Feasting on the Word

The great prophet Nephi encouraged us to “feast upon the words of Christ” (2 Nephi 32:3). Obviously the first step to feasting is to read the words of scripture, but reading is more comparable to preparing the feast than it is to actually eating the feast. The word feast means, “an elaborate and usually abundant meal often accompanied by a ceremony or entertainment” or “something that gives unusual or abundant enjoyment.” 

To have an” abundant meal” you prepare many, many different dishes and then sit down and take time to enjoy eating them. This bringing together of many different foods is what gives the “abundant enjoyment.” When we put mashed potatoes on our plate alongside the broccoli and the cranberry jelly, we not only enjoy the tastes of each one, but we enjoy the aromas, the color contrasts, and the difference in texture.

Likewise when we read scripture we are preparing the mind by putting the foods on the table where they can be acknowledged and chosen from. When we feast upon the scriptures we “eat” by pondering and meditating on comparisons and contrasts in all that we have read. We savor the delicate nuances of meanings and benefit from the “nutrients” that are available. 

“Unusual and abundant enjoyment” can happen when we eat a simple peanut butter sandwich. But it is much more likely to happen at a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings filling the table.

Gaining Wisdom

At the BYU Forum address on Tuesday Mark DeMoss, an evangelical who founded the DeMoss group which is a public relations firm serving Christian organizations, gave a wonderful talk on how incivility and Christianity are not compatible. That’s a basic feature of Living in Truth. When you are uncivil to anyone you immediately cast yourself into the Pit. As I said it is a wonderful talk and if you’d like to read it or hear it for yourself, go here.

In the course of the talk, Mr. DeMoss spoke about wisdom and said something that I really liked. He said that every day he reads a chapter from the book of Proverbs—one of the books of wisdom literature found in the Old Testament. There are 31 books in Proverbs and so if it is the sixth day of the month he reads the sixth chapter or on the tenth day the tenth chapter of Proverbs. By doing this he has read the words of wisdom found in Proverbs every month since he began the reading.

So I decided to try it. I won’t do it all my life, but for a month or two at least I’m going to read Proverbs as he does. I know the value of repetition. I’ve experienced that before when I studied King Benjamin’s great sermon found in Mosiah 2-5 every day for four months. That’s what led to the writing of my book Spiritually Centered Motherhood. It was surprising how much I learned from that experience, and so I am excited to read Proverbs the next few months.

But it also made me think about how valuable it would be to define 31 of the great sermons in the scriptures, the sermons that really speak to my own heart and then read those sermons one a day each day of the month. It would be another great way to learn and study. Maybe I’ll try that next!

A Two-Edged Sword

Recently I’ve been studying the connection between faith and words which this morning led me to an interesting verse that is repeated throughout scripture. The verse is found in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

This strange metaphor sent me on a dictionary sleuthing adventure (which is my favorite thing to do!) that has been interesting. I’m not sure I’ve squeezed all the meaning out of this verse, but what I’ve discovered so far is fascinating.

The “word of God” is sometimes used as John uses it in John 1 to mean Jesus Christ. But Paul never calls Christ the Word and so this use of the word seems to mean th just what it says, that the wors of the gospel are quick and powerful. Usually we use the word quick to mean “acting with speed” but the first definition of quick in my dictionary is “living or alive.” Thus the word of the gospel is alive and powerful.

Next comes the strange part of the metaphor for me, “sharper than any two-edged sword.” A two edge sword can inflict damage from both sides of the blade and thus is more powerful, but it also means that if you are striking at an enemy one side of the sword is poised to cut the enemy but the other side is poised to hurt you. In other words, a two-edged sword offers a good or a bad consequence depending upon how the sword is handled. Learning this brought one of those “AH-HA” moments that I love. But before I explain we need to look at the meanings of joint and marrow.

Obviously joint is “a place where two things meet,” but not so obvious is the meaning of marrow which is “the best or essential part” and has come to be metaphorically known as “vitality.”

Now for the “Ah-Ha” part of my study. What the verse is telling us is that the word of God is a living and powerful thing which if believed and acted upon will bring us great joy and will protect us from enemies; but if fought against or not used, it will separate us from God to whom we were once joined and from the Spirit which gives vitality and life to our being.

Happy Birthday, Dad

Today is my father’s birthday and I’m missing him a lot. He has been gone for four years, but if he were still alive would be 90 today. Since I am the oldest of his children, many of my memories of him bring back feelings of strength, vibrancy, robustness, and protectedness. But my most endearing memories of him include scriptures.

It was from my dad that I learned to love and desire to search the scriptures. Some of my earliest recollections are of him discussing gospel topics with his friends. I was so young that the conversations didn’t make much sense, but there was no mistaking the enthusiasm, love, and diligence with which Dad approached the scriptures. He’d turn many a discussion that started out to be about sports or national news or the weather into a gospel discussion. And as a teenager whenever I had problems he’d bring up just the right scripture story or verses to answer and calm me. I grew up with gospel topics as much a part of dinner as salt and pepper.

Oh how I’m missing those gospel discussions—especially today. During the last few years of his life when his mind wasn’t what it had been he’d still desire and try to discuss with me, but it didn’t always make sense and I’d find myself avoiding his conversations because it hurt so much. One day I walked in to find him in the chair he studied in, the Book of Mormon in his lap. “I don’t understand this,” he said with tears in his voice.

“What is it you don’t understand, Dad?” I asked as I walked to his side.

“Any of it,” he said, the sadness choking him. By then I was at his side and noticed that the book in his lap was upside down. I had to hurry away so he wouldn’t see me cry.

But I know that he is now in a comfortable chair studying or if not he’s attending a gospel class taught by some great prophet. He now understands more than he ever did, and I can’t wait to be with him again and find out all he has learned—to discuss it like we used to. Oh what a reunion it will someday be!

Taking It With Us

I have been thinking a lot lately about the importance of gospel study. There are many obvious reasons such as the fact that we can’t help others to learn the way of happiness unless we first learn it, and that it brings a great deal of peace and joy into our lives. You’ve all discussed these and more reasons in Sunday School classes and other Church setting. But there is something more that I’ve never heard discussed in a class before. And that is the impact it will have on our life in the Spirit world.

Many years ago I was talking with some women about scripture study and in the course of the conversation it came out that they believed that as soon as they died and the veil was lifted they would suddenly know everything. This attitude led them to the conclusion that it was a waste of time to study the gospel now when it took so much time and effort. Instead, it was better to just wait until the next life when it would all be given to them without effort. 

But the prophets have taught that learning, growth, and progression will continue into the next life. This means that the more we learn here, the further along we will be there. 

Gospel study is not just about helping us in this life. What we know is all that goes with us; so if we learn much now, we have an advantage in the next world. In other words, the many benefits of gospel learning are advantageous now and later.

Ways to Find "Whatsoever is True"

I love the King James Bible, which is celebrating its 400^th birthday this year. But I also learn a lot by comparing the KJV translations with modern translations. My favorite is the New International Version, but there are many other good ones out there. My two favorite web sites to find other translations are Biblestudytools.com and Studylight.org. On both sites you can type in a scripture and then pick which version of the Bible you want to look at and it will bring the verse up.

This morning in my personal study I read these verses from the KJV and then looked them up in the NIV. 

KJV Philippians 4:8: “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,  whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” 

NIV Philippians 4:8: “You’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious-the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”  

From there I went to the 13^th Article of Faith and read, “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”

While the KJV is clear and beautiful, reading it in modern language solidifies and deepens the meaning for me. It helps me see things in new light, and by pondering on all of these I learn more about what it means to 

Live in Truth.

P.S.   HAPPY 85TH BIRTHDAY TO MY WONDERFUL MOM! 

(I don't think she ever gets on here, but just in case!)

New Scriptures

When my grandson, Eli, was just three years old his father was putting him to bed and began to read to him from the Book of Mormon. Eli immediately stopped him saying, “Dad, you don’t need to read that to me. I already know Lehi does what he’s supposed to do.”

While that makes us chuckle, it should also make us take note. How many times do we miss important things in the scriptures because we are reading them with the attitude, “I already know!”  Instead we should be reading the scriptures as if we were reading for the very first time. There are several things that can help us do that. One is to read in different ways. Here are a few suggestions (1) Read looking for the big picture and patterns in the picture. (2) Read slowly looking for details and then ponder on the significance. Scriptural writers are abridging so that when they do choose to give us details those details are important. Find out why. (3) Examine the words and concepts used very carefully. Often a word you’ve used all your life and think you know has several connotations, and using a dictionary to discover how the scripture is using the word is often enlightening. (4) Decipher the symbols. Scripture writers use a “shorthand” that is made up of symbols. Learn their meaning. (5) Along with symbols, take time to ponder on the metaphors used. They often contain more than one lesson. (6) Compare and contrast the teachings on a specific principle by different prophets. (7) Ask questions. Why? What? How?

These are just a few things that can make scripture study more meaningful. But the most important thing is what we started with. The adversary may tempt you to think you’ve already learned it all, but with scripture study there is ALWAYS something new to discover.They are meant to be new every time you read them.

A Bible, A Bible!

When I stop to ponder on the price that has been paid so that you and I can have scriptures in our own language, it boggles my mind. From the 7th Century and the Venerable Bede, through to men like Wycliff and on to Tyndale who was killed for making Bibles available to the common man, people have sacrificed time, money, talent, and even their lives so that this book which is now readily available for very little money can be had by all who want it.

And then there is Nephi, Mormon, and Joseph Smith who suffered and sacrificed to bring us the Book of Mormon. The list could go on and on, but the point is that hundreds, even thousands of people have pad an enormous price so that we can have scriptures because they understood the value those scriptures could be in our lives.
The question we have to ask ourselves is after all this sacrifice what are we doing with the scriptures? Have we read the New Testament that Tyndale died to give us? Have we feasted upon the Book of Mormon that Mormon and Moroni struggled so valiantly to preserve? Do we know what is in the Doctrine and Covenants that Joseph recorded as the words of God?

Scripture study feeds our hungering souls in the midst of a worldly spiritual famine. I’d hate to face Tyndale in the next life and have to explain to him why I didn’t bother to read the book he died to provide for me! Scripture study is the difference between a good life and a not so good one. It is a simple thing to do, reading at least a few verses a day, but the power it brings to a life is astronomical!

Reflecting on Family Scripture Study

Now that my children are grown and married and have children of their own, I find myself looking back on family life with new eyes. For example, what I see now is that family scripture study was a metaphor for life. Most the time the kids weren’t paying much attention. They went through the motions, but their minds were elsewhere. Since we had family scripture study first thing in the morning, elsewhere was usually asleep. But somehow, someway some things communicated. Questions came up more often than answers and everyone complained but afterward recognized that it really was good and they were glad they did it.

There were mornings I was ready to give up, but I’m now glad I didn’t. We managed to read the Book of Mormon seven times, the New Testament once and part of the Doctrine and Covenants. It is like Elder Bednar said last conference about consistency. Most days scripture study was chaos but the cumulative effect was surprisingly peace and rest. I guess that is one of the miracles of the gospel and to me it is equivalent to the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea. I don’t know how chaos created peace, but it did.

I think maybe that is how I’ll feel about life once it is over.