Feast upon the Word of God

Last Sunday I attended two different sacrament meetings (general Sunday meetings of a LDS congregation). In both meetings the topic of the talks was the scriptures and scripture study. I heard five different talks that day about that and joked that it must be a topic I need to hear about.

But it really is a wonderful topic, so today I want to share some of my thoughts on the topic.

The word “scripture” is used to define those writings that are deemed sacred and inspired. They are a record of God’s dealings with His people and his words and teachings given to His people through His prophets. They are truly of great worth. But that’s only if we use them, study them, know them.

Throughout my life I have studied the scriptures in many different ways. I received my first triple combination (Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Pearl of Great Price) when I was three or four. My mom drew pictures on the stories that related to the stories and I would color them in. I continued to put these pictures in my scriptures through college. I could open any page and know exactly what was being talked about there. I received my first Bible when I turned 8 and was baptized. I got another set of scriptures in high school. And yet another set when I got home from my mission because my last set had gotten moldy from the humidity in Brasil.

In high school I attended seminary class. Where we lived we had it before school, and because of marching band, which was also before school, seminary started at 5:45 in the morning. I am NOT a morning person. So I was basically tired through all of high school. We spent one year on each of the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, and LDS Church history.

I went to college at Brigham Young University, and part of the requirements there included religion courses. I know we were required to take two semesters of study on The Book of Mormon, one on the New Testament, and one on the Doctrine & Covenants. We then had a few more hours we had to take that we could choose from a variety of courses to fill the electives. I took a course on the Pearl of Great Price and one on the writings of Isaiah that changed my life.

When I was in the Missionary Training Center (MTC), we studied all day, both the Gospel and the Portuguese language that we would be teaching it in. One activity we did was called GSR (and I’ll be darned if I remember what that stands for, anyone remember?). We would get a partner and talk about a scripture or a principle of the gospel. I had some amazing experiences doing that. I loved the discussions we would have. Oddly, those discussions set a standard for guys I would date after my mission. I wanted to marry someone that I could have that same connection with over the scriptures.

The reason my scriptures got moldy on my mission was because I wasn’t reading them. At least in English. My English set stayed in my suticase for about a year before I decided they should be aired out. By that point they were moldy. They don’t smell any more though. Instead I was reading my Portuguese ones full time. I honestly believe that it was reading the scriptures in Portuguese that taught me the language. And it reminds me of the struggles I had reading out-loud when I was in elementary school. I could read and comprehend just fine, if they let me read to myself. Reading the scriptures out loud is an amazing way to build reading skills. And think of the vocabulary you build doing it too! The scriptures can be used to learn any language, even your primary language.

Last year I read both the Old and New Testaments in their entirety. The New Testament I read out loud with Brett on Sunday evenings. The discussions we have had those evenings have made the GSR discussions I had as a missionary look like candles compared to the spotlight that these have been. It’s so amazing to talk to others about the scriptures and learn how they understand them. You can learn a lot reading the scriptures on your own, but you can learn even more sharing them with someone else.42D

I listened to the Old Testament on my MP3 while I exercised. If anyone was watching me closely they would’ve seen me running the streets of Tucson last year with anything from a deeply ponderous look on my face as I contemplated what I was hearing to flat out laughing at some parts (Genesis and Exodus have some great stories).

I’ve read the Book of Mormon breaking it down into speeches, and especially the last words the prophets write before they leave the record to the next prophet. I have marked my scriptures in many various ways, from the pictures I drew for 20 years to the 33 topics I was searching for and marking on my mission. I am specifically marking only 6 topics now. I have one highlighter (yellow) to mark the scriptures that stand out to me and speak to my soul. I have a pink highlighter to mark the direct words of Christ. In red pen I marked all the references to Christ’s name in the Book of Mormon. And I use a blue pen to fill the margins with notes. I also keep a notebook with my scriptures when I get a thought during my study that won’t fit in the margin.

However it is you find to study the scriptures, your life will be blessed. But you can’t know what’s in them if you never open them. So many people, good people, gave so much so that we can have the scriptures, so that we can read them, it’s a shame not to.

I am truly grateful to have the scriptures so readily available in my life (they are even on the internet!). I know they are true. I know they are God’s words for us. I have found answers, comfort, and guidance for my life through studying the scriptures.