hello dears,
this week i shared a
post which you can find
. we had the most wonderful thanksgiving and feel so blessed by such a generous Heavenly Father. other than thanksgiving, we had a pretty normal week.
if you haven't noticed, i've been sharing a lot of posts about scripture reading. i've also mentioned the #LIGHTtheWORLD initiative a few times. guys, i love the church's christmas initiative this year. it's 25 days of service to Light the World with goodness. it starts tomorrow with the Worldwide Day of Service! i've been sharing posts about scripture reading to help #LIGHTtheWORLD and as a part of this series, i'm sharing the talk Look to the Book, Look to the Lord by Elder Gary E. Stevenson.
Elder Stevenson began his talk with a story about a young woman named Mary and then he stated, "I have learned that one is never too young to seek and receive a personal testimony of the Book of Mormon." I loved that and I echo Elder Stevenson and add that you're also never too old to seek and receive a personal testimony of the Book of Mormon.
This reminds me of a man that I had that opportunity to teach as a missionary in my very first area. His name was Larry. He was a 63 year-old war veteran who visited Nauvoo and felt the Spirit. He then wanted to read the Book of Mormon. After reading the Book of Mormon, he felt it was true and make the decision to be baptized. After making his decision, he quit smoking, and came to church as often as his health would allow him. His journey to baptism was not an easy one because his health wasn't the best, but he continued onward and was able to be baptized. Larry was a convert whom I have thought of many times since meeting him. He has since passed on, but his testimony and journey has continued to inspire me in my life. The Book of Mormon truly does change hearts and people.
"There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. ... You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path." - President Ezra Taft Benson
PERSONAL CHALLENGE FROM ELDER STEVENSON:
"People spend an average of seven hours a day looking at TV, computer, and smartphone screens. With this in mind, would you make a small change? Will you replace some of that daily screen time--particularly that devoted to social media, the internet, gaming, or television--with reading the Book of Mormon?"
the Book of Mormon truly changes lives. it has changed mine and i am forever grateful for the power it has brought into my life. i want to share a piece of
-- my own testimony of the Book of Mormon. as i read this email over again this week, i was amazed at the power behind the words i wrote. the Spirit truly is with the missionaries and sometimes, your missionary self shares the very testimony you need to hear 2.5 years later.
"I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. That it WILL bring us closer to Christ than
any other book.
I stand by that statement-- firm and unchanging. I truly have come closer to Jesus Christ through the Book of Mormon. I love the Bible. It holds God's word, but it will not bring someone closer to Christ than the Book of Mormon will. The Book of Mormon was written for our day. Written for you. Written for me. Its intent is to bring
us
closer to our Savior. And if we will read it with true intent, a humble heart, and seeking truth through prayer and study we '
will
gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost.' [Introduction to the Book of Mormon; emphasis added]"
"AS YOU LOOK TO THE BOOK, YOU LOOK TO THE LORD."
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You can find my other #LIGHTtheWORLD posts below:
15 Scripture Study Tips For When You Only Have 5 Minutes To Spare
