Hold Fast to the Word of God

I’ve been thinking quite a bit the last couple of months about what the Lord would have me say today. And what I am about to tell you today I invoke the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. Hopefully what the Lord would have me say today will reach deep into your heart and cause you to feel His love for you and hopefully find areas in your life, things that we can do, things that we can change, things that we can become more like our Savior. I pray for that.

I've been thinking a lot about our relationship with the Word of God. When I meet with the youth and some adults recently I've always asked them the question, “Do you love the Book of Mormon?” I ask all of you the same question. “Do you love the time every day that you get to spend with the Word of God, particularly the Book of Mormon? Is it changing your heart? Is it helping you to become a better person?”

I testify to you, brothers and sisters, I don't think this world is getting too crazy, too wicked, too loud, or too distracting for us not to have an incredible love for the Word of God. I love what our Prophet said recently when he said “Simply knowing that the Book of Mormon is true is good, but not enough. We need to feel, deep in the innermost parts of our hearts, that the Book of Mormon is unequivocally the word of God. We must feel it so deeply that we would never want to live even one day without it.” - President Nelson

So I asked you that question, in your relationship with the Book of Mormon, do you run to it in the morning? Do you look forward to the opportunity to communicate with God, to receive His revelation, and to become more like Christ? To love the Word of God is to not treat it like a checkbox, or a thing we need to do. It needs to change us.

I love Lehi’s dream, and Nephi saw the same vision. In part of the dream that Lehi had he tells us about two people besides himself that actually make it to the Tree of Life.

The first individual tells us that they actually tasted the fruit. And then they became highly distracted by the great and spacious building. And the only other thing that we have in the record is that they became ashamed and they wandered off into strange roads and we're lost.

Regarding the second individual, it says they came and actually partook of the fruit. First, they fell down at the tree, I think out of humility. Then they partook of the fruit and they actually stayed close and dwelled with the love of God.

Both of these individuals made it to the tree. But what was the difference? Was there anything they did in their journey to the tree that might have made all the difference in the world in their ability to live, and allowed them to stay at the tree, or stay with Christ? Is there something they did?

The first individual who fell away “clung” to the iron rod, or they “clung” to the word of God. The person who stayed at the tree “held fast” to the iron rod. What's the difference between “clinging” to something and just merely “holding fast” to it? What's the difference? When you cling to something you're hanging off the side of a cliff, and you're clinging to a rope for dear life. Or you're drowning and you're clinging to a pole or stick to be saved. What are they doing? They're living the gospel or they're trying to hold on out of fear.

If you're living your covenants and your relationship with Jesus Christ out of any form of fear and not faith, I worry. I'm worried every single day about you. We cannot live our lives in fear. For instance, say somebody decides to serve a full-time mission, and he or she is doing it out of fear of what their parents might say if they don't go. You're fearfully approaching the word of God every day because if I don't read my scriptures, my leaders told me maybe I won't get a blessing or maybe my testimony will be weakened. I need to go to the temple to get a blessing. You're doing all of these things out of fear. The Prophet said that is good, but it's enough to stay with Christ.

The second person pressed forward with faith and “held fast” to the iron rod. Do you wake up in the morning and have the desire to quickly run to the Word of God? Be honest with yourself. Do you want to seek that relationship with deity? Are you running quickly to it because you know the power that it gives you? Do you love it? Do you live Him? I testify to you I believe these two individuals have made it to the tree. One did it with what the Savior calls pure and real intent. The other person was more based on fearful pride.

So the question is, what can I say today that gives you some guidance and strength to live your covenants and build a relationship with Christ out of pure love and not pride? I feel like a couple of months ago, the Savior gave me some clear direction that he wanted me to share with you today to hopefully help you increase that love of what I'm talking about in your heart specifically for the Book of Mormon and the Word of God.

I would like you to do four things. I challenge you to do these four things. And as your bishop, I testify to you that the spirit of the Holy Ghost will help you in your journey, to walk by faith and not fear if you do these things before you read and and study the scriptures.

1 - Pray. Before you open the Book of Mormon, I want you just to just stop for a minute and say a prayer. This is very important. Don't do this casually. And in that prayer petition the Lord for these things.

• Pray for the Power of Prophecy and the Power of Revelation. Nephi’s brothers were struggling to understand the words of Isaiah did not understand, and thought these things were hard, but Nephi said that they are plain unto me. They're precious. And the reason they are plain is because I am filled with the Power of Prophecy and the Power of Revelation. The Power of Prophecy is the gift of Christ.

• Apply the Atonement. We need to find joy for the atonement every single day in our lives. So just there's something about being clean brothers and sisters that elevates your ability to proceed with revelation. I love that Moroni talks about our need to exercise our faith unto repentance. Then we need to live the commandments of God, or live our covenants.

• Pary for Charity. I want you to pray for is just pray for charity. Pray for that sacred gift of charity like your life depends on it. We have to do that in every single prayer.

2 - Feast. The next thing I'd like you to do is open the scriptures. But I don't want you to read the scriptures. Nowhere in the scriptures does it say that we're going to read the scriptures. It says we're supposed to “feast” upon the word of God, “ponder” the Word of God, and “study”, and “immerse” ourselves in the Word of God.

As you read those words can you feel them in your heart? Do you feel like you absolutely love what you're reading when you understand it? The Lord wants to tell you right here, right now, to know His will. Are there things that you should start doing? Are there things you should stop doing?

So, feast. Feasting may look different for all of us. I pull all kinds of commentary from BYU professors, modern-day prophets, and apostles, I want to hear what everybody said about this specific verse that I'm studying or the chapter that I'm studying. And as I do that with a prayerful sincere heart with real intent, the Windows of Heaven open and I can hear the voice of the Lord.

3 - Act. This is a big one. When you get an impression, and I promise you those impressions will come to you, you need to act. Do not procrastinate. Don't let it simmer. And whatever the Lord's telling you to do, do it. It's very, very important. A lot of your growth sometimes has to be a hard road that takes a lot of faith. Do not be fearful, be faithful and act.

4 - Share. The last thing I'd like you to do is share what you went through and what you have felt. You don't have to come up to the pulpit to share. You don't have to bear your testimony in sacrament meeting. But share it with your spouse. Share it with your kids. Share it with your friends, share it with whomever. Share what has changed you. There's power in sharing.

I testify to you brothers and sisters, I've had a lot of people walk into this office over here, and sit down in front of me who are broken, and they are having a difficult time. And they look at me and they say, “You know what Bishop? One of the things that's motivated me to come talk to you me to apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ is because somebody had the courage to stand up at this pulpit, or in a Sunday School lesson, or a Relief Society lesson, or a priesthood lesson and share about their journey, and share about the pain that they've suffered.”

It's the thing I love about this ward. We are vulnerable. We open up. We talk about our journeys and how we’ve struggled. We share how we are brought to Christ, and how we are on our way back. We share. We cannot have shame. Brothers Sisters there's a power in sharing. So please I beg of you as your bishop, there are people in this congregation who are not ready to share because they are hurting, but they absolutely need to hear from the voices of those who are ready to share. So I encourage you, as you go through this journey with the scriptures, as it changes you, if you overcome your weaknesses, and your trials and tribulations, please be vocal. How grateful I am for Alma the Younger that he shared. I'm grateful for Paul that he shared. I'm grateful for any leader who is open and honest about their weaknesses and how they have suffered. I am grateful for that.

Brothers and sisters, I leave you my bishop’s blessing. I pray for you. The Lord wants you to have a new relationship with the scriptures. He wants to teach you. He is begging and pleading for you to hear his voice. But we have to exercise our agency we have to put in the spiritual work, to be able to hear it. I testify to you it will change. You will be happier. With all the promises of blessing your home, blessing your family, and the spirit that comes into your home, there's no better way to live.

-Bishop Temple