"The Book of Mormon in combination with the Spirit of the Lord is the greatest single tool which God has given us to convert the world. This Restoration volume of scripture is the keystone of our religion, and is essential in bringing souls to the Savior."
Truly, I have noticed this in my own life as I have strived to live up to the standard of "every member a missionary." Although I am still trying to aid his efforts, before I left for school I gave my boyfriend a copy of the Book of Mormon. He had attended many church meetings with me prior to this, and had a basic knowledge of our standards and what we believe. In fact, he even met with the missionaries once before I left. Despite this, he has still not fully recognized the eternal truths contained in this holy text. However, I continue to aid his search to the best of my ability, relying upon the truths taught in the Book of Mormon, as Elder Bednar stated. (some scriptures that also touched me on the topic of missionary work include Mosiah 28:3 and Alma 36: 24-25)
https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/images/gospel-library/manual/36617/king-benjamin-addresses-people_1181293_inl.jpg
1. Love God and those you teach
2. Focus on the student's needs
3. Teach from the approved gospel materials
4. Effectively prepare and present lessons
5. Teach by the Spirit
6. Teach to help others
Although I haven't had a direct missionary experience yet, I have been earnestly applying these six principles whenever possible, in order to benefit my teaching.
The next topic we studied after missionary work, was the scattering and gathering of Israel. When I dove into this topic, I had little background knowledge or understanding of this topic, so I was eager to find out more. While I was doing my personal reading, I found a scripture that stood out to me. It was 1 Nephi 22:25. I really loved this scripture because it talked about the Lord gathering his sheep, which is the greatest metaphor we see in comparison to the gathering of Israel. I really loved when it talked about "gathering his sheep from all four corners of the earth", because truly it shows his love for all of us, and the desire to bring everyone unto his fold. Also on this topic, a quote shared in class by Elder Nelson stood out to me. It states, "...if there were no Book of Mormon, then the promised gathering of Israel would not occur." This simple statement struck me with awe because it was not something that I had thought about previously. However, in the context of having just studied missionary work, it made sense. In addition, the Book of Mormon is they keystone of our religion, and as such carries great weight with our people and the uniting of the restored gospel upon the earth. In addition to the physical bodies on the earth, we also talked about the temple ordinances and covenants that we make in the temple to benefit our spirits. This segwayed into our next topic of covenants and promises of the Lord.
Ironically, one of my favorite scriptures of all time was an assigned personal reading for this topic. (Mosiah 2:41) In this verse, it talks about the "blessed and happy state" that we will be in if we simply keep the commandments and honor our covenants with the Lord. I have always loved this verse because I love the simplicity, and yet the great promises as a result of our obedience. Another scripture that I enjoyed reading on this topic was 3 Nephi 22:7. Although this verse is extremely brief, it demonstrates Christ and the Father's infinite love for us, and their desire to aid us in all things. In class, we also discussed an interesting religious figure. Although he was not of our faith, Cecil B. DeMille became "friends" with many general authorities, and also was a devout Christian. In an address he gave to BYU students years ago, he stated, "God made man free- and then gave him the commandments to keep him free."
I truly love this way of viewing the commandments. Although many, including myself, are guilty of viewing the commandments as a burden, we need to realize that they are simply derived out of God's love for us as his children. In addition, it is an honor to live by his standards, in return for the tremendous blessings we receive. I know that in my own life, as I have willingly followed the standards and commandments, I have been blessed. Another quote that I enjoyed on this topic, was one stated in class, that "Obediance is the lifestyle of the Gods." Truly, we are children of an eternal Heavenly Father, and we are promised all that he has. In order for us to realize our true potential, we must become like him and follow the Savior's example through obedience to the commandments. As Elder Nelson states, "the greatest joy in this life can be found in being called a covenant keeper."
As we continued with Day 2 of studying covenants and obedience, we studied the promises that God promises his children as a result of their obedience. In a quote by Elder Clayton, he states, "the promised land today is not likely to be a place... Instead the promised land is a way of life." This quote made me think deeply about what I need to fix in my life, in order to live in "the promised land" manner.
As we ended class that day, Brother Kinghorn urged each of us to ponder this question:
How is our obedience?
For those who are reading this, I invite us all to ponder this question. Truly, we must be obedient to inherit all that the Lord has. In addition, obedience brings blessings. As I stated previously, I have noticed this in my own life, and the lives of those around me.
I am so grateful for this gospel, and for this religion class that has allowed my testimony to grow over the course of several weeks. Truly, I have so much to be thankful for.
Sources:
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/come-and-see?lang=eng
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/10/the-gathering-of-scattered-israel?lang=eng
lds.org
