My Book of Mormon Goal

Back on Monday, November 7, 2011, I began my goal of reading the Book of Mormon and blogging about it daily. It was planned to be done today, Thursday, July 3, 2012, if I followed through with writing about one chapter a day. And I've done it. I've completed my goal.

I just want to share with you that I know the Book of Mormon is true. In reading it, trying to figure out a lesson from each chapter, I know it is true. It has blessed my life being able to read it. Often times I thought about how I could possibly find the time to really study a chapter a day. But I've been able to do it. During the Winter Semester, I was taking 18 credits of college courses (which I hadn't realized until halfway through). Then, during the Spring Semester, I've been attending school and planning my wedding and marriage (because I'm engaged and getting married soon, in case you weren't aware). When I made time to study the scriptures, I discovered that I was more prepared for the day. That I could get done everything else that needed to be done. I was blessed in having my heavy load of difficult homework assignments, homework assignments I didn't think I could properly complete, be done and be done early. Homework assignments and tests that I had enough time for and earned great grades on them. Please, please read the Book of Mormon. It will bless your life.

In August of 2005, President Gordon B. Hinckley gave everyone a challenge:

"We studied the Book of Mormon in Sunday School this past year. Nonetheless I offer a challenge to members of the Church throughout the world and to our friends everywhere to read or reread the Book of Mormon. If you will read a bit more than one and one-half chapters a day, you will be able to finish the book before the end of this year. Very near the end of its 239 chapters, you will find a challenge issued by the prophet Moroni as he completed his record nearly 16 centuries ago. Said he: 

'And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust? … 

'And God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true' (Moro. 10:27, 29). 

"Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have 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" ("A Testimony Vibrant and True").

I'd just like to add that I know my Savior Jesus Christ lives. I know he loves me. I know that through him I can repent and return to my Heavenly Father, who also loves me. I know the Book of Mormon is true and it has blessed my life in a multitude of ways. Please read and study it for yourselves. How grateful I am for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

If you would like to know more about the Book of Mormon and what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in, you can meet with the missionaries here.

Here are my blog posts about each chapter in the Book of Mormon:

Moroni 10

"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God" (32).

Come unto Christ and be made perfect in Him. The Book of Mormon teaches entirely about Jesus Christ and his atonement. He loves us. He wants us to be perfected in Him. He has made it possible. I hope we each take steps everyday to become a little closer to him.

Moroni 9

I cried while reading Moroni 9. It's so sad to see people who were civilized, blessed and delightsome fall so far as to lose their love for others. They thirsted after blood and revenge continually (5). How sad. They became a people without civilization (11).

As individuals, families, and a people, we need to learn how to be forgiving. We need to learn to love others. A society where there is a lack of forgiveness and a lack of love for others falls apart. They don't work. They don't progress. They destroy themselves.

Moroni 8

"For behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the law. For the power of redemption cometh on all them that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing—" (22).

I read this and I immediately thought of my uncle who has down syndrome. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a website about Disability Resources located at LDS.org/disability. Within it was the following, which fits very well with this particular chapter:

Q: What are the guidelines as to whether or not a child with an intellectual disability may be baptized? 

A: This is a matter between parents, the child, and local priesthood leaders. If the child has a basic understanding of gospel principles and wishes to be baptized, then baptism may be possible.

What can we do? How can we be respectful of the Children of God with disabilities?

Moroni 7

Moroni 7 is probably my most favorite chapter within the Book of Mormon. Moroni quotes a teaching made by his father Mormon where he speaks of faith, hope, and charity.

When you are a peaceable follower of Christ, you find you have obtained hope to enter the rest of the Lord which is spiritual rest. You don't have to worry about things of the world. You know that you have the eternities as long as you do what is right, and you follow Christ (3-4).

You will know those who are followers of Christ because of what they do. If what they do is good, then they are also good (5). People being evil cannot do good because it doesn't benefit them, unless they do it with real intent (6). If a gift is given grudgingly it is counted as if it hadn't been given (8). Those that are followers of Christ are selfless. They care and love others. They give with real intent of heart.

Also, this chapter contains one of my most favorite scriptures, Moroni 7:13:

"But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God."

Moroni 6

I love Moroni 6. It shows how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the restored church from the one Jesus Christ organized among the ancient people long ago.

Moroni 5

Elder L. Tom Perry gave a talk entitled "The Sabbath and the Sacrament" in the April 2011 General Conference.

Moroni 4

Why is the Sacrament so important?

"Today the sacrament is an ordinance in which Church members partake of bread and water in remembrance of Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice. This ordinance is an essential part of worship and spiritual development. Through this ordinance, Church members renew the covenants they made with God when they were baptized" ("Sacrament").

Within the Sacrament prayer of the bread, we are to eat in remembrance of the body of Jesus Christ. We are to always remember him. We are to keep his commandments. We should do this that we may always have his spirit to be with us (3).

We are to have Jesus Christ the center of our lives. Ways you can do that: pray morning and night, read the scriptures daily, serve others. Everything you do you should have Christ be the center of it all. Have your focus be on Christ.

Moroni 3

"In the name of Jesus Christ I ordain you to be a priest (or if he be a teacher, I ordain you to be a teacher) to preach repentance and remission of sins through Jesus Christ, by the endurance of faith on his name to the end. Amen" (3).

From this I learn that ordained priests and teachers are to preach repentance. They are to preach remission of sins. Both which are made possible only through Jesus Christ. They are to preach the way to do so is through endurance of faith on Jesus Christ.

Endure to the end. Stay faithful in Christ. Be righteous. Do good continually. Preach good to the world.

Moroni 2

"The words of Christ, which he spake unto his adisciples, the twelve whom he had chosen, as he laid his hands upon them—


"And he called them by name, saying: Ye shall call on the Father in my name, in mighty prayer; and after ye have done this ye shall have power that to him upon whom ye shall lay your hands, ye shall give the Holy Ghost; and in my name shall ye give it, for thus do mine apostles" (1-2).


I believe there are several lessons to learn from this.

Moroni 1

The entirety of Moroni 1 could be posted upon this post. It's simply four verses long. But it's where he says: "And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ; wherefore, I wander whithersoever I can for the safety of mine own life" (3).

If I were in Moroni's position could I also stand up for my beliefs? Not just my beliefs, but my testimony, the things I know to be truth? I think I could. God grants man a lot of strength when we are doing what we are supposed to do. I wouldn't, and don't, fear death. Why? Because it's only a phase. I've lived my life the best I could, and when I make mistakes I work hard to correct them, to repent. Obviously, death is a grievous thing and you do your best to avoid it. But don't ever deny Christ, else you truly will be lost forever.

Ether 15

Ether 15 is the last chapter in Ether. Within it shows the destruction of an entire people. "There had been slain two millions of mighty men, and also their wives and their children" (2). That wasn't the end of it. It was only the beginning of the destruction of the people. There were two million. Then, because of their hardness of heart and hatred for others, they destroyed themselves.

You hear over and over the promise made in the Book of Mormon which reads: "Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written" (Ether 2:12).

Ether 14

The Jaredite leaders worked by whatever means necessary to gain power and prestige. This resulted in many murders and assassinations. This in turn caused feelings of hatred, anger, and revenge. So much so that they would kill everyone that wasn't with them. Whether it be women and children or people who weren't on either side.


How do we combat such feelings? How do we not destroy each other and ourselves?


Forgiveness.


It's such a hard thing. It really is. 

Ether 13

The New Jerusalem is Zion. There will be three Zion cities: Jerusalem, the City of Enoch, and New Jerusalem (Book of Mormon Manuel 380).

How do we start building Zion now?

Elder D. Todd Christofferson said:

"Zion is Zion because of the character, attributes, and faithfulness of her citizens. Remember, 'the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them' (Moses 7:18). If we would establish Zion in our homes, branches, wards, and stakes, we must rise to this standard. It will be necessary (1) to become unified in one heart and one mind; (2) to become, individually and collectively, a holy people; and (3) to care for the poor and needy with such effectiveness that we eliminate poverty among us. We cannot wait until Zion comes for these things to happen—Zion will come only as they happen" ("Come to Zion").

Begin having a common purpose for good. Worship God. Care for each other. Work on doing all you can to help building His kingdom.

Ether 12

I think I understand Faith a little more than I did prior. I recalled that Ether 12 was very similar in structure and topic as Hebrews 11. I remember Hebrews to be a required reading for Faith Experience #1 in Personal Progress. I also remembered not really understanding it as a child.

I understood that "faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; . . . for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith" (6). I understood that to mean that you have faith when you have a sure belief in something real, but you can't experience it with the 5 senses of taste, touch, sight, sound, smell. I understood that as a young 12-year-old, but I didn't understand the summary of the ancient prophets in relation to faith. Yes, ok. They had to have faith in order to work miracles. That's all I really understood.

Ether 11

"And it came to pass that the people hardened their hearts, and would not hearken unto their words; and the prophets mourned and withdrew from among the people" (13).

When people stop listening to the prophets the end is near for that people. The prophets speak the words of God. God loves his children and wants to lead them in safely through life. But if people don't listen, then they fall and suffer harm.

President Henry B. Eyring said:

“Looking for the path to safety in the counsel of prophets makes sense to those with strong faith. When a prophet speaks, those with little faith may think that they hear only a wise man giving good advice. Then if his counsel seems comfortable and reasonable, squaring with what they want to do, they take it. If it does not, they consider it either faulty advice or they see their circumstances as justifying their being an exception to the counsel. Those without faith may think that they hear only men seeking to exert influence for some selfish motive. . . . 

“Every time in my life when I have chosen to delay following inspired counsel or decided that I was an exception, I came to know that I had put myself in harm’s way. Every time that I have listened to the counsel of prophets, felt it confirmed in prayer, and then followed it, I have found that I moved toward safety” ("Finding Safety in Counsel").

Ether 10

"And he did do justice unto the people, but not unto himself because of his many whoredoms; wherefore he was cut off from the presence of the Lord" (11).

President Harold B. Lee once said:

"As I have prayerfully thought of the reasons why one chooses this course which is dramatically described by the prophet Isaiah—when one who has departed from the path which would have given him peace is like the troubled sea, casting up mire and dirt—it seems to me that it all results from the failure of the individual to have self-respect" ("Understanding Who We Are Brings Self-Respect").

Ether 9

"And it came to pass that Coriantum did walk in the steps of his father, and did build many mighty cities, and did administer that which was good unto his people in all his days" (23).

There was a talk given by Pres. Henry B. Eyring entitled "Help Them on Their Way Home". His opening words are:

"Brothers and sisters, our Heavenly Father wants and needs our help to bring His spirit children home to Him again. I speak today of young people already within His true Church and so are started on the strait and narrow way to return to their heavenly home. He wants them to gain early the spiritual strength to stay on the path. And He needs our help to get them back to the path quickly should they begin to wander."

We have a responsibility to teach our children. To guide them. To administer to them. Coriantum had a father who taught him. He did great things in his days. He turned around and administered unto his people that which was good. I think we can learn from him in this way.

President Eyring's full talk is as follows:

Ether 8

Live righteously.

In Ether, Moroni wrote:

"Wherefore, I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved" (26).

Live righteously and do that which is good continually. When you do this, evil is done away with.

Ether 7

Why do prophets and other good people stand for what is right and preach what is true when they know they will be teased, mocked, and perhaps persecuted for their beliefs?

Elder Robert D. Hales said:

“Prophets must often warn of the consequences of violating God’s laws. They do not preach that which is popular with the world. . . . 

“Why do prophets proclaim unpopular commandments and call society to repentance for rejecting, modifying, and even ignoring the commandments? The reason is very simple. Upon receiving revelation, prophets have no choice but to proclaim and reaffirm that which God has given them to tell the world” ("'If Thou Wilt Enter into Life, Keep the Commandments'").