3 Nephi 12-16 covers the time when the Savior returned to earth and ministered and taught among the people. It's valuable to see what he taught during this short visit versus what he taught in the Gospels in the Bible, when he lived on the earth and had a little more time to get his message across. In 3 Nephi, when the Savior is visiting the Nephites, we see many recognizable verses that are a repeat, word per word, in some cases, of guidance he gave before he was crucified.
For example, the Beatitudes in 3 Nephi 12:1-12 are the same ones he shared in Matthew 5:1-12. In both cases, he follows the Beatitudes with the analogy about how we are like a light that should not be placed under a bushel, in both 3 Nephi 12:14-16, and Matthew 5:14-16.
As you read these scriptures, which of the Savior's teachings spoke to you today?
How do these scriptures lift you up and give you comfort?
I love all of the familiar guidance I see in these chapters, from the reminder to serve from our heart and not for show, to the reassurance that if we seek the Lord in righteous prayer, he will answer.
In 3 Nephi 13:19-21 we are reminded not to lay up for ourselves treasures upon earth "where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal" but to to lay up our treasures in heaven "For where your treasure is, there will your heart also be."
My sister lives in Oregon, the state that has suffered from one of the most destructive fires on record in the state of Oregon, burning somewhere around 1 million acres of land (twice the state's yearly average in just one month). She personally knows many people that have lost their home, and at one point, had to evacuate her own home with her children. She has shared with me so many stories of neighbors helping neighbors, and the gratitude so many feel for their lives, even while suffering the devastating loss of their homes. Their treasures are their families, their memories, and how they are serving one another through this tragedy.
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