A message from the Covenant of Christ

Lehi was a man whom the Lord called “blessed” because he was “faithful and declared the things [God] commanded [him]” (1 Nephi 1:6). This is important to remember because, despite the people’s reaction to Lehi’s preaching, he remained faithful. He didn’t declare anything the Lord didn’t want him to.

Their reaction and their fruits were not indicative of Lehi’s mission, faithfulness, or alignment with God.

It is interesting that the Covenant of Christ opens with several examples of interpersonal conflict. It doesn’t begin with flattering stories about Lehi being a good husband, a faithful employee, a good sense of humor, a beloved friend, or a warm personality. Instead, beginning on page one, it goes straight to the heart of what prevents God’s kingdom from growing on earth: disagreements that turn into division.

The very first interaction between two or more people that we read about in Lehi’s ministry is negative—Lehi was met by the people in Jerusalem with mocking (speech that belittles or holds in derision) and physical violence (they tried to kill him) (1 Nephi 1:5).

The very next interaction between two or more people in Lehi’s ministry is also negative, but this time it takes place within Lehi’s own family. As Lehi instructed his sons to be faithful to God, he was met with complaining because they believed he was foolish and delusional (1 Nephi 1:8).

As the story unfolds, we learn that despite Lehi’s very best efforts—using persuasion, meekness, patience, setting a good example, and even allowing his own weaknesses to be seen—people both outside and within his own family rejected him.

Only a portion of his family remained true to what God was trying to accomplish through him. In the end, it wasn’t enough.

It’s amazing that this - meaning, the results of a people’s inability to reason, use persuasion, and exhibit long suffering and patience - appears in the opening scenes of the scripture for our day.

What should I be learning from this?


Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 4, 2026 at 8:00 PM

    Great insights, thanks for sharing! One of the best books I've read on this is: Crucial Conversations by Joseph Grenny. It verges on a text books so isn't as easy of a read as fiction but its got some great frameworks and lots of specifics on how to carry out these conversations in the best way possible.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Colin BagleyJanuary 4, 2026 at 8:02 PM

      https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Conversations-Talking-Stakes-Second/dp/0071771328

      Delete

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