I am just driving back on Saturday morning from the Post-Op Review. Happy to announce that for the first time in four months I am able to see out of my right eye. It is just a little blurry, but the doctor assures me it is going to clear up and things will be much better. It is a lot better just being able to see the countryside, but not the details right now.
It’s been kind of hard for me to read because, even though my left eye is good, the bad eye casts a shadow over the good eye so it was a challenge to read. I have decided that I am going to reread the scriptures again.
I would like to invite you to accept the challenge with me and use spare time to enjoy the scriptures. I reread again the powerful talk that President Ezra Taft Benson gave about reading the Book of Mormon often and the promises that goes with that.
The Church has just come out with a little packet of scriptures, all sealed together. It’s similar to the Book of Mormon and the New Testament the Church used to provide when we were in the military. I remember well carrying a little Book of Mormon with me. It was beautiful. When we had a spare moment, we could read the scriptures when of course you couldn’t carry a big Book of Mormon or a Bible around. I am sending you these sealed packs of scriptures so that you can put one in your purse, one on the kitchen table, one in your car, one on your desk, and one by your bedside so you will always have access to scriptures when you have a few minutes to relax and enjoy it.
I remember teaching at BYU, some of the overenthusiastic professors were always anxious for the day when they would read the sealed part of the Book of Mormon. Most of us didn’t read the part that wasn’t sealed very often. I am challenging you to unseal these books and start reading a little each day from one or the other. There’s a magic in reading the scriptures. You don’t have to start at the beginning and read through it. I find it interesting just to open it and kind of thumb through a couple of chapters and see if there is something of interest I would like to read and then read that which inspires me. There are so many golden treasures in the scriptures. I wish I had served in a mission where they memorized scriptures. Our main thrust was trying to learn the Czechoslovakian language instead of memorizing scriptures. I still try and memorize a scripture every month just to feel the power it has over you.
I was just thinking of one or two scriptures just to say it to myself, brings me a thrill and excitement. For instance, in Ether 12:4 he says, “Whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, which faith gives an anchor to the souls of men and make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to praise God.” That’s pretty much the correct scripture, but just think of the power in that, or in 2 Nephi 9:41, which is probably my favorite doctrinarian chapter in the Book of Mormon. It is a beautiful statement. He says, “O, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. And remember, his paths are righteousness, and the way for man is narrow, and it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keep of the gate is the Holy One of Israel, and he employeth no servant there. And no one cometh in except through the gate for he cannot be deceived, for He is the Lord God of Israel.” That always inspires me to try and do a little better.
If you would like to be humble, in that same 2 Nephi9:28, Jacob teaches, “Oh the vainness and the frailties and the foolishness of men. For when they are learned, they think they are wise and they hearken not unto the counsel of the Lord, supposing they know for themselves that their wisdom is foolishness and it profit them nothing, and they shall perish, but to be learned is good if the person hearkens unto the counsel of the Lord.” Who could read John 3:16 and not be inspired. “God so loved the world that he sent his Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” What a wonderful gift, blessing and promise. The Lord himself says, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Someone has added to that, “Without the way, there is no going; without the truth, there is no knowing; and without his life there is no living eternally.”
Unfortunately, most of the scriptures are sealed because we don’t open them and read them. They say why a lot of people joined the Church when they first read the Book of Mormon, was because they were familiar with the Bible, the spirit, the feeling and the witness came from reading the Bible, they felt that same spirit and blessing when they read the Book of Mormon. People don’t read the Bible anymore, or the Book of Mormon either, so how can we ever know the Lord when we don’t take time to read His word, which He has made possible for everyone to read now. Do you ever get solicitations from different organizations to provide Bibles for the Jews or Bibles to go to China or Africa? Try supporting one of these projects and you’ll feel a good spirit and realize how precious the word is for people who would like to read it, but don’t have access.
I would like to provide a set of these little books for any of your children who would commit to read all of them except the Old Testament. That is a hard one. I don’t read it much myself, only for references, but it has wonderful lessons and stories. I still read my old seminary and institute books I used to teach from because you can get right to the story or the message without all the background. I do try and read something spiritual each day, but I’m going to make the effort to read these scriptures again and receive the blessings and promises that President Ezra Taft Benson gave the Church when he was trying to get the members to flood the world with the Book of Mormon.
I love you!
Grandpa
