“They think they are wise…”

“When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves…” 2 Nephi 9:28

• Does knowledge equal wisdom?
• When we think we have things figured out on our own, do we pray less or more and for what reasons?
• What knowledge in this world is worth setting aside a relationship with the one who holds your life in his hands moment to moment?
• Why would one put more trust in the learning of man versus the wisdom of the revelations of God?

We live in a world where quick answers and quick results are demanded. If a website on a phone takes more than 5 seconds to load we groan with frustration. If traffic slows a little or one person slides in front of us, we are angry. We stare into microwaves waiting the excruciating 60 seconds for our food to cook. Not only do we want things fast, we want them cheaply, we want to obtain them with as little effort on our part as possible. Perhaps a “good deal” seems more valuable than a quality product.

Endurance is overshadowed by convenience; it is cheaper to replace things than to fix them. Rather than reconcile, repair and renew, we discard, destroy and dissolve. How deeply have these cultural philosophies that we practice daily bleed into our spiritual life? Is is any wonder that so many people give up trying to communicate with God and make dramatic life decisions based on what they think or suppose they “know of themselves?”

“Have ye inquired of the Lord?…We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.” 1 Nephi 15:8-9

• What does it mean to “inquire” of the Lord?
• What are the requirements for “inquiring of the Lord” and how are they different from how we inquire for information in temporal matters?
• How well do we really know and understand the scriptural pattern for inquiring, asking, seeking and knocking?
• Do the things of God come as cheaply as the things of this world?