The Book of Mormon is the most powerful book I’ve read.
This is how I get the most out of the book:
I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul. 2 Nephi 32.9
I’ve read a lot of self help books. It’s not like that. This is a book that inspires personal revelation and a relationship with Christ and Heavenly Father. I get the most out of it when I have a true desire in my heart:
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. Moroni 10.4
When I read it in a rush, I don’t get much out of it. When I don’t pray before hand, or if I’m not sincere, I don’t really get anything substantive.
It’s like texting vs calling a friend. If you’re in a rush, you give a half thought text. But if you’re on a long drive and want to build a relationship, you give the friend a call.
The best insight doesn’t come from the Book of Mormon. It comes from the Holy Ghost. So I can read the book as a literary critique and not see its divinity. But as I read it trying to build a relationship with Heavenly Father, then I feel that relationship grow.
Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, 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 seed, 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. Alma 32.28
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Bryan lives somewhere at the intersection of faith, fatherhood, and futurism and writes about tech, books, Christianity, gratitude, and whatever’s on his mind. If you liked reading, perhaps you’ll also like subscribing: