3 Nephi 9:14

Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.

Christ extends mercy to everyone, not just to General Authorities, not just to stake presidents or relief society presidents, not just to people who serve three missions or pay off their mortgage or have at least five children. Everyone who comes to Christ will receive mercy. He will receive everyone and turn no one away. No one has sinned too much or too long to be cast off by the Savior if they truly want to change and receive his mercy. He has paid for every single sin of every single person who ever has or ever will come to this earth. He has already paid for it all, so why would he turn anyone away and squander what he has already accomplished?

3 Nephi 9:13

O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?

With repentance and conversion comes spiritual healing. Christ can heal our pains and sorrows. He can heal the damage we have done to ourselves and to others and the damage that others have done to us. He can heal it all because he understands it all because he has suffered it all.

3 Nephi 8:20-21

And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness; And there could be no light, because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches; neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that there could not be any light at all;

When a person loses the light of Christ in his life, he can do nothing to create his own light. Christ is the Light, the only Light.

3 Nephi 7:17-18

And he did minister many things unto them; and all of them cannot be written, and a part of them would not suffice, therefore they are not written in this book. And Nephi did minister with power and with great authority. And it came to pass that they were angry with him, even because he had greater power than they, for it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words, for so great was his faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily.

Nephi is an example of one to whom God granted great power to do good by degrees. Step by step he learned obedience, and with each step he gained more power. The more faithfully and righteously he used that power, the more power he received. Eventually God gave him all power on earth because he knew Nephi would do much good with it and would never abuse it. 

We gain power in the same way, step by step, in small degrees, one test at a time. If we want more power, we must use the power we now have in all diligence and in total obedience. We must recognize our gifts from God, honor them, and always ask God how he would have us use them. The better we use the power we have, the more power we will receive.

3 Nephi 6:14

And thus there became a great inequality in all the land, insomuch that the church began to be broken up; yea, insomuch that in the thirtieth year the church was broken up in all the land save it were among a few of the Lamanites who were converted unto the true faith; and they would not depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord.

I love this description of the faithful Lamanites. They chose to be righteous when all around them wickedness prevailed. They knew the truth and they refused to give it up or consider other options. In the last days, this is how we must be: firm, steadfast, immovable, and diligent. To be firm is to be unyielding and unchanging. To be steadfast is to be resolute and dutifully unwavering. To be immovable is to be resistant to argument and pressure. To be diligent is to be conscientious and careful and to apply steady, energetic, and persistent effort.  These attributes will be required of the saints who want to remain faithful to their testimonies. Satan will be in overdrive to knock us down. Only the power of God and our righteous use of agency will deliver us.

3 Nephi 5:3

Therefore they did forsake all their sins, and their abominations, and their whoredoms, and did serve God with all diligence day and night.

Despite their seesaw history, the Nephites were capable of outstanding righteousness. They needed miracles and signs on the one hand and near annihilation on the other to finally see the light. Nevertheless, the point is that they repented. An entire population -- every living soul -- repented and was converted. It was as if the Millennium had already begun for them. It may have been a Camelot -- one brief shining moment -- instead of a city of Enoch, but they proved to themselves that they could do it with faith, humility, and a genuine desire to follow the Lord. If it was not impossible for the Nephites, it is not impossible for us today. That is the testimony this chapter leaves for us. We can overcome the world with the power and gifts of God if we live for them.

3 Nephi 4:33

And their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many tears, because of the great goodness of God in delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; and they knew it was because of their repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction.

Repentance and humility always qualify us for the saving grace of Christ's atonement. Just as the Nephites were delivered from the overwhelming odds of the Gadiantons, Christ will deliver us from the overwhelming odds of mortality and sin. Every story of rescue, protection and deliverance in the scriptures testifies of this truth. Our very lives can testify of it if we repent and humble ourselves.