Jay E. Jensen, Seventy—BYU Speeches--10 March 2009.
--select passages—
Alma compared the word unto a seed. I pause to emphasize that I have heard some in the Church cite Alma 32:28 and teach that Alma compared faith to a seed. The precise comparison is the word to a seed. I will read verses 28 and 30, and in each instance following the first sentence where the word seed appears, I will substitute the word word:
True words, true doctrines, and true principles planted by faith, like seeds, will sprout and grow. They lead to testimony. Listen again to three words from the last line of verse 30. They are “I know that.” These words often introduce expressions of testimony: “I know that God lives” or “I know that Jesus is the Christ” or “I know that the Book of Mormon is true.” We hear variations of this phrase in “I testify that” or “I declare that” or “I witness that”—all acceptable and appropriate.
Alma continued his emphasis on the power of the word. He then concluded his message, encouraging the people to
While Alma was teaching, Amulek had discerned the thoughts of the multitude and pointed out, “We have beheld that the great question which is in your minds is whether the word be in the Son of God, or whether there shall be no Christ” (Alma 34:5). Amulek then reminded the people that Alma had used scriptures—the testimonies of others—to prove “that the word is in Christ unto salvation” (Alma 34:6; see also verse 7). Amulek then went on to give his own witness and testimony, an excellent example of what scriptures call “pure testimony” (Alma 4:19):
All of this is summarized by Alma’s promise to those who experiment upon the word:
I pause to note that the words by and by today may mean a future time or occasion, but an archaic meaning is “before long, soon.” In the New Testament they mean “immediately” (see Bible Dictionary, s.v. “by and by,” 627–28).
Although I left for my mission partially relying on the borrowed light of the faith and testimony of excellent parents, wonderful neighbors, and good teachers and leaders, I soon lost myself in the service of others. I worked hard and I was obedient. As a result, I experienced what President Gordon B. Hinckley experienced on his mission. “Something happened inside of me in England that was so significant and deep-rooted that I have never gotten over it,” he said. “It is the same thing I have seen happen to thousands of other young men and women who commit themselves to the Lord, and their faith in Him becomes their anchor. Everything good that has happened to me is a result of what happened while I lived in that land” (in Sheri L. Dew, Go Forward with Faith: The Biography of Gordon B. Hinckley [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1996], 547).
During my mission I resolved to live the gospel, to be obedient, to keep sacred covenants, to remain active and serve in the Church, and to always be worthy of and have a current temple recommend. Two specific commitments were to never let a day go by without daily personal prayer and daily scripture study. Since coming home from my mission more than 45 years ago, I have not faltered in keeping these commitments.
Studying and searching scriptures are not ends in themselves; rather, they are means to the higher ends of building our faith and testimony on the rock of our Redeemer so we can “pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, . . . sweet, . . . and pure” (Alma 32:42).
I have identified six suggestions. Some of them come from the apostles. These suggestions have constantly helped me to make daily scripture study more meaningful and ensure that I am building upon the rock of our Redeemer. I testify they will help you.
1. Pray. Make prayer a part of scripture study. Pause to ask God for His Spirit to teach you. I had a chastening experience by the Spirit one day for failing to pray and reverence the scriptures. I had boarded an airplane, and while waiting to take off I thumbed through an in-flight magazine and a newspaper. I then took my scriptures from my briefcase and began to thumb through them, treating them like the magazine and newspaper. Suddenly this thought came into my mind: “You are treating my holy words like ordinary magazines. The scriptures are sacred. Pause to pray. Treat them with reverence and respect.”
2. Pay the right price. Whether you study and search the scriptures chronologically, by themes, by topics, or by using a combination of the two, pay the right price: study, search, ponder, liken, feast upon, compare, analyze, and synthesize.
3. Look for patterns, themes, and connections. The footnotes and other scripture study aids are there to assist you.
4. Create outlines and write down your scripture insights. Have paper and pencil by you as you study the scriptures to mark and annotate them and to write down your impressions. Going through the scriptures regularly is good, but to have the scriptures go through you and to have them change you only comes at a price.
5. Mark, annotate, and write in your scriptures. Shading, underlining, and making marginal notes and annotations are useful practices. I found in my early years that I over marked my scriptures. Since serving as a mission president in 1975, I am on my fourth set of scriptures and will likely do a fifth set. Two purposes for marking, annotating, and writing in your scriptures are (1) to capture revelations you receive as you study and (2) to retrieve or recall what you learned. In a way, well-marked scriptures are a portable revelatory filing system.
6. Teach what you learn. By this you will demonstrate if you have truly mastered a topic. Until I am able to articulate what I am studying, I confess that I have not yet mastered it.
--select passages—
Alma compared the word unto a seed. I pause to emphasize that I have heard some in the Church cite Alma 32:28 and teach that Alma compared faith to a seed. The precise comparison is the word to a seed. I will read verses 28 and 30, and in each instance following the first sentence where the word seed appears, I will substitute the word word:Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a [word] may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true [word], or a good [word], if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good [word], or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. . . .
But behold, as the [word] swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the [word] is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good [word]; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow. [Alma 32:28, 30]
True words, true doctrines, and true principles planted by faith, like seeds, will sprout and grow. They lead to testimony. Listen again to three words from the last line of verse 30. They are “I know that.” These words often introduce expressions of testimony: “I know that God lives” or “I know that Jesus is the Christ” or “I know that the Book of Mormon is true.” We hear variations of this phrase in “I testify that” or “I declare that” or “I witness that”—all acceptable and appropriate.
Alma continued his emphasis on the power of the word. He then concluded his message, encouraging the people to
begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works.
And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts. [Alma 33:22–23]
While Alma was teaching, Amulek had discerned the thoughts of the multitude and pointed out, “We have beheld that the great question which is in your minds is whether the word be in the Son of God, or whether there shall be no Christ” (Alma 34:5). Amulek then reminded the people that Alma had used scriptures—the testimonies of others—to prove “that the word is in Christ unto salvation” (Alma 34:6; see also verse 7). Amulek then went on to give his own witness and testimony, an excellent example of what scriptures call “pure testimony” (Alma 4:19):
And now, behold, I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it. [Alma 34:8]
All of this is summarized by Alma’s promise to those who experiment upon the word:
And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, . . . sweet, . . . and pure. [Alma 32:42]
I pause to note that the words by and by today may mean a future time or occasion, but an archaic meaning is “before long, soon.” In the New Testament they mean “immediately” (see Bible Dictionary, s.v. “by and by,” 627–28).
Although I left for my mission partially relying on the borrowed light of the faith and testimony of excellent parents, wonderful neighbors, and good teachers and leaders, I soon lost myself in the service of others. I worked hard and I was obedient. As a result, I experienced what President Gordon B. Hinckley experienced on his mission. “Something happened inside of me in England that was so significant and deep-rooted that I have never gotten over it,” he said. “It is the same thing I have seen happen to thousands of other young men and women who commit themselves to the Lord, and their faith in Him becomes their anchor. Everything good that has happened to me is a result of what happened while I lived in that land” (in Sheri L. Dew, Go Forward with Faith: The Biography of Gordon B. Hinckley [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1996], 547).
During my mission I resolved to live the gospel, to be obedient, to keep sacred covenants, to remain active and serve in the Church, and to always be worthy of and have a current temple recommend. Two specific commitments were to never let a day go by without daily personal prayer and daily scripture study. Since coming home from my mission more than 45 years ago, I have not faltered in keeping these commitments.
Studying and searching scriptures are not ends in themselves; rather, they are means to the higher ends of building our faith and testimony on the rock of our Redeemer so we can “pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, . . . sweet, . . . and pure” (Alma 32:42).
I have identified six suggestions. Some of them come from the apostles. These suggestions have constantly helped me to make daily scripture study more meaningful and ensure that I am building upon the rock of our Redeemer. I testify they will help you.
1. Pray. Make prayer a part of scripture study. Pause to ask God for His Spirit to teach you. I had a chastening experience by the Spirit one day for failing to pray and reverence the scriptures. I had boarded an airplane, and while waiting to take off I thumbed through an in-flight magazine and a newspaper. I then took my scriptures from my briefcase and began to thumb through them, treating them like the magazine and newspaper. Suddenly this thought came into my mind: “You are treating my holy words like ordinary magazines. The scriptures are sacred. Pause to pray. Treat them with reverence and respect.”
2. Pay the right price. Whether you study and search the scriptures chronologically, by themes, by topics, or by using a combination of the two, pay the right price: study, search, ponder, liken, feast upon, compare, analyze, and synthesize.
3. Look for patterns, themes, and connections. The footnotes and other scripture study aids are there to assist you.
4. Create outlines and write down your scripture insights. Have paper and pencil by you as you study the scriptures to mark and annotate them and to write down your impressions. Going through the scriptures regularly is good, but to have the scriptures go through you and to have them change you only comes at a price.
5. Mark, annotate, and write in your scriptures. Shading, underlining, and making marginal notes and annotations are useful practices. I found in my early years that I over marked my scriptures. Since serving as a mission president in 1975, I am on my fourth set of scriptures and will likely do a fifth set. Two purposes for marking, annotating, and writing in your scriptures are (1) to capture revelations you receive as you study and (2) to retrieve or recall what you learned. In a way, well-marked scriptures are a portable revelatory filing system.
6. Teach what you learn. By this you will demonstrate if you have truly mastered a topic. Until I am able to articulate what I am studying, I confess that I have not yet mastered it.
Comments