As a young man, Nephi had seen in vision the baptism of Christ. In chapter 31, he reminds us of the importance of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost (mentioned in verses 8 and 12-14). My margin quote for the first page is about the Holy Ghost:
"The Holy Ghost will be your personal tutor as you seek to know and understand what the Lord would have you know and do," (President Russell M. Nelson, "Spiritual Treasures," Conference, October 2019).
On the following page (2 Nephi 31:17), Nephi makes his famous comparison of baptism to a gate: "For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water . . ." I was still feeling nostalgia for the beauty of Charleston, South Carolina (we lived in Goose Creek for nearly five years when my husband taught at the Nuclear Power School). In historic downtown, the narrow side yards are lush, formal, and beautiful. Entrance into those yards was typically through a one-of-a-kind wrought iron gate, framed with brick. That was my inspiration for the gate I drew, along with this quote:
"This is the gate, our access to the Savior's atoning grace and to the strait and narrow path leading to His kingdom," (Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "The Living Bread Which Came Down from Heaven," Conference, October 2017).
In 2 Nephi 32 we learn more about the Holy Ghost. I wrote a treasure scripture in the margin:
"Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore they speak the words of Christ," (2 Nephi 32:3).
In 2 Nephi 39, Nephi speaks of Christ. In verse 9, he encourages us to "be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life . . ." In the margin, I wrote:
"Are we true followers of Him who gave His all for us?" (Elder Terence M. Vinson, "True Disciples of the Savior," Conference, October 2019). I used a pencil and circle stencils for the flowers and vines.
On the last page, Nephi speaks of judgment day with this almost eerie prophesy: "You and I shall stand face to face before his bar," (2 Nephi 33:11). I struggled with what to draw on this day. I couldn't picture a judgment bar, and didn't like the idea of doing a gavel (too justice oriented. No mercy). Then I was rereading the quote I had put in the margin. The part about desires for righteousness struck me. But wait! What does that have to do with Christ's atonement or works? I'd say everything. If the deepest desire of our hearts is righteousness, then we desire the source of righteousness (Christ). A natural side effect of having righteous desires is that many (though not all) of our works will be righteous. This reminded me of an image in the ancient Egyptian book of the dead. They believed that to enter the after-life, their hearts would be weighed. If their heart was good (lighter than this symbolic feather) then the God of resurrection would allow them to enter the after-life. While not embracing all the pagan gods involved in their story, the image of a heart on a scale felt right to me.
In the margin, I wrote:
"If our desires have been righteousness and our works good, then the judgment bar will be pleasing. Conversely, if our desires have been for evil and our works wicked, then the judgment bar will be a cause of dread," (Elder David A. Bednar, "Therefore They Hushed Their Fears," Conference April 2015).
Did you have a favorite scripture or quote from 2 Nephi 31-33? If so, please share in the comments below.
If you enjoyed this, you might be interested in following my Pinterest board Book of Mormon Journaling. I've sorted the board into different books in the Book of Mormon, so you don't have to scroll through a hundred ideas for 1 Nephi when the ideas you want are for Jacob!
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