Scripture Study

This was given Jan 13th in sacrament meeting, although it was slightly different then typed with a few deviations and some of the [if extra time comments] added.

I always got all the best gifts, my brothers and sisters would probably agree.  I look back now to my eight year old birthday and some of its memories.

We didn’t always throw parties for birthdays in my parent’s house, but this particular year I actually had quite a few friends over which ment there was a good ½ dozen or so gifts.  Most of them wrapped nicely, probably by my friends moms.

After opening all the presents but the last, I was disappointed inside.  I had received some neat stuff, but no real exciting toys.  The last present was from my parents. 

[I have always been the save the best for last kind of person. As a side note, the hardest part about thanksgiving for me is deciding the order in which to eat the food!]

Back to school items were the most common gifts for an August birthday.  Which, although useful, were not that exciting to an eight year old.   Also, I never got cupcakes in school or other celebrations having a summer birthday.  Still, August was not the worst month to have a birthday. 

So, I opened the last present.  My parents had hyped it big time.  They had said I would like it very much.  It was a leather case with a shiny, gold leaf, triple combination and a bible. My friends were not impressed, and neither was I.  In fact, I was devastated. 

However, everyone knows what happens when you’re ungrateful and I immediately went into damage control.  Or as much damage control as was possible for an eight year old.  I complimented the color, soft pages and expressed gratitude.  I don’t know if my parents saw through my act, but I know my friends did.

The scriptures set aside, I recall playing with the next best gift.  My brother Bret had given me some muscle men with color-changing squares in their torsos. 

You had to rub the squares really fast or hard. The color would change as a result of friction applied to the square.

[Memories are odd and even if written down, sometimes change on us.  Yet, I still find it so interesting that I can remember the visual image of these silly creatures as a gift from quite a while ago.]

To finish the story, as we played with the monsters and left the direct supervision of my parents, my friends began to quiz me on my interesting gift.

They asked questions about why my parents would give me a bible for my birthday.  Although not attempting to be rude, they complained for me about the present.  It didn’t seem that interesting, and it couldn’t be fun to play with.

A testimony is found in the bearing of it.  And my testimony of the scriptures began as a boy defending the curious but important gift given to me by my parents.

As I testified at eight years old to my friends how it was the best gift I had received that year, the spirit touched me and I then believed that the set of scriptures truly was an impressive gift.

I also tried to explain how I was also to be baptized at eight. Further, I explained how I had also been given one of the greatest gifts men could receive which was the gift of the Holy Ghost.

This experience was the beginning of my great love of the scriptures and my lifelong quest to understand the mysteries of God and his dealings with men.

[Even though I no longer have those scriptures, the powerful memory has remained with me and keeps the importance of the scriptures in my mind.]

Now, I will not take credit for my responses and attitudes at only eight years old.  Our family was successful at reading scriptures most school days.  My parents taught us well as we studied the scriptures and probably have a more actuate account of our struggles as a family to study God’s word than I remember.

Early this year, as we consider making small changes to our character and activities, I would like to give a few hints and or thoughts to help your desire to better learn the scriptures as well as further motivating your family.

Nephi taught, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”(2 Nephi 25:26)

Richard G Scott once quizzed me if I could remember my scheduled activities from a week prior.  I could not, nor especially could I remember the feelings I had encountered.

[After, he pressed all of us even more to instead remember our studies from the previous week.  At length we concluded that unless it was a major event, written in a letter or journal, then it would quickly be forgotten.  He asked how we could truly learn the mysteries of God from our studies of last week, if we couldn’t even remember what we studied.]

He taught us a lesson and told us to record our feelings, discoveries and impressions as we read and studied God’s word.  He prophesied to us that as we followed his counsel, more impressions would come, and would even direct us in our studies.

I testify that his prophesy alongside Nephi’s is sound and admonish you to try more aggressively in recording your thoughts and feelings while studying the scriptures.

There are countless quotes and examples of my next suggestion.  There are old children’s stories, proverbs and legends.

Slow and steady wins the race. I feel this couldn’t be more accurate with scripture study.  The tradition of reading God’s word together as a family is so much more important that how many times you skipped Isaiah, or how many times Alma foiled you plans of reading through the whole Book of Mormon.

Traditions are powerful and teach importance by repetition. Establishing a slow and steady tradition of reading the scriptures in your family will be a victory against the adversary and will guarantee you have the agency to understand your choices.

[I believe it is better to read and discuss the meaning of only a page per day than to sporadically rush through entire chapters.  As your family matures you may have better options for study and be able to chew through more material, but the discussion about the material is probably still more important than the reading of it.]

Memorize a few important scriptures that have significant meaning to you and the trials in your life.  To quote from Elder Scott’s October 2011 conference talk;

“Great power can come from memorizing scriptures. To memorize a scripture is to forge a new friendship. It is like discovering a new individual who can help in time of need, give inspiration and comfort, and be a source of motivation for needed change.”

Elder Scott then quotes one of the Psalms, but I will insert my own scripture instead.

“Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.” (2 Nephi 4:30)

Elder Scott continues…

“Pondering a scripture like that gives great direction to life. The scriptures can form a foundation of support. They can provide an incredibly large resource of willing friends who can help us. A memorized scripture becomes an enduring friend that is not weakened with the passage of time.

Pondering a passage of scripture can be a key to unlock revelation and the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Scriptures can calm an agitated soul, giving peace, hope, and a restoration of confidence in one’s ability to overcome the challenges of life. They have potent power to heal emotional challenges when there is faith in the Savior. They can accelerate physical healing.”

[add back-story and personal love of memorized 2 Nephi scripture]

Lastly I remind us that example is a great teacher.  Reading the scriptures as a family teaches younger siblings reverence and respect as they watch the older children succeed with more difficult words.

Or even repeating phrases from a helpful parent helps older siblings understand the success of younger readers.

[There is probably no greater missionary tool than reading the scriptures as a family with other children that may have stayed the night.  They will not forget the example because it might contrast so greatly from what they have experienced.]

In my opinion, family scripture study should not be skipped because a friend has slept over, or something is amiss.  If you find yourself skipping your study because of life’s chaotic interruptions, you may very well soon find yourself not studying at all.

And finally, if you were to make only one goal this year about improving your family or personal scripture study, maybe it would be the goal of not needing to make a goal the beginning of next year!

[add story of memorizing D&C 84 Oath before getting the priesthood] 

Going back to my story, I witness that the responses I gave to my friends at only eight years old had everything to do with our family scripture study. 

In order to defend the faith to others, or even to win great battles against temptations fought daily in our minds, we must constantly study the scriptures.  They open the mysteries of God to our discovery and teach us of his ways.  Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ amen.