3 Nephi 27

I've made a few new scripture study goals for both my personal study and our couple study. After having Charlotte I did less studying and more just reading while trying to keep my eyes open. Now that Charlotte is sleeping 11 hours each night (thank you!) I've been able to read without falling asleep.

For our couple goals we've really started to make the effort to read after dinner rather than at night in our bed. This goal came about due to the fact that Dave has caught me falling asleep during our scripture reading together numerous times at night haha. We've also set a goal to memorize one scripture a week together which has been so fun! We recite it every night after we've read our scriptures. So far we've memorized Moroni 7:33-34 and 2 Nephi 4:15-16
Dave and I both set the goals to do more STUDYING and not just READING. I went out and bought us scripture markers and Dave a new scripture journal. We've been really studying our scriptures hard for the last few weeks and I've really been loving it! It's amazing how an increase of my obedience has increased my faith and feeling the spirit significantly.

I had a really great scripture study yesterday in 3 Nephi Chapter 27. I was reading in verse 30 where it says "And now, behold, my joy is great, even unto fulness, because of you, and also this generation; yea, and even the Father rejoiceth, and also all the holy angels, because of you and this generation; for none of them are lost." When I first read that scripture I couldn't understand how an entire group of people were so righteous that NONE of them were lost. Christ goes on in verse 31 to explain "Behold, I would that ye should understand; for I mean them who are now alive of this generation; and none of them are lost; and in them I have fulness of joy."

There was a cross reference for that last verse which lead me to 3 Nephi 9:11-13. Now as you know, 3 Nephi is the book where Christ visits the Americas and I know we all remember from watching the Living Scriptures movie a million times that before Christ comes there is huge destruction of the earth followed by 3 days of complete darkness.

Christ explains in verse 9 why so many people were destroyed during the destruction. "...have I caused to be burned with fire because of their sins and their wickedness...therefore I did cause them to be burned, to destroy them from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me any more against them.

There is a lot that can be learned from these verses but the thing that stood out to me was how merciful the Savior is. You may think at first that it's NOT merciful to destroy a group of people but if you read the above verse again, you'll see that Christ destroyed the people so they will be hid from before his face and that "the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me any more against them. "

I don't know exactly how Christ will judge His people, but I do know that according to this scripture the wicked people would have faced much harsher judgements had they not been destroyed. They would have had to face Christ in their mortal bodies on Earth when he visited the Americas which it seems would be a harsher punishment for the wicked than if they were destroyed. So even though destruction of an entire group of people sounds harsh, it was actually merciful for Christ to save them from themselves.

Sometimes I think I forget how merciful the Savior is and how forgiving He is. He will do all He can to entice us, to humble us, to encourage us, to warn us, and even destroy us to help us receive the least amount of judgement and punishment possible so that we have the greatest chances to live with Him and Heavenly Father again.

With that in mind then, is it too much to ask to of us to keep the commandments?