Try reading the Book of Mormon as if you were Joseph Smith discovering those truths for yourself.
The Lord personally declared to Joseph Smith:
“The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision, and hell shall rage against thee;
“While the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek counsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from under thy hand.”
notice that there are different types of opposition, done deride and mock while others rage against.
We need not be timid about testifying of Joseph’s mission as prophet, seer, and revelator, for the Lord has always worked through prophets.
If we are timid about testifying of Joseph we are discarding one of our greatest tools for inviting the Holy Ghost to testify with us.
Joseph’s life stands as a testimony that if any of us lack wisdom, we can ask God in faith and receive answers—sometimes from heavenly beings but more often by the power of the Holy Ghost, who speaks to us through inspired thoughts and feelings. It is through the Holy Ghost that we can “know the truth of all things.”
Rather than viewing Joseph’s experiences as singular we should look at what they imply for us.
For many of us, a witness of the Prophet Joseph Smith begins as we read the Book of Mormon. I first read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover as a young early-morning seminary student. With my vivid boyish imagination, I decided to read as if I were Joseph Smith, discovering the truths in the Book of Mormon for the very first time. It had such an impact on my life that I continue to read the Book of Mormon in that way. I often find that doing so deepens my appreciation for the Prophet Joseph and for the truths restored in this precious book.
During the translation of the Book of Mormon, Joseph and his wife Emma mourned the death of their infant son. In those days preachers commonly taught that children who died without baptism would be condemned forever. With this in mind, imagine how Joseph must have felt as he translated these words from the prophet Mormon: “Little children need no repentance, neither baptism. … [For] little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world.”
I hadn’t thought of how much empathy Joseph would have for others who have been similarly comforted by many of our restored truths.
Most of all, because Joseph was a prophet, we have witness upon witness, testimony upon testimony, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Savior of the world. We have an unbroken chain of special witnesses of Jesus Christ, including our prophet today, President Thomas S. Monson; the counselors in the First Presidency; and the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Leave a Reply