(Below is a list of questions and quotes that help me think about each verse as I read it. The numbers represent the verses in the chapter.)
The Lord blesses us when we keep His commandments and He withholds blessings when we do not keep His commandments. As we follow those whom God has called to lead us, we are blessed with spiritual prosperity and security.
1-4. These are the last words of Father Lehi to his family. What would your last words be to your family if you were about to die?
1. Why is it so important to Lehi that he re-emphasize to his family the hand of The Lord in their lives? When have you seen the hand of The Lord in your life? Are you consistent in recognizing it?
2. How does sin and pride dull our ability to recognize the hand of The Lord in our everyday lives?
3. What has The Lord delivered you from? How do you know? Have you expressed gratitude to Him for His great mercy?
4. What confirmation did Lehi receive from The Lord for his faithful obedience in taking his family away from Jerusalem? When The Lord directs you to do something, how often do you recognize the confirmation that comes of the Spirit that the thing you did was His will? What great things has The Lord done for you and your family? What feelings do you have for The Lord when you think about how merciful He has been to you and your family?
4. How can you tell a false prophet from a true one?
"The ultimate test of a true prophet is that when he speaks in the name of The Lord his words come to pass. That standard was explained by The Lord to Moses in these words: 'When a prophet speaketh in the name of The Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which The Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken presumptuously." - Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, March 1994
5. What blessings have you received for being faithful and obedient to The Lord?
6. How does knowing that NONE will come to this land except The Lord shall bring them, help you to better accept the many different nations represented on the American continent? How does knowing that The Lord brought them here help you to more fully open your heart to them?
7. What will happen if the inhabitants of the American continent choose wickedness and rebellion over righteousness and liberty? Which group do you want to be included in? How can you help others join you there?
9. What promise is given to those who choose to live in righteousness forever? What does this promise mean to you? How can choosing to live righteously bless the family unit even in a society which is spiralling downward in moral decline?
10. What will happen if society chooses to reject God and the many blessings they have received at His hand? How does remembering and recognizing The Lord in your life help you to continually accept and welcome God into your life?
11. How does an attitude of entitlement lead you away from God? How does god help you remember Him if you are feeling the pride of entitlement?
12. Why does God allow such calamities to come upon the children of men? Would mankind learn any lessons if God to were to step in and save them every time life got hard? What have you learned from your challenges and trials?
13. How is sin like a deep sleep? How aware are you of the things going on around you when you are sleeping deeply? How does sin prevent you from seeing and appreciating spiritual things? What can you do to ensure that you are fully awake as pertaining to spiritual things?
13. What kinds of chains do you think Lehi was referring to? What does Lehi say chains do to us? What bad habits or other things do you have in your life that bind you and keep you from becoming a better person? What should you do to break the chains that bind you?
"The chains of habit are too small to be felt until they asre too strong to be broken." - Samuel Johnson as quoted by Marvin J Ashton, GC, October 1986
13. How can learning and becoming aware of God's holy purposes be like the process of awaking from a deep sleep? How can ignorance as pertaining to the things of God be spiritually deadly?
"No sleep is deeper or more deadly than the sleep of ignorance." - Carlos E Asay, GC, April 1992
13-24. What characteristics can you identify that Lehi associated with being a man of God?
14. What did Lehi want most from the bottom of his heart for his children? What do your parents want for you? How do you know?
14. What does it mean to arise from the dust? How can evil behaviors destroy character and ruin lives? How well do you control your physical appetites? How can self-mastery be likened to arising from the dust?
15. What do you think it feels like to be encircled about eternally in the arms of God's love? Is this something you would like to experience? What can you do to ensure that you receive this great blessing? Do you ever reject the Lord's love that He pours out upon you in much more abundance than you are willing to receive?
"When we allow ourselves to feel 'encircled about eternally in the arms of his love' we feel safe, and we realize that we don't need to be immediately perfect. We must acknowledge that perfection is a process. This is a gospel of eternal progress, and we must remember to appreciate the journey. Eternal means 'without beginning or end', so the encircling of His love is there for us every day. Remember, it's constant - even when we don't recognize it." - Bonnie D Parkin, GC, October 2006
"President Gordon B Hinckley admonished the women of the Church to 'stand strong and immovable' against the evil that is growing in the world... this is why we must seek to know and feel the Lord's love in our lives. It is why we must remember and treasure up our own experiences with His peace and the strength it brings. And it is why we must relate our own experiences of faith and testimony to our children and to those who are without parents or loved ones." -Kathleen H Hughes, GC, October 2006
16. What was Lehi's desire for his children? How is the desire Lehi had for his children similar to the desire of every righteous parent who ever lived upon the face of the earth?
17. What is it that weighs down the tender heart of a parent, even unto sorrow? Have your actions ever caused your parents to grieve over you? What can you do to bring them joy?
18. What did Lehi feel his children would experience if they chose not to soften their hearts and repent of their sins?
19. What part of this verse I hope see you understand the degree of trust that Lehi puts in his Father in Heaven? How much do you trust your Father in Heaven? Do you trust him in all things or are you selective about the trust you place in Him?
20. What is the reword for obedience to the Lord? What will happen to those who choose not to keep the commandments? How diligently do you keep the commandments of the Lord?
21. How could Lehi's children ensure that he did not go sorrowing to his grave? What does it mean to be of one mind and one heart? How important is the quality of unity to you? How easy is it to attain unity? What are you willing to sacrifice in order to be with the Lord in all things? What sort of commitment to righteousness must you have to be determined in one mind and one heart, having unity in all things?
21. What does it take to be a REAL man? How do you think Lehi's idea of what a real man was differed from what Laman thought? What character traits do you think that REAL men should have? Read 3 Nephi 27:27. What power comes to a person who patterns his life after the Saviour?
"How can a man have too much religion?... It is the one thing that availeth. A man is but a beast as he lives from day to day, eating and drinking, breathing and sleeping. It is only when he raises himself and concerns himself with the immortal spirit within him, that he becomes in [very] truth a man. Bethink y how saw a thing it would be that the blood of the Redeemer should be spilled to no purpose." - A Connan Doyle, "The White Company", 1988, pp. 58-59
"By age, Laman and Lemuel were men, but in terms of character and spiritual maturity they were still as children. They murmured and complained if asked to do anything hard, They didn't accept anyone's authority to correct them. They didn't value spiritual things. They easily resorted to violence, and they were good at playing the victim. We see some of the same attitudes today. Some act as if a man's highest goal should be his own pleasure.... We who hold the priesthood of God cannot afford to drift. We have work to do. We must arise from the dust of self-indulgence and be men!" - D Todd Christofferson, GC, October 2006
22. What destruction was Lehi most worried about as he spoke with his children? Why is eternal distraction of the soul and the body the most devastating type of destruction there is? Why would a parent want to see their children choose to avoid such a consequence?
23. What is the armor of righteousness? How does one shake off the chains of pride and sin? Do you wear the armor of righteousness? What can you do to cause that armour to shine forth? What does it mean to come forth out of obscurity?
23. How are bad habits like chains? How can even seemingly 'little' habits grow into the strong chains of hell? How can you avoid the bondage of these awful chains? What must you do to break the chains that bind you and lead you away from the path your Savior would want have you follow?
"These chains cannot be broken by those who live in lust and self-deceit. They can only be broken by people who are willing to change. We must face up to the hard reality of life that damaging chains are broken only by people of courage and commitment who are willing to struggle and weather the pain... Only you can supply the motivation, and only you can decide to change... the work of change belongs to the person. Most often, it is plain hard work." - Marvin J Ashton, GC, October 1986
24. How is Nephi described by his father? What qualities would you like your parents to see in you? Why would you trust a leader with these qualities? Have you seen church leaders today demonstrate these same qualities?
"I hope we may all pursue the course laid down for us by the servants of The Lord, for if we do this I know that we shall be safe in this world, and secure happiness and exaltation in the world to come... If we are faithful they will lead us in the way of life, and in as much as we have faith to believe in their instructions, in the teachings of the Holy Spirit through them, we are always in the safe path, and shall be sure of our reward." -Wilford Woodruff, Teachings of Presidents of the Church, 199
25. What is it about a prideful attitude that allows one to accuse another who is obedient and righteous of evil intent? Why are the eyes of the prideful blinded to love and goodness in others?
26. Why do the wicked called the truth a manifestation of anger?
27. How did the Spirit enable Nephi to address his brothers even though they were of a mind to misinterpret his intentions towards them? Were they able to recognize Nephi's true intentions? Are you willing to recognize the love that others show toward you even when it comes in the form of a correction or concern?
28. How are you blessed as you listen to and obey the prophets of the Lord?
29. What do you forfeit if you rebel against the Lord and his servants? Who can you blame for that loss of blessings?
30. What is a true friend? How much effort are you willing to put into the friendships you desire to have? Why do all good friendships require service and sacrifice on behalf of of each other? How much service and sacrifice do you put into your relationships?
31. What is the one thing that can take away the blessings that the Lord bestows upon the righteous? What can you do to guard against being deceived by the adversary and falling into iniquity?
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