Have you ever had a moment where you feel like you messed up so badly that there was no hope things would ever get better?
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I have – and so did Joseph Smith.
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I am struck by the strength of character we see in Nephi and Moroni when they wrote these words.
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Nephi –
“Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates
for a wise purpose in him,
which purpose I know not.
“But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning” – 1 Nephi 9:5-6
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Mormon – nearly 1000 years later –
“But behold, I shall take these plates
… and put them with the remainder of my record …
“And I do this for a wise purpose…
“And now, I do not know all things;
but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come;
wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will.” – WoM 1:6-7
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These two men, both older in age

• had developed the ability and character
• to hear God’s voice
• and to follow it with exactness.
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  We know at least part of the Lord’s “wise purpose” in the creation and inclusion of these plates.
  .
  At the age of 22, a young Joseph Smith had not yet fully developed these attributes.
  .
  Nearly 1400 years later –
  Joseph would lose the first 116 translated pages of The Book of Mormon manuscript.
  .
  Joseph suffered greatly for this mistake
• including this chastisement directly from the Lord
  …
  “Behold, how oft you have transgressed the commandments and the laws of God, and have gone on in the persuasions of men.
  “… behold, you should not have feared man more than God…
  “… you should have been faithful”
  .
  But the Lord – having planned for this experience all along added –
  “But remember, God is merciful;
  therefore, repent of that which thou hast done
  … and thou art still chosen,
  … and art again called to the work”
  .
  Years later, a more experienced, disciplined, and wiser Joseph Smith stated,
  “I made this my rule: When God commands, do it.”
  -HC 2:170
  .
  .
  I’m so grateful for the Lord’s loving mercy for us
• and for the humble examples of men like Nephi, Mormon, and Joseph Smith.
  .
  May we all – someday – be able to state with confidence as Mormon did –
  “wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will.”
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• Jakob R. Jones
  @jakobrjones
• #comefollowme