Should I Pay off My House?

A few quotes I found while pondering the question, "should we work to pay off our house (even with an interest rate under 4%)?"

President Benson: "Now, when personal incomes are generally high, is the time to pay off obligations...Let us use the opportunity we have to speed up repayment of mortgages and to set aside provisions for education, possible periods of decreased earning power, and emergencies the future may hold."

President James E. Faust: “It is important to learn to distinguish between wants and needs. It takes self-discipline to avoid the ‘buy now, pay later’ philosophy and to adopt the ‘save now and buy later’ practice. …

“Owning a home free of debt is an important goal of provident living. … Homes that are free and clear of mortgages and liens cannot be foreclosed on. When there are good financial times, it is the most opportune time to retire our debts and pay installments in advance. It is a truth that “the borrower is servant to the lender.” (Prov. 22:7.)

“… Independence means … being free of personal debt and of the interest and carrying charges required by debt the world over”

President Spencer W. Kimball: “All my life from childhood I have heard the Brethren saying, ‘Get out of debt and stay out of debt’”

Elder L Tom Perry: "Wisely we have been counseled to avoid debt as we would avoid the plague… A well-managed family does not pay interest—it earns it”

President Hinckley: "I urge you … to look to the condition of your finances. I urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt to the extent possible. Pay off debt as quickly as you can, and free yourselves from bondage."

Why Pray Always?

In the scriptures, especially in the Doctrine & Covenants, the term "pray always" is used repeatedly. In this post I will explore the different ways that he exhortation to "pray always" is used in throughout these scriptures.

Why should we pray always?

To Overcome Temptation of the Adversary

• Ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him (3 Nephi 18:15).
• Ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father (3 Nephi 18:18-19).
• Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work (D&C 10:5).
• Let the church take heed and pray always, lest they fall into temptation (D&C 20:33).
• Pray always, lest you enter into temptation and lose your reward (D&C 31:12).
• Pray always that you enter not into temptation, that you may abide the day of his coming, whether in life or in death (D&C 61:39).
• Pray always lest that wicked one have power in you, and remove you out of your place (D&C 93:49).

It seems clear that praying always helps us to fight off temptation. And when we fall into temptation, we become subject to the devil who gains power over us.

To Obtain the Spirit, Knowledge, and Many Blessings

• Ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul (2 Nephi 32:9).
• Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing (D&C 19:38).
• They shall pray always that I may unfold the same [the gospel] to their understanding (D&C 32:4).

In addition to helping us withstand temptation, praying always has many other benefits including better performance in every aspect of our lives, better understanding of the gospel (and presumably other subjects), and the constant companionship of the Spirit which is a blessing that leads to many other blessings.

To Be Prepared for the Second Coming

• Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man (Luke 21:36).
• Pray always that you enter not into temptation, that you may abide the day of his coming, whether in life or in death (D&C 61:39).
• Pray always, that ye may not faint, until I come. Behold, and lo, I will come quickly, and receive you unto myself (D&C 88:126).

Finally, praying always is necessary for us to be watchful and prepared for the Second Coming. We'll be able to overcome the challenges that would distract us, avoid temptation, and not lose heart during the tough, last days.

Powerful Parental Pleadings

2 Nephi 1 is largely about Lehi pleading with his eldest sons to change their hearts. Lehi expresses his fear for them if they continue to harden their hearts against the Lord. In this post, I just want to capture some of the powerful language that Lehi uses in pleading with his sons:

• I would that ye would remember (verse 12)
• I would that ye would hearken unto my words (verse 12)
• awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell (verse 13)
• shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound (verse 13)
• Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling parent (14)
• I have feared, lest...ye be cut off and destroyed forever (17)
• O my sons, that these things might not come upon you (19)
• that my soul might have joy in you, and that my heart might leave this world with gladness because of you, that I might not be brought down with a grief and sorrow to the grave (21)
• arise from the dust, my sons, and be men (21)
• be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things (22)
• Awake, my sons (23)
• put on the armor of righteousness (23)
• Shake off the chains by which ye are bound (23)
• come forth out of obscurity (23)
• arise from the dust (23)
• Rebel no more (24)

He concludes by offer his sons and the sons of Ishmael his first blessing "if [they] will hearken unto the voice of Nephi" and promises they "shall not perish." And he warns that if they will not hearken, his first blessing will be taken away from them and rest upon Nephi. 

I think it's impossible to study this chapter without feeling the emotion of Lehi's words, his love and concern for his sons. He likely knows that his words will fall on hardened hearts, yet he refuses to give up on his boys. In a way, this is a microcosm of God and his children on this earth. He knows who will and will not listen, yet he does not give up on us. He pleads for us to repent and return to Him, and his arm is stretched out still.

A Land of Liberty

In 2 Nephi 1:7, Lehi prophesies about their new land of inheritance that the Lord had given him and his posterity. Lehi says, "Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever."

This scripture is not referring to the idea of American Exceptionalism; rather, there is also a spiritual aspect to this promise that applies to people throughout the world. Whenever we serve God and keep his commandments, we obtain liberty, even if it's spiritual liberty. Paradoxically, the more we submit to God, the more free we become. Contrast this with those who serve him not and keep not the commandments. They become bound by sin, brought down into captivity - the exact opposite of those who obey God.

By this interpretation, any land can be a land of liberty for a people who are followers of Christ, even if the laws of the land are restrictive or less conducive to Christian living.

A Nephi Attitude

One thing about Nephi that we can all try to emulate is his attitude. He accepts some pretty difficult assignments from the Lord and is successful because of his attitude, faith, and obedience. In this post, I just want to recap some of the challenges Nephi faces with an incredibly positive attitude. I hope we can all develop a Nephi attitude!

Challenge #1 - Leaving Jerusalem (1 Nephi 2:12,16-17)
Lehi followed the Lord's instruction to pack up and leave Jerusalem with his family. His older son's Laman and Lemuel murmured because this was a very hard thing for them to leave their friends, inheritance, etc. Instead of murmuring, Nephi desired to understand God's intentions, so he prayed! He "did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit [him], and did soften [his] heart that [he] did believe" Lehi's words.

Challenge #2 - Retrieving the Plates (1 Nephi 3-4)
When Lehi is commanded by God to send his sons back to Jerusalem to get the brass plates from Laban, the task seems impossible and dangerous (see more analysis here). Laman and Lemuel "murmur, saying it is a hard thing which [Lehi] required of them." Nephi gave his famous response, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded." After they get to Jerusalem and Laman fails in his first attempt, Nephi pleads with his brothers, "let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord," and helps them devise a second plan. When this plan fails, Nephi is beaten by his brothers and saved by an angel. His attitude continues unwavering, "Let us go up again unto Jerusalem; and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord...Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us..."  His faith-filled attitude leads to success.

Challenge #3 - Bound to Be Left for Wild Beasts (1 Nephi 7:16-21)
On their way back from Jerusalem with Ishmael and his family, Laman and Lemuel begin to murmur (again) and want to return to Jerusalem. Nephi puts them in his place and is rewarded with even angrier older brothers. This time, instead of just beating him with a rod, they decide to "bind [him] with cords" and "leave [him] in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts." Nephi prays for help, and the Lord loosens his bands for him to escape. This really makes his brothers mad, and the cries of Ishmael's wife and two of his children were finally able to soften their hearts. We get another glimpse into Nephi's personality and attitude during this trial when his brothers ask him for forgiveness (remember, it's not even the first time they've tried kill or seriously injure him). Nephi writes, "And it came to pass that I did frankly forgive them all that they had done."

Challenge #4 - Making Plates without Understanding Why (1 Nephi 9)
Nephi is commanded to make an extra set of plates "for a wise purpose, which purpose I know not." Engraving writings into metal plates is not easy, and to make a second set of plates without understanding why must exponentially add to the difficulty (mentally). But Nephi willingly obeys without complaint - more here.

Challenge #5 - Bow Breaks, Hungry Family (1 Nephi 16:18-32)
Nephi breaks his steel bow while hunting. His brothers are angry, and everyone is hungry. Nephi's entire family was "exceedingly sorrowful, even that they did murmur against the Lord." Instead of getting depressed and murmuring, Nephi takes a positive approach. He makes a new bow and some arrows, and then he asks Lehi to pray and instruct him where to go to hunt and bring home some food. Not only does this humble Lehi, but it also allows Nephi to follow the Lord's guidance and slay wild beasts for them to eat.

Challenge #6 - Building a Ship (1 Nephi 17:7-16)
One morning the Lord speaks to Nephi saying, "Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters." A couple problems become apparent to Nephi: (1) he has no ship building experience, (2) he has no tools, and (3) he doesn't even know where to find ore to molten into tools. Instead of complaining about the enormity and seeming impossibility of the task, he has faith and simply asks, "whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship?" Nephi then "strives to keep the commandments", exhorts his brethren to be faithful, and begins making tools to construct the ship.

Challenge #7 - Bound on the Ship (1 Nephi 18:10-21)
Nephi reprimands his brothers for dancing, making merry, and being rude, and this again incites his brothers to anger. With their short memories, they decide it's a good idea to harshly bind Nephi with cords (again). Nephi understands that God wants to use this experience to teach another lesson when he says, "nevertheless, the Lord did suffer it that he might show forth his power." That takes a lot of faith. While he is bound, a storm arises and threatens their very existence. It took four days of life-threatening storms before they decided it was time to release Nephi. Upon his release, this is what Nephi does: "Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions." After he prays, the storms cease.

Strengthened in Trials

Sometimes in the midst of trials, we pray for God to remove the trial from us - and sometimes He does. Other times, it may not be in our best interest for the trial to be removed because we learn and grow so much from our trials. In this case, God can bless us with strength to overcome and endure. This was the case with Lehi's family in the wilderness as described by Nephi in 1 Nephi 17:1-3.

Nephi admits that they did "wade through much affliction in the wilderness" and mentions that the "women did bear children in the wilderness" I can't even imagine how challenging that must have been. Giving birth and also taking care of a newborn child while living in tents and traveling through the wilderness must have been an intense trial. Nephi's very next sentence surprises, "And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us" and then he talks about how the women were able to "give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong" despite living on raw meat. Instead of taking away this trial, the Lord strengthened them "and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings."

Nephi then summarizes the lesson to be learned:

"And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness."

 Bottom line is obey God, and He will strengthen you in your trials and help you be obedient.

Pondering to Receive Revelation

In 1 Nephi 10:17, Nephi expresses a desire to "see, and hear, and know of [the things that his father saw in vision], by the power of the Holy Ghost." Then in 11:1 he says, "after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart." First he believed his father's words, then he desired to know for himself, and third he pondered them. The rest of chapter 11 describes his vision of the life and death of the Savior, a vision that was opened to him as he sat pondering.

This is not a singular event. I have noticed in my own life that revelation flows when I quiet my mind and ponder - something that I wish I did a lot more often. The 138th section of the Doctrine & Covenants was received by Joseph F Smith in 1918 in a similar way. President Smith described his experience: "I sat in my room pondering over the scriptures; and reflecting upon the great atoning sacrifice that was made by the Son of God, for the redemption of the world...As I pondered over these things which are written, the eyes of my understanding were opened, and the Spirit of the Lord rested upon me..." He then experienced a sacred vision that became Section 138.

As part of our daily scripture study, we should ponder on the things that we read and learn. This can open the doors of revelation to us.

Jewish Captivity in Babylon

Nephi writes the words of his father in 1 Nephi 10:3:

"3 That after they should be destroyed, even that great city Jerusalem, and many be carried away captive into Babylon, according to the own due time of the Lord, they should return again, yea, even be brought back out of captivity; and after they should be brought back out of captivity they should possess again the land of their inheritance."

This statement by Lehi is both a prophecy and a lesson about the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Prophecy
Lehi foresees that although many will be destroyed in Jerusalem, there will also be many who are captured and taken to Babylon.  Eventually, they will be restored to Israel to the original land of their inheritance.

Historically, Babylon's King Nebuchadnezzar besieged and then destroyed much of Jerusalem, and took many prisoners back to Babylon. Later when the Persian Empire conquered Babylon, Cyrus decreed that the Jews could return to Jerusalem.

Atonement
All of us during our lives sin and fall captive to the influence of the adversary just like the Jews fell captive to the Babylonians. Babylon often represents worldliness, and as the lure of the world and its enticements are often the cause for our sins, this is quite fitting. However, we have been blessed with a supernal gift to deliver us from captivity and sin - the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Because of our Savior, we are able to repent, change, figuratively flee Babylonian captivity, and be restored to our land of inheritance. I find it interesting that the term "land of their inheritance" is used rather than just saying Jerusalem. Our loving Father in Heaven intends for us to inherit all that He has, but no unclean thing can dwell in his presence. Therefore, we must rely on the Atonement to leave Babylon behind and receive our eternal inheritance.

Obeying on Faith - Nephi's Example

There are many examples in the scriptures of the righteous obeying on faith, meaning they obey God without understanding the reason for the commandment. They understand that God's omniscience trumps their own understanding and that He will only ask us to do what is in our best interest, even when we can't see it.

A well known example is that God commanded our first father, Adam, to build an altar and make sacrifices. When asked by an angel why he made sacrifices (in Moses 5:6), he replied in honesty, "I know not, save the Lord commanded me."

A perhaps lesser known example of obeying on faith was Nephi creating the two sets of plates. The Lord commanded him to make two histories of his people, one focusing on the reign of the kings, wars, and other temporal affairs, and the other focusing on the gospel and the ministry. Making a set of metal plates and engraving upon them is no small task, requiring many hours of careful and tedious work. Nephi admits that he does not know why he has been asked to do this (in 1 Nephi 9:5): "Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not."

It would be more than 2,400 years before Martin Harris would lose the 116 pages of Book of Mormon manuscript containing the Book of Lehi. The Lord knew those pages would be lost, so Nephi's second record, which contains much of the ministry and teachings of Lehi, preserved these teachings. If Nephi had not obeyed, it would have been a tragedy to lose the precious teachings found in the first and second books of Nephi.

When we receive commandments that we don't understand, we must remember that all things are present to God who sees the end from the beginning. Have faith and obey.

In Which Tree of Life Group Do You Want to Be?

In Lehi's vision in 1 Nephi 8, he sees and describes four different multitudes of people striving to reach the tree of life and partake of its fruit. Each multitude can represent a different group of people in our day, and the distinctions between the groups is instructive.

Group 1: Lost Their Way in the Mists of Darkness
In 1 Nephi 8:21-23, the first group was "pressing forward that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree." Like all of us, they were seeking for the truth, trying to find the right path for their lives to obtain happiness and salvation. But unfortunately, as they did "commence in the path that led to the tree,...there arose a mist of darkness" that caused them to "lose their way." Because of this mist, they "wandered off and were lost."

From the interpretation given by the angel in 1 Nephi 12:17, we learn that "the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost." This interpretation helps us understand that the first group of people are those who seek the truth, but fall into temptation and lose their way before they are able to achieve their goal. This group never tastes of fruit and does not achieve baptism to make covenants with God.

Group 2: Partook of the Fruit and Were Ashamed
In 1 Nephi 8:24-28,34, the second group was able to overcome the temptations or mists of darkness by "clinging to the rod of iron." This group, like the first, had an interest in following the path that leads to the tree of life; however, by clinging to the word of God (the iron rod) or scriptures and teachings of modern prophets, they are able to navigate the world of temptation successfully without losing their way. Because of their diligence, they are able to partake of the fruit. These are baptized members of the church.

Unfortunately, there was a great and spacious building full of mocking, ridiculing people within earshot of the tree of life. After partaking of the fruit, the second group "cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed...because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost." This is a lesson in enduring to the end. For members of the church, baptism and temple covenants are no guarantee of salvation. If we allow ourselves to give into peer pressure and focus on the things of this world, we are in danger of falling away. We need to learn how to resist the world and its enticements. This group has fallen into inactivity and no longer keeps the covenants they made at baptism.

Group 3: Partook of the Fruit and Heeded Not the Scorners
In 1 Nephi 8:30,33, the third group is the one of which we want to be part. Similar to the second group, the third group overcomes the temptations or mists of darkness by "continually holding fast to the rod of iron" until they are able to partake of the fruit. This group also notices the great and spacious building full of scorning, mocking people, but the key difference is that this group "heeded them not."

I find it interesting that the group that succeeded actually faces the same challenges as the first two groups. No shortcut or easy path was taken to bypass the challenges and safely arrive at the tree. They experienced the same mists of darkness (temptation), had to persevere along the same straight and narrow path, and then had the same building of mocking people pointing and scorning them after they partook of the fruit. The difference is that this group clung to the word of God during their journey, and then chose to pay no attention to the scorners upon their arrival. They cared more about God's work than the world, more about what God thought of them than what the world thought of them. This group is able to experience the true joy that comes from the fruit of the gospel.

Group 4: Were Feeling their Way to the Great and Spacious Building
In 1 Nephi 8:31-33, the final group was less a group and actually described as "other multitudes." These were lost in the darkness "feeling their way towards the great and spacious building." Lehi says that "great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building" but also "many were drowned in the depths of the fountain" or "lost from his view, wandering in strange roads" while making their attempt towards the building. Those that arrived at the building successfully, immediately pointed "their finger of scorn" at those who were partaking of the fruit.

This group never even faced the challenge of holding to the rod or withstanding the world while partaking of the fruit. They never even desired the fruit. Their focus from the start was on getting to the great and spacious building. This group had the same opportunities, for surely they could have chosen the straight and narrow path, but they used their agency to choose misery and death. These are they who never look for happiness by giving God's gospel a chance. They look for joy in the pleasures of the world that are impossible to satisfy and then exacerbate their situation by mocking those who are on the right path, trying to make them miserable like unto themselves.