1 And now I, Nephi, do not give the genealogy of my fathers in this part of my record; neither at any time shall I give it after upon these plates which I am writing; for it is given in the record which has been kept by my father; wherefore, I do not write it in this work.
In the first verse of Chapter 6, Nephi tells us that he does not give the genealogy of his fathers in THIS part of the record, in 2 Nephi Chapter 4 verse 15, Nephi tells us these are written of his soul, in which he writes for his future children. This is more of his personal message not so much his fathers.
Nephi is wanting us, the readers, as well as the men of Jerusalem to be persuaded to do what is right, and to make wise choices, in chapter 5, he begins by saying:
Wherefore, the things which are pleasing unto the world I do not write, but the things which are pleasing unto God and unto those who are not of the world.
I think this is Nephi reminding us that we can't serve two masters, while we are here on earth we are given the opportunity to make choices, and one of those choices is to obey our Heavenly Father, and do as he asks of us, the other choice we can make is to serve the other master, that of materialistic things, earthly things, in the Book of Galatians Chapter 1 verse 10, the Apostle Paul reveals For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Once again we see that we are to choose serving our Father in Heaven.
Remember, Nephi's writings were in the Old Testament times, whereas the Apostle Paul tells us this in the New Testament. Nephi's wise words were before his time, and they still ring true today, even more so in fact.
_________________
Things To Think About
This is a short Chapter, but a very important one at that, This chapter reminds us that we cannot serve two masters, that we must utililize our freedom of choice, and make the better decision.
1) How often are we put in the position where we must make this choice?
2) How often do we make the right choice? the one the Lord wants?
3) As we continue to grow and spiritually blossom, do those decisions get easier? or are we still tempted?
This is SO important for us to always keep in mind, the choices we make and the decision and effects that come from it.
Jacob taught us: "O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves. …
“But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God” (2 Nephi 9:28–29).
We must go to the Lord in all things, and have faith that our prayers will be answered.
______________
Personal Thoughts
This is a very good chapter for me, I think too many times in my life, I am making decisions not thinking that there is another option, and certainly not allowing myself to exercise that right. I need to work harder at looking at my options in my choices, as small or as big as they are, there is always one that the Lord wishes of us to take, and I need to do better.
I feel that in order for me to be able to be a better person, I need to work even harder and do better at making wise decisions. I also need to go to the Lord more often even for the little things.
0 comments:
Post a Comment