek the records, and bring them down hither into the wilderness.
Third, we must be obedient to the instruction we receive. Alma said, “Experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith.”10 [Alma 32:27.] Nephi simply said, “I will go and do.”11 [1 Ne. 3:7.] What a wonderful attitude of submission and obedience as he accepted his father’s counsel in getting the brass plates and in being told where to hunt, and the Lord’s counsel in building a ship.12 [See 1 Ne. 3:4; 1 Ne. 16:23–32; 1 Ne. 17:8–11.] In each case he proceeded with trust, moving forward, “not knowing beforehand the things”13 [1 Ne. 4:6.] that he should do or the outcome. But since we are free agents, life can sometimes be a difficult journey of applying our hearts and minds to the truths of God. Nevertheless, as President Thomas S. Monson said, “The Lord expects our thinking. He expects our action. He expects our labors.”14 [“To the Rescue,” Ensign,May 2001, 49.]
Becoming teachable is a process of learning line upon line. In this process we convert thoughts and feelings into actions. But what a reward for this exercise of our faith as we open the path of communication with the Lord. The Lord said, “Blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom.”15 [2 Ne. 28:30.] And He also said, “Every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father.”16 [D&C 84:47.]
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