This is the last of six blog posts answering a set of questions recommended by President Russell M. Nelson. So far, I have written about what the Book of Mormon is, what it affirms, what it refutes, what it fulfills, and what it clarifies. Here are some of the truths that the book reveals to... Continue Reading →
What Is Joy?
The Greek word for joy is chara (χαρά). It is related to the word charis (χάρις), which means "grace." Thus, Strong's Concordance defines the term as "joy because of grace" or "the awareness of God's grace." No wonder that Enos sought forgiveness of his sins after remembering his father's words about "the joy of the... Continue Reading →
Why Is It Important to Lift Up Our Heads?
As he looked forward to the temple which his son would build, King David wrote a psalm about the joy of welcoming God's presence into that holy house. "Lift up your heads, O ye gates" he wrote; "and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in" (Psalm 24:7,... Continue Reading →
What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Happiness?
Near the beginning of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Lehi tells his family about a spiritual dream he has experienced. The central symbol in this dream was "a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy" (1 Nephi 8:10). Lehi's focus for the rest of the dream was on inviting his family to... Continue Reading →
Be of Good Cheer – 3 Nephi 1:13-14
13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the... Continue Reading →
That Ye Might Know Concerning the Covenants of the Lord – 2 Nephi 9:1-3
1 And now, my beloved brethren, I have read these things that ye might know concerning the covenants of the Lord that he has covenanted with all the house of Israel— 2 That he has spoken unto the Jews, by the mouth of his holy prophets, even from the beginning down, from generation to generation,... Continue Reading →
They Were Filled with Joy – Mosiah 4:2-3
2 And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe... Continue Reading →
The Glad Tidings of Great Joy – Mosiah 3:2-4
2 And the things which I shall tell you are made known unto me by an angel from God. And he said unto me: Awake; and I awoke, and behold he stood before me. 3 And he said unto me: Awake, and hear the words which I shall tell thee; for behold, I am come... Continue Reading →
Wickedness Never Was Happiness – Alma 41:10
10 Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness. 11 And now, my son, all men that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall... Continue Reading →
They Had Viewed Themselves in Their Own Carnal State – Mosiah 4:1-3
1 And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord... Continue Reading →