Title Page: That They May Know the Covenants of the Lord

According to the title page, the three purposes of the Book of Mormon are:

1. to let us know how the Lord has blessed prior generations,

2. to help us understand how the covenants we make with God affect our relationship with Him, and

3. to convince us of the divinity and universal influence of Jesus Christ.

I particularly appreciate the 2nd of these purposes.  When we enter into a covenant with God, our relationship with Him changes.  Just like a marriage, a covenant with God is more than the promises we make to Him and which He makes to us.  It is a statement of our loyalty to Him and, crucially, of His loyalty to us, in spite of our weaknesses and the mistakes we are bound to make along the way.  The covenant binds us to Him in a powerful way.  Obviously, we won’t ultimately receive the promised blessings of the covenant without fulfilling our promises, but the covenant is not invalidated just because we fail to live up to those promises along the way.  Our Heavenly Father honors His covenants and is patient with us as we learn to keep them.  I love the passage from Isaiah: “For mine own sake will I do this, for I will not suffer my name to be polluted, and I will not give my glory unto another.”  In other words: you and I are in a covenant relationship.  If you have failed to live up to your end of the bargain, you will feel the consequences of it.  It will be painful.  It will be difficult.  You might feel very alone.  But I have not abandoned you.  You and I are still in this covenant.  The relationship is still intact.  I will therefore work with you, if you are willing, to help you grow into the promises you have made and receive the full set of blessings I have promised.