3 Nephi 12: 3-16, 38-44

 

How are you blessed by striving to become a true disciple of Jesus Christ?

"3 Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 And again, blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 And blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.

7 And blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

8 And blessed are all the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 And blessed are all the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

10 And blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 And blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake;

12 For ye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.

13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the salt of the earth; but if the salt shall lose its savor wherewith shall the earth be salted? The salt shall be thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men.

14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

15 Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house;

16 Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (3 Nephi 12: 3-16)

"38 And behold, it is written, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth;

39 But I say unto you, that ye shall not resist evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also;

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also;

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn thou not away.

43 And behold it is written also, that thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy;

44 But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;" (3 Nephi 12: 38-44)

And here's the beginning part of the commentary entitled: "I can be a true disciple of Jesus Christ." : 

"Here’s one way to study and apply what the Savior taught in 3 Nephi 12–14: Pick a group of verses, and see if you can summarize them in one sentence that begins with “True disciples of Jesus Christ …” For example, a summary of 3 Nephi 13:1–8 might be “True disciples of Jesus Christ don’t seek public praise for doing good.” Try it with these passages:

• 12:3–16: True disciples of Jesus Christ are meek, hunger and thirst after righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, have great joy, exceedingly glad, salt of the earth, and light of the people.

• 12:38–44: True disciples of Jesus Christ turns the other cheek, go the extra mile, turn not the borrowers away, and love their enemies.

Jacob 4: 5; 3 Nephi 12: 48, 3, 20; 15: 9

How have you been blessed by looking unto Jesus Christ, the Law and the Light?

"5 Behold, they believed in Christ and worshiped the Father in his name, and also we worship the Father in his name. And for this intent we keep the law of Moses, it pointing our souls to him; and for this cause it is sanctified unto us for righteousness, even as it was accounted unto Abraham in the wilderness to be obedient unto the commands of God in offering up his son Isaac, which is a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son." (Jacob 4: 5)

"48 Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect." (3 Nephi 12: 48)

"3 Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (3 Nephi 12: 3)

"20 Therefore come unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." (3 Nephi 12: 20)

"9 Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life." (3 Nephi 15: 9)

And here's the introductory commentary for this week's reading assignment: September 30–October 6: “I Am the Law, and the Light” 3 Nephi 12–16 :

"Like Jesus’s disciples who gathered to hear the Sermon on the Mount in Galilee, the people who gathered at the temple in Bountiful had lived the law of Moses. They had followed it because it pointed their souls to Christ (see Jacob 4:5), and now Christ stood before them, declaring a higher law. But even those of us who have never lived the law of Moses can recognize that the standard Jesus set for His disciples is a high one. “I would that ye should be perfect,” He declared (3 Nephi 12:48). If this makes you feel inadequate, remember that Jesus also said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (3 Nephi 12:3). This higher law is an invitation—another way of saying “Come unto me and be ye saved” (3 Nephi 12:20). Like the law of Moses, this law points us to Christ—the only One who can save and perfect us. “Behold,” He said, “I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live” (3 Nephi 15:9)."

If I am that biker in the video, when I choose the light I feel safe because I am able to see exactly where I am, what's going on around me, and the direction where I'm heading. I wouldn't feel safe being in that tunnel with no light at all. I wouldn't feel safe being in this troubled world without the Law and the Light of my life, my Savior Jesus Christ. I know everything will be all right as I continue to follow my Light.

3 Nephi 17: 25; 11: 8-17

 

What are you doing to strengthen your personal witness of the Savior?

"25 And the multitude did see and hear and bear record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see and hear, every man for himself; and they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls; and they did consist of men, women, and children." (3 Nephi 17: 25)

"8 And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.

9 And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:

10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.

11 And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.

12 And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven.

13 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying:

14 Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.

15 And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.

16 And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying:

17 Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him." (3 Nephi 11: 8-17)

And here's the commentary entitled: "Jesus Christ invites me to gain a personal witness of Him." : 

"About 2,500 people were gathered at the temple in Bountiful when Jesus Christ appeared (see 3 Nephi 17:25). Despite this large number, the Savior invited them each “one by one” to feel the nail prints in His hands and feet (3 Nephi 11:14–15). As you read, imagine what it might have been like to be there. In what ways is the Savior inviting you to “arise and come forth unto” Him? (3 Nephi 11:14).

As you imagine what it might have been like to learn from the resurrected Savior when He taught in Americas, consider exploring this interactive experience."

The Savior gave time for each of the 2,500 people to feel the nail prints in His hands and feet. So if I was there, I would have that same privilege to touch those nail prints as well. I wonder how it feels like in my hand and in my eyes to touch and to see for myself those marks in my Savior's body which testify that He indeed died for me, for you and for everyone of God's children. After my turn to to gain my personal witness of Him, I would be kneeling down myself at His feet worshipping Him for sure and feeling so grateful for His sacrifice for me and for all mankind. 

The Savior is inviting me to "arise and come forth unto Him" by holding up my light for all the world to see. That light is the Lord Himself, that which I see Him do. The Lord wants me to emulate Him so that many people will glorify God because of seeing His light through my instrumentality. 

As I continually study the Lord's words and share them in this blog daily, my personal witness of the Savior is getting stronger and stronger.