Hearken to the Lord's Precepts

I recently heard a friend in our ward talk about the various approaches we take when we read the Book of Mormon. One in particular caught my attention. He described the process of reading for some number of minutes, pages, or chapters per day as treating the Book of Mormon like comfort food. This is not always the case with regular reading. Yet, we can often fall into a comfortable pattern of enjoying the satisfaction of reading every day without actually getting to the real purpose of our reading. It is comforting to do a good thing, yet we may miss the real power of the Book of Mormon.

In the introduction to the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith is quoted as saying, “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.” This is a promise that can be tested. We can abide by the precepts of the Book of Mormon and see if we, in fact, get nearer to God. (Just to be sure I am understanding this promise, I looked up the word precept and found that it means, "a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought.")

Near the end of his record, Nephi teaches us something very important about people in our day. Nephi warns, in 2 Nephi 28:

  29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!
  30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

Nephi saw our day. And, in speaking to us he warned us that we might be tempted to feel that we have received the word of God and that we have enough. We have been blessed with abundant modern scripture. Yet, we might feel that simply having, and reading, the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price is enough.

Joseph Smith promises us that if we abide by the precepts of the Book of Mormon we will draw closer to God. Nephi reinforces that promise with the added insight that as we hearken to God's precepts we will receive line upon line, precept upon precept. And when we receive more, God will give us more. These are wonderful promises that require active reading to receive the blessings.

I want to suggest an approach to active reading that I have found to be very effective. Here is a process that can be followed to actively hearken to, and abide by, the precepts of God taught in the Book of Mormon. First, as you read, notice any verse that seems to catch your attention. At first you may not even know quite why that verse (or passage) caught your attention. Stop and think about what precept may be taught by that passage of scripture. Write down the reference and the precept. Then, look for other places in scripture where that same precept may be taught. Comparing other scriptures will enhance your understanding the of the precept. Next, translate what you learned into something you can do as an experiment to see if the precept does, in fact, bring you closer to God. Spend a week (or more if needed) living the precept as you pray and ask to understand and to be closer to God. Finally, write down what you learned through the experience.

The steps are summarized as follows:

Precept (Identify a precept that will help you get closer to God. Include the Book of Mormon reference containing the precept.) 

Other Scriptures that Teach the Precept (Identify other scriptures that teach the same precept either directly or indirectly through stories or analogy.) 

What You Can Do to Live this Precept (Determine what specific actions you could take to live this precept to see if you get closer to God.) 

Your Experience (Write down what you learned based upon your experience trying to live the precept you have identified. Be honest. Do you feel closer to God? Did you misunderstand the precept? Did you learn that living the precept requires something different than you thought? Really learn from what you are doing.) 

If you repeat this process week after week, you will soon find that each of these experiments has become a building block in the foundation of your testimony of the Book of Mormon (See Alma 32:26-27). You will know that abiding by the precepts of the Book of Mormon brings you closer to God. You will know Jesus Christ better because the Book of Mormon testifies of Him.

I have written about the importance of learning before (Click here for that post). I believe that we must be pro-active in our learning. It is not enough to feel good about the Word of God. We must allow it to guide us. We must come to know God through the process of obeying His commandments. One way to do this is to notice the commandments that are implicit in the precepts taught in the Book of Mormon. We are promised that when we obey His commandments we will have His Spirit to be with us.


(Note: Here is a link to the form I give my students.)