1st Nephi

Chapter 4:

"And it came to pass that (Kimberly) did take courage at the words which I spake. Now (Kimberly) was the name of the servant;and he promised he would go down into the wilderness unto our father. Yea, and he also made an oath unto us that he would tarry with us from that time forth"(35).

Just like Zoram took courage to follow Nephi who served as a prophet of God. I take courage each day to follow my latter day prophets teachings, even if I do not fully understand the why.

Chapter 5:

I often have wondered why Laman, Lemuel, and Nehi were commanded to go back and get the plates, instead of getting them before they went on their journey. The only real answer I can think of is that our timing is not always the Lord's timing, and the Lord knows the best timing for everything, and sometimes we just have to put our faith in Christ and his plan.

I also made a comparison in this chapter. Lehi's wife Sariah to Joseph Smiths wife Emma. I've noticed that it is almost harder on the women who stand behind prophets. Like Lehi, Joseph Smith was commanded to do an incredible thing to bring about the Lord's work. It takes great faith for these women who are not having the prophesies and visions that their husbands do have. 

Chapter 6:

"For the fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved"(4).
This is the intent of Nephi, that we may come close to the God, who has worked miracles for so many , and will work miracles for me as long as I am faithful, and call upon him.

"Wherfore, 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"(5).
I put this on the front of my Journal once, because this is a motto I want to live by. I want to only write a life of things are pleasing to my Heavenly Father.


Chapter 7:

Again it takes faith, when the Lord commanded them to return to Jerusalem again for wives. I sometimes wonder maybe Laman and Lemuel had more faith than I thought or gave them credit for. But then, I think they probably just feared the Lord enough to go back. The thought that they had seen an angel, you would think they would be perfectly obedient. And yet they were not.