D&C 19

When have you had to do something that you knew was right, but you were unsure or nervous about how it would turn out?

What would help you have the faith to follow through even though it was hard?

Would your reaction change depending on who asked you to do the difficult thing?

D&C 19:26 The Lord commanded Martin Harris to "not covet thine own property, but impart it freely to the printing of the Book of Mormon"

In order to guarantee payment for printing the Book of Mormon, Martin Harris mortgaged 151 acres of his farm to E. B. Grandin. This meant Grandin could sell the property at any time to cover his printing costs.

D&C 19:23-24

This was not an easy decision for Martin. The Lord responded to his concern by revealing some things he needed to do and some things he needed to know.

Read the scriptures above and look for what the Lord wanted him to do (v. 23) and what he wanted him to know (v. 24). Quiz to follow.

Multiple Select

What did the Lord want Martin to do? (v. 23)

• Learn of Christ

• Pray ceaselessly

• Listen to Christ's words

• Walk in the meekness of the Spirit

Multiple Select

What did the Lord want Martin to know? (v.24)

• This was Joseph Smith's advice

• This revelation came from Jesus Christ

• Christ was obedient to Heavenly Father's will

• These are more like guidelines than actual rules

Open Ended

What can we do to learn of Christ, listen to His words, and walk in the meekness of His Spirit?

Open Ended

How might doing these things have helped Martin make the difficult decision to mortgage his property to fund the printing of the Book of Mormon?

D&C 19:23

Read silently and look for the Lord's promise to Martin Harris

Quiz to follow

Multiple Choice

What truth did the Lord teach Martin Harris?

If we learn of Christ, listen to His words, and walk in the meekness of His Spirit, then we will have _____

• peace

• wealth

• health

• joy

In the scriptures, "peace" can mean either freedom from conflict and turmoil, or the inner calm and comfort born of the Spirit that God gives to his faithful Saints.

Open Ended

How might feeling peace help you make correct choices, even when you are worried or nervous about an outcome?

D&C 19:25-35

The Lord provided Martin Harris with additional commandments and counsel. Read the scriptures above and look for this counsel (look for the phrases "I command" and "thou shalt")

Quiz to follow.

Multiple Choice

Which of these is NOT one of the commandments the Lord gave to Martin Harris?

• Don't covet your neighbor's wife

• Declare repentance and faith on the Savior

• Only pray in secret

• Don't covet your own property

Multiple Choice

Which of these is NOT one of the commandments the Lord gave to Martin Harris?

• Revile against the revilers

• Declare glad tidings

• Pay the debt to the printer

• Don't talk about the tenets of the gospel

D&C 19:33

We don't fully understand why the Lord gave Martin Harris some of these commandments, but He did make it clear what would happen if Martin disregarded them.

Read above to see what the Lord said would happen. Quiz to follow.

Multiple Select

What did the Lord say would happen if Martin were to "slight" or disregard God's commandments?

• He would receive misery

• He would be destroyed

• His wife would leave him

• Destruction of his property

"You will encounter people who pick which commandments they will keep and ignore others that they choose to break. I call this the cafeteria approach to obedience. This practice of picking and choosing will not work. It will lead to misery. To prepare to meet God, one keeps all of His commandments."

"When we choose to disobey a commandment, it is usually because (1) we have convinced ourselves that the commandment does not apply to us; (2) we do not believe that it is important; or (3) we are certain that it is too difficult to obey."

Open Ended

How might the "cafeteria" approach to obedience show that a person is slighting the Lord's commandments?

D&C 19:36-41

Just like Martin Harris, we all have to decide whether or not we will submit our will to the will of the Father, even when what He asks is difficult.

Silently read the above and look for principles that might have helped motivate Martin Harris to be obedient.

Open Ended

What did the Lord say that might have helped Martin obey his commandments? (v. 38)

Martin Harris obeyed the command to impart of his property to finance the printing of the Book of Mormon by mortgaging and eventually selling 151 acres of his farm.

"None of the early residents of Palmyra, with the exception of the Smith family, received so many rebuffs and endured so many unfeeling comments from near neighbors as Martin did. Let it be remembered that no other early believer in the Restoration contributed more financial support to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon than Martin. "