Go and Do

Peter gave a talk in church yesterday. The first time I heard any of it was as he delivered it from the pulpit. He was very nervous and didn't look up much, but the content of the talk was wonderful. And as he stood and spoke I was struck with how grownup he's looking and how much his gospel knowledge and understanding are growing. After church he was set apart as the new Teacher's Quorum president. Add that to Cooper's new responsibilities and it was a big day for our boys.

Go and Do

In First Nephi, Chapter three, we hear the account of Nephi being commanded by the Lord to return to Jerusalem and retrieve the brass plates. Nephi's brothers Laman and Lemuel were upset with their father, as they believed that he had set out an impossible task for them to do. Nephi, however, knew that if he trusted in the Lord, then he could retrieve the plates. In verse seven, Nephi states: “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” There are many things that can be taken out of this scripture. 

For one, when Nephi says to his father out loud the words “I will go and do” he makes his commitment to carry out the Lord's commandments more firm. If he had merely thought to himself that he would go and do, it could have been forgotten and not carried out. Instead, Nephi said it out loud, making it easier for him to go and do, as he now had told his father that he would go and do.

Next, Nephi says that he knows that the Lord giveth no commandments that we are not able to fulfill. However hard the task is to do, with the Lord’s help, it is possible to do. Later in Nephi’s life, he says “O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm (2 Nephi 4:34).” Nephi trusted in the Lord throughout his life, enough for him to do what was thought to be impossible with help from the Lord.

When Laman went to Laban and asked him for the plates, Laban refused and threw Laman out of his house and had his guards chase Laman out of the city. Laman and Lemuel became discouraged and were angry at Nephi. Nephi then, with the Lord's help, went and retrieved the brass plates from Laban. From this we can learn two things. One is that without the Lord's help, our task could be so much harder if not impossible. Second, we learn this: although we may pray and have faith in something, it still may not work. Perhaps we are not doing the task the way the Lord wants us to. If we don't succeed the first time, we shouldn't just do the same thing over and over again to no avail. Instead, we should pray, and ask the Lord what it is that we need to change to be successful.

Next, Nephi was able to be an example to his brothers, and show them that the task was hard only without the Lord’s help. He was able to go and do, despite what his brothers thought, and he came out successful. This shows us that the right choice may not always be the easiest. In fact it may be the hardest choice, but it could impact our lives even more than the easy choice.

Lastly, when Nephi made the choice to go and do what the Lord had commanded him, he made a choice that impacted millions of people in the future. If Nephi had merely stayed out in the wilderness with his family, they would not have been able to have the history and knowledge of their ancestors. They could have potentially lost the Spirit’s guide, and never would have made it to the promised land, so that the Book of Mormon would never be found on the Hill Cumorah by Joseph Smith, and we would not be here today. 

I know that if we choose to go and follow the Lord’s teachings and keep his commandments, we will be blessed, as Nephi’s family was blessed by the choice he made to go and do as the Lord had commanded. I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.