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Come, Follow Me – Book of Mormon (January)

Hello! And welcome to Come, Follow Me – Book of Mormon. Unlike other classes you have for school, this is organized into weeks to match the pace of classes and lessons at church. If you miss a day, skip ahead to be sure you stay in the right week. A day with an asterisk (*) means you have something to print!

There are two sections for each lesson, Primary and Youth. Be sure to choose the lesson that’s right for your age.

Links for other months: February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

January, Week 1

Day 1

Primary
1. This year you will be learning about the Book of Mormon! Before you even get to 1 Nephi chapter 1, you will notice that the Book of Mormon is no ordinary book. Its opening pages describe a backstory unlike any other, including visits from angels, an ancient record buried for centuries in a hillside, and a young man translating the record by the power of God. The Book of Mormon is not just a history of ancient American civilizations. Its purpose is to convince everyone “that Jesus is the Christ” (title page of the Book of Mormon), and God Himself directed how it was written, preserved, and made available to us. This year, as you read the Book of Mormon and pray about it you will invite the Savior’s power into your life.
2. Watch the video “How We Got the Book of Mormon.”
3. Listen to the song “Books in the Book of Mormon.”

Youth
1. Before you even get to 1 Nephi chapter 1, you will notice that the Book of Mormon is no ordinary book. Its introductory pages describe a backstory unlike any other—including visits from angels, an ancient record buried for centuries in a hillside, and a young man translating the record by the power of God. The Book of Mormon is not just a history of ancient American civilizations. It seeks to convince all “that Jesus is the Christ” (title page of the Book of Mormon), and God Himself directed how it was written, preserved, and made available to us. This year, as you read the Book of Mormon, pray about it, and apply its teachings, you will invite the Savior’s power into your life. And you may feel moved to say, as the Three Witnesses did in their testimony, “It is marvelous in [my] eyes.”
2. Watch the video “What is the Book of Mormon?”
3. Listen to the song “Books in the Book of Mormon.”

Day 2

Primary
1. Read the Title Page of the Book of Mormon.
2. Read the Introduction to the Book of Mormon.
3. The title page of the Book of Mormon provides more than just a title. Among other things, it lists several purposes of this sacred record. Look for these purposes in the title page. Questions like these can help you as you ponder: Why do we have the Book of Mormon? How is the Book of Mormon different from other books?
4. Listen to the song “The Iron Rod.”

Youth
1. Read the Title Page of the Book of Mormon.
2. Read the Introduction to the Book of Mormon.
3. The title page of the Book of Mormon provides more than just a title. Among other things, it lists several purposes of this sacred record. Look for these purposes in the title page. Questions like these can help you as you ponder: Why do we have the Book of Mormon? How is the Book of Mormon different from other books?

Day 3

Primary
1. Read the testimony of the three witnesses.
2. People were asked to see and touch the gold plates and testify to others that they were real. The Holy Ghost can testify to you that the Book of Mormon is true, even though you haven’t seen the gold plates as the Three Witnesses and Eight Witnesses did.
3. Watch the video “Witnesses See the Gold Plates.”
4. Listen to the song “Book of Mormon Stories.”

Youth
1. Read the testimony of the three witnesses.
2. Read the testimony of the eight witnesses.
3. Watch the video “Witnesses of the Book of Mormon Gold Plates.”
4. The Holy Ghost can testify to you that the Book of Mormon is true, even though you haven’t seen the gold plates as the Three Witnesses and Eight Witnesses did. As you read their words, think about how their testimonies strengthen yours.

Week 2

Day 1

Primary
1. Today read 1 Nephi 1, including the introduction.
2. Prophets do not always share messages that are popular with the world, but their teachings and warnings demonstrate the Lord’s love for His people. Lehi was called by God to preach repentance to the people of Jerusalem. Despite his pleas and warnings, they rejected his words and treied to kill him.
3. Watch the video “Lehi Warns the People.”
4. Listen to the song “Book of Mormon Stories.”

Youth
1. Today read 1 Nephi 1, including the introduction, and 1 Nephi 2.
2. Prophets do not always share messages that are popular with the world, but their teachings and warnings demonstrate the Lord’s love for His people. Lehi was called by God to preach repentance to the people of Jerusalem. Despite his pleas and warnings, they rejected his words and sought to kill him. Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained the importance of what God’s prophets teach:

Anchoring our souls to the Lord Jesus Christ requires listening to those He sends. …

The prophet’s voice, while spoken kindly, will often be a voice asking us to change, to repent, and to return to the Lord. When correction is needed, let’s not delay. And don’t be alarmed when the prophet’s warning voice counters popular opinions of the day. The mocking fireballs of annoyed disbelievers are always hurled the moment the prophet begins to speak. As you are humble in following the counsel of the Lord’s prophet, I promise you an added blessing of safety and peace. …

… A prophet’s greatest responsibility and most precious gift to us is his sure witness, his certain knowledge, that Jesus is the Christ. (Neil L. Andersen, “The Prophet of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 26–27)

3. The Lord sometimes commands us to do things that we may find difficult to understand or do. After calling upon the people of Jerusalem to repent, Lehi obeyed a revelation to move his family into the wilderness. Rather than murmur like Laman and Lemuel, Nephi turned to the Lord for further understanding and had his heart softened. Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared what we can do when we may not initially understand or agree with counsel from the Lord’s prophet.

Don’t be surprised if at times your personal views are not initially in harmony with the teachings of the Lord’s prophet. These are moments of learning, of humility, when we go to our knees in prayer. We walk forward in faith, trusting in God, knowing that with time we will receive more spiritual clarity from our Heavenly Father. One prophet described the incomparable gift of the Savior as “the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father” [Mosiah 15:7]. The surrender of our will to God’s will is, in fact, not surrender at all but the beginning of a glorious victory. (Neil L. Andersen, “The Prophet of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 26)

4. Watch the video “The Lord Command’s Lehi’s Family to Leave Jerusalem.” It’s long. You might want a snack.

Day 2

Primary
1. Today read 1 Nephi 2.
2. Nephi is known for his powerful faith in the Lord, but he had to work to gain his testimony, just as we all do. What do you read in 1 Nephi 2 that shows why Nephi was able to gain a witness that his father’s words were true? Why didn’t Laman and Lemuel gain this witness?
3. Watch the video “Lehi Leaves Jerusalem.”
4. Listen to the song “The Iron Rod.”

Youth*
1. Today read 1 Nephi 3 and 1 Nephi 4.
2. Imagine how Lehi’s sons might have felt leaving their home and traveling hundreds of miles through barren country into the wilderness only to be asked to return to Jerusalem a short time later to get the plates from Laban. One thing we learn from 1 Nephi 3:7 is that God prepares a way for us to accomplish whatever He asks us to do. Although God will help you accomplish what He asks, He has not promised that it will be easy or that your first attempt will be successful. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, explained:

Following the Savior will not remove all of your trials. However, it will remove the barriers between you and the help your Heavenly Father wants to give you. God will be with you.
(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “A Yearning for Home,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 22)

*3. Print a copy of the Book of Mormon Doctrinal Mastery scriptures. There is a famous doctrinal mastery verse in today’s reading, 1 Nephi 3:7.

7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

There is a song to help you memorize this verse if you want to listen to it.
4. Today watch the following, shorter videos.

Day 3

Primary*
1. Read 1 Nephi 3, 1 Nephi 4, and 1 Nephi 5.
2. After traveling for days through the wilderness, Nephi and his brothers faced a test of their obedience and faith in God when they were commanded to return to Jerusalem to get the brass plates from Laban. How do you think you would feel? How did Nephi feel? One thing we learn from verse 7 is that God prepares a way for us to accomplish whatever He asks us to do.
*3. Print a copy of the Book of Mormon Doctrinal Mastery scriptures. There is a famous doctrinal mastery verse in today’s reading, 1 Nephi 3:7.

7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

There is a song to help you memorize this verse if you want to listen to it.
4. Watch the video “The Brass Plates.”
5. Listen to the song “Keep the Commandments.”

Youth
1. Read 1 Nephi 5.
2. While Lehi’s wife, Sariah, waited for her sons to return from Jerusalem, she feared that they had perished in their efforts to obtain the brass plates. When they returned safely with the plates, she gained a stronger witness that God was directing and preserving her family.
3. One prominent message in the Book of Mormon is the “great worth” of the word of God (1 Nephi 5:21). What are some ways the word of God directly or indirectly blessed Lehi’s family?
4. Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared the account of Lehi searching the brass plates:

When Nephi and his brothers returned [from Jerusalem with the brass plates], Lehi, their father, rejoiced. He began to search the holy scriptures ‘from the beginning,’ and ‘found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth … insomuch that [Lehi and his posterity] could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto [their] children’ [1 Nephi 5:10, 21].

Indeed, the brass plates were a record of Lehi’s fathers, including their language, genealogy, and, more importantly, the gospel taught by God’s holy prophets. As Lehi searched the plates, he learned what all of us learn by studying the scriptures:

• Who we are.

• What we can become.

• Prophecies for us and for our posterity.

• The commandments, laws, ordinances, and covenants we must live by to obtain eternal life.

• And how we must live in order to endure to the end and return to our Heavenly Father with honor.

So essential are these truths that Heavenly Father gave both Lehi and Nephi visions vividly representing the word of God as a rod of iron. Both father and son learned that holding to this strong, unbending, utterly reliable guide is the only way to stay on that strait and narrow path that leads to our Savior.
(Robert D. Hales, “Holy Scriptures: The Power of God unto Our Salvation,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 25)

5. Watch the videos “Sariah Rejoices in the Return of her Sons” and “Lehi Testifies of the Importance of Scripture.”

Week 3

Day 1

Primary
1. Today read 1 Nephi 6 and 1 Nephi 7.
2. Nephi and his brothers returned to Jerusalem again to persuade Ishmael’s family to join their journey to the promised land. This allowed Nephi and his brothers to marry and have families. Then, Laman and Lemuel tied Nephi up, intending to leave him to die in the wilderness. But Nephi had great faith, and the Lord miraculously delivered him. Nephi sincerely forgave his brothers for their attempt to kill him, and the group returned to Lehi and Sariah.
3. Watch the video “Ishmael and His Family.”
4. Listen to the song “Keep the Commandments.”

Youth
1. Today read 1 Nephi 6 and 1 Nephi 7.
2. If you were to write a record to be kept for future generations to learn from, what might you include? Nephi expressed his desire that his writings would be pleasing to God and persuade others to follow Jesus Christ.
3. The events Nephi recounted in 1 Nephi 7 could be divided into three major parts. First, Nephi and his brothers returned to Jerusalem again to persuade Ishmael’s family to join their journey to the promised land. This allowed Nephi and his brothers to marry and have families. Then, Laman and Lemuel tied Nephi up, intending to leave him to die in the wilderness. But Nephi had great faith, and the Lord miraculously delivered him. Finally, Nephi sincerely forgave his brothers for their attempt to kill him, and the group returned to Lehi and Sariah.
4. Why is family so important to the Lord? What difference can I make in my own family now? The scriptures speak of the need for Lehi’s sons to marry so they can have children in the promised land, and through modern prophets we learn that family is central to the Lord’s plan to bring to pass our eternal destiny.
5. Nephi forgave his brothers for their attempt to kill him, which must have been difficult. It is important for us to forgive even serious offenses against us. How can I forgive others? Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught the following:

“Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven” [Luke 6:37], Christ taught in New Testament times. And in our day: “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men” [Doctrine and Covenants 64:10]. It is, however, important for some of you living in real anguish to note what He did not say. He did not say, “You are not allowed to feel true pain or real sorrow from the shattering experiences you have had at the hand of another.” Nor did He say, “In order to forgive fully, you have to reenter a toxic relationship or return to an abusive, destructive circumstance.” But notwithstanding even the most terrible offenses that might come to us, we can rise above our pain only when we put our feet onto the path of true healing. That path is the forgiving one walked by Jesus of Nazareth, who calls out to each of us, “Come, follow me” [Luke 18:22]. (Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Ministry of Reconciliation,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 78–79)

6. Watch the video “Ishmael’s Household Joins Lehi’s Family.”

Day 2

Primary
1. Today read 1 Nephi 8.
2. How would you describe God’s love? Lehi had a vision in which he saw a beautiful tree. He ate the fruit of that tree, and it “was most sweet, above all” he had ever tasted. This tree and its fruit represent the love of God. This love “filled [Lehi’s] soul with exceedingly great joy.” Many people in the world want to feel joy and love but don’t know where to find it. Through his vision of the tree of life, Lehi learned about the path we must travel and how to stay on it to enjoy the blessings of God’s love.
3. Watch the video “Lehi’s Dream.”
4. Listen to the song “Tree of Life.”

Youth
1. Today read 1 Nephi 8.
2. How would you describe God’s love? Lehi had a vision in which he saw a beautiful tree. He ate the fruit of that tree, and it “was most sweet, above all” he had ever tasted (1 Nephi 8:11). This tree and its fruit represent the love of God, manifested in the birth, life, ministry, and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This love “filled [Lehi’s] soul with exceedingly great joy” (1 Nephi 8:12).
3. Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

The greatest manifestation of God’s love for His children is the mortal ministry, atoning sacrifice, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The fruit on the tree can be considered a symbol for the blessings of the Savior’s Atonement.
(David A. Bednar, “Come and See,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 109)

4. Many people in the world want to feel joy and love but don’t know where to find it. Through his vision of the tree of life, Lehi learned about the path we must travel and how to stay on it to enjoy the blessings of God’s love.
5. President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained:

You may think that Lehi’s dream or vision has no special meaning for you, but it does. You are in it; all of us are in it.
(Boyd K. Packer, “Finding Ourselves in Lehi’s Dream,” Ensign or Liahona, Aug. 2010, 22)

6. In his dream, Lehi saw “numberless concourses of people” (1 Nephi 8:21) trying to make their way to the tree of life. They encountered several elements that affected their ability to come to the tree: mists of darkness, the iron rod, and people in a great and spacious building. In Lehi’s vision, God had also prepared ways to help His children come unto the tree. There was “a strait and narrow path” (1 Nephi 8:20) that led to the tree. Along the path, He provided a “rod of iron” that guided people (1 Nephi 8:19, 24, 30). If we hearken and hold fast to the word of the Lord, the adversary’s temptations will not overpower us.
7. Watch the video “Lehi Sees a Vision of the Tree of Life.”

Day 3

Primary
1. Today read 1 Nephi 9.
2. The Lord commanded Nephi to keep two sets of records. Nephi was obedient, even though he did not understand the reason. Later, at least part of the reason became clear when the first 116 pages that had been translated from the Book of Mormon were lost.
3. Watch the video “Martin Harris and the Lost Pages.”
4. Listen to the song “Book of Mormon Stories.”

Youth
1. Today read 1 Nephi 9.
2. Nephi declared, “The fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved” (1 Nephi 6:4). He kept two sets of records: the small plates of Nephi and the large plates of Nephi. The Lord commanded him to make an abridgment of Lehi’s account on the small plates, and Nephi obeyed this commandment without knowing the reason for it.
3. In 1 Nephi 9:1–5, Nephi tells about his effort to keep records on two sets of plates known as the small plates of Nephi and the large plates of Nephi. (The words small and large refer to the number of plates in each set. The small plates of Nephi had fewer plates than the large plates of Nephi.) Imagine being in Nephi’s situation. Consider the effort and difficulty it would require to make a second set of plates and to maintain two records at once.
4. Nearly 1,000 years later, the prophet Mormon made an abridgment, or shortened version, of the records that had been written by his people. As he created this abridgment, he found the small plates of Nephi and was prompted by the Spirit to include them unabridged in his record “for a wise purpose” (Words of Mormon 1:7) that was unknown to him at the time. At least part of the Lord’s “wise purpose” for having Nephi keep two sets of records became apparent when Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon. Joseph began his translation with Mormon’s abridgment of the large plates of Nephi. Martin Harris, who had been helping Joseph, wanted to show the translation to his wife and family. Reluctantly, the Prophet allowed Martin to borrow the 116 pages of manuscript that had been completed up to that time. The 116 pages were stolen from Martin, and, as a consequence, the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the gift to translate were temporarily taken from Joseph Smith (see D&C 3:14).
5. After Joseph Smith went through a period of repentance, the Lord told him not to retranslate the lost portion. Instead He commanded him to translate the small plates of Nephi, which covered the same period of time. He informed Joseph that those who had taken the 116 pages had changed them and planned to use them to discredit the work. The Lord had foreseen these events many hundreds of years earlier and had provided the second record to thwart Satan’s plan.
6. Read the following statement by Elder Marvin J. Ashton (1915–1994) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

Sometimes when we are asked to be obedient, we do not know why, except the Lord has commanded. … Nephi followed instructions even though he didn’t fully understand the wise purpose. His obedience resulted in blessings to mankind all over the world.
(Marvin J. Ashton, “Who Will Forfeit the Harvest?” Ensign, Nov. 1978, 51)

Day 4

Primary
1. Today read 1 Nephi 10.
2. After the prophet Lehi related his vision of the tree of life to his family, he also gave a series of prophecies. These included details of the coming of Jesus Christ to earth 600 years after Lehi left Jerusalem, His baptism by John the Baptist, His Crucifixion and Resurrection, and the impending scattering and gathering of Israel. Lehi’s sons had different reactions to his inspired teachings. Nephi desired to learn the truth of his father’s words for himself. One of the truths Nephi understood is that God reveals truth to us through the Holy Ghost when we diligently seek Him.
3. Listen to the song “The Iron Rod.”

Youth
1. Today read 1 Nephi 10.
2. After the prophet Lehi related his vision of the tree of life to his family, he also gave a series of prophecies. These included details of the coming of Jesus Christ to earth 600 years after Lehi left Jerusalem, His baptism by John the Baptist, His Crucifixion and Resurrection, and the impending scattering and gathering of Israel. Lehi’s sons had different reactions to his inspired teachings. Nephi desired to learn the truth of his father’s words for himself. One of the truths Nephi understood is that God reveals truth to us through the Holy Ghost when we diligently seek Him.
3. Read 1 Nephi 10:17–19 and look for what Nephi desired to see, hear, and know. (The things that his father had seen by the power of the Holy Ghost.) The phrase “mysteries of God” in verse 19 refers to “spiritual truths known only by revelation” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Mysteries of God,” scriptures.lds.org).
4. What principle can we learn from verse 19 about how we can learn truth by the power of the Holy Ghost? (If we diligently seek truth, then God will reveal it to us by the power of the Holy Ghost.)

Week 4

Day 1

Primary
1. Today read 1 Nephi 11 and 1 Nephi 12.
2. Nephi prayed to understand the vision his father, Lehi, had been given. Instead of just understanding, Nephi was given his own vision, and he was taught to understand what he saw. He was shown the life of Jesus Christ and the future of his own descendants in the promised land.
3. Listen to the song “The Iron Rod.”

Youth
1. Today read 1 Nephi 11 and 1 Nephi 12.
2. Nephi deeply wanted to understand the meaning of his father’s dream and believed the Lord would make it known to him. As he pondered in his heart, the Spirit of the Lord appeared and showed him the tree of life. When Nephi asked to know the interpretation of the tree, an angel appeared to help him learn more about what he was seeing in vision.
3. Read what Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said about how these events help us see the Savior’s love for us.

The Savior’s example of humility and sacrifice for all mankind is the most profound event in history. The Savior, even as a member of the Godhead, was willing to come to earth as a lowly infant and begin an existence that included teaching and healing His brothers and sisters and ultimately suffering indescribable pain in Gethsemane and on the cross in order to perfect His Atonement. This act of love and humility on the part of Christ is known as His condescension. He did this for every man and woman God has created or will create.
(Quentin L. Cook, “The Eternal Everyday,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 52)

4. Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained:

Jesus was the Firstborn among spirits and the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh. Although we are not begotten of God in the flesh, we are, just as Jesus, the spirit offspring of God. Thus, our birth into mortality is also something of a condescension, and like Christ’s, it has a noble purpose. Just as Jesus, we came down from heaven to do the will of Him that sent us and to achieve, with the grace of Christ, immortality and eternal life. Might it be important for us, as we seek to “ascend up on high,” also to descend below at least some things that we might comprehend more fully and become more Christlike? If Jesus needed certain experiences, might we also require some challenges and trials, “that [our] bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that [we] may know according to the flesh how to succor [one another] according to [our] infirmities.” [Alma 7:12]
(D. Todd Christofferson, “The Condescension of God and of Man.” [First Presidency Christmas devotional, Dec. 7, 2014], ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

5. Watch the videos “Nephi Sees the Birth and Ministry of Jesus Christ” and “Nephi Sees Jesus Christ’s Ministry in the Americas.”

Day 2

Primary
1. Today read 1 Nephi 13.
2. After being shown in a vision the eventual destruction of his people, Nephi saw that a church would corrupt the teachings of the Bible and fight against the Saints of God. Imagine Nephi’s joy to also see that the gospel would be restored, blessing all who would embrace the Savior’s teachings and covenants. The Restoration of the Savior’s gospel is a blessing in so many ways. One blessing is that it brings to light many of the plain and precious truths that were lost from the Bible.
3. Listen to the song “Keep the Commandments.”

Youth
1. Today read 1 Nephi 13.
2. After being shown in a vision the eventual destruction of his people, Nephi saw that a church would corrupt the teachings of the Bible and fight against the Saints of God. Imagine Nephi’s joy to also see that the gospel would be restored, blessing all who would embrace the Savior’s teachings and covenants. The Restoration of the Savior’s gospel is a blessing in so many ways. One blessing is that it brings to light many of the plain and precious truths that were lost from the Bible.

3. Why are the Book of Mormon and other latter-day scripture so important? The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “many important points touching the salvation of man had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 217). He also said that he believed the Bible “as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers” and that “ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors” (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 207).
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Elements … missing from the Bible were both “plain and most precious.” They were plain in their simplicity and clarity, being easy to “the understanding of … men”; they were precious in their purity and profound worth, their saving significance and eternal importance to the children of God.
(Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon [1997], 5)

4. Should I still study the Bible along with the Book of Mormon and other latter-day scripture? President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles declared:

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable” (2 Timothy 3:16). We love the Bible and other scriptures. That may be surprising to some who may not be aware of our belief in the Bible as the revealed word of God. It is one of the pillars of our faith, a powerful witness of the Savior and of Christ’s ongoing influence in the lives of those who worship and follow Him. The more we read and study the Bible and its teachings, the more clearly we see the doctrinal underpinnings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. …

You young people especially, do not discount or devalue the Holy Bible. It is the sacred, holy record of the Lord’s life.
(M. Russell Ballard, “The Miracle of the Holy Bible,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 81–82)

Day 3

Primary
1. Read 1 Nephi 14.
2. In this part of the vision, Nephi was told of the blessings promised to those who repent and hearken unto the Lord and the consequences that will come upon the wicked who harden their hearts against the Lord. Nephi was also shown that the Lord would help and protect those who live righteously and keep their covenants and that He would destroy the great and abominable church of the devil. If we keep our covenants, we will be armed with righteousness and with the power of God. What do you think it means to be armed with the power of God?
3. Listen to the song “Book of Mormon Stories.”

Youth
1. Read 1 Nephi 14.
2. In this part of the vision, Nephi was told of the blessings promised to those who repent and hearken unto the Lord and the consequences that will come upon the wicked who harden their hearts against the Lord. Nephi was also shown that the Lord would help and protect those who live righteously and keep their covenants and that He would destroy the great and abominable church of the devil.
3. If we repent and do not harden our hearts against the Lord and His work, then we will receive peace and eternal life. If we do not repent but harden our hearts against the Lord and His work, we will eventually be brought down into captivity and destruction.
4. Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained how we can be “armed with righteousness and with the power of God” (1 Nephi 14:14):

For the Church, the scriptures suggest both an accelerated sifting and accelerated spiritual and numerical growth—with all this preceding the time when the people of God will be ‘armed with righteousness’—not weapons—and when the Lord’s glory will be poured out upon them (1 Nephi 14:14; see also 1 Peter 4:17; D&C 112:25). The Lord is determined to have a tried, pure, and proven people (see D&C 100:16; 101:4; 136:31), and ‘there is nothing that the Lord thy God shall take in his heart to do but what he will do it’ (Abraham 3:17).
(Neal A. Maxwell, “For I Will Lead You Along,” Ensign, May 1988, 8)

5. President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testified that the Lord’s people, armed with the power of the priesthood, will eventually triumph over evil:

We [members of the Church] are a tiny fraction when compared to the billions of people on earth. But we are who we are, and we know what we know, and we are to go forth and preach the gospel.

The Book of Mormon makes it clear that we never will dominate by numbers. But we have the power of the priesthood [see 1 Nephi 14:14]. …

We can and in due time certainly will influence all of humanity. It will be known who we are and why we are. It might seem hopeless; it is monumentally difficult; but it is not only possible but certain that we will win the battle against Satan.
(Boyd K. Packer, “The Power of the Priesthood,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 7)

6. Watch the video “Nephi Sees the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Day 4

Primary
1. Today read 1 Nephi 15.
2. After Nephi received a vision similar to the vision his father had received, he returned to his father’s tent. There he found his brethren disputing over Lehi’s teachings. Nephi scolded his brothers for their hard-heartedness and reminded them how to receive revelation for themselves. He then explained some of Lehi’s teachings about the natural branches of the olive tree and the meaning of Lehi’s vision of the tree of life.
3. Listen to the song “Tree of Life.”

Youth
1. Today read 1 Nephi 15.
2. After Nephi received a vision similar to the vision his father had received, he returned to his father’s tent. There he found his brethren disputing over Lehi’s teachings. Nephi chastised his brethren for their hard-heartedness and reminded them how to receive revelation for themselves. He then explained some of Lehi’s teachings about the natural branches of the olive tree and the meaning of Lehi’s vision of the tree of life.
3. If we harden our hearts and do not look to the Lord, then we will struggle to understand spiritual truth. If we do not harden our hearts and we ask the Lord in faith and keep His commandments, then we will receive answers and understanding from Him.
4. Elder Gerald N. Lund, who served as a member of the Seventy, emphasized the role of personal agency in preparing our hearts to receive personal revelation:

We feel things in our hearts. In the scriptures, the prophets teach that personal revelation is closely linked to the heart. …

The heart is a tender place. It is sensitive to many influences, both positive and negative. …

… Individual agency is so sacred that Heavenly Father will never force the human heart, even with all His infinite power. Man may try to do so, but God does not. To put it another way, God allows us to be the guardians, or the gatekeepers, of our own hearts. We must, of our own free will, open our hearts to the Spirit, for He will not force Himself upon us.
(Gerald N. Lund, “Opening Our Hearts,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2008, 32, 33)

5. Watch the video “Nephi Explains the Gathering of Israel in the Latter Days.”