Elder Rasband emphasized the importance “this day” of “renewing our commitment to the Book of Mormon..”
What does renewing your commitment to the Book of Mormon look like?
My favorite quote about the Book of Mormon from Hugh Nibley:
“In reading the book of Mormon no one is ever doing something he shouldn’t be. Most of the time he would be doing the best thing he could possibly be doing. If it is not its self the best thing it will quickly put you onto the best thing to be doing because it will have a direct effect on you. It will change you, it will work on you. It is a personal intimate document. It immediately puts you on a highroad to what you should be doing. And it will lead you directly into a course of action or thought of the greatest significance to yourself and the world you live in.” (Hugh Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, part 1)
from Elder Rasband’s talk: “The truths of the book of Mormon,” President Nelson has said, “have the power to heal comfort restore sucker strengthen console and cheer our souls.”
What truths from the book of Mormon has brought comfort and cheer to your soul?
from Elder Rasband: “I invite you this day, to give a Book of Mormon to your friends and family, your associates at work, your soccer coach, or the produce man at your market. They need the words of the Lord found in this book. They need the answers to the questions of every day life and of eternal life to come. They need to know of the covenant path laid out before them and the Lords abiding love for them. It’s all here in the Book of Mormon.”
“They need your testimony and witness of how this book has changed your life and drawn you closer to God, his peace, and his tidings of great joy.”
From our Relief Society class discussion, my sisters gave me some helpful suggestions on how I can overcome my fear (based on negative past experiences) of sharing the Book of Mormon with my friends:
1. Detach myself from the outcome. My job is to share when prompted by the Holy Spirit. The rest is out of my hands. This reminds me of what Mother Teresa said, “We are not called to be successful, we are called to be faithful.”
2. Pray about what to say.
3. Write my testimony in the front, including some verses from the Book that are particularly meaningful to me. Put my contact information as well because it might be years before anyone actually reads it.
4. It’s ok to be sad when someone rejects the message.
From Elder Silva’s talk: “Hold on to the truth, learning from the sources of truth.”
How do we recognize truth from error? By knowing the truth. Then when something is not true, it will not harmonize with the truth. Your ears can recognize out of tune music when you know how the music should sound.
Here is a video of JR High Band , just in case you think you cannot recognize out of tune music…
If something is confusing or doesn’t harmonize with what you know, then that’s a time to dig deeper. Confusion is good for us. Confusion is the beginning of knowledge. We can ask questions, and dig deeper into the scriptures and words of the prophets, seeking to understand and working until we are able to articulate truth. Any time I have gone to the Lord with a question, He has generously given me a better understanding and spoken peace to my soul. The words of God are precious to us, like rain. We know the gospel must fill the whole earth. When we share the truths from the Book of Mormon with others, we help the rain come.
Isaiah 55:10-13
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
This music is sung in the Lango language (from Uganda) and it is a prayer for rain. It fills my heart with joy.
Marvelous Pigs in Satin 