Today in Relief Society, Sister Allred facilitated as we
talked about different aspects of scripture study.
Some scriptures that teach us about scripture study:
The scriptures can
be a guide for our lives
The scriptures give us the antidote
for the latter days by providing the instructions we need, and help us on a daily basis.
The scriptures
help us avoid deception and discern truth
When we treasure up the scriptures
in our hearts, it’s there as ammunition when we need it. We need the scriptures
to help us face the onslaughts of the latter days.
Videos:
Notes and Quotes from Our Discussion
Why it’s important to
study the scriptures:
Unlike physical hunger, it’s harder to tell when we’re
experiencing spiritual hunger. The more we’re in tune with the Holy Ghost, the
easier it is to tell when we need to feed our spirits. It’s important to read when
we’re prompted to do so.
We need to be grateful every day for what the Lord provides
us. He really does give us what we need to get through & we sometimes take
that for granted.
In his October 2016 General Conference talk, Elder K. Brett
Nattress of the Seventy said, “each morning, my mother read the Book of Mormon
to us during breakfast… Finally, one morning… I exclaimed, “Mom, why are you
doing this to us? Why are you reading the Book of Mormon every morning? …I am not
listening! Her loving response was a
defining moment in my life. She said, ‘Son, I was at a meeting where President
Marion G. Romney taught about the blessings of scripture reading. During this
meeting, I received a promise that if I would read the Book of Mormon to my
children every day, I would not lose them.’ She then looked me straight in the
eyes and, with absolute determination, said, ‘And I will not lose you!’” (No Greater Joy Than to Know that They Know)
What are some of our
methods, individually or with family?:
We read the illustrated Book of Mormon with our daughter,
then reading the same passages from the Book of Mormon while she follows along.
It’s good to make sure children have their own set of
scriptures, so they identify it as theirs,
not just Mom and Dad’s.
We use Family Home Evening lessons for scripture reading,
doing it like a Sunday School lesson.
I use a blank piece of paper to write down or doodle what’s
happening, to enhance study time. It plants a picture in my mind.
I like to watch the cartoon movies of the Book of Mormon
stories.
When I listen to the Book of Mormon, I keep paper handy to
write down anything that stands out. It’s like the Spirit telling me to investigate
that scripture more deeply.
I start with a Mormon Message (maybe addressing something
the kids are struggling with) and then find scriptures that go with it.
Read through the page headings.
The Book of Mormon for
Latter-Day Saint Families has a big section at the bottom where they define
harder words and give background info and cultural references for what was
happening in society at the time.
The Rosenvall edition of the Book of Mormon has all the same
scriptures, but it’s reorganized into a story form.
Using a book with wider margins gives space for notes.
Repetition. You just have to do it over and over again
because every time you do it, you get something new, and every day that you go
in there, you need something different.
As a couple, sometimes we’ll pick a topic from the topical
guide. We did the word “heart,” and that was phenomenal.
As an individual, I get up before everyone else and read.
As a family, when school is in, we’ll read a verse or so at
breakfast and have a discussion about it.
I get different things from the audiobook and from reading
it.
If you take notes in your scriptures, change them every
couple of years because your life circumstances allow you to see things
completely fresh & draw inspiration from what is absolutely relevant at
that time.
I feel like it’s my journal. I write in it as I go. Starting
fresh creates chronicles of my life.
What blessings are we
promised as we read the scriptures?:
In a 2013 General Conference Talk, President Boyd K. Packer related
this experience:
Years ago, Elder S. Dilworth Young
of the Seventy taught me a lesson about reading the scriptures. A stake was
struggling with tensions and difficulties among the members, and counsel needed
to be given.
I asked President Young, “What should I say?”
He answered simply, “Tell
them to read the scriptures.”
I asked, “Which
scriptures?”
He said, “It really
doesn’t matter. Tell them to open up the Book of Mormon, for instance, and begin
to read. Soon the feeling of peace and inspiration will come, and a solution
will present itself.”
a story where he needed to counsel a stake
that “was struggling with tensions and difficulties among the members.” When he
asked President Young what he should say, “’He answered simply, ‘Tell them to
read the scriptures.” (The Key to Spiritual Protection)
I was doing work in India & had a really bad feeling. I
went to the scriptures & had a direct impression that she needed to go. I ended
up with typhoid fever, so it was good that I left, or I’d have been in a really
bad situation.
We’re blessed with guidance and protection.
Comfort – there are so many scriptures about comfort. I keep
having different favorites. He’s saying, “Be still. I got this.”
When I read the scriptures daily, I tend to be nicer –
focusing more on the spiritual things than the irritation that’s around.
That’s why it’s essential for parenting because we all need
patience.
I find I can better handle the daily stresses of life.
I found that reading the Bible helped make the Book of
Mormon clearer to me.
As you read the BofM consistently throughout the years, the repetition
brings the stories & scriptures to your mind when you need them. If we’re
seeking comfort and guidance and don’t have these things in our minds already,
the Lord can certainly help us, but maybe we could’ve helped ourselves.
Elder Scott said the scriptures are more important than
sleep or anything… when you study them, they’ll be like an old friend. (Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority)
It’s a commandment – knowing the scriptures & having it
when you need it is very important.
Keeping the commandments = blessings & strength.
The scriptures help you to look at yourself in a different
way & reflect on yourself – do I want to be this way or a different way?
It’s a kind of mirror on yourself.
Sister Allred closed our meeting with a final quote from President Dallin H.
Oaks: “Though each of these practices may seem to be small and simple, over
time they result in powerful spiritual uplift and growth.” (Small and Simple Things)
What obstacles keep/have kept you from from regular scripture study? If you've overcome them, how did you do it?
