Helaman 10:2 Nephi went his way towards his own house, pondering
Richard G. Scott
"The Book of Mormon then teaches a most impressive lesson concerning how we can learn truth: 'And it came to pass that Nephi went his way towards his own house, pondering upon the things which the Lord had shown unto him' (Helaman 10:2). As is characteristically the case, that pondering opened a channel of communication that brought additional understanding and truth to Nephi. In this particular instance, because of Nephi's valiant testimony it allowed the Lord to confer upon him the sealing power. He later used that power to bring many of the Nephites and Lamanites to repentance and salvation." (Heroes From The Book of Mormon, p. 152)
Gordon B. Hinckley
"We all do a lot of studying, but most of us don't do much meditation. We don't take time to think. I'd like to suggest that next fast day . . . everybody in this hall set aside an hour or two. Sit by yourself. Go in the bedroom and lock the door. Go out in the yard under a tree. Go in your study if you have one and shut the door, and think about yourself and your worthiness. Read from this great book [Book of Mormon]...There's a great word that's used, 'ponder.'
"'Ponder.' What do we mean by 'ponder'? Well, I think it simply means kind of quietly thinking things through. Ponder what you have read. Ponder your life. Are you worthy, are you living the commandments...?" (Church News, 01/06/96)
Helaman 10:4 thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word
Helaman had proven through his faithfulness and diligence that he stood blameless before God, 'Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day' (DC 4:2). Nephi had done just that, and because of his diligence, he was about to receive a great blessing from the Lord according to the promise, 'All victory and glory is brought to pass unto you through your diligence, faithfulness, and prayers' (DC 103:36). Unfortunately, most of us have a difficult time with diligence. To us the Lord has said, 'be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work...The Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days' (DC 64:33-4). And so, it is our charge to be as Nephi, not weary in well-doing, but diligent-serving him with all our heart, might, mind and strength.
L. Aldin Porter
"No blessing that came to Nephi will be denied anyone in this dispensation who will give the same devotion, the same commitment, to the Lord and to His work." (Ensign, Aug. 1998, p. 6)
Neal A. Maxwell
"President Spencer W. Kimball exhibited the same 'unwearyingness' as the Lord commended in Nephi (Helaman 10:4-5). One of the author's last real conversations with President Kimball included his wistful comment concerning his ministry: 'I should have done more!' How he could have done more none of us knows, but this comment is indicative of his unwearyingness. He endured so well the unusual number of afflictions life placed upon him while serving so many so incessantly." (A Wonderful Flood of Light, p. 124)
Neal A. Maxwell
"Nephi had not selfishly sought his 'own life,' but rather had sought to do God's will. This gave him the extra and undivided energy which made his striving with unwearied diligence possible. Nephi knew in which direction he faced: toward God.
"In contrast, and to be pitied, are the ambivalent, forever pivoting as between looking toward God or man. With all the incessant pivoting, no wonder some grow so weary! Instead, if we let our own wills be swallowed up in the will of the Lord, there is a more holistic deployment of our talents (see Mosiah 15:7). Like Nephi, we are not to pursue our own wills." (If Thou Endure It Well, p. 116)
Helaman 10:4 thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life
Joseph Smith taught that one of our goals should be to prove to the Lord that we are willing to serve him at all hazards. This means that we are willing to lay down our life for the cause. It means that we are willing to submit our will to the Lord's. It means that we are willing to follow the counsel, 'For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it' (Matt 16:25). Nephi is a great example of this principle. He was willing to preach to hardened Nephites. At the peril of his own life, he openly declared the wickedness of secret combinations in the very presence of these secret murderers. He undoubtedly had proven himself in a myriad of different ways in a myriad of circumstances which are not recorded in our abridged record. He had served the Lord "at all hazards."
Joseph Smith
"After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized...then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God...When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 150)
Helaman 10:4 thou...hast sought my will
The will of the Lord is something that we sometimes think of "submitting to" or even "suffering" (see 3 Ne 11:11). But this is something that Nephi actively sought. In contrast to Nephi's diligent seeking, how many times are we afraid to seek the will of the Lord because we are not willing to live accordingly? In this situation, we rationalize, it is better not to know God's will than to find it out and violate it. Neal A. Maxwell counseled, "So very much of pure prayer seems to be the process of first discovering, rather than requesting, the will of our Father in heaven and then aligning ourselves therewith...When we do conform to His will, God will pour forth special blessings from heaven upon us, as was the case with Nephi, the son of Helaman." (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, p. 94)
Alternatively, we may, with good intentions, ask the question, "What would Jesus do in this situation?" This rule of thumb almost always results in a correct course of action. When it does not, it is because the individual asking the question does not really know what Jesus would do. To know the Master, one has to understand Him as the pre-mortal Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the man named Jesus of Nazareth, the Savior of all mankind, and the Redeemer of the world. Those who are unfamiliar with the scriptures and have failed to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ are the ones who err, 'For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served' (Mosiah 5:13). Hence, the scriptures teach us that we must study so that we can be 'filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding' (Col 1:9). To be as Nephi and seek his will is to know God, and this is not a frivolous pursuit, for 'this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hath sent' (Jn 17:3).
Helaman 10:5-6 thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will
Nowhere else in the scriptures is there an instance in which the Lord so completely places his implicit trust in one of his prophets. In effect, Nephi is given a "blank check" from the Lord. He is given the privilege of using the powers of the Lord however he seems fit because the Lord knows that he was not capable of 'unrighteous dominion' (DC 121:39). This "blank check" is granted because Nephi had become one with God. This is what the Lord had prayed for in his intercessory prayer, 'That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us' (Jn 17:21). Well, Nephi had accomplished this remarkable task. The result was the great blessing of God's power, the blessing of the sealing power, and the reassurance that his life was in accordance with the will of God.
"The story goes that someone once asked Michelangelo how he could transform ordinary rock into his marvelous statues. Reportedly, the artist replied that he just chiseled until everything that wasn't the statue wasn't there. To be spiritual means to have a sense of who we truly are and then to be that person.
"Eventually, spirituality becomes such an integral part of our being that we can follow our heart's true desires without doing anything wrong. Nephi, the son of Helaman, reached that point where there was no conflict between what he wanted and what was right...This kind of spirituality requires that we consciously move away from all that is unkind, unholy, impure, or unchristian. It requires that we let go of anger and revenge. And it yields a peace of heart and soul. It makes us able to find good things to do without constantly being asked, pushed, or reminded." (Mary Ellen Edmunds, Ensign, Oct. 1985, p.14)
Marion G. Romney
"The time will come when we shall know the will of God before we ask. Then everything for which we pray will be 'expedient.' Everything for which we ask will be 'right.' That will be when as a result of righteous living, we shall so enjoy the companionship of the spirit that he will dictate what we ask. On this point the Lord has said, 'He that asketh in the Spirit asketh according to the will of God; wherefore it is done even as he asketh' (D. & C. 46:30), and again, 'And if ye are purified and cleansed from all sin, ye shall ask whatsoever you will in the name of Jesus and it shall be done. But know this, it shall be given you what you shall ask.' (D. & C. 50:29-30.) Nephi, the son of Helaman, so lived. He with unwearyingness declared the word of God. He sought not his own life but the will of God, and to keep his commandments continually, and to him the Lord said, '. . . all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.' (Helaman 10:5.)" (Conference Report, Oct. 1944, p. 56)
Helaman 10:7 whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven
Joseph Smith
"The doctrine or sealing power of Elijah is as follows:If you have power to seal on earth and in heaven, then we should be wise. The first thing you do, go and seal on earth your sons and daughters unto yourself, and yourself unto your fathers in eternal glory, and go ahead, and not go back, but use a little wisdom, and seal all you can, and when you get to heaven tell your Father that what you seal on earth should be sealed in heaven, according to his promise. I will walk through the gate of heaven and claim what I seal, and those that follow me and my counsel." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 340)
Boyd K. Packer
"That sacred sealing power is with the Church now. Nothing is regarded with more sacred contemplation by those who know the significance of this authority. Nothing is more closely held. There are relatively few men who have been delegated this sealing power upon the earth at any given time-in each temple are brethren who have been given the sealing power. No one can get it except from the prophet, seer, and revelator and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"A clear statement follows regarding the sealing power as binding on all that we do for the living and the dead.
"'Whenever the fulness of the gospel is on earth, the Lord has agents to whom he gives power to bind on earth and seal eternally in the heavens (Matt. 16:19; Matt. 18:18; Hel. 10:3-10; D&C 132:46-49.)
"'All things that are not sealed by this power have an end when men are dead. Unless a baptism has this enduring seal, it will not admit a person to the celestial kingdom; unless an eternal marriage covenant is sealed by this authority, it will not take the participating parties to an exaltation in the highest heaven within the celestial world.
"'All things gain enduring force and validity because of the sealing power. So comprehensive is this power that it embraces ordinances performed for the living and the dead, seals the children on earth up to their fathers who went before, and forms the enduring patriarchal chain that will exist eternally among exalted beings' (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966, p. 683).
"In the Church we hold sufficient authority to perform all of the ordinances necessary to redeem and to exalt the whole human family. And, because we have the keys to the sealing power, what we bind in proper order here will be bound in heaven. Those keys-the keys to seal and bind on earth, and have it bound in heaven-represent the consummate gift from our God. With that authority we can baptize and bless, we can endow and seal, and the Lord will honor our commitments." (Ensign, Feb. 1995, p. 32)
Helaman 10:12 Nephi...did not go unto his own house, but did return unto the multitudes
Richard G. Scott
"The singular strength of Nephi's character is revealed by how he responded to the singular blessings which came because Nephi was willing to subject his will to the will of his Father and because of his determination to keep the commandments of God. The Lord clarified that He could trust Nephi with this extraordinary power because he would not ask that which was contrary to His will. That is, he would use the power only as directed by the Spirit. The next verse depicts the extraordinary, willing obedience of Nephi at a time when his life had been threatened; he had been bound, been falsely accused, and suffered enough to have certainly earned a rest:
'And now behold, I command you, that ye shall go and declare unto this people, that thus saith the Lord God, who is the Almighty: Except ye repent ye shall be smitten, even unto destruction.
'And behold, now it came to pass that when the Lord had spoken these words unto Nephi, he did stop and did not go unto his own house, but did return unto the multitudes who were scattered about upon the face of the land, and began to declare unto them the word of the Lord which had been spoken unto him, concerning their destruction if they did not repent.' (Helaman 10:11-12)
"Oh, that we could be that obedient, setting aside our own convenience, when necessary, for the benefit of others!
"Thus began another series of Nephi's valiant missionary efforts, with the obedient testifying of truth against a hardened nation that rejected him, caused him great suffering, and even sought to take his life." (Heroes From The Book of Mormon, p. 153)
Helaman 10:16 he was taken by the Spirit and conveyed away out of the midst of them
Bruce R. McConkie
"Other prophets had been and would be transported bodily from place to place by the power of the Spirit. Ezekiel was lifted up and carried by the Spirit. (Ezek. 8:2-3.) Nephi 'was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceeding high mountain,' upon which he 'never had before' set his 'foot.' (1 Ne. 11:1.) Mary herself 'was carried away in the Spirit' at the time of the conception of Jesus. (1 Ne. 11:19-21.) Nephi the son of Helaman 'was taken by the Spirit and conveyed away out of the midst' of those who sought to imprison him, and thus 'he did go forth in the Spirit, from multitude to multitude, declaring the word of God.' (Hel. 10:16-17.) After Philip baptized the eunuch, 'the Spirit of the Lord caught [him] away,' and he was carried to Azotus. (Acts 8:39-40.) It is not an unheard-of thing for the Lord, by the power of the Spirit, to transport mortals from place to place..." (The Mortal Messiah¸ p. 413)