Jacob 1 & 2
Jacob was a great disciple of Jesus Christ!
Here is a verse you might consider for your mission Book of Mormon Hall of Fame -
And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day. (Jacob 1:19)
Jacob 1:19
Accountability was taught so well in our last Mission Conference! Learning from this verse how important personal accountability was to Jacob, here is some more on the importance of Accountability from PMG, p. 154
The principle of accountability is fundamental in God’s eternal plan (see Alma 5:15–19; Doctrine and Covenants 104:13; 137:9). This principle influences how you think and feel about the sacred responsibility the Lord has given you. Accountability also influences how you approach your work.
During His earthly ministry, the Savior gave assignments to His disciples to help them grow, develop, and accomplish His work. He also gave them opportunities to account for the work they were given to do (see Luke 9:10; 3 Nephi 23:6–13). As a missionary, you likewise account for the work the Lord has given you to do.
Approach your goal setting and planning with the idea that you will account to the Lord through prayer each day. Also be accountable to yourself and to your mission leaders.
Rendering an account should be a loving, positive experience in which your efforts are recognized and you identify ways you can improve.
PMG P 155 Consider the following sentence from your call letter: “As you devote your time and attention to serving the Lord, leaving behind all other personal affairs, the Lord will bless you with increased knowledge and testimony of Jesus Christ and His restored gospel.” Ask yourself the following questions, and record your impressions.
How am I doing with devoting my time and attention to serving the Lord?
What blessings have I experienced?
How has my testimony been strengthened?
How can I improve?
Take a few moments to think about your last day in the mission field. When that day comes:
What do you want your relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to be like?
What do you want to have become?
In Jacob 2, the Lord shows us again that He sees and knows everything. He loves His daughters so much and wants His sons to honor them, not cause them harm. He desires all of our happiness, and having trust between husbands and wives (amazingly taught by Elder and Sister White in our last mission conference), comes from honoring covenants of chastity and fulfilling our duties as husbands and wives.
32 And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me against the men of my people, saith the Lord of Hosts.
33 For they shall not lead away captive the daughters of my people because of their tenderness, save I shall visit them with a sore curse, even unto destruction; for they shall not commit whoredoms, like unto them of old, saith the Lord of Hosts.
34 And now behold, my brethren, ye know that these commandments were given to our father, Lehi; wherefore, ye have known them before; and ye have come unto great condemnation; for ye have done these things which ye ought not to have done.
35 Behold, ye have done greater iniquities than the Lamanites, our brethren. Ye have broken the hearts of your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbings of their hearts ascend up to God against you. And because of the strictness of the word of God, which cometh down against you, many hearts died, pierced with deep wounds.
Jacob 2:32–35
That last line has always hit us so hard because we know the world is full of pierced hearts. As we fulfill our missionary purpose to invite all to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end we can bring them to Him, the Great Physician. No one is better at healing than Him. It also means that we seek His attributes so that our pride, arrogance, or poor examples, are never the cause of adding to the wounds of others, or if they are, we repent, apologize and seek the Lord’s help to change.
Let the lesson of these chapters sink deep into your hearts, Elders and Sisters. Be faithful to your covenants. Honor your missionary purpose now, as it is helping you build the relationship with the Lord and the spiritual muscles to help you keep your temple covenants and build strength to honor and bless your future family with your faithfulness and devotion to them!
We hope you have the best of days in service to the Lord!