2 Nephi 3

Key Scriptures:

1. vs. 5 - "...the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the last days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness until light - yea out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom.

2. vs. 12 - "...and that which was written by the fruit of thy loins [Book of Mormon], and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah [Bible]shall grow together,unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace..."

3. vs. 13 - "And out of weakness he shall be made strong."

4. vs. 24 - "And there shall rise up one mighty among them, who shall do much good, both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in the sight of God..."

I love any and all scriptures that speak of the Savior and especially those which remind me that through the Savior, we may find the course out of darkness and into his glorious light. I love the phrase "out of darkness and out of captivity unto freedom." I know that when I sin I am bound to Satan. He wants me to be "miserable like unto himself." When I reach out to the ever-stretched forth hand of the Savior, and repent of my sins, I am brought forth out of the darkness and am freed from the bounds of Satan. No one else could do that for me. I cannot do that for myself. I am completely dependent upon the Lord.

As part of this challenge I have set forth for myself, I am trying to be better with my scripture reading and to also gain a greater testimony of God's word. I love the Book of Mormon and I also love the Bible. I know that these two books of scriptures work hand-in-hand to convince me of the truthfulness of the gospel and also of the necessity of the Savior in my life. I know that through studying BOTH sets of scripture, I will gain knowledge and will also receive peace to my soul.

Plain and simple - I am weak. I can be made strong if I allow my life to be guided by the Spirit, and when I put aside my will, and instead seek for the Lord's will be done.

Verse 24 is referring to the Prophet Joseph Smith, however, when I read it, I thought that it is an amazing scripture to try to base my life off of. I can be a mighty person when I trust in the Lord. I can do much good as I put my life in the Lord's hands and become his instrument for good. I can work each day to increase my faith and to work mighty wonders as I serve God's children.

2 Nephi 2

Key scripture that stuck out to me:

1. Men are that they might have joy
2. God shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain
3. Men are free to CHOOSE liberty and eternal life
4. [speaking of Adam & Eve]...having no joy for they knew no misery; doing no good for they knew no sin

Heavenly Father understands that we will sin. In fact, when speaking of Adam and Eve, he said that if it were not for the fall, they would not have been able to do any good, for they knew no sin. This would indicate that we must LEARN from our sins and mistakes in order to do good! I think this is amazing when I look back earlier in the chapter and ponder the words that "[God] shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain." HOW AMAZING! Even when we sin, which act brings us farther away from our Heavenly Father, he uses that FOR OUR GAIN!! This has helped me to realize that EVERYTHING that happens to us in our lives is for our gain. And why would that be? "Men are that they might have joy!" If Heavenly Father consecrates ALL of our afflictions for our gain, that means that NO MATTER how difficult of a trial we are enduring, whether as a result of sin, or a trial presented by our Heavenly Father, it WILL bring us joy! What an amazing truth! No matter what happens in our life, that event or circumstance WILL bring us joy, if we only remember to "choose liberty and eternal life." So, what does this mean? I can take control of ANY situation because I have the agency to choose what it will do for me in my life.

It is so common in the world to hear people say, "How could God let [insert terrible event] happen to me?" We may think, "I've been a good person" or "I've never done anything that bad." I then started to think of Adam & Eve. Here they are, in the Garden of Eden, the most beautiful place on earth where nothing bad happens, and where everything is peaceful. And yet, that wasn't enough! They may have been content, but they did not know joy. After speaking with God the Father, and Jesus Christ face to face, Adam & Eve, after having tasted of the forbidden fruit, had to deal with the sorrow of knowing the disappointment they had caused. They were thrust out of the garden, never more to speak with their Father face to face in this life. And yet, with such depths of sorrow and pain, they were also able to have inexpressible joy. They were able to have a posterity, to work by the sweat of their brow - and to receive the fruits of their labors. They continued to learn, and through their faithfulness, they choose to keep eternal life as their focus, and Heavenly Father was able to consecrate their afflictions for their gain.

I know most of this is pretty simplistic, but really, that's what the gospel is. I think all too often we get caught up in the little things that we forget about the big picture. So, that being said, I am grateful to be reminded about such a simple truth. I'm am so grateful for the gospel. I am thankful that I am able to learn from my sins and trials. I am grateful that through my trials, my afflictions can be consecrated for my gain, and that through the Atonement of Christ I can receive forgiveness for those sins. I am so happy that I was able to learn so much from the scriptures as I read today. I'm grateful to know that "men are that they might have joy" and I know that I am the only person holding me back from having joy in my life. I can choose each and every day to choose eternal life, to choose to keep an eternal perspective, and to remember what I can learn and gain through my trials. Amen.