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God – Love

So Will I Watch Over Them

God told Jeremiah that He is mindful of all of our learning experiences. Some lessons require letting things go, while others involve watching thigs grow. Throughout all of them God, is there, watching over us, not as a disinterested observer but as a loving parent.

Jesus Christ

A Righteous Branch

Jeremiah prophesied that God would raise up a leader whom he called “a righteous Branch.” Joseph had earlier used the same phrase to identify a group of his descendants who would be remembered in the Lord’s covenants. As we draw close to the Savior, who is the righteous Branch, He helps us become righteous.

Revelation

What Burden?

Israelite prophets used the word “burden” to describe some of their messages. But Jeremiah told his people that the Lord didn’t want them to use that label anymore. They should simply ask what the Lord had spoken. Setting aside preconceptions and expectations helps us open our hearts to revelation.

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COME, FOLLOW ME

  • I Will Turn Their Mourning into Joy

    Jeremiah lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem by Rembrandt

    Jeremiah had bad news for his contemporaries: the Babylonian army would return, and Jerusalem would fall. They would be prisoners in Babylon.

    But he also had good news: their descendants would be gathered home again. This gathering was both physical—returning to Jerusalem—and spiritual—receiving a remission of their sins, renewing their covenant with God, and coming to know Him personally:

    And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

    Jeremiah 31:34; see also Jeremiah 33:7-8

    The Book of Mormon also connects the gathering of Israel with the renewal of their relationship with God. For example, Jesus prophesied:

    Then shall the remnants, which shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth, be gathered in from the east and from the west, and from the south and from the north; and they shall be brought to the knowledge of the Lord their God, who hath redeemed them.

    3 Nephi 20:13; compare 3 Nephi 16:4-5; 2 Nephi 10:2, 7

    The result of this gathering will be joy:

    Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
    And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord.

    Jeremiah 31:13-14

    This week as we study Jeremiah 31-52 and Lamentations, let’s look for the many forms of gathering the Lord performs on behalf of His people.

FEATURED POSTS

  • A Hundredth Part: Mormon’s Editorial Decisions

    A Hundredth Part: Mormon’s Editorial Decisions

    Book of Mormon authors made it clear how much they were leaving out as they wrote this “abridgment” of their history. Here’s a diagram showing how many words are dedicated to each of the 103 decades in the book.

  • Jesus Christ’s Sermon at the Temple in Bountiful – 3 Nephi 12-16, 20-22

    Jesus Christ’s Sermon at the Temple in Bountiful – 3 Nephi 12-16, 20-22

    Following His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ visited a group of people in the Americas. He taught them principles to help them deepen their discipleship, and He expanded their perspective by teaching them about God’s global, multigenerational work.

  • Names and Titles of Jesus Christ

    Names and Titles of Jesus Christ

    In March, 2019, I studied 20 different names or titles of Jesus Christ which appear in the Book of Mormon. I was particularly interested in the way each name was used, both in the Book of Mormon and in the Bible.