Our Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, Love To Give

On page 32 of Preach My Gospel there is a list of scriptures that help us understand “What is the nature of God the Father and Jesus Christ?”  The first scripture in the list is 1 Nephi 17:36 which reads as follows:

Behold, the Lord hath created the earth that it should be inhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it.

This verse gives us one example of how God loves to give.  It is a big example.  The earth is a big gift.  As big as the earth is, it is just an example of the gifts that God wants to give us.

When I was a missionary in Long Beach, I read page 32 of PMG and I read 1 Ne 17:36 and I read the other 14 scriptures in the list on page 32 and I made notes in the margin of PMG about the 15 listed scriptures and what they teach about the nature of God the Father and Jesus Christ.  This morning, I did something that I did not do in Long Beach.  This morning, I read all of chapter 17 of 1 Nephi to discover the context of verse 36. 

Chapter 17 is the part of the Book of Mormon in which God calls Nephi to a mountain to command him to build a ship.  After Nephi receives the commandment in verse 8, he starts to work.  He mines ore, manufactures tools, makes bellows of animal skins, and finds a way to have fire.

The last 60% of Chapter 17 describes how Nephi persuaded his brothers to help him build the ship.  Here is what I pondered as I read verses 23-55:

Does God love me?

Given that God loves to give, what would he love to give me?

What should I do to make it easier for God to give me what he has prepared for me?

How do Nephi’s words about the following people help me discover (1) what God would love to give me and (2) what I can do to receive what he wants to give me:

• The children of Israel who entered into the land of Canaan
• Moses
• The people who lived in Canaan when the Israelites arrived
• The Israelites in the wilderness before the entry into Canaan
• The Israelites in Jerusalem in the time of Lehi
• Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
• Lehi, Nephi, and Nephi’s brothers

Elders and Sisters of the Great California Long Beach Mission.  Sister Tew and I love you.  We always have and we always will.