2 Nephi Chapter 2

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. Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. ~ 2 Nephi 2:26-27

This is one of my all time favorites. I love where it says we are free to act and not to be acted upon. I don't think a lot of people realize what power we have. We really are free to shape our lives here, as well as in the eternities.

The scripture touches on the fact that we are subject to the law, but that through the Mediator - Jesus Christ - we can be free in the end.

I know that Jesus died for me, that He personally knows me, and that he understands me better than anyone. Honestly some days that is not the first thing on my mind, but often it is very apparent to me. There are days that I especially need to remember that and feel His love.

I know by being worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost I can feel it more often.

Do you want to read this verse in context? Read all of 2 Nephi Chapter 2.

1 Nephi Chapter 21

That thou mayest say to the prisoners: Go forth; to them that sit in darkness: Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. ~ 1 Nephi 21:9

This chapter is comparable to Isaiah 49. I read it about 6 times. It was hard to pull a favorite verse out. I realized that while I could read it and get the basic gist of it, it would be very difficult for me to teach on it or explain it, at least without further study.

I ended up choosing this scripture because it sounds so hopeful. Aren't we all prisoners, really? We've all sinned and fall short. Without the atonement of Jesus Christ we are nothing. We could never hope to get back to the Father.

This whole chapter is about the Messiah, about the coming of Jesus Christ. I love the feeling of hope I got when I read this scripture. I pictured being in the dark, frightened and alone, when all of a sudden a light comes. I can imagine hearing a voice saying, "Go forth" and being set free.

I like thinking about that. I am pessimistic by nature and it is good for me to remember the hope and real peace that is found in the atonement. Jesus Christ truly died for us and because of His sacrifice we can 'go forth' and be redeemed.

Do you want to read this verse in context? Read all of 1 Nephi Chapter 21.

1 Nephi Chapter 8

And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen. ~ 1 Nephi 8:11

This was a hard choice. I highly recommend that if you haven't read all of 1 Nephi 8 that you do. It really is a beautiful story and the language is very poetic.

It describes a dream that Lehi has. Lehi is Nephi's father and was a prophet. In the dream he describes finding the tree of life, partaking of the fruit, and desiring that his family does also. He sees his wife and two of his sons partake, but his older sons, Laman and Lemuel will not.

He also sees multitudes of people, some trying to get to the tree of life and being lost, some getting there and then being ashamed, and some lifted up in pride openly mocking those people that have tasted of the tree.

In a later chapter Nephi prays for an interpretation of the dream. In that chapter an angel tells him that the tree of life represents the love of God.

The proof of God's love for us is that He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to this world to die for us. Jesus Christ paid the price for us so that we can repent and be forgiven and so we can return to God. God really is our Heavenly Father and He loves us. No matter how broken, or sad, or far off the path we are there is a way back.

Do you want to read this verse in context? Read all of 1 Nephi Chapter 8.