Teens & Seminary

When reading through the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ, two particular things seem to happen again and again. As the righteous people in the land, known as the Nephites, follow the Lord’s commandments they are blessed. Their lands produce bountiful harvests, they become rich in gold and silver and many precious things, all as a blessing for doing what is right. At times they are living so righteously there are no poor among them.

Usually when things are going this well two things invariably happen. First, there are those who begin to value the gold and silver, the fine silks and linens, far above helping those who may be in need. They would willingly rebuff those who might come to them for help. Second, there are those who begin to think too much of themselves, not due to their riches, but because of their wisdom. They are learned men who think they know better than everyone, even God.

It is this second group our next scripture mastery verses focus on in the Book of Mormon.

“O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God” (2 Nephi 9:28-29).

To have a love of learning is a wonderful thing. Whether you find yourself focusing on one particular subject, like art or physics, or would rather learn about a variety of things, learning is a good thing. We must never forget, however, that this love to learn, and the ability to do so are granted to us by our Heavenly Father. The danger lies in when we begin to trust more in ourselves more than in God.

In these cycles I mentioned before individuals inevitably became certain that their own ideas trumped the silly ramblings of supposed prophets of God. Some claimed they knew better than the prophets and led many people away from the Lord’s Church. Others claimed there was no God at all, and eventually left the Nephites altogether to join those who opposed (the Lamanites).

When this pride, both of learning and of riches, turned good people toward wickedness, the Lord would begin a path of humbling the Nephites. It would happen through wars with the Lamanites, or famine, or in being brought into captivity. Regardless of the method it was meant to remind the people to whom they owed their vast knowledge and riches. Only after great suffering, repentance, and a sincere change of heart would the people find themselves being blessed once again.

You and I find ourselves in a time when the rich are getting richer while the poor become poorer. People value gold and silver more than their fellow men. Learned men and women expound about how there is no God, or are more concerned with expounding their own words and ideas rather than God’s. We can see the cycle happening even in our world today.

So what can we learn from those who have gone through this before? Keep the Lord’s commandments. Follow the words of His prophets, both those from the Bible and Book of Mormon, and those who reside with us in these latter-days. If you are fortunate enough to come from a family with money, don’t value it over those who are in need. If you have access to books and teachers, be watchful. Consult your Heavenly Father in what He would have you do with this knowledge.

Those who have learned to submit to the Father in all things are perhaps the wisest of us all.

In the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ, we find a little clearer description of the purpose of the fall of Adam, and it’s done in two short statements.

“Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25).

When Adam and Eve first resided in the Garden of Eden they were given two commandments. The first was not to partake of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Both Adam and Eve came to know it was necessary to partake of the forbidden fruit. Only by introducing sin into the world could the earth be made ready for all of us to come and live, be tested, and prove ourselves worthy to return to a heavenly life.

Had Adam and Eve never taken that first bite we would not be here today. Some might say this is a good thing, but our Heavenly Father’s Plan could not have come to pass otherwise. Adam and Eve knew of the second commandment and came to realize if they did not commit the first sin they could not fulfill the second (to multiply and replenish the earth). Their bodies were immortal, unable to bring mortal beings into the world.

There was another purpose to this first sin, which we can find in the second part of the scripture. We were all to come to earth in the hopes of experiencing joy. The word ‘joy’ may have a different meaning to some today, but remember this word was written almost 600 years before Christ came to the earth. Joy does not mean pleasure, it does not mean having tons of irreverent fun.

Joy comes in the most perfect, tender moments of our lives. It comes from knowing someone loves you no matter what. It comes from serving others. It comes from following the guidelines and commandments our Savior put in place so we might maintain that joy. Even when we are being tried and tested we can find joy.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormon Church), we have a different view of this ‘original sin,’ as most other churches refer to it.

“We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression” (Articles of Faith 1:2).

In other words, we don’t need to worry about being punished for the choice Adam made. We certainly have enough to deal with when it comes to our own mistakes and wrong choices. That first sin was a necessary step in bringing about the salvation of mankind. As Christ took upon Him all of our sins, he paid the debt of this first sin.

Adam and Eve broke a commandment of God when they chose to eat the forbidden fruit, but without that choice the entire plan of salvation would have stalled. We would never have had the chance to come here to earth. We would never have known joy. We would never have had the blessing of living with our Heavenly Father again.

I don’t know about you, but I am grateful for that first, difficult choice Adam and Eve made.

Nephi, an ancient prophet whose emigration from Jerusalem to the Americas is recorded in the Book of Mormon, revered two particular Bible men: Moses and Isaiah.

As we read through Nephi’s words we can see that he has taken studying his scriptures quite seriously. It is obvious how much he respects the words of the prophet Isaiah as he quotes entire passages of Isaiah’s prophecies. It is also quite obvious he considers Moses to be one of his greatest heroes, as Nephi refers to him, and the great man he became, time and time again.

His purpose in doing so was to remind himself as well as his family the importance of studying scripture, of learning from the examples and righteous words of the prophets of God, and of likening the scriptures to our own lives.

“And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning” (1 Nephi 19:23).

The written word is sacred, so sacred records have been kept since the beginning with Adam and Eve. Scriptures are a written record of the words of the Lord. How can we truly follow in the footsteps of the Lord if we have not feasted upon His words?

There are steps we can take in our journey of feasting upon the words of the Lord and of likening all scriptures to our own lives. Five steps to help you begin have been addressed by David A. Bednar, an apostle of the Lord and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormon Church).

1. Pray for understanding, and invite the help of the Holy Ghost. How can we learn the things of the Spirit without the help of the Spirit? We are encouraged to pray before we begin studying, as we study, and after.

2. Work. Does that sound a little odd? Take a moment to think about the difference between reading for fun and reading the words of the scriptures. I can often read a 300+ page book in less than a day when it’s purely for entertainment. When it comes to reading my scriptures I find my mind tired after reading a few pages. Why do you think this is? When we read the word of the Lord there is work involved: lessons to be gathered, studying to be done, truth to be unfolded in front of our eyes.

3. Be consistent. Studying the Bible or Book of Mormon every day is a choice. It won’t simply happen. Even if it’s just for ten or fifteen minutes before school or after dinner, we daily need to make the choice to study.

4. Ponder. What do you think of when you read that word?

“The word ponder means to consider, contemplate, reflect upon, or think about. Pondering the scriptures, then, is reverent reflecting on the truths, experiences, and lessons contained in the standard works. The process of pondering takes time and cannot be forced, hurried, or rushed” (David A. Bednar, “Because We Have Them before Our Eyes,” New Era, Apr 2006).

Don’t be so concerned with reading a certain amount every day, like three chapters. Instead make the time you spend studying mean something to you. As you read you might find something catching your eye, like the blessings given to Jacob’s sons. This leads us to the final step.

5. Write down impressions, thoughts, and feelings. I call this a Scripture Journal, and recently took a class where a young lady had put this idea into action. She now has dozens of journals, and has fine-tuned her writings to an art. Revelations about her life have come through this activity. Just as Richard G. Scott, another apostle of the Lord, has taught us:

“You will find that as you write down precious impressions, often more will come. Also, the knowledge you gain will be available throughout your life. Always, day or night, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, seek to recognize and respond to the direction of the Spirit. Express gratitude for the help received and obey it. This practice will reinforce your capacity to learn by the Spirit. It will permit the Lord to guide your life and to enrich the use of every other capacity latent in your being” (Richard G. Scott, “To Acquire Knowledge and the Strength to Use It Wisely,” Ensign, June 2002).

Likening the scriptures to our own lives takes work, but it can only lead to blessing our lives in such a way as to guide us on our journey to becoming more like Jesus Christ.

I’d like to start off our study of Scripture Mastery verses by looking at the Book of Mormon. For those of you who haven’t heard of this book, or have heard a little and aren’t certain what it’s about, the Book of Mormon is an ancient record of the people who lived in the Americas back before, during, and about 400 years after the time of Christ. Those of us in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormon Church) believe it to be another testament of Jesus Christ.

In the first few chapters of the Book of Mormon we’re introduced to a young man by the name of Nephi. One of the first things you’ll come to see, respect, and love about Nephi is his unswerving desire to do what is right. Coupled with this is his resolute faith in God.

“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them” (1 Nephi 3:7).

During the course of his life Nephi was asked to accomplish many seemingly impossible things. As you can see from this verse his faith was so great he knew anything the Lord asked of him could be done, because with God, nothing is impossible.

For many of us this is not such an easy concept to put into play in our lives. Satan works hard to undermine our faith in God as well as in ourselves. Echoes of “I can’t do it” resound from person to person, but this is not the Lord’s plan for us.

We are all children of God. This one bit of knowledge holds so much power. If we are God’s children doesn’t it stand to reason that what He asks us to do can be done, no matter what the rest of the world, or even your family, may think?

If Jesus Christ had personally not had a firm faith in His Heavenly Father and His own purpose here on earth, do you think He could have accomplished the impossible? If Christ had believed the constant denials of His heritage, the mocking voices, and the cruel actions of His spirit brothers and sisters here on earth, what would have happened to all of us? We would be eternally separated from our Heavenly Father.

We too are spirit sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. There is a bit of Him in us. We have been blessed with a divine nature. Like Nephi, we too can come to have such a firm faith and knowledge in who we are, who our brother Jesus Christ is, and in our Heavenly Father, that there is nothing we cannot do. Sure there may be times when Satan will work hard to put as many stumbling blocks in our way as possible. Even our Heavenly Father may give us a roadblock here and there, but it is only to help us grow into the person He knows we can be.

Today I want you to take this scripture and in place of Nephi’s name put your own. Make it personal for you. Write it down and put it in a place you’ll see every day. Watch how the constant reminder will begin to bless your lives.