Good news deserves to be shared. In Lehi's dream, when he tasted the fruit of the tree, he immediately wanted his family to enjoy it as well. "I beckoned unto them," he said, "and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit,... Continue Reading →
“The Greatest of All the Gifts of God” – 1 Nephi 15:36
The central symbol in Lehi's dream was "a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy" (1 Nephi 8:10) After eating some of the fruit, his greatest desire after that was to help others experience that same joy, beginning with his own family. When one of Lehi's sons, Nephi, prayed to understand his father's dream, he experienced a... Continue Reading →
“The People That Walked in Darkness” – 2 Nephi 19:2
Even when we are surrounded by darkness, we can be filled with light. The ancient prophet Micah wrote, "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me" (Micah 7:8). And King David affirmed, "The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness" (Psalm 18:28). Isaiah prophesied that the coming... Continue Reading →
Mary
When Nephi needed to understand God's love, he saw Mary. About 600 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, Nephi's father shared with the family a dream he had experienced while they were traveling in the wilderness. The central symbol in that dream was "a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy" (1 Nephi 8:10). Intrigued by... Continue Reading →
“Press Forward with a Steadfastness in Christ” – 2 Nephi 31:20
When Lehi and his family left Jerusalem and set up camp in a valley near the Red Sea, he named the valley after his son Lemuel, saying, "O that thou mightest be like unto this valley, firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord!" (1 Nephi 2:10). Lehi later shared with... Continue Reading →
Strait and Narrow
"Enter ye in at the strait gate," said the Savior: For wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:13-14,... Continue Reading →
Overcoming Dreariness
Lehi's dream opens with a depressing scene: a "dark and dreary wilderness" (1 Nephi 8:4). A heavenly messenger beckons him forward, and then for several hours he walks through "a dark and dreary waste" (1 Nephi 8:7-8). The concept of a "dreary" wilderness must have resonated with some members of Lehi's family, who had unfavorably... Continue Reading →
Lehi’s Dream
Not long after Lehi and his family left Jerusalem, he related to them a spiritual dream he had experienced. The central focus of the dream was "a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy" (1 Nephi 8:10). This tree represents the love of God (1 Nephi 11:21-22), and every character in the dream... Continue Reading →
How Does the Birth of Jesus Christ Help Us Understand the Love of God?
Near the beginning of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Lehi describes a dream to his family. The focal point of this dream is "a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy" (1 Nephi 8:10). Every character in the dream is defined by his or her response to the tree. Lehi tastes the... Continue Reading →
What Do We Know About God’s Love for Us?
Yesterday, I received a question about one of my posts, entitled Willing to Submit – Mosiah 3:19. Here is the question: God is love right? So how can love inflict when the term inflict has to do with punishment. Surely love knows how to be persuasive. This is such an important question that I've decided to... Continue Reading →