Dec 30, 2019
This morning we read through the lesson, and the assigned material for this week. I felt impressed that I needed to make note of the scriptures in the Book of Mormon that reference the Plan of Salvation:
They were as follows in the curriculum material:
Please excuse the formatting. It came over that way when I moved it.
2 Nephi 2:25–26
25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given
It isn’t called the “plan” here in 2 Nephi 2:25-26 but that is definitely what it is. Also:
13 O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect.
5 And also my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers; yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death.
32 Therefore God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, that they should not do evil, the penalty thereof being a second death, which was an everlasting death as to things pertaining unto righteousness; for on such the plan of redemption could have no power, for the works of justice could not be destroyed, according to the supreme goodness of God.
33 But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, (this being the plan of redemption which was laid) saying: If ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son;
34 Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest.
14 And the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things known unto us that we might not perish; yea, and he has made these things known unto us beforehand, because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our children; therefore, in his mercy he doth visit us by his angels, that the plan of salvation might be made known unto us as well as unto future generations.
2 I say unto thee, my son, that the plan of restoration is requisite with the justice of God; for it is requisite that all things should be restored to their proper order. Behold, it is requisite and just, according to the power and resurrection of Christ, that the soul of man should be restored to its body, and that every part of the body should be restored to itself.
15 And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also.
16 Now, repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment, which also was eternal as the life of the soul should be, affixed opposite to the plan of happiness, which was as eternal also as the life of the soul.
My Thoughts:
As I read these scriptures I kept thinking about the fact that for my whole life since I learned of the church at about age 11 (baptized when 18), I have known that there is a glorious plan. It makes life so much easier for me because I know that I came to earth with a purpose and that it was known ahead of time that I (all of us) would make mistakes and this was part of the plan and was necessary. This knowledge has been so important in how I have conducted my life. I knew and know that God is there and loves me and through Jesus Christ I can and will be able to return home safely. Even at times when I know I have made a wrong decision or done something stupid I can feel that plan in operation. I want to be good, even if I don’t always get it right. But I know the plan was and is perfect and that Jesus Christ did for me what I could not possibly do for myself. It gives me so much freedom. It doesn’t mean I don’t feel guilty when I do something that is wrong but it does give me peace, hope and assurance that the fall of Adam and my personal fall was and is planned for and made right. My job is to do the best I can to be like Him and he has already accomplished the rest. I like the fact that so many different words are used to describe the plan.
We also use the BookofMormonCentral.org list of additional references and read through the list and watched a couple of videos today and will continue to that each day this week. We also use several other sources of information. Darwin and I have decided that we want to have closer contact with the Kids and GrandKids. We will be trying several things including opening up the family history site and putting up blog post archives of some of the resources that we have seen and really found helpful. We also want to learn to use our camera more and to talk to each family each month.
This week we have felt the spirit and want to share what we have been feeling below are some of my additional thoughts as I read through the Introductory material for the Book of Mormon.
My Thoughts:
The Book of Mormon has always been important to me. The first time I read it completely through was when I sought out the Church as a student at Washington State University. I wanted to read it all before I was baptised and I did. It seemed to flow, like a movie for me. I could see the story in my mind and feel the testimonies that were and are born. I am sure that I didn’t get everything about the Book of Mormon that I now love and cherish during that first reading but when I finished I knew that it was true. I prayed from the time I opened it until I finished it and a powerful spirit confirming to me that this book was the word of God was with me throughout the 2 weeks that it took me to read it. Although I now know much more about the Book of Mormon, it’s doctrinal sophistication, it’s literary complexity, it’s miraculous coming forth and many other “things”, the most important to me is the spiritual witness that it bears to me of God’s love for His children and his plan for us. I have read it many times but am glad to do so once again. I hope my children and grandchildren will join me.
Jan 3, 2020
I have been reading daily from the assignment and beyond and from additional material. I have found great video material that I am adding to the media posts I have put up on the website. Now that it is designed it is not hard to add to.
My Thoughts
We read President Nelson’s message to us on Jan 1. We both feel that the coming of the gospel into our lives was a major “hinge point”. We both made an independent commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and to his Gospel when we were about 18. (We didn’t know each other then)
Many of our grandchildren are now just a little beyond that age or approaching that age. Some are younger and some much younger, however, we hope to be able to share the depth of the witnesses and testimony that we had during our youth and which has grown as we have tried to serve God and our fellow man. Darwin will be writing his testimony and thoughts and I have written some of mine above but want to add some additional thoughts to that now and will continue to do so as we continue to study the Book of Mormon this year.
Once I knew that the Book of Mormon was true, both as I read it and prayed about it, and after as I pondered the things that I had learned, then I knew that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the keys to the kingdom had been restored. That knowledge made an indelible impression on my heart and mind and I knew that my life would never be the same. I was at that point totally committed to living the gospel to the best of my ability. It was so helpful, in my quest to keep the commandments and learn what God’s plan for me was, to know that the atonement was real and that God would be helping me. I could feel from the very beginning that when I had changes to make I could make them because He would be there. If I goofed, it wasn’t the end of the world but the beginning of change. I loved learning about how Joseph Smith grew as a person and as a prophet even in the face of difficulties and even mistakes on his part. I can feel that support even now as I re-read his testimony and the testimony of the witnesses. The Book of Mormon really is an ancient record that was preserved by the power of God and came forth by that power and was translated by Joseph Smith by the gift and power of God.
Please join us this year as we search it’s words. Join us as we respond to the request to “Come Follow Me” from our Savior.