Jesus wants us to share the gospel with everyone. We would wise to focus on the fundamentals, and to be careful when and with whom we share our most sacred experiences. He wants to share them with everyone, but not everyone is prepared to receive them yet
The Discussion on the Mount
Jesus taught the principles in the Sermon on the Mount in a variety of settings and to a variety of audiences. He adapted His delivery to each audience. We can follow His example by slowing down and paying attention to our listeners while we teach.
If With All Your Hearts
God will answer your prayers. Jesus promised that in the Sermon on the Mount: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7, 3 Nephi 14:7). Moses taught the same principle to the children of Israel. After prophesying that they would one day turn away from... Continue Reading →
Hagar and the Hidden Well
Be'er Sheva is a city in southern Israel, with a population of about 200,000. It's so far south, in fact, that Old Testament authors spoke of the land of Israel extending "from Dan even to Beer-sheba." (See Judges 20:1, 1 Samuel 3:20, 2 Samuel 3:10, 2 Samuel 17:11, 2 Samuel 24:2, 15, 1 Kings 4:25, 1... Continue Reading →
Thorns and Thistles
Eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden had immediate consequences. One of them was that it became harder to eat. Instead of living in a garden full of beautiful trees with delicious fruit, Adam and Eve entered an existence which would demand more from them. "Cursed is the ground for thy sake," said God;... Continue Reading →
The Work, the Sword, the Sickle, and the Prayer
In the first half of 1829, Joseph Smith received a number of revelations on behalf of other people. Four of those revelations begin almost identically, with a set of four biblical concepts, all of which also appear in the Book of Mormon. Why did those four concepts warrant such frequent repetition, and why did the... Continue Reading →
“Every Good Gift” – Moroni 10:18
One of Moroni's exhortations in the final chapter of the Book of Mormon is to "remember that every good gift cometh of Christ" (Moroni 10:18). This echoes the testimony of James: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.James 1:17 We're in gift-giving season. In addition... Continue Reading →
“Hid up unto the Lord” – Mormon 1:2, 4:23, 5:12
We don't know much about Ammaron, the caretaker of the Nephite records who selected Mormon as his successor. We know that he was the brother of Amos, and therefore a descendant of Alma, who organized the church at the waters of Mormon about 450 years earlier. And we know that he was "constrained by the... Continue Reading →
“With What Judgment Ye Judge…” – 3 Nephi 14:2
What does it mean to judge? It means to form an opinion or to make a decision. Mormon said, "I show unto you the way to judge" (Moroni 7:16), and then explained that we ought to make decisions according to what is right and good, which we can know by the light of Christ. "See... Continue Reading →
What Can We Learn about Children from the Savior?
During His ministry on the American continent, the Savior taught us about children by His words and by His example: In a passage which also appears in the Sermon on the Mount, He taught us that our Father in Heaven wants to give us good gifts, just as we want to give our children good... Continue Reading →
Book of Mormon Study Notes 