Of Great Worth

To my son,

                Recently we read in the Book of Mormon the story of Nephi and his brothers going back to Jerusalem to get the plates. When the family first left Jerusalem, they went south towards the Red Sea to a place that Lehi called the Valley of Lemuel. Scholars believe that this location is a place known today as Wadi Tayyib al-Ism which is approximately 275 miles away from Jerusalem. That would be like us walking from our house to Cedar City—it was a long trip for them! I point this out because I think it highlights how important the scriptures were for Lehi and his family to have. Nephi and his brothers traveled those 275 miles back to Jerusalem, and then again the 275 miles back to their camp, just to obtain the brass plates to take with them. Nephi explained one of the reasons getting the plates was so important: “I remembered the words of the Lord which he spake unto me in the wilderness, saying that: Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise. Yea, and I also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law of Moses, save they should have the law. And I also knew that the law was engraven upon the plates of brass” (1 Nephi 4:14-16). The brass plates contained the words of the Lord to the prophets and the commandments of God for His people. Nephi knew that it was essential for their family to have those prophetic teachings and commandments in order to teach their children and their children’s children. It was worth the 550 mile trip—and more—to obtain this most sacred book of scripture!

                This year we are studying the Doctrine and Covenants. These are sacred revelations given mainly to the Prophet Joseph Smith in our day and are likewise very precious for us. When they first decided to publish the revelations in a book in 1831, a special conference was held in which the members declared that the revelations were “worth to the Church the riches of the whole Earth” (see heading to Doctrine and Covenants 70). Think of that—the words of the scriptures are worth more than all of the treasures of the earth! I know this to be true. We are so blessed to have them to guide our lives and help us to know how to find peace and joy now and eternal life with our families in the life to come. But for the scriptures to be of any worth to us, we have to read them! The Lord invited us to accept His words in these terms: “Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:37). Searching implies that we read and ponder and study and spend time thinking about His words in the scriptures. I want to invite you this year to make a more consistent effort to read the scriptures on your own. Even if it is just a few verses each night, I know that you will be blessed by spending time trying to learn about the Savior and what He would have you do. Most importantly, I urge you to develop the pattern in your life to read the scriptures each day—this will have a huge impact on your future if you do. Just as your first thought when you wake up is to go and eat a bowl of cereal, I hope that your natural instinct before you go to bed each night is to read in the scriptures. If Nephi and his brothers could make the sacrifice to walk 550 miles to get the scriptures, then I know you can make the small sacrifice of five minutes each night to read the scriptures the Lord has given us. They were “of great worth” to Lehi’s family when they “searched them” and they will be for you as well as you do the same (1 Nephi 5:21). 

Love,

Dad