Monday, September 7, 2009

2 Nephi 29

2 And also, that I may remember the promises which I have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father, that I would remember your seed; and that the words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed; and my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel;

President Ezra Taft Benson wrote the following in 1988 (“The Book of Mormon Is the Word of God,” Ensign, Jan 1988, 3):

"The Book of Mormon is to be used “for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel,” the Lord says, and its words “shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth.” (2 Ne. 29:2.) We, the members of the Church, and particularly the missionaries, have to be the “hissers,” or the tellers and testifiers, of the Book of Mormon unto the ends of the earth."

"The Book of Mormon is the great standard we are to use. It shows that Joseph Smith was a prophet. It contains the words of Christ, and its great mission is to bring men to Christ, and all other things are secondary. The golden question of the Book of Mormon is “Do you want to learn more of Christ?”....

I love the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and our other scriptures. But I especially love the Book of Mormon. My testimony of Christ and of the restored gospel is based on continuing study and prayerful contemplation of the Holy Scriptures. I have tried to heed the admonition given by President Benson:

"Every Latter-day Saint should make the study of this book a lifetime pursuit. Otherwise, he is placing his soul in jeopardy and neglecting that which could give spiritual and intellectual unity to his whole life. There is a difference between a convert who is built on the rock of Christ through the Book of Mormon and stays hold of that iron rod, and one who does not."

I have read it through at least 40 times, and as I read and study it again now, I feel the Spirit testify that these are the words of God through His prophets to us.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I reread Alma's story of his conversion to his son Helaman this morning. Everytime I read it I identify how grateful I am for the exquisteness of suffering, and of joy. Its like this amazing beacon when you are treading through the muddy darkness of the rivers of water in Lehi's dream. It really is a rod to hold on to, to return to. One of my favorite EFY songs says, "I hold on to the things I know." One of those things is the Book of Mormon.