Every Day

To my son,

                When I was about your age I started reading the Book of Mormon for the first time. I remember one night when my older brother got me out of bed after we were supposed to be asleep and we snuck into another room and read in the Book of Mormon. That’s when I started, and since then I have tried to read in the Book of Mormon every day. Most books you will only read once, but the Book of Mormon is different. I want to encourage you to make a pattern of reading in the Book of Mormon every day, and I hope you will keep that habit throughout your life. President Nelson said this about why you should do that: “My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.” Think of that: as you consistently read in the Book of Mormon you will make better decisions, be directed by the Lord in your life, and be protected from the evils of our world. I know those promises are real for I have seen them in my own life.

                This week in our scripture study as a family we read this instruction from the Lord: “Remember that that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care” (Doctrine and Covenants 63:64). The scriptures are one of those things that the Lord has given us which is sacred, and we show the Lord that they are sacred to us as we spend time with them and read the words that the ancient prophets have written. The Book of Mormon prophets made great sacrifices to preserve the words of the scriptures for us. Nephi and his brothers went to great lengths by going back to Jerusalem—almost getting themselves killed in the process—to obtain the brass plates so their posterity could have the scriptures. Jacob spoke of “the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates” as he recorded his experiences and testimony for us (Jacob 4:1). Mormon must have spent years reading the Nephite records and then abridging them in a painstaking process on the gold plates for us. Moroni wandered alone at the peril of his life for decades preserving the plates so he could eventually bury them in the place where Joseph Smith would find them. In his last chapter he said this to you and me: “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?” (Moroni 10:27). Think of that—one day we will meet Moroni face to face at the judgment bar of God and we will be accountable for how we treated his words! I know that as we read his words and all of the stories and testimonies contained in the Book of Mormon we will be protected by the Lord and guided in all that we do. 

Love,

Dad