The Book of Mormon

I just finished reading the Book of Mormon in a new record speed for me!

(First time reading this copy, that I got when I was baptized, too.)

Usually I read it once a year, but I decided that I needed to get more out of it and the only way to do that was to connect some dots by reading it FAST.

So I read it in 2 months!

What I looked for:

I decided on a few things to look for and highlight while I read it and that was perfect because it helped my mind to pay attention to what I was reading.

1. In red I highlighted every time the names of the Lord or God were mentioned to help me see how much the Book of Mormon really does testify of Christ.

2. In blue I highlighted all of the things that God asks us to do.  My part in obtaining His promised blessings.

3. The third thing I did was write down all the people in the Book of Mormon to try and remember who is who. I'm not so good when it comes to the historical type facts, I'm better at the moral of the story type stuff. But I wrote down who everyone was. For 15 pages in my notebook! And it started to help, but I need to keep reviewing it as I read The Book of Mormon again, because there are lots of people!

What I learned:

By reading the Book of Mormon so much faster this time I got a more complete, overall picture of the importance of the Book of Mormon. 

I more fully realize that as we keep the commandments God blesses us so much! He always keeps his promises and when we don't do what he's asked of us we will lose out on so much peace and happiness that leads to our literal and entire destruction.

What we choose to do matters and will affect generations.

One of the most common phrases that stood out to me besides keep my commandments was to humble ourselves. We need to be willing to submit to the Lord's will.

I also recognized how much the Book of Mormon teaches us about God's Plan of Salvation. A perfect plan that I am so thankful God prepared for us and that I know about.  It answers the questions of the soul. Death is not the end.

What I know:

One of my favorite talks about the Book of Mormon is by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland called Safety for the Soul. He bares one of the most powerful testimonies of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon!

I encourage anyone who is wondering if the Book of Mormon is true to listen to his talk.

And also read the Book of Mormon of course ;)

“No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so.

 ...Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum were willing to die rather than deny the divine origin and the eternal truthfulness of the Book of Mormon."

Joseph Smith was a prophet, called by God to translate the Book of Mormon.

By their fruits ye shall know them and the fruits of the Book of Mormon are good. It persuades men to be good and do good. The Book of Mormon is proof of the restoration of Christ's gospel.

The more I live the gospel, the more I see the promised blessings of peace and protection in my life and the more I want to continue to live it. It brings me happiness and hope.

President Hinckley promised that if we will read the Book of Mormon "there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God."

I know the Book of Mormon is true. And because I know that I also know that Christ's church is again on the earth, God's priesthood power has been restored, we have living prophets on the earth, God and Christ are separate beings with bodies, they know us by name and they have a plan for our HAPPINESS! God loves us.

If you wonder if these things are true, you must read, ponder and pray about it. "The HONEST seeker of truth will soon come to feel that the Book of Mormon is the word of God."

I've prayed about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon many times and I can't say that I ever got an answer in the way I expected or wanted to, but I do know by testing it's words in my own life that the Book of Mormon is TRUE.

I started reading the Book of Mormon everyday when I turned 12 and kept that habit until I got married. I was still reading it at least once a week, but definitely slacked with my habit of reading every day. I can't tell you that I could tell a noticeable difference in my day on the days that I didn't read, like some people do, but I can tell you that the Book of Mormon changes lives for the better.

Let it change your life.