intent

1 Nephi 6:4

Ether 12:24-27

And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.

- Book of Mormon title page

Nephi and Moroni expressed their self doubt in effectively recording the matchless wonder of God's loving plan for us. I feel like that every time I teach or give a talk. I even feel like that when I try to express some small thought on social media. I agree with Alma in Alma 29:1, "O that I were an angel . . . ". Speaking with thunder sounds more effective but it didn’t sway Laman and Lemuel or the majority of the Israelites.   

"A manifestation of an angel, or even of the Son of God himself, would impress the eye and mind, and eventually become dimmed, but the impressions of the Holy Ghost sink deeper into the soul and are more difficult to erase.  

Through the Holy Ghost the truth is woven into the very fibre and sinews of the body so that it cannot be forgotten.”

- Pres Joseph Fielding Smith (One of my favorite quotes ever!)

In the end, I guess just trying to open the door for the Holy Ghost is enough.  

the most important knowledge in the universe

This knowledge of “the only true God, and Jesus Christ” (John 17:3) is the most important knowledge in the universe. The lack of it is the ignorance referred to in the revelation wherein it is written: “It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.” (D&C 131:6.)

You know the way now. It is not a mass experience. It must come to each individually. It must come to you.

You who have been baptized have the right to it. Desire it. Pray for it. Work for it, and God will give it to you.

“Except a Man Be Born Again”  

By President Marion G. Romney

Pres Romney tells a story of his wife gaining her testimony as a young girl. I thought of Enos and his "wrestle before God" to gain his testimony. Each of us has to return again and again to build our testimony piece by piece. I feel like I can see the whole picture but as I continue to study and pray, I keep gaining details. The main subject is recognizable but the true beauty and glory of the plan only comes with continually returning and fine tuning. Each small detail connects me further, enlarges my understanding, and helps me apply the knowledge more effectively. It truly is "the most important knowledge in the universe."

why religion?

1 Nephi 10:17

...I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things,...

In order to move forward with anything, a person needs to want to. What makes a person desirous to seek the Lord?  

Psychology says religion fills some basic needs that all people have. It sounds like humans have holes and are always looking for ways to fill them. Some people call it filling your cup. Psychology may have it right.  

Psalm 23:5 says "my cup runneth over" 

John 6:35 "he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Alma 5:34 "partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely"

There are many more scriptures with a similar theme. Feeding hunger, quenching thirst, filling needs. According to psychological studies, people seek or deny religion because they think it will or won't fill those holes. I guess the question is just how to show a person that their holes can be filled through Christ. Maybe the first question should be whether we've been filling our own holes with Christ.

Lehi showed his family that he turned to God to fill his own needs. Nephi believed his father, Sam believed Nephi. Laman and Lemuel never did. I don’t know why some believe and some don’t. It's worthy of some pondering. It may even be a perspective worth applying. What are my needs and am I filling them with Christ? I think if you start within, the rest works itself out.

Adding a couple vaguely related mo ie quotes for your entertainment 

pushing the wheelbarrow

Nothing happens in this Church unless you work. It is like a wheelbarrow. It doesn’t move until you get ahold of the two handles and push. Hard work moves the work of the Lord forward, and if you have learned to work with real integrity it will bless your lives forever. I mean that with all my heart. It will bless your lives forever.

Gordon B Hinckley 

When we are on the Lord’s errand, we are entitled to the Lord’s help. Remember that the Lord will shape the back to bear the burden placed upon it.

To Learn, to Do, to Be  

By President Thomas S. Monson

Mosiah 24:13-15

murmuring

I know this is a longer one but I'd never thought of murmuring as satan's deception before. I just loved this talk and wanted to share:

"Today I hope to persuade you to follow the living prophets and to warn of a deception the adversary has devised to prevent you from following them. The scriptures refer to that deception as “murmuring.”

Doc & Cov 101:43–62

According to the Lord’s parable, murmuring consists of three steps, each leading to the next in a descending path to disobedience.

First, the servants began to question. They felt to exercise their own judgment upon the instruction given by their master. Verse 48

Second, they began to rationalize and excuse themselves from doing what they had been instructed to do. Verse 49

The third step inevitably follows: slothfulness in following the commandment of the Master. Verse 50

The simplest of instructions may reveal the tendency to murmur. I attended a meeting once when the presiding authority invited members of the congregation to come forward in the meeting room. A few stirred. Most did not.

I was recently in a Church meeting in West Africa when a priesthood leader invited the brethren to come forward and occupy the first three rows of the chapel. Every man immediately stood and moved his seat according to instruction.

The adversary whispers the deceptive invitation to murmur to thus destroy the power that comes from obedience."

Beware of Murmuring  

By Elder H. Ross Workman

Doc & Cov 58:29

1 Nephi 2:12

steps to perfection

We don’t come to Jesus because we are perfect. We come to Him because we are flawed and in Him we can “be perfected.”

The Power of Jesus Christ in Our Lives Every Day  

By Elder Joaquin E. Costa

Moroni 10:32

James 1:4

3 nephi 12:48

Be perfect one step at a time. We work on perfecting prayer, fasting, scripture study, etc. Line upon line. Perfection is built one small step at a time.

hope

Abraham 3:25-26

We must have believed then that whatever mortal weaknesses we would have and whatever evil forces would be against us, the forces of good would be overwhelmingly greater.

Abraham 3:27