The New Year is a few days away. Along with this New Year, we will be experiencing a new season of life. Putting the past behind us, regardless of the good or bad, our journey will begin anew. People are most likely looking at what it is that they want to accomplish in the coming year. Some are making resolutions to lose weight and eat healthier. Some are looking to build better relationships with their family. Still, some are seeking employment in a very competitive market and are resolved to take a different approach to find suitable work. However, the Marysville LDS Church examiner would like to challenge everyone to make this the year we slow down, turn our hearts heavenward, and truly seek after the Kingdom of our Heavenly Father.
How can we turn our hearts heavenward?
As previously written, the current curriculum of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is studying through the Book of Mormon. From the youth to adults, we will engage in discussing the Book of Mormon, the passages, and supping from the pages of this sacred text in our personal and family devotions. Yet, the challenge is not merely to read the Book of Mormon and participate in the discussions thereof. The challenge is to turn our hearts toward a Loving Heavenly Father who has given us, through modern day revelation, a sacred book that will change our lives forever – a book that will bring us closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.
Pondering on how we can focus on a new hope and resolve to not only read through the Book of Mormon, but drink from the pages, soak in the messages, and receive our own personal divine revelation of its truthfulness: the thought occurred on how a group of Eastern European youth of the Church took up the admonishment of President Thomas S. Monson and Henry B. Eyring. The youth took the challenge to read the Book of Mormon, and not merely read it, but consistently read twenty-minutes a day. They also recorded their experience in reading it through journaling how it inspired them, influenced their lives, and changed their lives through the course of daily meditation of this sacred text.
The Challenge – Record your experience
Those who truly seek after the Kingdom of Heaven, hungering and thirsting are open and humble enough to hear the voice of the Spirit as He moves and guides us into all truth and understanding (See John 14:26). This is what the Book of Mormon does for each one of us, draws us into the truth and reality of who we are, the purpose of why we are here, and the struggles we face in our day-to-day lives as we strive to live in obedience to the commandments of our Loving Heavenly Father. Through this sacred text, it helps us to endure faithful to the end so that we are able to stand before our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, knowing we have done all we could to serve them, walking according to the example and suffering as Christ had suffered in order to ultimately overcome sin and death.
Thus, for our New Year resolution for 2012, let us consistently and studiously record our own personal journey through the reading and personal study of the Book of Mormon. In addition, not only ought we to read and study through this sacred text, we should turn our hearts Heavenward and seek out how we can share the message of the Book of Mormon with others. Not so much of what the Book of Mormon teaches; instead, share how it has truly changed our loves over the course of our reading, pondering, meditation, and prayerful consideration. Share how it has brought us closer to understanding who Jesus Christ is and the sacrifice he made on our behalf.
Let us not be ashamed
We are living in a very volatile time where people are seeking after the things of this world. Relationships are challenging and constantly adrift. Families struggling with issues that has never before challenged previous generations. Our world is truly moving at a very fast pace, with false philosophies, criticisms, and even calamities that seems to happen with greater frequency across the world. Despite this, we should never be ashamed to allow our light to shine forth because it is now the time that we ought to arise and shine forth (See D&C 115:5) with greater resolve to stand as witnesses of Christ in all places and in all things (See Mosiah 18:9).
Through revelation, we are also told that there will come a time when our testimonies will be challenged, our faith tried, and that the sophistries of the world and the learning of men will challenge us; yet we are to be of good cheer (See John 16:33). Lehi even beheld the act of those who would make their way to the large and spacious building where they join in mockery and ridicule of those who have made their way to the Tree of Life (See 1 Nephi 8 and 1 Nephi 11). If we root ourselves deep into the ground, build a solid and firm foundation on Jesus Christ, we should never find shame in the testimony that we have when we draw closure to our Heavenly Father and increase in our understanding of the atonement.
This is eternal life
Through our study and personal meditation upon the Book of Mormon, we secure for ourselves eternal life. Praying to the Father, the apostle John records that the Savior mentions that the purpose of our eternal life is based on knowing the Father and the Son whom the father had sent (See John 17:3). To know the Savior is to follow the Savior.
In Moroni 7:11 we read that a person who is a servant of the devil can in no way follow Christ because to follow Christ would mean that one is a servant of Christ:
For behold, a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water; neither can a good fountain bring forth bitter water; wherefore, a man being a servant of the devil cannot follow Christ; and if he follow Christ he cannot be a servant of the devil.
This is in harmony with what Christ taught the twelve disciples when he talked about the tree bearing forth fruit:
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit; neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them (See Matthew 7:16-20)
True, Matthew reflects the warning Christ gave to His disciples to differentiate and beware of false prophets and teachers, however, the sentiment and application is still the same. One cannot conclude that the Book of Mormon is of evil design or of a false prophet because it teaches men to follow Christ and to live in a manner that is truly exemplary of the Christian discipleship. In essence, the Book of Mormon helps us produce the good fruit of drawing closure to our Heavenly Father, teaches us to serve our fellow beings, to be honest in our dealings with one another, encourages us to stand as witnesses of who Christ is, and strengthens us even when we are faced with our own personal trials and storms that challenge our faith.
Final Thoughts and admonition
Let us take this opportunity to prayerfully consider how we can draw closer to our Heavenly Father, seek after His kingdom and to emulate Christ in our daily lives. In doing so, let us proclaim as Nephi did that we shall obey the commandments given for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them (See 1 Nephi 3:7).
As we take up this challenge, making this our 2012 New Year’s resolution, let us record our thoughts, the inspiration that we receive, and share those things with our families. Let us receive the strength to stand as witnesses in all ways and in all things as we have made covenants to do so. We shall not be ashamed of the message the Book of Mormon presents, and we should hold fast to the truth and message it brings to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness sake (See Matthew 5:6 and 3 Nephi 12:6) and so that we can bring them to the wells of living water (See John 6:35).
The Book of Mormon, divine revelation given unto the children of men is definitely a sacred set of scripture – a book that will change your life.
If you are not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but are curious in what the Book of Mormon has to say and what it truly does teach, then the invitation is open for you to come and study with us. This can be accomplished in several different ways. One way is to go to www.mormon.org and review the different profiles where they talk about how the Book of Mormon influences each one of their lives. One can also chat with a missionary online, as well as ordering a copy of the Book of Mormon. Another way is to contact a local ward in the area of Marysville, Arlington, Lake Stevens, Smokey Point, and Granite Falls to attend services. This can be done by using the meetinghouse locator at mormon.org. If one is not comfortable attending services with us, nor chatting online, one could request to meet with missionaries and discussing with them the Book of Mormon and how you can discover for yourself this sacred set of scriptures that has come to us and why it is for our time and our day.
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