Let Us Remember Him

One of the repeated invitations of Jacob in his powerful discourse to the Nephites on the plan of salvation recorded in 2 Nephi 9-10 was to remember. First and foremost he instructed us to remember the Lord: “Remember the greatness of the Holy One of Israel…. O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous” (9:40-41). He invited us further, “Seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off” (10:20). I love that simple instruction for us: “let us remember him.” That is why we pray and study our scriptures and go to church and worship in the temple: to remember the Lord. The demands of life and pressures of the world constantly pull us away to focus on less important things, but the words of the scriptures call us back: let us remember Him. We promise each Sunday as we partake of the Sacrament to always remember Him and that is our challenge each week as we struggle through the challenges of life. And as we seek to put Him foremost in our minds Jacob taught that He will remember us even if we feel alone or isolated as Jacob’s people did: “And now behold, the Lord remembereth all them who have been broken off, wherefore he remembereth us also” (10:22).

                I see two other themes in the invitations to remember from Jacob in these two chapters. First, he invited us to remember the effect of our choices and the consequences of our sins. He warned them against sin in these words: “O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal” (9:39). He reminded them, though, that they had the agency to choose their path: “Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life” (10:23). And for those who would choose that way of eternal life He taught them that their choices alone wouldn’t save them: it is only through God’s power. “Remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved” (10:24). Second, Jacob encouraged them to remember the words of the Lord. He said, “O, my beloved brethren, remember my words…. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel.” He summarized this with this final invitation in chapter 9: “Behold, my beloved brethren, remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night” (9:44, 51-52). He urged them to remember the words of God.  

                This past Christmas was more stressful and contentious in our home than I wanted, and I was a little frustrated by it. As I thought about it afterwards, I realized the irony of the fact that we had not prayed or read scriptures as a family that day. In the excitement and focus on the gifts and activities of the day we had forgot to gather to read and pray like we normally try to do. On the day we celebrate the birth of the Savior we had failed collectively to really remember Him, and I am sure that affected the spirit in our home. It was a reminder to me of just how easy it is to forget even if we have remembered many times in the past. Jacob’s teachings remind us that we must constantly work to remember the Lord and His words and His grace. Each day Jacob’s invitation calls out to us to turn our minds to the Savior: “Let us remember him.”