Abiding Precepts – 2 Nephi 16

Read the full chapter here: 2 Nephi 16

Passage #1

Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.

2 Nephi 16:3

Precept #1

When you pray honor God by declaring His holiness and greatness.

When was the last time you acknowledged Heavenly Father’s greatness, perfection, or glory in your prayers to Him? How did it change the way you felt toward Him?

Passage #2

Then said I: Wo is unto me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips; and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.

2 Nephi 16:5

Precept #2

Use clean thinking and clean language.

Does your language reflect someone who is a follower of the Son of God?

Passage #3

And he laid it upon my mouth, and said: Lo, this has touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

2 Nephi 16:7

Precept #3

When you repent, let the sin and all desire for it be purged from your soul.

As you consider the things you have repented of or are trying to repent of do you still desire to do them? Or have they been purged from your soul completely? Are you working toward that end or fighting against it?

Passage #4

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said: Here am I; send me.

2 Nephi 16:8

Precept #4

Volunteer to do errands for the Lord.

What was the last thing at church that you volunteered for before it was asked of you to do? How much pleading and begging from your leaders does it take for you to be willing to do the the things the Lord asks and your fellow church members need?

Passage #5

Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes—lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted and be healed.

2 Nephi 16:10

Precept #5

Open your eyes and ears to the Lord, His Spirit, and His word so He can heal you.

Have you ever just let go and allowed the Lord to fill you with His Spirit instead of your own thoughts and beliefs? How did that impact your relationship with Him? Do you think you could do that every day of your life?

Published by Russty

I remember my first truly sacred experience when I was 12 years old. The next was somewhere around 14. My teenage years after that - after beginning a life-long study of the LDS canon of scripture - was chalked full of sacred experience after sacred experience which have developed in me a love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and a devotion to His teachings as taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Because of those experiences as a young man I can say for sure that Jesus Christ lives today and is the Son of the Living God. He atoned for me and has "redeemed my soul from hell." It was in those years that I learned for myself that the Book of Mormon is the true word of God. That came to be a huge social battle for one young as I was growing up in the Bible belt. I spent those years trying to live my life in such a way that people would know that I was a follower of Christ only to find out after years of hanging out with my friends that none of them believed I was Christian. This was devestating to me, a young man simply trying to show a good example as a follower of Christ. I felt like I had failed. It was only after serving my two year mission for the LDS Church that I realized the reason for their opinion was simply because our definition of what it meant to be Christian was drastically different. For me it had been about following Christ and living His teachings. For them it was whether or not my beliefs fell within their narrowly defined window of what they believed about God and Jesus Christ. I realize now that I was doomed to fail from the beginning! It was in those years while I was trying to show people that I was a follower of Christ - facing opposition from friend, minister, and teacher alike - that I began studying the scriptures not just to understand His Gospel, but to come to understand answers to the challenges I was being presented with. In short I became as much of a Mormon apologist as a teenage boy with little education could ever become. But I at least had the scriptures and and the guidance of truly devoted and inspired friends and teachers - and that was all I needed. It is this pattern of questioning and searching for answers which has informed all of my scripture study and learning over the years of my life since then. My research and understanding of the Gospel, the Church, The Book of Mormon, and Joseph Smith have all grown and expanded because of that constant and consistent devotion to studying. And they will all continue to do so - for the knowledge of God is infinite and there is no way in the life to learn it all. This blog is an outlet for all I have learned and considered over the years of my Gospel study. I have found - as many people who have come to know the teachings of Christ the way I have - that when the Word is a part of one's soul he or she cannot escape the desire to share It. So share it I do. There are imperfections and missing pieces in what I write, but all in all I truly feel the Lord has blessed me with the one thing I have desired more than almost anything else: a well rounded understanding of His doctrine and truth as He has given to us at this point. Please forgive my imperfections for this blog is as much about improving myself and my own knowledge and faith in God and Christ as it is for helping anyone else do the same.

Abiding Precepts, Russty's Daily Coat, The Book of Mormon

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