Day 75: Ether 6-9

Welcome to Day 75...

                           

The Jaredites made preparations and boarded their vessels. They left the rest up to the Lord! And sure enough, the Lord sent strong winds that drove their barges all the way to the promised land.
Once there, the people wanted a king! The brother of Jared was saddened by this. He said, “Surely this thing leadeth to captivity.” (His prophecy was fulfilled just two generations later.)


Many kings reigned, and for the most part, the Jaredites rejected the prophets and chose wickedness.

The daughter of Jared demonstrated the power of evil women. She kicked off secret combinations and things spiraled downhill from there.
                   
Moroni spoke directly to us in the latter-days:
"Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be. Wherefore, I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved." Ether 8: 23-26

Just five days to go on our reading challenge! Press forward, the end is in sight! :)

Opening Song:
"Does the Journey Seem Long?"

• Open study session with prayer.
• Scripture Study: Ether 6-9 (listen)
• Study Guide: (here)
• Video: Discussions on the Book of Mormon Ether 7-11

• Video: 

"The Jaredites travel to the promised land"

"And they did land upon the shore of the promised land. And when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them." Ether 6:12  


"And they were taught to walk humbly before the Lord; and they were also taught from on high." Ether 6:17

• Video: "A Steady, Reassuring Voice"  Elder Robert D. Hales teaches us to listen to the living prophets (Ether 7:23–27).

Video "Secret Combinations Destroy Civilizations"--Elder M. Russell Ballard speaks of the destructive power of secret combinations in today’s society (Ether 8:20–26)

“Our Families need the peace of God in their lives, and if we can't or won't invite the Lord into our lives, then our families become a reflection of our own turmoil. Women are asked to nurture their families, but we must also be firm; we must be the hard rock footings, which our homes can stand. Our families need us to speak peace to them as the Lord speaks peace to us. Our homes need to be places where our families and friends want to be, where all who enter our homes can draw strength and courage to face the challenges of living in an increasingly wicked world. Our children need to hear us 'talk of Christ, … rejoice in Christ, [and] preach of Christ' (2Nephi 25:26) so that they may know to what source they can look for the peace that 'passeth all understanding' (Philippians 4:7).”--Kathleen H. Hughes

• Record impressions and favorite verses in your journal.

• Close study session with prayer