Today’s Reading: 2 Nephi 25:1-16
8 Wherefore, they are of worth unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that they are not, unto them will I speak particularly, and confine the words unto mine own people; for I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they understand them; wherefore, for their good have I written them.
That verse makes me do a little introspecting–do I treat the scriptures as though they are of great worth? Or do I “set [them] at naught and trample [them] under [my] feet” [i]? The Merriam-Webster dictionary draws from two words to define one form of “worth”: importance and usefulness [ii].
So I realized I need to ask myself two questions:
- Are the scriptures important to me?
A quote by Richard G. Scott makes that question easier to answer:
Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games, or social media. You may need to reorganize your priorities to provide time for the study of the word of God. If so, do it! [iii]
What I understand from this quote is that if the scriptures are important to me, I will read them before or instead of anything that is less important than the word of God. What does that translate into? I will “search the Book of Mormon and the words of the living prophets every day, every day, every day!” [iv]
2. Are the scriptures useful to me?
If I feel the Spirit while I’m reading them, that is certainly useful–they are bringing me closer to my Heavenly Father. But I think I can do better than that. If I’m treating the scriptures like they’re “chicken soup for the soul”® (enjoying feeling all warm and fuzzy on the inside, then continuing my day like nothing happened), I’m not harnessing the full power of the word of God.
As Lawrence E. Corbridge points out, the Lord is not concerned about us just “reading the scriptures but rather about adopting His words to govern [our] live[s] so that they become the standard works–the standard for [our] works” [v].
To truly make the scriptures useful, there are so many ways to improve ourselves and invite blessings. Some ideas include:
Help the needy and visit the sick and afflicted
Pray morning and night
Take good care of my children and teach them to live righteously
Not sleep longer than is needed
Have a good attitude
Repent
I love the scriptures! I hope that one day when I stand before my Savior, I will have shown by my actions that I “esteem [the scriptures] to be of great worth” [vi].
How do you show the Lord that his words are of great worth to you? How can you do better?
After growing up in the bitter cold of Alberta Canada and serving a mission in the scalding heat of Tucson Arizona, I finally settled for the “moderate” climate of Utah. I met my best friend and love of my life at BYU where I received my degree in Marriage and Family Studies. I stay at home with my two little girls, teach marriage classes with my husband, and run an alumni Facebook group. I love to write, bake, travel, teach, and feast upon the words of Christ, but my favorite happy thought of all is going on weekly dates with my husband!