{five things for friday • vi}

I was inspired by Kimberly's post last week (and guest post today at We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ!), so for my Friday Five today I'm happy to present five of my favorite verses from the Book of Mormon.

- one -

Helaman 5:12

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

This has been my favorite scripture ever since I memorized it for my early-morning high school seminary class.  

Although we may encounter seemingly insurmountable trials in this life, if we can remember to build our foundation on Christ we will not fail.  

I also love the use of the word "remember."

I have always been inspired by President Kimball's words, "When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is?  It could be 'remember.'  Because all of [us] have made covenants... our greatest need is to remember.  'Remember' is the word."

- two -

2 Nephi 4:15-35

This section of scripture is more commonly referred to as the Psalm of Nephi.

As it is quite lengthy, I won't quote it in its entirety, but here are some of my favorite snippets:

Awake, my soul!  No longer droop in sin.  Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.

O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness!  O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies!  Wilt thou make my path straight before me!

O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever.

 (That line has become my daily mantra.)

Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh.  Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness.

I completely relate to Nephi's lamentation of his own weakness, and his absolute dependence on the Savior for mercy and grace.  It is a beautiful chapter of scripture, one I turn to again and again.

- three -

Alma 5:14-15,19

Have ye spiritually been born of God?  Have ye received his image in your countenances?  Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?

Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you?  Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this moral body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?

I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands?  I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances?

These questions which Alma the Younger poses to the people of Zarahemla are no less applicable to our day.  The idea of having the image of God engraven on our countenance is beautiful and poignant.  To me, it is a perfect description of what we should be striving for as we take upon ourselves the name of Christ.

- four -

Ether 12:6

And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because you see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.

This is counsel I need to hear over and over again.

I like to have all the answers laid out ahead of me, but most of the time the Lord doesn't work like that.  We have to have faith enough to take a few steps in the darkness before the way is lit before us.  But eventually, the light will come.  It always does.

- five -

Alma 37:6-7

Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.

This counsel given by Alma the Younger to his son Helaman reminds me that it is often the small moments in our lives that are the most meaningful.  Especially as mother, I find comfort in knowing that the little teaching moments we find daily, the small acts of service I try to accomplish all add up in the long run.  This verse also encourages me to get back to basics when our family's schedule seems so very chaotic.  Having a perfect family home evening complete with laminated clip art and clever games is not as important as having the Spirit in our home and teaching our children with love.  The older I get, the more I realize that it really is the small and simple things in life that truly matter.

There are so many other verses that speak to my soul in the Book of Mormon, but those are a few that have great meaning to me in my life at this moment.  I am so grateful to have this beautiful book of scripture in my life.

• • •

And those are my five things for Friday!

If your curiosity is piqued, and you would like to have a free copy of the Book of Mormon of your own, without any expectations or strings attached, please let me know and I will personally mail a copy to you. 

(Of course, if you want to have a couple of cute 19-year-olds hand deliver it to your door and answer any questions you may have, I am happy to arrange that too! But that isn't necessary.) 

You can leave me a comment, message me on Facebook or email me at tiffanatee(at)gmail(dot)com, and I would be sincerely thrilled to do that for you. 

To learn more about the Book of Mormon, please visit this website. 

This post is part of a series hosted by the Book of Mormon Forum!