We began the lesson by reading Joseph Smith History 1: 28, 29 & 34. Joseph was 17 years old. Think about the 17 year old boys that you know in our ward. Think of how lonely he was. Think of what great faith he had. The angel Moroni repeated his message exactly three times in a row. Sondra said: "I appreciate the repetition." God gives us many opportunities to understand and learn.
The two events (the First Vision and the appearance of the angel Moroni) that happened over this three year period set the course for and defined Joseph's life.
"I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book" (64). The keystone is the stone at the top of an arch upon which everything else balances.
The Book of Mormon, like the two pivotal experiences in Joseph Smith's life, has the power to shape and define us. It was after reading the Book of Mormon that Sondra decided to commit herself to becoming a Mormon. The discussion was opened up for others to share experiences with the Book of Mormon shaping their testimonies.
Andrea: at age nine my dad read the Book of Mormon with me. Later when my seminary teacher challenged each of us to read and pray to know if it was true, I found myself praying and asking God to tell me if the Book of Mormon was true. I felt so silly. I could hardly bear to ask him such a question, for I had known it was true since I was 9 years old. It was like asking him if my name was Andrea, or if I was alive, or if the sun was real. I realized then that I didn't need to ask for a confirmation because I already knew that it was true. Later in my life when I ran into things that upset me, or questions, or aspects of the church that bothered me or confused me, I could always return to my sure knowledge of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.
Alane: I joined the church in my early 20s. I loved hearing all of the weird things the missionaries had to say. I kept inviting them back to hear more of their strange stories. They asked me to read the Book of Mormon and I agreed. I loved to read, I read cereal boxes, so why not the Book of Mormon? I can still remember the chair I was sitting in, the exact position in which I was sitting when I had a very clear sense that all of the people I was reading about in the Book of Mormon were real people. Joseph Smith didn't make this up. Once I knew that there was no going back.
Sondra: Once that Book of Mormon has got a hold of you, what do you do? What can you do but follow? I had a friend once who started to read the Book of Mormon. She told me that she knew there was something to it, but she did not want to be a Mormon, so she made herself stop reading it.
Ollie: The fact that Joseph Smith prayed to God and received the answer he did means that all of us have that same opportunity to go to God.
Michelle E.: I love this passage from the lesson: "He that can mark the power of Omnipotence, inscribed upon the heavens, can also see God's own handwriting in the sacred volume: and he who reads it oftenest will like it best, and he who is acquainted with it, will know the hand wherever he can see it; and when once discovered, it will not only receive an acknowledgment, but an obedience to all its heavenly precepts" (66).
The statement Michelle read was also written on the board by Sondra before class started. When you do read it often, you do like it. It gets into the way you think and do things.
Sondra: I am so grateful for Joseph Smith's integrity in insisting that what was real was real in spite of the cost. Read Joseph Smith History 1:25. I am grateful for his courage, for the choice he made not to try and withstand God. He chose to submit to the will of God. And having gained my own testimony of the Book of Mormon, I ask myself the same question: "Who am I to withstand God?"
1 comment:
I like the quote that says "When you do read it often, you do like it". It's true people who don't read it, don't like it at all! Just kidding, it really is true the more you read it the more you want to read it and really learn and grow from it.
Thanks Andrea you do a great job with these posts!
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