Delighting in the Lord’s Covenants

2 Nephi 11:5 - "And also my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers; yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death."

Elaine L. Jack - "We are the covenant people, blessed to live on the earth when we can prepare in earnest for the second coming of our Savior. I pray that we will daily rejoice in being alive now when we can covenant through baptism and in the house of the Lord. …To be a [man or] woman of covenant is a sacred and holy calling. Our covenants should ennoble us, serving as inspiration and incentive. A deepened understanding of our covenants lifts our vision to the loftier vistas awaiting us."

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Welcome to Seek This Jesus, a daily podcast dedicated to drawing closer to the Savior through the powerful truths found in the Book of Mormon. Each episode, we focus on one verse that helps us walk more faithfully in his footsteps.

SPEAKER_02 0:30

There is a difference between simply believing in God and entering into a covenant relationship with him. Covenants connect us to Jesus Christ in a deeper way. They remind us that He is not distant from us. He is actively guiding us, blessing us, forgiving us, and preparing us to return to Him. Because of His grace and mercy, we do not have to face life, sin, or death alone. Nephi understood that the Lord's plan was not only about commandments or judgment, it was about deliverance. The Lord had made sacred promises to his people, and those promises pointed them toward Jesus Christ. Nephi delighted in the covenants of the Lord because he understood that every covenant is connected to the Savior's power to rescue, strengthen, and save us. Second Nephi eleven five. And also my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers. Yea, my soul delighteth in his grace and in his justice and power and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death. As we study this verse today, along with teachings from President Elaine L. Jack, we will consider what it means to rejoice in the covenants of the Lord and keep our focus on Jesus Christ. Nephi said that his soul delighted in the covenants of the Lord. That word delight is important. He did not simply respect the covenants or appreciate them. He delighted in them. They brought him joy because he understood what they meant. Covenants are not merely agreements between us and God, they are sacred promises that bind us to Jesus Christ. Through covenants we gain access to his strength, his guidance, his forgiveness, and his power. Covenants are evidence that God wants us to become like him. And he is willing to help us every step of the way. When we make covenants through baptism and in the house of the Lord, we are promising to follow him, trust him, and remain faithful to him. In return, he promises blessings, direction, protection, and ultimately eternal life. Those promises can bring great peace because we know that we are not trying to return to Heavenly Father on our own. We are relying on the Savior and His covenant path. Nephi also delighted in the Lord's grace, justice, power, and mercy. He saw that all those qualities work together in the plan of salvation. God is perfectly just, but he is also perfectly merciful. Because of Jesus Christ, justice can be satisfied and mercy can still be extended to us. That is only possible because of the Savior's Atonement. The covenant path is joyful because it leads us to Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ leads us home. This verse also teaches that the Lord is a great and eternal plan of deliverance from death. That deliverance comes because Jesus Christ fulfilled the atonement. Through him, every one of us will be resurrected. Through him we can repent. Through him we can be cleansed and changed. Without Jesus Christ, covenants would have no power because we would never be able to keep them perfectly. We all make mistakes, we all fall short, but the Savior's grace makes it possible for us to keep moving forward instead of giving up.

SPEAKER_00 4:32

We are the covenant people blessed to live on the earth when we can prepare in earnest for the second coming of our Savior. I pray that we will daily rejoice in being alive now when we can covenant through baptism and in the house of the Lord. To be a woman of covenant is a sacred and holy calling. Our covenant should ennoble us, serving as inspiration and incentive. A deepened understanding of our covenants lifts our vision to the loftier vistas awaiting us.

SPEAKER_02 5:02

That teaching reminds us that covenants are not supposed to feel restrictive or discouraging. They are supposed to lift us. They should give us hope, purpose, and direction. They remind us who we are and where we are going. When we understand our covenants more deeply, we stop seeing obedience as simply a list of rules. We begin to see obedience as an expression of love for God and trust in His plan. We recognize that every commandment is given to help us become more like Jesus Christ. The world often teaches that freedom means doing whatever we want, but real freedom comes through deliverance from sin, fear, guilt, and death. That kind of freedom is only found in Jesus Christ. In modern life, it is easy to lose sight of our covenants. We can become distracted by work, entertainment, stress, schedules, finances, or the constant noise of the world. Sometimes we may even begin to think of covenants as something distant or symbolic, instead of something that should shape our daily choices. But our covenants should affect how we speak, how we spend our time, how we treat our people, how we handle temptation, and how we respond when life becomes difficult. They should influence the music we listen to, the media we consume, the priorities we set, and the way we worship. If we remember that we are covenant people, we will start making decisions differently. We will be more likely to pray sincerely, repent quickly, forgive more willingly, and serve more faithfully. We will remember that we belong to the Lord and that He has promised to help us. We can also find joy in knowing that the Savior has already provided the way back to Heavenly Father. We do not need to live in constant fear that we are not good enough. We do not need to carry guilt forever. Through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, we can move forward with hope. The covenant path is not always easy, but it is always worth it. It is the path that leads to peace in this life and eternal joy in the life to come. So here is today's challenge. Take a few minutes today to think about the covenants we have made with the Lord. Consider what promises He has made to us and what promises we have made to Him. Pray for greater understanding of those covenants, and look for one way we can better honor them today. As we do, we will find greater joy in Jesus Christ and greater confidence in His plan of deliverance. Thank you for listening to Seek This Jesus. I hope this message helps you draw a little closer to the Savior, Jesus Christ. Please, don't let this podcast be your only scripture time today. As we open the scriptures for ourselves, the Spirit will teach us things no podcast ever could. If you are exploring the truths of the Book of Mormon for the first time, you can receive a free copy using the link in the description found in every episode of Seek This Jesus. I invite you to come back tomorrow for another verse and message to help you stay focused on Jesus Christ. Until next time, keep seeking this Jesus.