So the reason for this blog is as the title shows: Coming Closer to Christ. I will share with you some of my views and feelings and my personal testimony of Christ through different principles. I do this number one to increase the efficacy and quality of my study. I am also doing this to show the ideas I am trying to teach to my priest's quorum each Sunday.
Throughout the month of April, I have made it clear to my priests I want them to understand scripture study. I have made a deal with them. At the start of the month, they start out with $30. For every day they miss studying their scriptures, it drops a dollar. At the end of the month, if they have at least $15 left, I will get them a giftcard to a place of their choice. When they asked me for how long they had to study for it to "count", I told them I don't care. This is a matter of being honest with yourself and the Lord; it's not really about the money. This is meant to further develop their ability to study scriptures and study topically rather than read a book. The last Sunday of April, they are required to give a 10 minute talk/lesson on a topic of their choice from Chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel.
This week I spent an entire lesson emphasizing the importance of understanding what is going on and what the words are saying both implicitly and explicitly. I want them to understand who is talking and why they are saying what they are saying, doing what they are doing. Today was a long, tedious process for many of the boys as we poured through footnotes to understand the first four verses of John 15.
I wish to speak on our lesson last week. Let's start by quoting a few verses from Matthew 4. Before Christ began His earthly ministry, He too had to prepare for the mission upon which he would embark. I believe even the Son of God himself would face a fear of knowing what lies in store for Him. Surely at this time He felt He needed guidance from His Father as He spent 40 days fasting. Let's now read verses 1-10, inserting Joseph Smith translations where necessary:
"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be with God. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights and had communed with God, he was afterwards an hungered, and was left to be tempted of the devil. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Then Jesus was taken up into the holy city and the Spirit setteth him on the pinnacle of the temple. Then the devil came unto him and said, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone Jesus said unto him, It is written again, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
And again, Jesus was in the Spirit, and it taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And the devil came unto him again, and said, All these hings will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God , and him only shalt thou serve"
If you pay attention to each response from Christ, He begins each answer with "It is written". Christ himself, at probably one of His physically weaker times in life having just fasted for 40 days, fought each temptation with scripture. The devil himself realized this during the second temptation mentioned by asking Christ to prove the scriptures. Christ continued to pound Satan by quoting scripture and eventually, as verse 11 says, "the devil leaveth him".
Preach My Gospel dedicates an entire chapter to effective study so that we, as our Savior, can combat temptations with gospel principles through scriptures. Page 17 of PMG says:
"Effective daily study must always begin with prayer. Study is an act of faith requiring the use of personal agency. Many missionaries [and members] struggle to know how to study effectively. Some rely heavily on others or on structured programs to tell them what and how to study. While learning from a good teacher is very important, it is more important for you to have meaningful learning experiences on your own. Getting good results from your study depends on having a strong desire to learn, studying with 'real intent' (Moroni 10:4), 'hunger[ing] and thirt[ing] after righteousness' (Matthew 5:6), and searching for answers to your investigators' questions and concerns."
Let's take this part by part:
1. Effective daily study must always begin with prayer.
Nephi helps explain this one a bit better in 2 Nephi 32:3,5 where he pleads with us to "feast upon the words of Christ (the scriptures); for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." Nephi then tells us that "the Holy Ghost...will show you all things what ye should do." Think of it: the scriptures tell us what to do, but the Holy Ghost will show us what to do. Ask anybody who has taken an online math class. The math book may tell you what to do, but it is a lot easier when somebody is there to show us. Pray to invite the Spirit. Realize that without the Spirit, you are nothing; you can benefit nothing from your study.
2. Study is an act of faith requiring the use of personal agency.
The book of James in the bible tells us, "...faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." Faith is therefore action. In this case, you must have faith in the Spirit, in Christ, in your Father in Heaven, that you will receive the answers for which you are looking. You must act on this faith as you are desiring to learn more instead of studying the scriptures just because your teacher tells you to; use your personal agency wisely.
3. Many missionaries and members struggle to know how to study effectively. Some rely heavily on others or structured programs to tell them what and how to study. While learning from a good teacher is very important, it is more important for you to have meaningful learning experiences on your own.
Earlier in PMG, it says, "For you to grow in the gospel and stay on the path that leads to eternal life, you need to develop a habit of gospel study." Throughout the next few weeks, we will look at knowledge and light and how these are incorporated into our eternal life.
I cannot stress this bold point enough; we need to have our own spiritual experiences. You can only live on someone else's testimony for so long. When Satan attacks, and believe me, he will, you must be able to stand strong on your own two feet. You need to know what you believe. You need to know Christ as your Brother and as your Savior. You need to understand the atonement by feeling its effects yourself. If you cannot learn to study the scriptures effectively on your own, without relying on programs or challenges from others, how will you understand the depth of answers you can receive? I strongly believe we speak to God through prayer, but He speaks back through the scriptures.
4. Getting good results from your study depends on having a strong desire to learn, studying with 'real intent' (Moroni 10:4), 'hunger[ing] and thirt[ing] after righteousness' (Matthew 5:6), and searching for answers to your investigaors' questions and concerns.
You need to do a self evaluation and truly ask yourself why you study the scriptures. So many people do it simply because it feels good. This is good; this is not a bad thing. Elder Oaks has told us, however, to see the good, better, and best. We must choose the best. Studying the scriptures simply for the 'good' feeling is a good option. Studying for questions and answers if the better option. Studying for your 'investigators' is your best option. Obviously everything needs to be taken into perspective. You need to have a testimony yourself. In this case, your 'investigator' is yourself. Maybe your investigator is your priest's quorum. Maybe your investigator is your spouse, your child, your friend, your father, your neighbor, etc. Your 'investigator' does not have to be someone without a testimony; your investigator can be someone with a question or simply someone you care about. Oftentimes I focus my study on how I can be a better husband for my wife. At these times, my wife is my investigator; she is the focus of my study. I promise you will get a lot more out of your study once you can start studying for someone else. You will understand gospel principles like you never have; you will gain a greater testimony of certain principles; you will learn to love the scriptures.
This week your challenge is to focus one scripture study on someone else. Time and time again, you hear of the pleadings to the Lord of the prophets praying for their people or their enemies. Enos, after having received a remission of his sins, began praying for his people and then for his enemies. Christ himself said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
Next week I will address the importance of recording your thoughts and impressions in a study journal.
- Caden
