1 Nephi 6

This chapter is short but powerful. In a nutshell, verse 3 tells the purpose of this record that Nephi is keeping (and this purpose is repeated/re-phrased by later writers in the Book of Mormon):

 4 For the fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved.

And then I love Nephi’s promise regarding the content of his writings:

 5 Wherefore, the things which are pleasing unto the world I do not write, but the things which are pleasing unto God and unto those who are not of the world.

 6 Wherefore, I shall give commandment unto my seed, that they shall not occupy these plates with things which are not of worth unto the children of men.

I can say ‘amen’ to the claims in all three of these verses. Nephi’s writings (and those of later writers in the Book of Mormon) have persuaded me over and over again to come closer to God.

Think about Nephi's promise that he won’t put anything in these writings that is “not of worth unto the children of men.” It’s a great exercise to ask yourself while you read the Book of Mormon, “Why would Nephi have included that?” or “Why would Mormon have included that” (because Mormon is the prophet at the end of the history who compiles and condenses almost 1000 years of writings into what is now the Book of Mormon—we’ll read more about that later). As I have read the Book of Mormon dozens of times now, I can tell you that I am always discovering significant new insights in parts I’ve read tons of times, or it will apply in news ways to the challenges I am facing at that time.