I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from The Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity - the pure love of Christ - will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness.
- President Marion G. Romney

Monday, February 9, 2009

Learn of Me and Listen to My Words

We're going to be jumping around again this week. We'll be discussing the basics (hooray!): faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Today let's talk about faith. Our reading assignment is Doctrine & Covenants 19:23, 88:118, and Alma 32:27. We can read and ponder 3 verses in a day, right??!!! Yes, we can.

As you think about these verses, consider what it means to have faith in Jesus Christ. Really. What does that mean to you? How does it influence you? Does it influence you?

Also, how can you strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ? The verses we're reading give some great guidance in this regard. What stands out to you?

Please share your thoughts in the comments. And if you haven't commented before (or it's been a while), consider this your personal invitation to enrich our discussion with your point of view.

Also, if you'd like to get started on the reading for tomorrow, we'll be in Doctrine & Covenants 58:42-43, & 2 Nephi 2:6-9, as well as the following scripture chain:

Scripture Chain: Repentance and the Atonement

2 Nephi 25:23

D&C 19:15–19

Alma 42:13–24

Articles of Faith 1:3

D&C 18:10–13


Let's keep discussion for today focused on the faith scriptures.

3 comments:

Amanda D said...

For me personally, faith has come really easily for me. Believing in Christ and his prophets isn't something that has been hard for me. Sometimes putting those things into action is a challenge, and maybe that says something about faith, but I don't know.

I love how the scripture says that we can ponder it and take our time with it, and it will develop into faith.

Cheryl said...

I'm like Amanda --faith has always been easy for me, too. I think that, coupled with obedience, has made my testimony fairly easy to come by. I know this isn't true for everyone; I have seen how hard people can struggle with faith. But I know those who take the time to apply these scriptures (especially the experiment Alma is talking about), they are usually met with amazing results.

Jocelyn said...

After reading 19:23 & 88:118, I'm learning that one of the best ways to increase my faith is to learn -- to learn good things from good books, definitely, but also to learn about Christ -- make a real, concerted effort to learn about Him -- who He is, what He does, what His character is like.
Alma 32:27 is the perfect ending scripture -- learn about Him, do all those things, but then...EXPERIMENT. Try doing what you've learned. Try acting like Him. See what happens when you really exercise faith.
Like Amanda & Cheryl, I don't think I've ever "doubted" the reality of Christ. But as I study these scriptures and think of the definition of faith in the Lectures on Faith (faith is a principle of action), I feel like faith is so much more than believing; it's believing enough to act like Christ and do His will. That is where my faith falters often and where I need and want to put Alma's challenge to the test.