Zach McClure

Upon You My Fellow Servants

As the Book of Mormon was being translated, there must have been so much new information that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery read from the gold plates: prayer, baptism, and the atonement of Christ to name just a few. Nephi’s direction that all must “take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism” (2 Nephi 31:13) might have prompted questions on whether or not they should be baptized.

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That You May Come Off Conqueror

The Lord is fully aware of our efforts to serve Him and bring about much good in the world. However, that doesn’t mean everything will be easy. As we do our best to raise children in righteousness, carry out our callings, and love our neighbors as ourselves, we can be encouraged by the Lord’s wisdom to “not run faster or labor more than you have strength” (D&C 10:4).

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The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn to Their Fathers

In the few years since the visitation of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith had wondered what God would want him to do with his life. Again, in humble prayer, Joseph plead for guidance, “that I might know of my state and standing before him” (Joseph Smith—History 1:29). Again, his prayer was answered.

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The Promised Restoration Goes Forward

A simple prayer spoken aloud in the woods of upstate New York led to the most profound moment in the history of the latter-days. That prayer, and the following answer from Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ, were honored by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the year 2020, the 200th anniversary of the First Vision. Their proclamation, “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World,” was a reminder to the world that the events which had begun in 1820 will eventually culminate in the Second Coming of the Savior Jesus Christ. As we jump into our study of the Doctrine and Covenants this year, there is no better way to do so than to start with taking a deeper look at the First Vision.

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He Shall Come into the World to Redeem His People

From Nephi to Moroni, every prophet in the Book of Mormon shared a singular, sacred purpose: to convince all people that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Some, like Nephi, saw the Savior’s mortal ministry in vision. Others, like Alma the Younger, were witnesses to thousands of His power over sin. Some, like Samuel the Lamanite, proclaimed the signs of His birth and death. And still others, like the Twelve Disciples, felt the wounds in His resurrected body.

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Come unto Christ, and Be Perfected in Him

The finale of the Book of Mormon ended as it began: an invitation from a prophet to consider the Lord’s tender mercies. Moroni calls upon us to remember all that God has done for us, and that He will continue to bless us in many ways. One of these blessings is to know that the Book of Mormon is true, and that through the Holy Ghost, we can “know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5). As we remember the Lord and continually seek to know the truth of His teachings, we will feel His love for us each day.

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