Archive for October, 2008
October 31st, 2008
Great and spacious building
“And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.”
It would be easy to paint a picture here about the filthy rich scoffing at the pious and humble followers of Christ, but I think that is not a fair portrayal of the facts. Back in the early days of Christianity, there was an ideology that Christians took a vow of poverty and the idea that money was inherently bad. Some took their example from John the Baptist, who chose a very basic life eating and wearing just the basics. As a matter of interest, just in the recent October 2008 General Conference, Elder L. Tom Perry encouraged a return to a simple life.
But a simple life doesn’t mean poverty. Read the rest of this entry »
October 29th, 2008
“And it came to pass that we had gathered together all manner of seeds of every kind, both of grain of every kind, and also of the seeds of fruit of every kind.”
Food storage and emergency preparation are evident from the very early beginnings of the Book of Mormon. This becomes a personal finance topic because, in order to be prepared, we have to have planned our finances in a way to obtain food storage, and also have a store of money that we can get at if an emergency occurs.
I always look at an emergency scenario as worst case. Lets say all electricity is gone and a true emergency has happened. Most people will go into shock. Read the rest of this entry »
October 27th, 2008
“And it came to pass that as we journeyed in the wilderness, behold Laman and Lemuel, and two of the daughters of Ishmael, and the two sons of Ishmael and their families, did rebel against us; yea, against me, Nephi, and Sam, and their father, Ishmael, and his wife, and his three other daughters.
And it came to pass in the which rebellion, they were desirous to return unto the land of Jerusalem.”
“And it came to pass that when I, Nephi, had spoken these words unto my brethren, they were angry with me. And it came to pass that they did lay their hands upon me, for behold, they were exceedingly wroth, and they did bind me with cords, for they sought to take away my life, that they might leave me in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts.”
While we don’t have the reasoning behind the rebellion, if we assume similar concerns as their original rebellion on leaving Jerusalem, we know they were very anxious about having lost their inheritance and comfortable lifestyle. Read the rest of this entry »
October 25th, 2008
“And we had obtained the records which the Lord had commanded us, and searched them and found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children.
Wherefore, it was wisdom in the Lord that we should carry them with us, as we journeyed in the wilderness towards the land of promise.”
It appears that Lehi has just learned of his genealogy. In the preceding versus it says that he discovered his genealogy, that he was a decedent of Joseph of Egypt. This is valuable information, given the patriarchal order and birthright of the blessings pronounced on the tribes of israel. Also the history of the creation and the commandments of the Lord. He calls these things of “great worth”. In addition to the spiritual and intellectual value, these brass plates were also the key to their temporal prosperity. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in C) 1st Nephi | 
Tags: book of mormon, lds, prosper, scripture, scriptures, wealth | 
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October 24th, 2008
Making Money Your Ally by: By W. Steve Albrecht
Exerpts:
“Law 1: Pay an Honest Tithing…
Law 2: Budget Your Expenditures…
Law 3: Save Some Money Every Month…
Law 4: Decrease Your Expectations…
Law 5: Stay Free from Debt…
Law 6: Become Knowledgeable Consumers…
Law 7: Teach Family Members the Importance of Work and Managing Money…
Law 8: Make Wise Investments…
Law 9: Have a Will…
Law 10: Keep Money in Perspective…”
October 23rd, 2008
“And it came to pass that my father, Lehi, also found upon the plates of brass a genealogy of his fathers; wherefore he knew that he was a descendant of Joseph; yea, even that Joseph who was the son of Jacob, who was sold into Egypt, and who was preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he might preserve his father, Jacob, and all his household from perishing with famine.”
Can a human soul have a price set to it? We know that Joseph was sold for 20 pieces of silver, (Jesus similarly is betrayed for 30 pieces of silver). Here Nephi reminds us that we cannot judge the value of a person with money. Joseph went on to save his entire family and all of Egypt from the famine. The Saviour saved the whole world, but his betrayal was judged to be worth only 30 pieces. Read the rest of this entry »
October 21st, 2008
“And after they had given thanks unto the God of Israel, my father, Lehi, took the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, and he did search them from the beginning.”
Lehi has just had his sons return from their near escape from death from Jerusalem and their experience with Laban. Nephi delivers to his father the brass plates, the object of their design in returning to Jerusalem. These records, which had been the cause of such worry to Sariah and the subject of a revelation and commandment from the Lord that they must be brought with them… are set aside as Lehi first gives thanks unto the Lord.
How many of us would have picked up the plates and began to read through them almost immediately after ensuring everyone’s safety? But Lehi shows us a better way. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in C) 1st Nephi |
Tags: book of mormon, scripture, scriptures, thankfulness, thanks, thanksgiving |
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October 20th, 2008
Not long ago, the church created a short online course called, Peace in Your Hearts: Managing Household Finances Wisely, which is aimed at providing the very basics of personal finance education. If you are just getting started, its a good place to start. For a more detailed online course, check out the course from BYU.
October 19th, 2008
“And it came to pass that they did rejoice exceedingly, and did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave thanks unto the God of Israel.”
Keep in mind now… Lehi’s family had just fled from Jerusalem a short while ago and perhaps still had concerns about whether or not they were pursued by the Jews. Lehi’s once rich abundance is gone and all they have is what they brought with them. To take one of their precious animals and offer it as a burnt offering was truly a sacrifice for them. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in C) 1st Nephi |
Tags: book of mormon, burnt offerings, lehi sariah, sacrifice, scripture, scriptures |
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October 17th, 2008
“But behold, I have obtained a land of promise, in the which things I do rejoice; yea, and I know that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of Laban, and bring them down again unto us in the wilderness.”
Lehi here shows true faith. In fact, he has not yet obtained the land of promise, he has nothing tangible to show for his obedience, but he is so sure that the Lord will deliver on His promise that he counts those things as already fulfilled. Of course, he is comforting his wife who thinks her sons are dead, so I’m sure he’s laying out the good parts of the situation as plain as he can, but there’s a lot to be said about this kind of faith. Read the rest of this entry »
