This week in our Come, Follow Me gospel study, we read in Doctrine and Covenants 10-11.
Section 11 is full of scriptural gems such as:
1 A great and marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.
3-4 Behold, the field is white already to harvest; . . Yea, whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap, the same is called of God.
5 Therefore, if you will ask of me you shall receive; if you will knock it shall be opened unto you.
7 Seek not for riches but for wisdom; and, behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.
9 Say nothing but repentance unto this generation. Keep my commandments, and assist to bring forth my work, according to my commandments, and you shall be blessed.
11 …behold, I am the light which shineth in darkness, and by my power I give these words unto thee.
12 And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.
13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;
14 …all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.
20 Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength.
28 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the life and the light of the world.
30 …as many as receive me, to them will I give power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on my name.
But the verse I would like to focus on in this post is verse 21:
“Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.”
I love this phrase “first seek to obtain my word.” When I was in the Missionary Training Center in preparation to go to Ukraine as a missionary, our officially-scheduled daily personal scripture study time was called OTW, i.e. Obtain the Word. (Also of note, we had a separate time to just study and read the Book of Mormon individually as well.)
The word “obtain” means to “get” or “receive” but has the deeper meaning that whatever it is you are obtaining requires some real effort to get.
The question is, how do we obtain His word? What personal effort must we put forth to have the message of the restored gospel firmly planted in our hearts? I propose four steps in a continual process that we should seek to follow our entire lives.
Study
First, we must study His word. We must study the gospel as it is preserved in ancient scripture: in the Old and New Testaments and in the Book of Mormon. We must study the gospel as it is taught in modern scripture: in the Doctrine and Covenants and in the words of our living prophets and apostles. We must read and listen to and ponder and pray about the words of the Lord through His servants.
How you study is somewhat a matter of personal preference. However, to study means more than just to passively read or listen. The process of studying the gospel is very similar to the process of studying any other topic: read out of the best books, listen to experts, form questions, research answers, make connections, and otherwise proactively gain knowledge and understanding of the material at hand.
When you study is also somewhat a matter of personal preference. Each of our schedules are different. However, may I share an insight that the Spirit shared with me just last year as I was reading the Book of Mormon? I was reading in Jacob when I came across the familiar verse: “But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.” I was heavily job hunting at the time and the Spirit helped me liken this scripture unto my daily activities in that before I seek riches, i.e. before I start working or job hunting that day, I should first seek the kingdom of God, i.e. study the scriptures. I have tried to take that same habit into my new job these past few months.1
Record
Second, we must record what we learn. Elder Richard G. Scott taught:
“Knowledge carefully recorded is knowledge available in time of need. Spiritually sensitive information should be kept in a sacred place that communicates to the Lord how you treasure it. That practice enhances the likelihood of your receiving further light.”
When we show the Lord that we care enough about what He is teaching us to write it down, organize it, and expand upon it, we will receive more. Nephi taught “For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more.”
When the Spirit whispers to us in Sacrament meeting or during General Conference or as we are listening to the Book of Mormon and we merely say “oh that’s an interesting insight” and move on, we show the Lord that we do not value His teachings enough to retain them and we will not obtain His word.
Remember, the Lord chastened the Nephites for not writing down what they were taught by Samuel the Lamanite.
Live
Third, to obtain His word, we must live His word. Living His word helps confirm and strengthen our testimonies of what we are learning. “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” (John 7:17)
This is true of any subject. I teach jump rope. I could sit down with you and teach you the theory and explain the mechanics of how to jump rope, but until you stand up, grab a rope, and try to jump rope yourself, you cannot begin to truly understand and benefit from what you are learning. Theory is important, but it is only through great personal effort through trial and error that you actually learn how to jump rope.
If we truly want to understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we must actively trust in Him and His power to take our burdens from us. We cannot benefit from the healing power of the Atonement by just sitting and reading the scriptures. We must repent, be kind to and serve others, pray with all the energy of our hearts, keep the commandments, and so on. And as we exercise faith, we start to learn how the atoning power of Jesus Christ helps ease our burdens and helps us return to our Father in Heaven.
Seek the Holy Ghost
Fourth, to obtain His word, we must have the help of the Holy Ghost, for the Holy Ghost helps with and is an integral part of the previous three steps.
Firstly, “...the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and” secondly, “bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:26) It is by this Spirit that when we ask, it shall be given us; when we seek, we shall find; and when we knock, it shall be opened unto us. (see Matt. 7:7-8)
Thirdly, again from Nephi, “For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.”
So from John we learn the Holy Ghost will 1- teach us and 2- help us remember what we learned, which we earn of course as we show the Lord how much we value what He taught us by recording what we learn. And from Nephi we learn that 3- the Holy Ghost will help us know what to do, i.e. how to act, how to live what we learn about the Gospel.
Conclusion
Obtaining His word is a lifelong process. Remember, line upon line: we must work for it and earn it. President Spencer W. Kimball taught: “Spiritual knowledge is not available merely for the asking; even prayers are not enough. It takes persistence and dedication of one’s life. … Of all treasures of knowledge, the most vital is the knowledge of God.”2
This I testify is true.
Jeremy
1. As an apostle, President Russell M. Nelson taught: “I learned long ago that a period of uninterrupted scriptural study in the morning brings enduring enrichment.” “Joy Cometh in the Morning,” General Conference, October 1986
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