When God showed Moses the earth and its inhabitants, Moses replied with a question: Tell me, I pray thee, why these things are so, and by what thou madest them?Moses 1:30 In response, God explained that this earth was created by His Only Begotten Son, that it is one of many worlds which He has... Continue Reading →
“He Worketh in Me” – Words of Mormon 1:7
When Mormon decided to insert 142 pages of unabridged text into his book (1 Nephi through Omni), he knew it was a strange editorial decision. He explained to his future readers that he was doing this "for a wise purpose," even though he did not know what that purpose was. "I do not know all... Continue Reading →
“Many Great and Important Things”
Commenting on the words of Isaiah, the prophet Nephi wrote: Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a... Continue Reading →
Rolling Waters
In his epistle from Liberty Jail, Joseph Smith used the imagery of moving water to illustrate the principle that continuous revelation helps the gospel remain current and relevant in our lives. "How long can rolling waters remain impure?" he asked. "What power shall stay the heavens?" Then he went on to compare the powerful current of... Continue Reading →
Every Word
As the children of Israel prepared to enter the promised land, Moses asked them to consider some of the lessons of their sojourn in the wilderness. One of those lessons came from the food they ate: manna, which mysteriously appeared every morning except the sabbath in sufficient portions to provide them with physical nourishment. (See... Continue Reading →
“The Way Whither We Should Go” – 1 Nephi 16:10
After living in a tent for some time, Lehi and his family were commanded to begin their journey to the promised land. The following morning, they were given some assistance in the form of a mysterious device—"a round ball of curious workmanship" made of brass. The ball contained two spindles, one of which pointed "pointed the... Continue Reading →
“Eye Hath Never Seen” – 3 Nephi 17:16
During the Savior's ministry on the American continent, He offered a prayer which was so sublime that it could not be written. The only record we have of this prayer is the testimony of those who experienced it firsthand: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we... Continue Reading →
Living Water
The ancient prophet Jeremiah bemoaned the spiritual state of his people, which he attributed to two poor decisions: Forsaking "the fountain of living waters"Building for themselves "cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13, Jeremiah 17:13) Lehi, who was a contemporary of Jeremiah, had a dream in which he saw the tree of... Continue Reading →
“Taught of the Lord” – 3 Nephi 22:13
During His visit to the American continent, the Savior quoted Isaiah 54. That chapter contains the following prophecy: And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.3 Nephi 22:13, Isaiah 54:13 Many English translations of the Bible use the preposition "by" in place of the... Continue Reading →
How Can I Recognize the Voice of the Lord?
In his first talk as president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Russell M. Nelson pleaded with us to "increase [our] spiritual capacity to receive revelation" ("Revelation for the Church, Revelation for our Lives," General Conference, April 2018). Two years later, he said, "I renew my plea for you to do whatever it takes... Continue Reading →
Book of Mormon Study Notes 