Have a permanent plan for studying the scriptures.
When we study the gospel we aren’t looking for information, we are looking to become a new person.
President Russell M. Nelson has taught us recently: “To do anything well requires effort. Becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ is no exception. Increasing your faith and trust in Him takes effort.” Among the recommendations that he gave us to increase our faith in Jesus Christ is that we become engaged learners, that we immerse ourselves in the scriptures to understand better Christ’s mission and ministry.
President Russell M. Nelson said:
“To feast means more than to taste. To feast means to savor. We savor the scriptures by studying them in a spirit of delightful discovery and faithful obedience. When we feast upon the words of Christ, they are embedded ‘in fleshy tables of the heart.’ They become an integral part of our nature.”
What does it look like if the scriptures are an integral part of our nature?
What will we do if we delight in the scriptures? (We have a list):
- Our desire to be part of the gathering of Israel on both sides of the veil will increase.
- It will be normal and natural for us to invite our family and friends to listen to the missionaries.
- We will be worthy, and we will have a current temple recommend in order to go to the temple as often as possible.
- We will work to find, prepare, and submit the names of our ancestors to the temple.
- We will be faithful in keeping the Sabbath day, attending church every Sunday to renew our covenants with the Lord as we participate worthily in taking the sacrament.
- We will resolve to remain on the covenant path, living by every word that proceeds forth from the mouth of God.
There is nothing wrong with this list per se but we generally misuse lists as tools of motivation and instruction. It is useful for us to have a list to measure against. Do we desire the things on that list? Do we wish to participate in those ways or do we wish we didn’t have to? If we wish we could participate in those things but can’t due to our on-the-ground reality than we are in better shape than if we participate in those things but do so grudgingly.
Delighting in the scriptures is more than hungering and thirsting for knowledge. Nephi experienced great joy during his life. However, he also faced difficulties and sadness. “Nevertheless,” he said, “I know in whom I have trusted.” As we study the scriptures, we will better understand God’s plan of salvation and exaltation, and we will trust in the promises that He has made to us in the scriptures, as well as in the promises and blessings of modern prophets.
What we need out of the scriptures is less about answers for Sunday School questions and more about having hope and trust in God embedded in our hearts.
While serving a mission as a young man, I observed that by our teaching with the scriptures, the lives of many people were transformed. I became aware of the power in them and how they can change our lives. Each person to whom we taught the restored gospel was a unique individual with different needs. The holy scriptures—yes, the prophecies written by the holy prophets—brought them to a faith in the Lord and to repentance and changed their hearts.
The scriptures filled them with joy as they received inspiration, direction, consolation, strength, and answers to their needs. Many of them decided to make changes in their lives and began to keep God’s commandments.
I invite you to have a permanent plan to study the scriptures. Come, Follow Me is a great resource that we have for teaching and learning the gospel, deepening our conversion to Jesus Christ, and helping us to become like Him. When we study the gospel, we are not simply seeking new information; rather, we are seeking to become “a new creature.”
I like my current approach where I study the content prescribed by Come Follow Me for the week and then have a chosen course of study for the Book of Mormon working around that study—sometimes fast and sometimes slow but guided by a study plan so that I can be consistent.
The Holy Ghost guides us toward truth and testifies to us of the truth. He illuminates our minds and renews our understanding and touches our hearts through God’s revelation, the source of all truth. The Holy Ghost purifies our hearts. He inspires in us the desire to live according to the truth and whispers to us ways to do so. “The Holy Ghost … shall teach you all things.”
…We should seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost. This goal should govern our decisions and guide our thoughts and actions. We must seek everything that invites the influence of the Spirit and reject anything that deviates from this influence.
That is a one-item list I can get behind!
Leave a Reply