To Rejoice in Jesus Christ

My teenage daughter said to me recently in the context of us telling her to do something: “If you tell me to do it, I won’t do it. But if you don’t tell me to do it, I’ll do it.” Like many of us, she doesn’t like being told what to do. I thought of that as I read these words of Alma to his son Helaman: “Yea, I say unto you, were it not for these things that these records do contain, which are on these plates, Ammon and his brethren could not have convinced so many thousands of the Lamanites of the incorrect tradition of their fathers; yea, these records and their words brought them unto repentance; that is, they brought them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer” (Alma 37:9). How did the sons of Mosiah convince the Lamanites to see that the tradition of their fathers was incorrect and to repent? They gave the Lamanites the scriptures to read. That, with the companionship of the Spirit of the Lord, is our most powerful tool for helping people make needed changes in their lives. Instead of just telling people what they have to do, we should “try the virtue of the word of God” to help them to see where they need to repent and change their ways (Alma 31:5). Samuel the Lamanite taught something similar when he spoke of the conversion of his people to the Nephites: “And behold, ye do know of yourselves, for ye have witnessed it, that as many of them as are brought to the knowledge of the truth, and to know of the wicked and abominable traditions of their fathers, and are led to believe the holy scriptures, yea, the prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written, which leadeth them to faith on the Lord, and unto repentance, which faith and repentance bringeth a change of heart unto them” (Helaman 15:7). The scriptures and the words of the holy prophets had brought the Lamanites unto faith and repentance and ultimately to a change of heart. As we seek to help those that we love to make needed changes and inspire them to do what is right, we should first encourage them to read and study the word of God so that His words can inspire them to act.

                The above verse from Alma to his son Helaman contains another important reason that we should read and study the scriptures. Not only do we want the scriptures to help us to repent and change and see the things that the Lord wants us to do, but they should cause us to “rejoice in Jesus Christ [our] Redeemer.” One of the main purposes of the scriptures, and especially the Book of Mormon, is to help us come to know Jesus Christ and find joy in Him and His gospel. In Moroni’s preface to the Book of Mormon he wrote of the book’s purpose: “And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.” If our study of the scriptures does not help us to learn about Him and rejoice in what He has done for us, then we are perhaps missing the mark. As I think about my own testimony of the Savior, I know that it came first from reading the Book of Mormon. One of my favorite chapters for as long as I can remember is Ether 12 because of how we see Moroni struggle through weakness and ultimately come unto the Savior. After recounting how his weakness was made strong through Christ, Moroni gave us this powerful invitation: “And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever” (v41). How do we “seek Jesus” as he suggested here? We read the words the “prophets and apostles have written” in holy books of scripture because they bear record of Him. I love how John summarized his account of the Savior with these words: “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:30-31). The words of the scriptures are written that we might believe on Jesus Christ and ultimately gain eternal life through Him.