Studies

This semester I decided I needed a structured study of the scriptures to help me learn more than just reading an Ensign article every night before I went to bed. I didn't want to add a Religion class, so I ordered the Book of Mormon student manual from lds.org (which, fun fact, was cheaper new and shipped to me than used in the Bookstore, but that's not the point). What's awesome is that the day after I ordered the manual, our bishop told our whole ward to read the Book of Mormon. I smiled and in my mind said, I'm already on it.

I just started yesterday, so I'm not far in, but one thing tonight caught my eye. In President Ezra Taft Benson's The Book of Mormon--Keystone of Our Religion talk in 1986, he said:

A second powerful testimony to the importance of the Book of Mormon is to note where the Lord placed its coming forth in the timetable of the unfolding Restoration. The only thing that preceded it was the First Vision. In that marvelous manifestation, the Prophet Joseph Smith learned the true nature of God and that God had a work for him to do. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon was the next thing to follow.

Think of that in terms of what it implies. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon preceded the restoration of the priesthood. It was published just a few days before the Church was organized. The Saints were given the Book of Mormon to read before they were given the revelations outlining such great doctrines as the three degrees of glory, celestial marriage, or work for the dead. It came before priesthood quorums and Church organization. Doesn’t this tell us something about how the Lord views this sacred work?

I knew the Book of Mormon was important, but I never fleshed it out in my mind that this book was almost the most important thing Heavenly Father wanted and needed to reveal to us. More important than organizing the Church or restoring the priesthood or any of the things I think of today as big doctrinal essentials. He wanted to get us the Book of Mormon as fast as he could because He knew the impact it could have to lead us to those other great and important things.

This reminded me of a story I overheard my sister Megan and her friend David talking a couple weeks ago. David was sharing about a family vacation spot that the same group of families had visited for over four generations. The man who owned the lake (or wherever it was), who wasn't a member, observed that those predominantly LDS families that always came together over the years could be divided into three groups: those that centered their lives on their family, on the Church, or on Christ. The man noticed that the families who centered their lives on Christ were the most likely to stay together and active in the Church.

Both of these experiences just remind me to get back to the basics. Yes, I love my family, and yes, I love the Church, but do I love Christ? Do I enjoy opening up His scriptures to learn of Him? That's one of my goals this year, to learn more about Christ through His scriptures and come to a firm knowledge that I do know and love Him.