Today’s scripture is 1 Nephi 19.
To my mind, Nephi speaks some more on the subject of journaling and scripture study in this chapter. Nephi tells us that he began his family’s record at about right after they arrived in the promised land. He started out by making a copy of his father’s journals and prophecies and a record of their journey in the wilderness, not to mention his own prophecies. Nephi states that, at the time he made his original record, he didn’t know the Lord would command him to make this other, smaller record. When he’d finished making the larger plates to record the history of his family, the Lord commanded him to make the smaller record specifically to record the sacred things, like the prophecies and the plain and precious things, which were to be used for instructing Nephi’s people in the gospel.
Interestingly, Nephi says he never writes anything, and by that I assume he means ever, unless he thinks it’s sacred. However, he then points out that what one man may think of as important and sacred, another man may consider to be worthless, only fit to be trampled under foot. Some men, Nephi adds, even think that God himself is a worthless concept and refuse to listen to the counsel of the scriptures and the gospel. Nephi spends a fair number of verses talking about the atonement at this point; how the Jews will basically think Jesus is nobody and will abuse and kill him. He also quotes a fair number of prophets who have explained what would happen to the Savior when this event took place and afterward.
Nephi ends the chapter by saying that he likes to read the scriptures to his brothers, teaching them the plain and precious truths he gains from them. His particular favorites are the books of Moses and the words of Isaiah, making sure to “liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.”
Applying the Scriptures to My Life
I realize from what Nephi says in these verses that journaling and scripture study are very important. I’m not consistent with my journaling and, until recently, I wasn’t with my scripture study, either. Writing a journal presents the people who read it with a snapshot of my life. Scripture study allows me to connect with my Father and receive His instructions for me in this life. Sorry things are so short this time. Help me out, readers. What do you get from these verses?
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