Scripture
Family Gems - 11 September 2009
Family Scripture Study Will Protect Children
“A study of the scriptures will help our testimonies and the testimonies of our family members. Our children today are growing up surrounded by voices urging them to abandon that which is right and to pursue, instead, the pleasures of the world. Unless they have a firm foundation in the gospel of Jesus Christ, a testimony of the truth, and a determination to live righteously, they are susceptible to these influences. It is our responsibility to fortify and protect them.”
Young Single Adult Gems - 29 May 2009
Make Time to Immerse Yourself in the Scriptures
"As I think about your schedules and the pressures you face at this time in your lives, I can understand why scripture study can so easily be neglected. You have many demands pulling at you. In some cases, just maintaining your social life is a full-time occupation. But I plead with you to make time for immersing yourselves in the scriptures. Couple scripture study with your prayers. Half an hour each morning privately studying, pondering, and communicating with your Heavenly Father can make an amazing difference in your lives. It will give increased success in your daily activities. It will bring increased alertness to your minds. It will give you comfort and rock-steady assurance when the storms of life descend upon you."
Topics: Scripture
Young Single Adult Gems - 22 May 2009
Read and Ponder the Scriptures
"Your efforts to distill truth from reading and pondering the scriptures, from analyzing and striving to understand the inspired messages of the prophets, will provide you with an armory of truth. That truth will protect you from evil influences and lay a foundation for happiness, security, and purpose in your life. It will help you make correct choices. Initially these truths are accepted on faith. The confirming witness of their validity comes as you apply them in your life and as you express gratitude for the growth, maturity, and blessings that come from their use. That confirmation strengthens your capacity to discipline your life to avoid those things you know to be unproductive and harmful. Such a witness provides encouragement and the confidence to center your life in the teachings of the Savior and the plan of happiness of the Father."
Topics: Scripture
Young Single Adult Gems - 29 April 2009
The Capstone of Our Faith
"President Ezra Taft Benson, in explaining the Doctrine and Covenants, put it this way:
" 'The Doctrine and Covenants brings men to Christ's kingdom, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth." . . . I know that.
" 'The Book of Mormon is the "keystone," . . . and the Doctrine and Covenants is the capstone, with continuing latter-day revelation. The Lord has placed His stamp of approval on both the keystone and the capstone' (in Conference Report, Apr. 1987, 105; or Ensign, May 1987, 83).
"The keystone and the capstone teach us about the cornerstone of our religion, which is the Savior."
Topics: Scripture
Family Gems - 6 March 2009
We Remember Our Savior through Family Prayer and Scripture Study
“We . . . keep our promise to remember Him when as families we pray together and when we read the scriptures. At family prayer around a breakfast table, one child may pray for another to be blessed that things will go well that day in a test or in some performance. When the blessings come, the child blessed will remember the love of the morning and the kindness of the Advocate, in whose name the prayer was offered. Hearts will be bound in love.
“We keep our covenant to remember Him every time we gather our families to read the scriptures. They testify of the Lord Jesus Christ, for that is and always has been the message of prophets. Even if children do not remember the words, they will remember the true author, Jesus Christ.”
Daily Gems - 30 January 2009
God Is Engaged in Our Lives
"We believe in a God who is engaged in our lives, who is not silent, not absent, nor, as Elijah said of the god of the priests of Baal, is He '[on] a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be [awakened]' (1 Kings 18:27). In this Church, even our young Primary children recite, 'We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God' (Articles of Faith 1:9).
"In declaring new scripture and continuing revelation, we pray we will never be arrogant or insensitive. But after a sacred vision in a now sacred grove answered in the affirmative the question 'Does God exist?' what Joseph Smith and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints force us to face is the next interrogative, which necessarily follows: 'Does He speak?' We bring the good news that He does and that He has. With a love and affection born of our Christianity, we invite all to inquire into the wonder of what God has said since biblical times and is saying even now.
"In a sense Joseph Smith and his prophetic successors in this Church answer the challenge Ralph Waldo Emerson put to the students of the Harvard Divinity School 170 years ago. . . . The great sage of Concord pled that they teach 'that God is, not was; that He speaketh, not spake' ("An Address," The Complete Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson [1929], 45)."
Topics: Scripture, Revelation
Youth Gems - 6 January 2009
Studying the Scriptures
"Many of you study foreign languages. You might like to start reading the Book of Mormon in another language. When you read the scriptures in another language, you learn what the words mean in a new way. Some people start by finding answers to their questions. They want to know who they are and what they should be doing with their lives. A friend of mine suggested that I start looking for questions that the Lord asks us in the scriptures and ponder them (see John S. Tanner, "Responding to the Lord's Questions," Ensign, Apr. 2002, 26). Since then I have discovered many important questions such as 'What desirest thou?' (1 Ne. 11:2) and 'What think ye of Christ?' (Matt. 22:42). I keep a list of those questions in the back of my scriptures. I often choose one to think about in quiet moments because pondering enlightens my mind that I 'might understand the scriptures' (Luke 24:45). When I do not have my scriptures nearby, then I start my study by reviewing teachings I have memorized. By reciting the Articles of Faith or other verses to myself, I am able to keep them in my memory bank."
Topics: Scripture
Youth Gems - 1 January 2009
Studying the Scriptures
"Once in a while I invest in a new copy of the Book of Mormon. When I start reading that new book, I make notes in the margins so I have a record of what I am learning as I study. To help me remember what I am learning, I draw lines to connect ideas. I shade verses and underline key words. When I find ideas that relate to each other, I make a scripture chain to link those ideas (see "Scripture Linking," Teaching, No Greater Call [1999], 58). I like to think of my scriptures as a workbook, so sometimes I record where I was when I gained an insight or the name of the person who taught me. That way the experience is refreshed in my memory when I read that passage again."
Topics: Scripture
Daily Gems - 29 December 2008
Lord's Works without End
"Virtually every prophet of the Old and New Testament has added scripture to that received by his predecessors. If the Old Testament words of Moses were sufficient, as some could have mistakenly thought them to be (see Deuteronomy 4:2), then why, for example, the subsequent prophecies of Isaiah or of Jeremiah, who follows him? To say nothing of Ezekiel and Daniel, of Joel, Amos, and all the rest. If one revelation to one prophet in one moment of time is sufficient for all time, what justifies these many others? What justifies them was made clear by Jehovah Himself when He said to Moses, 'My works are without end, and . . . my words . . . never cease' (Moses1:4)."
Topics: Revelation, Scripture, Prophets
Daily Gems - 9 December 2008
Continuing Revelation
"Some Christians, in large measure because of their genuine love for the Bible, have declared that there can be no more authorized scripture beyond the Bible. In thus pronouncing the canon of revelation closed, our friends in some other faiths shut the door on divine expression that we in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hold dear: the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and the ongoing guidance received by God's anointed prophets and apostles. Imputing no ill will to those who take such a position, nevertheless we respectfully but resolutely reject such an unscriptural characterization of true Christianity."
Topics: Scripture, Bible, Book of Mormon
Young Single Adult Gems - 26 November 2008
Finding Answers through the Scriptures
"Satan would diminish your faith and dilute your priesthood power to work mighty miracles, but a loving Heavenly Father has provided you with providential protection--the gift of the Holy Ghost. In the first chapter of the Book of Mormon we learn that as Lehi read the scriptures 'he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord' (1 Ne. 1:8-12). Nephi later promises us that as we 'feast upon the words of Christ . . . the words of Christ will tell [us] all things what [we] should do' (2 Ne. 32:3).
"You may be facing decisions regarding a mission, your future career, and, eventually, marriage. As you read the scriptures and pray for direction, you may not actually see the answer in the form of printed words on the page, but as you read you will receive distinct impressions, and promptings, and, as promised, the Holy Ghost 'will show unto you all things what ye should do' (2 Ne. 32:5)."
Topics: Holy Ghost, Scripture
Daily Gems - 25 November 2008
Learning as Missionaries Do
"Along with studying the scriptures, missionaries study Preach My Gospel every day. They learn principles and skills, and they apply them. They especially learn how to use the guidance of the Spirit in their work. If we want to learn as missionaries do, we too must carefully study Preach My Gospel and observe the missionaries in their daily work."
Topics: Scripture, Holy Ghost
Young Single Adult Gems - 21 November 2008
Characteristics of Prophets
"It is vital to understand that, first, prophets are called of God and He testifies to the world of their calling. . . . Second, the role of prophets is to teach of Christ and testify of His divinity and His mission. . . . [And] the third characteristic of prophets is that their teachings are recorded and are taught by succeeding prophets and teachers to the inhabitants of the earth."
Young Single Adult Gems - 17 November 2008
Scripture Study
"It would be impossible to learn the lessons the scriptures contain by reading them only one time through or studying selected verses in a class. . . . The Lord has told us that our time should 'be devoted to the studying of the scriptures' (D&C 26:1) and that 'the Book of Mormon and the holy scriptures are given. . . for [our] instruction' (D&C 33:16)."
Topics: Scripture
Daily Gems - 17 November 2008
Biblical Descriptions of the Book of Mormon
"Isaiah wrote, 'Thou shalt . . . speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust' (Isaiah 29:4). Could any words be more descriptive of the Book of Mormon, coming as it did 'out of the ground' to 'whisper out of the dust' to people of our day?
"But Isaiah was not the only Old Testament prophet who foretold the Book of Mormon. Ezekiel wrote:
" 'Take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel . . . : then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel. . . :
" 'And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand' (Ezekiel 37:16 17)."
Topics: Scripture, Restoration
Daily Gems - 13 November 2008
Belief in an Embodied God
[One] reason The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints is excluded from the Christian category by some is because we believe, as did the ancient prophets and apostles, in an embodied--but certainly glorified--God. To those who criticize this scripturally based belief, I ask at least rhetorically: If the idea of an embodied God is repugnant, why are the central doctrines and singularly most distinguishing characteristics of all Christianity the Incarnation, the Atonement, and the physical Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ? If having a body is not only not needed but not desirable by Deity, why did the Redeemer of mankind redeem His body, redeeming it from the grasp of death and the grave, guaranteeing it would never again be separated from His spirit in time or eternity? (see Romans 6:9; Alma 11:45). Any who dismiss the concept of an embodied God dismiss both the mortal and the resurrected Christ. No one claiming to be a true Christian will want to do that."
Daily Gems - 29 October 2008
Three Separate and Distinct Beings
"To acknowledge the scriptural evidence that otherwise perfectly united members of the Godhead are nevertheless separate and distinct beings is not to be guilty of polytheism; it is, rather, part of the great revelation Jesus came to deliver concerning the nature of divine beings. Perhaps the Apostle Paul said it best: 'Christ Jesus . . . being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God' (Philippians 2:5 6)."
Topics: Jesus Christ, Scripture
Daily Gems - 1 October 2008
The Lord's Directions and Warnings
"The Lord blesses His children through our priesthood service. To help us be successful in faithfully rendering priesthood service, He gives us directions and warnings. He has done that in the scriptures and continues to guide us through our leaders and through the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
"The scriptures contain many passages of direction and warning to holders of the priesthood. One of the best is section 121 of the Doctrine and Covenants. In those few verses the Lord teaches us that the priesthood can only be exercised in righteousness. We should treat others with persuasion, patience, and kindness. He reminds us of the importance of charity and virtue in having the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.
"That section also warns us of those attitudes and actions that will cause us to lose our priesthood power."
Topics: Righteousness, Melchizedek Priesthood, Scripture
Church History Gems - 8 September 2008
All to Feast on the Scriptures
"Making the scriptures available and helping God's children learn to read them was the first step to the Restoration of the gospel. Originally the Bible was written in Hebrew and Greek, languages unknown to common people throughout Europe. Then, about 400 years after the Savior's death, the Bible was translated by Jerome into Latin. But still the scriptures were not widely available. Copies had to be written by hand, usually by monks, each taking years to complete.
"Then, through the influence of the Holy Ghost, an interest in learning began to grow in the hearts of people. This Renaissance or 'rebirth' spread throughout Europe. In the late 1300s, a priest named John Wycliffe initiated a translation of the Bible from Latin into English. Because English was then an emerging, unrefined language, church leaders deemed it unsuitable to convey God's word. Some leaders were certain that if people could read and interpret the Bible for themselves, its doctrine would be corrupted; others feared that people with independent access to the scriptures would not need the church and would cease to support it financially. Consequently, Wycliffe was denounced as a heretic and treated accordingly. After he died and was buried, his bones were dug up and burned. But God's work could not be stopped.
"While some were inspired to translate the Bible, others were inspired to prepare the means to publish it. By 1455 Johannes Gutenberg had invented a press with movable type, and the Bible was one of the first books he printed. For the first time it was possible to print multiple copies of the scriptures and at a cost many could afford.
"Meanwhile, the inspiration of God also rested upon explorers. In 1492 Christopher Columbus set out to find a new path to the Far East. Columbus was led by the hand of God in his journey. He said, 'God gave me the faith, and afterwards the courage' (quoted in Benson Bobrick, Wide as the Waters: The Story of the English Bible and the Revolution It Inspired [2001], 89).
"These inventions and discoveries set the stage for further contributions. In the early 1500s young William Tyndale enrolled at Oxford University. . . .Through his studies, Tyndale developed a love for God's word and a desire that all God's children be able to feast on it for themselves."
Topics: Scripture
Youth Gems - 4 September 2008
Studying the Scriptures
"Once in a while I invest in a new copy of the Book of Mormon. When I start reading that new book, I make notes in the margins so I have a record of what I am learning as I study. To help me remember what I am learning, I draw lines to connect ideas. I shade verses and underline key words. When I find ideas that relate to each other, I make a scripture chain to link those ideas (see "Scripture Linking," Teaching, No Greater Call [1999], 58). I like to think of my scriptures as a workbook, so sometimes I record where I was when I gained an insight or the name of the person who taught me. That way the experience is refreshed in my memory when I read that passage again."
Topics: Scripture
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