16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the ^amysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did ^bvisit me, and did ^csoften my heart that I did ^dbelieve all the words which had been spoken by my ^efather; wherefore, I did not ^frebel against him like unto my brothers.(I love here how Nephi totally went and found out on his own. He didn't just take what his father was saying and believed it....he ASKED for himself and gained a testimony of it on his own.  I need to do the same.  I need to pray and ask after conference if what the said is true!  I know I will receive a YES answer, but I still need to ask for myself!!)

 17 And I spake unto Sam, making known unto him the things which the Lord had manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit. And it came to pass that he believed in my words.(Nephi then shares what he learned with Sam and through his testimony Sam gained a testimony! Again, I need to share my testimony MORE!)

 18 But, behold, Laman and Lemuel would not hearken unto my words; and being ^agrieved because of the hardness of their hearts I cried unto the Lord for them.(I love how he grieves for his brothers here and he pleaded unto the Lord for their sakes.  He loves them and wants them to be happy like he is!)

 19 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy ^afaith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart.

 20 And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall^aprosper, and shall be led to a ^bland of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands.

 21 And inasmuch as thy brethren shall rebel against thee, they shall be ^acut off from the presence of the Lord.

 22 And inasmuch as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ^aruler and a teacher over thy brethren.

 23 For behold, in that day that they shall ^arebel against me, I will^bcurse them even with a sore curse, and they shall have no power over thy seed except they shall ^crebel against me also.

 24 And if it so be that they rebel against me, they shall be a^ascourge unto thy seed, to ^bstir them up in the ways of remembrance.(The Lord is very cut and dry!  Black and white, He says it like it is!  He doesnt mess around. This is what will happen if you are obedient, this is what will happen if you are not!  Pretty to the point!)