Y’know, I had a difficult time this week deciding how to approach this subject. But in the end, I came to one realization: While there are million things to discuss in talking about the Book of Mormon, only one thing that really matters can happen when you read the Book of Mormon: You will draw closer to Christ.
In realizing that, I’ve decided to focus my talk on Christ; specifically, how I have come closer to Christ and what I’ve learned about Him while I’ve read, studied and pondered the Book of Mormon.
First, I have realized the great love and great compassion He has for me. I know in my darkest and loneliest hours, I have turned to the Book of Mormon for solace. And the solace that I have sought has come. I know that whenever I reached out for Christ, He has welcomed me. I have felt His love often—and it has meant so much to me. I know the Book of Mormon is Christ’s word because the Book of Mormon leads me to Him.
From its title page, the Book of Mormon declares this as its purpose: “The convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations.” Having read the Book of Mormon, I can vouch that this is exactly what the Book of Mormon does. Every time I read the Book of Mormon, I am convinced that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God.
Its pages bear that strong testimony of Christ’s reality. This is the book’s central purpose. Nephi once wrote, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins” (2 Nephi 25:26). I have no doubt that every prophet who wrote in the Book of Mormon after Nephi took seriously this charge. I believe they wrote so that we may come to know Christ through their experiences, rejoicings, preachings and prophecies. And they succeeded. If you read and ponder their writings, you will come to know Christ better. All my experience with the Book of Mormon tells me that that is so.
I want to spend the rest of my talk, discussing some scriptures found in the Book of Mormon that have really, really meant something to me and that have taught me about Christ—specifically, these scriptures have taught me about His love and His mercy, His preeminent traits. Because of His love and mercy for us, He completed the Atonement.
I remember the first scripture that ever meant anything to me was Mosiah 2:21-22: “I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.
“And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.”
I remember reading those verses in the MTC, and just how much they struck me. I read and re-read those verses. I studied them for a couple days. I just loved what I found there; this scripture was the first clue I really had into the great love my Savior had for me. I thought a lot at that time that two years was really no great sacrifice for the Savior, who was keeping me alive to begin with, and who would, as King Benjamin said, bless me for my service. It was a great verse for me to know that no matter how far I would be from home for the next two years, I wouldn’t be away from my Savior’s love. I called upon and found that love often in those two years and the years since. I know there is nowhere I can go, nothing I can do, that disqualifies me from His love and the hope of His atonement.
The next scripture is a question from 2 Nephi 7:2. I actually remember where I was when this question just jumped out at me. I was in the basement of the Harold B. Lee Library at BYU, just killing time before I was supposed to meet my roommate to go to a devotional. So I decided to do some reading, and this is the question that I read: “O house of Israel, is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver?” And it just struck me as a question that many people ask, that I have even asked at times in my life, and that question is this: Can Christ’s atonement really work in my case? At times like that, I have foolishly thought: Maybe His atonement is just for other people; maybe He just can’t reclaim me; maybe I can’t really change. When I read this, I realized what I had done at those times was buy into the false idea: That Christ’s arm is shortened. This question really stood out in my mind the next few weeks as I went through the Isaiah chapters, and I learned from that experience that keeping this question in mind is a great way to go through that portion of the Book of Mormon. A few pages past that question in 2 Nephi 9:7, Jacob, in his great sermon on the Atonement, testifies that “it musts needs be an infinite atonement.” Infinite means He can reclaim me and you; He can help us make those changes we need to make to become like Him.
But I really think a more direct answer to the question of, “Is Christ’s arm shortened that he cannot redeem?” is found at the end of the Isaiah chapters in 2 Nephi 28:32. As you know, the Isaiah chapters spend considerable time discussing the wickedness of the world in the latter days. Yet they end with this great verse: “For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts.” The key word there is lengthened.. Christ’s arm isn’t shortened; it is lengthened. He can redeem. When I read this, I like to picture our Savior standing there, arms outstretched, always willing to embrace those who come unto Him. Since those days three years ago when I first studied this question, the Spirit has testified to me often that that is the reality—that Christ does stand there, arms outstretched, waiting for us to return to Him.
What I love about verse 32 is this: Christ stretches out His arms, but no one rushes to fill them—yet He does not put His arms down. Instead, he promises that He will keep his arms outstretched. His arm is always, always outstretched, ready to welcome back the vilest sinner and the most frequent sinner. His atonement is infinite, and His mercy always available.
I think no one in the Book of Mormon learned this lesson more profoundly or more dramatically than did Alma. His story of repentance is by far my favorite in the book, and the chapter where he relates this story to his son Helaman, in Alma 36, is by far my favorite chapter in all of the scriptures. I probably overquote it, but it’s meant so much to me in my life that the verses of that chapter never wander far from my heart.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said: “There are multitudes of men and women—in and out of the Church—who are struggling vainly against obstacles in their path. Many are fighting the battle of life—and losing. Indeed, there are those among us who consider themselves the vilest of sinners. We have all known such people. We have all spoken with someone who does not think he has been forgiven—or worse, who does not think he can be forgiven. How many broken hearts remain broken because these people feel they are beyond the pale of God’s restorative power? How many bruised and battered spirits are certain that they have sunk to a depth at which the light of redeeming hope and grace will never again shine? To these, the story of the younger Alma comes like water to a parched tongue, like rest a weary traveler.”
Alma, as you know, had spent his youth trying to destroy the church. Yet despite his viciousness toward the church, His father, the great prophet, Alma the Elder, and others in the church prayed for him. In response, an angel appeared to Alma and reprimanded him harshly for what he had done. Alma said later he was struck with such great fear that he fell to the Earth and then for three days, Alma dealt with the consequences of his actions.
Alma spends some time describe just how anguished his soul was at that time, but verse 15 is particularly poignant: “Oh, thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my deeds.” Now, I want to stop right there and tell a story by Tad R. Callister:
“One Sunday morning our teenaged son stood with two other priests to administer the sacrament, as they had done on many prior occasions. They pulled back the white cloth, but to their dismay there was no bread. One of them slipped out to the preparation room in hopes some could be found. There was none. Finally, our trouble son made his way to the bishop and shared the concern with him. A wise bishop then stood, explained the situation to the congregation, and asked, ‘How would it be if the sacrament table were empty today because there were no Atonement?’ I have thought of that often—what would it be like if there were no bread because there had been no crucifixion; no water because there had been no shedding of blood? Of course, the question is now moot, but it does put in perspective our total dependence on the Lord.”
Let’s apply that question to Alma’s experience. At this moment that Alma wishes he were extinct both soul and body, what is going through his mind? I believe a careful reading of this chapter reveals shows that Alma thinks there is no way back. To Alma, he had sinned, he had fallen, and he had lost. There was no more hope for him. Or so he thought. You see, to Alma suffered as sharply as he did in those three days because he knew of no Atonement. To him, the sacrament table was empty.
Fortunately, Alma soon remembered, and we pick up his story in verse 17:
“And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
“Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
“And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
“And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
“Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy” (Alma 36:17-21).
I think no story matches the majesty of this story—it is a story of why we need the atonement, and it is a story that that atonement is accessible to all, reiterating the truth testified of by Nephi: “[Christ] inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him” (2 Nephi 26:33). It’s a story that we can change, and that Christ will help us change. We can erase the bad from our lives and redefine ourselves through repentance. Indeed, this story is another witness that Christ’s arm is not shortened, he can redeem. Had Christ’s arm been shortened, had there been no atonement, all would have been lost for Alma.
Alma’s future missionary companion, Amulek, explained it perfectly to the Zoramites: “For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made” (Alma 34:9).
Aren’t you glad there’s an atonement? Aren’t you glad you’re Savior loved you enough to come down and take upon him all of our sins and gave his life so that we could have that hope—that hope of repentance? I know I’m grateful.
If there’s hope for Alma, there’s hope for us. No one is excluded from the outstretched hands of our Savior.
Certainly, Alma knew this truth when he later preached: “Behold, [Christ] sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you. Yea, he saith: Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely” (Alma 5:33-34).
Alma had been invited to those waters, he had partaken, and he had found what Isaiah said he would: Alma found joy in drawing “water out of the wells of salvation” (2 Nephi 22:3). I hope each of us will take Jacob’s challenge: “Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters” (2 Nephi 9:50).
How grateful I am that today the Living Waters and the Bread of Life were on the sacrament table because Christ loved us enough to perform the atonement on our behalf. May we do, as we promised in the sacramental covenant, and always remember Him. And always move closer to Him that we may more fully partake of His love and His atonement. I testify that one of the shortest, easiest and best ways to come unto Christ is through reading the Book of Mormon.
I bear my testimony that that book is true. I know its translator, Joseph Smith, was a prophet of God, who was called to restore Christ’s church. I know our Heavenly Father lives and loves us. I know He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to take upon him our sins. I know Christ loved us enough to do just that. I know Christ lives. How grateful I am for his atonement. This I say humbly in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Book of Mormon Memories
I also spent some time this week reflecting on what the Book of Mormon has meant to me over the course of my life. First, I think that my parents’ decision to have us read the Book of Mormon together as a family is what glued our family together, and made the great relationships I have with my brothers and sisters as close as they are.
I was a little surprised over the summer when I asked my mom, if her family ever studied the scriptures when she was growing up? “No” she replied.
“Well, did you have family home evening?”
“No.”
“What about family prayer?”
“No.”
I asked my dad the same questions—and he said his family only had family prayer.
“Well, then why did you decide to have to family scripture study, family prayer and family home evening?” I asked.
My dad answered matter-of-factly, “It’s what the prophet asked us to do.” The way he answered the question makes me think that he and my mom didn’t view what the prophet asked them to do as optional.
I’m sure they had difficult times gathering us all together for those things—as it always seemed like someone, particularly my oldest sister, Tiffany, who was a brat growing up—didn’t want to come.
I also realized that that decision to read the scriptures together really helped me in school. I remember when I was first learning to read in the first grade, that Tiffany, my bratty older sister, would groan whenever it was my turn to read because she said, “I took too long”—and, well, Tiffany really didn’t want to be there. Anyhow, those embarrassing moments kindled something inside of me and I worked at being able to read well enough that I could read quickly enough to silence my sister. It was a great day when Tiffany complained I read too fast. I think studying the Book of Mormon prepared my mind to learn, and I honestly believe it helped me do better in school.
I’ve noticed that even now. In a gospel doctrine teachers meeting earlier this year, Chris Nelson, our Sunday School president, promised us that if we put studying the gospel first in our lives, the rest would fall into place. That’s when I decided I would take President Hinckley’s challenge.
And though it was difficult to complete the reading of the Book of Mormon with all the demands on me during last semester, I found that the rest of my life fell into place, and I ended up having the best semester I’ve had in college—despite having all the obstacles I had to having a successful semester. I know the Lord blessed me and increased my ability as I put the gospel first in my life.
One of the things I found is that it really blessed me in my calling as a teacher. Almost every time I prepared a lesson, I read something in the Book of Mormon that just applied perfectly to that lesson, and I was able to share that in my class. Nothing teaches the gospel like the Book of Mormon!
I remember the first time I was ever excited to read the Book of Mormon—the first morning in the MTC. It was such a great experience. I was ingesting the truth so anxiously—cross referencing, and just really enjoying the experience of reading the scriptures. I was to naïve to know it then, but what I was feeling was the Spirit.
A few days later, I became really acquainted with the Spirit when it burned within my heart the testimony that the Book of Mormon is true. That testimony has never left my heart, and the Spirit has etched it deeper into my heart over the years.
A few months into the mission, I began to really learn the Book of Mormon, for one purpose: to stump my companion, Elder Harding. This started one morning when he walked by when I was reading my scriptures, and I said, “Guess where I am?” And I started reading some verses—and he guessed it. “That’s amazing!” I said. So I closed the book and randomly reopened it and began reading. Again, he guessed it. Well, this started a game we played frequently the next few months. And I really began to try and find some verses that weren’t well-known just to stump him. I learned so much doing that. And occasionally I was able to stump Elder Harding. I have found to my disappointment, though, that I am easily stumped—so I still have a lot of learning to do!
I also remember the time at a Scout campout our leaders had us go through an “Iron Rod” experience. And, well, the rod ended, and there was a fire up ahead. But this took place at the time when I needed glasses but hadn’t had the courage yet to admit I needed glasses. So I squinted ahead, and looked at the people sitting around the fire, and, well, they didn’t look like anyone I knew. And the last thing you want to do when you’re of middle school age is to just wander into an embarrassing social situation. And I wasn’t about to walk into someone else’s camp and hope it was my own. So I turned around—and tried another way. That didn’t work. So I came back to the rod and waited for the next person who would come by. Unfortunately, it was my tormentor, my older brother, Joey, and I said, “Where are we supposed to go?”
He pointed at the fire, and said, “Right there, dufus.”
And then he had a good time once we arrived at the fire of pointing out that I had gotten lost “in the mists of darkness.” So I wasn’t spared the embarrassing social situation I had hoped to avoid. I think the times I learned the most have been in the hardest times of my life when I have immersed myself in the Book of Mormon to shine the Light of Christ. This has helped me find a way out of my most desperate situations, and it has helped me feel the love of Christ in my loneliest moments.
Like I said, the Book of Mormon has brought our family together. That bratty sister, Tiffany, is now one of the coolest people I know. I love it when she visits because I can spend hours and hours just talking to her. And my tormentor, Joey, has become one of my best friends. There’s no one I enjoy being around more than my brother. We have a great time, and he is really nice to me these days, doing anything he can to help me out. I credited the Book of Mormon for that because I think the Spirit we felt when reading it, kept our care for each other alive, even during the difficult days of sibling rivalry.
So I can look back at my short life and see just how much the Book of Mormon has meant to me. I love studying it. I love reading it. I love thinking about the people in it and considering their situations. And I love trying to think how it applies to my situation. So many great truths in that book, so little time.
I was a little surprised over the summer when I asked my mom, if her family ever studied the scriptures when she was growing up? “No” she replied.
“Well, did you have family home evening?”
“No.”
“What about family prayer?”
“No.”
I asked my dad the same questions—and he said his family only had family prayer.
“Well, then why did you decide to have to family scripture study, family prayer and family home evening?” I asked.
My dad answered matter-of-factly, “It’s what the prophet asked us to do.” The way he answered the question makes me think that he and my mom didn’t view what the prophet asked them to do as optional.
I’m sure they had difficult times gathering us all together for those things—as it always seemed like someone, particularly my oldest sister, Tiffany, who was a brat growing up—didn’t want to come.
I also realized that that decision to read the scriptures together really helped me in school. I remember when I was first learning to read in the first grade, that Tiffany, my bratty older sister, would groan whenever it was my turn to read because she said, “I took too long”—and, well, Tiffany really didn’t want to be there. Anyhow, those embarrassing moments kindled something inside of me and I worked at being able to read well enough that I could read quickly enough to silence my sister. It was a great day when Tiffany complained I read too fast. I think studying the Book of Mormon prepared my mind to learn, and I honestly believe it helped me do better in school.
I’ve noticed that even now. In a gospel doctrine teachers meeting earlier this year, Chris Nelson, our Sunday School president, promised us that if we put studying the gospel first in our lives, the rest would fall into place. That’s when I decided I would take President Hinckley’s challenge.
And though it was difficult to complete the reading of the Book of Mormon with all the demands on me during last semester, I found that the rest of my life fell into place, and I ended up having the best semester I’ve had in college—despite having all the obstacles I had to having a successful semester. I know the Lord blessed me and increased my ability as I put the gospel first in my life.
One of the things I found is that it really blessed me in my calling as a teacher. Almost every time I prepared a lesson, I read something in the Book of Mormon that just applied perfectly to that lesson, and I was able to share that in my class. Nothing teaches the gospel like the Book of Mormon!
I remember the first time I was ever excited to read the Book of Mormon—the first morning in the MTC. It was such a great experience. I was ingesting the truth so anxiously—cross referencing, and just really enjoying the experience of reading the scriptures. I was to naïve to know it then, but what I was feeling was the Spirit.
A few days later, I became really acquainted with the Spirit when it burned within my heart the testimony that the Book of Mormon is true. That testimony has never left my heart, and the Spirit has etched it deeper into my heart over the years.
A few months into the mission, I began to really learn the Book of Mormon, for one purpose: to stump my companion, Elder Harding. This started one morning when he walked by when I was reading my scriptures, and I said, “Guess where I am?” And I started reading some verses—and he guessed it. “That’s amazing!” I said. So I closed the book and randomly reopened it and began reading. Again, he guessed it. Well, this started a game we played frequently the next few months. And I really began to try and find some verses that weren’t well-known just to stump him. I learned so much doing that. And occasionally I was able to stump Elder Harding. I have found to my disappointment, though, that I am easily stumped—so I still have a lot of learning to do!
I also remember the time at a Scout campout our leaders had us go through an “Iron Rod” experience. And, well, the rod ended, and there was a fire up ahead. But this took place at the time when I needed glasses but hadn’t had the courage yet to admit I needed glasses. So I squinted ahead, and looked at the people sitting around the fire, and, well, they didn’t look like anyone I knew. And the last thing you want to do when you’re of middle school age is to just wander into an embarrassing social situation. And I wasn’t about to walk into someone else’s camp and hope it was my own. So I turned around—and tried another way. That didn’t work. So I came back to the rod and waited for the next person who would come by. Unfortunately, it was my tormentor, my older brother, Joey, and I said, “Where are we supposed to go?”
He pointed at the fire, and said, “Right there, dufus.”
And then he had a good time once we arrived at the fire of pointing out that I had gotten lost “in the mists of darkness.” So I wasn’t spared the embarrassing social situation I had hoped to avoid. I think the times I learned the most have been in the hardest times of my life when I have immersed myself in the Book of Mormon to shine the Light of Christ. This has helped me find a way out of my most desperate situations, and it has helped me feel the love of Christ in my loneliest moments.
Like I said, the Book of Mormon has brought our family together. That bratty sister, Tiffany, is now one of the coolest people I know. I love it when she visits because I can spend hours and hours just talking to her. And my tormentor, Joey, has become one of my best friends. There’s no one I enjoy being around more than my brother. We have a great time, and he is really nice to me these days, doing anything he can to help me out. I credited the Book of Mormon for that because I think the Spirit we felt when reading it, kept our care for each other alive, even during the difficult days of sibling rivalry.
So I can look back at my short life and see just how much the Book of Mormon has meant to me. I love studying it. I love reading it. I love thinking about the people in it and considering their situations. And I love trying to think how it applies to my situation. So many great truths in that book, so little time.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
RELIGION: Sacrament Talk: August 15, 2004: The Keystone and The Capstone
I do not wish to sound disrespectful, but Fast Sunday is a terrible day of the month for me. Don’t misunderstand: I want to fast, and I believe in the fast. It’s just that I forget. I’ll be leaving Sacrament Meeting, heading down that hallway, where I encounter the drinking fountain and want to get a drink. Somehow, it always happens that the moment I push the button is the moment I remember it's Fast Sunday and have to step back. This wouldn't be so bad, but every 10 seconds, I seem to rediscover to drinking fountain, get up to it, remember it's Fast Sunday and then I "Step Away" from the fountain. I often wonder what people think when they see me doing the Texas two-step with the drinking fountain.
It all reminds me of this scripture in Amos 8:11-12: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:
“And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of Lord, and shall not find it.”
This, of course, refers to the people who lived during the time of the Great Apostasy. When I read this scripture in Amos, I envision the hungry slamming the doors shut on empty food cupboards, and the thirsty finding only dry fountains. Can you imagine what it must have been like to live during that time—without the guidance of a prophet, without the shelter of The True Church of Jesus Christ, without the presence of the divine priesthood to bless our lives? Can you imagine seeking the word of God at a time when the only source was the Bible, which had been drained of many of its plain and precious truths, and during a time of prevalent illiteracy and when Bibles were few in number. Such was the situation for the honest seekers in truth for nearly 2,000 years.
Fortunately, in our day, we only imagine those circumstances; they are not our reality, for in our day God has granted unto us a marvelous restoration of his words, including the marvelous Book of Mormon—the centerpiece of the Restoration.
President James E. Faust said, “[The Book of Mormon] is the text for this dispensation. Nothing took priority over getting the Book of Mormon translated and published. Everything was held until that was accomplished. There were no Apostles until it came into being. Ten days after the book’s publication the Church was organized. Publication of the Book of Mormon preceded missionary work because Samuel Smith needed to have it in hand before he could go forward as the first missionary of the Church.”
That the Book of Mormon had to come forward before The Church of Jesus Christ could be restored makes sense; after all, it is, as Joseph Smith said, “the keystone of religion;” and, as we were so often taught in seminary, the keystone is the stone that holds the arch together; without it, the other stones tumble to the ground. And so it is with our religion—the keystone had to be in place. Before the Church could be built, the Book of Mormon had to be available to the children of God.
What is it about this Book that makes it so important? The best way to answer that is to look at the Book’s thesis statement, which tells us that the Book of Mormon is for “the convincing of Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God.”
And how has it done in living up to this promise? Very, very, very well. I count myself among the millions—and even tens of millions—whose life has been forever altered because of the teachings I have found in this book. I, like so many others in this room, gave two years of my life to tell the world that this book is from God—and we knew that if anyone read from the pages of the Book of Mormon, they, like we had, would draw closer to Christ. And if they prayed about its truthfulness, they would receive a confirmation that the book is true, and, hopefully, this confirming witness would lead them to be baptized and enter the Kingdom of Christ, which is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And I, like so many of you, am here today because I have a strong, burning testimony that the Book of Mormon is true.
Let me share with you how I gained this testimony. I was in my first week at the MTC. Now had I always believed in the Church and had lived up to its principles, and I was now fulfilling a desire of mine to serve a mission. But I realized that I was lacking that burning testimony that this work was true. So I prayed unto the Lord to give me a testimony of these things. It was a prayer I’d said many times before—but this time was different because I sincerely wanted to know. On that next morning, I received a witness that Christ was my Savior. That night, my roommate, Elder Nibarger, got a shipment from his brother … included in it was some information regarding the Book of Mormon, which Elder Nibarger handed to me to read. And as I read, my heart caught fire in an indescribable manner in a way that only the Spirit of God can cause a man’s heart to burn. As I read, I knew this was my confirmation; this book was God’s book!
Months later, my companion and I were teaching a man named Michael Cormason, who was reading and praying about the Book of Mormon. We asked him how it was going, and he said, “Well, I’m praying, but I haven’t received an answer yet, but I think it’s because I’m not being sincere enough. So I’m going to try to be more sincere in my prayers.” I knew right then that Mike would be baptized because I knew his sincerity would be rewarded, as mine had been, with a deep, burning testimony of the Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon. And, indeed, he did receive that witness; he was baptized, and one year later, he was sealed to his wife and daughter in the London Temple, where I had the privilege to be one of the witnesses to the sealing. Today, Mike remains a strong member and leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Not because of me or my companion—but because he sincerely sought a testimony, gained that testimony and followed the Good Shepherd. That his life was patterned after Christ because he read, pondered and prayed about the Book of Mormon is one of the many evidences I have had that this Book does convince mankind that Jesus is the Christ.
I can tell you the Book of Momon brings a man closer to his Atoner because I have experienced. I understand this because, quite honestly, my reading of the Book of Mormon is cyclical instead of constant, as it ought to be. And when I’m in a cycle where I have not been faithful in my reading, I will invariably come to a point, where I ask myself, “What is going wrong here?” It is then that I will realize how distanced I am from God because of my lax reading. It is then that I will realize how adversely the absence of the Book of Mormon has affected my life. It is then that I will repent and read with more intent. And then I am again moved closer to Christ, and then is my life more fully enriched and more fully blessed by the Light of Christ that shines forth from the Book of Mormon.
When I read the Book of Mormon daily, I have an increased desire to be faithful to my covenants, and I more frequently remember Christ, and I am more often cognizant of his suffers which he endured on my behalf. Resultantly, I have a sharply increased desire to walk His path so that I may honor, revere, respect and partake of the Great Atonement forever.
For when I read, I made completely aware that He is the Great Rescuer of my Soul; I am reminded that I have been purchased with a price, and I know that I have a need—a great need—to remember Him who paid that price for me.
The Book of Mormon is a Testament of Christ, and, like no
other book can, it drivers it readers to Christ. I know the Book of Mormon is of God because the Spirit of God stays with me more fully in the times that I am faithful in reading it than in the times when I am not. I know that this a causal, not a coincidental relationship, so I can say to myself and to you: Read the Book of Mormon and be committed to Christ; don’t read and be committed to something else.
Also, I know the Book of Mormon brings a man closer to Christ because of the teachings contained in that book. Of all the great Book of Mormon stories, there is one that I love most, and it is that of Alma the Younger. There is no chapter in the Book of Mormon that I hold closer to my heart than that of Alma 36, when Alma relates to his Son, Helaman, the story of how his life was redirected when he was visited by an angel. This story convinces me of that great need for the atonement in all of our lives, for it is in this story that Alma explains the torturings of his own soul when he thought it damned compared to the rejoicings he had when he was washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. Let me read you a portion of the story:
“And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul.
“And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
“Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
“And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
“And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
“Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.” (Alma 36:16-21)
I like this scripture because I think Alma had a perfect understanding of what it was like to be condemned because of the shocking and forceful way that he was shown the error of his ways. But I love it more because it shows in a very real way how wonderful it is to have a Savior—who provided a way that we don’t have to suffer those awful torturings of a damned soul—and it shows how much joy we can have if we take advantage of the atonement by making and keeping covenants and enduring to the end. And this is certainly our goal—to be washed clean through Christ’s merciful Atonement.
That such a story is found in the Book of Mormon is not by accident. President Ezra Taft Benson taught that part of the way the Book of Mormon draws a man closer to Christ is that it testifies of the “necessity of for a Redeemer.” And, certainly, this book does just that.
***
But this is just one of the ways mentioned by President Benson in how the Book of Mormon draws one closer to Christ. The other ways include the following: the telling of the gospel of Christ in a plain manner, testifying of His divinity and our need to trust Him, bearing witness of the fall and the need for a broken heart and a contrite spirit. It also, said President Benson, counsels us how not to fall into Satan’s snares by exposing the enemies of Christ, confounding false doctrines and laying down contention. Or, as President Benson put it: “God, with his infinite foreknowledge, so molded the Book of Mormon that we might see the error and know how to combat false educational, political, religious, and philosophical concepts of our time.”
How blessed are we to have this book in our hands. The honest seekers of truth no longer have to run to and fro—they can quench their thirst for the knowledge of Christ—by reading this divine book. By feasting upon the words of Christ found in this book, can they be filled with the great light that shines from the gospel of Jesus Christ found herein.
***
And not only has God prepared this great feast for the honest seekers of truth, but he knew no good feast could be complete without a delicious dessert. And so he has given us another great blessing, the Doctrine & Covenants.
Said Ezra Taft Benson of this complement to the Book of Mormon: “The Book of Mormon brings men to Christ. The Doctrine and Covenants brings men to Christ’s kingdom, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth” (D&C 1:30). I know that.
The Book of Mormon is the “keystone” of our religion, and the Doctrine and Covenants is the capstone, with continuing latter-day revelation. The Lord has placed His stamp of approval on both the keystone and the capstone.”
I could spend hours telling you of my great love for the Doctrine & Covenants and how grateful I am for the plain and precious truths restored in this sacred volume, including the explanations on the Spirit World, temple work, the Three Degrees of Glory and the organization of the restored church. I have gained a better and greater love for God, as I have read this sacred volume!
***
But, wait! There’s more! Call now, and you can get the Pearl of Great Price included with the Doctrine & Covenants absolutely free! This short volume will teach you about the Spirit World and contains tales from each of the major dispensations up until our day, including Adam, Enoch, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Christ and the must-read story of Joseph Smith—not to mention the Articles of Faith. In addition, we also have great blessings to have available to us at this time the inspired Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, the Bible Dictionary, and a Topical Guide that will help us learn about any subject. Perhaps, most importantly, we have a prophet of God, Gordon B. Hinckley, along with the Apostles, to guide us in these latter-days.
Truly, this great feast is a fitting way to end of famine that was on the land for nearly 2,000 years. With all these great gifts given to us in our day, is there any reason to be spiritually malnourished?! No. Come and feast upon the words of Christ, found in the Book of Mormon and these other sacred volumes. And as, you do, may I implore you, as Moroni did, to read, search, ponder and pray about the things that you read. As you do, I know you will receive, as I have, a strong confirmation, from the Spirit of God, that these things are true! Please do so. It will be to your everlasting benefit to partake of these mighty and great volumes of holy writ that we have in our day. How blessed are we to have these volumes in our midst—these volumes that point us to the greatest of all gifts—the Atonement of Jesus Christ, that will bestow upon us immortality, and, if we are faithful to our covenants, eternal life.
I testify that he is our Redeemer, our Savior and our Friend. He died so that we might live. How grateful I am that I need not be paralyzed by the foolishness of my sins. How grateful I am for the chance to repent and the chance to be forgiven, as Alma was, and experience the joys of eternal life! I know the Book of Mormon is true, as are the Doctrine & Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. I know Joseph Smith was God’s prophet, and Gordon B. Hinckley is God’s prophet today. I know that this is Christ’s church, and I know it is He that stands at the head of it. Again, how eternally grateful am I for my Atoner. And this, I say, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
It all reminds me of this scripture in Amos 8:11-12: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:
“And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of Lord, and shall not find it.”
This, of course, refers to the people who lived during the time of the Great Apostasy. When I read this scripture in Amos, I envision the hungry slamming the doors shut on empty food cupboards, and the thirsty finding only dry fountains. Can you imagine what it must have been like to live during that time—without the guidance of a prophet, without the shelter of The True Church of Jesus Christ, without the presence of the divine priesthood to bless our lives? Can you imagine seeking the word of God at a time when the only source was the Bible, which had been drained of many of its plain and precious truths, and during a time of prevalent illiteracy and when Bibles were few in number. Such was the situation for the honest seekers in truth for nearly 2,000 years.
Fortunately, in our day, we only imagine those circumstances; they are not our reality, for in our day God has granted unto us a marvelous restoration of his words, including the marvelous Book of Mormon—the centerpiece of the Restoration.
President James E. Faust said, “[The Book of Mormon] is the text for this dispensation. Nothing took priority over getting the Book of Mormon translated and published. Everything was held until that was accomplished. There were no Apostles until it came into being. Ten days after the book’s publication the Church was organized. Publication of the Book of Mormon preceded missionary work because Samuel Smith needed to have it in hand before he could go forward as the first missionary of the Church.”
That the Book of Mormon had to come forward before The Church of Jesus Christ could be restored makes sense; after all, it is, as Joseph Smith said, “the keystone of religion;” and, as we were so often taught in seminary, the keystone is the stone that holds the arch together; without it, the other stones tumble to the ground. And so it is with our religion—the keystone had to be in place. Before the Church could be built, the Book of Mormon had to be available to the children of God.
What is it about this Book that makes it so important? The best way to answer that is to look at the Book’s thesis statement, which tells us that the Book of Mormon is for “the convincing of Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God.”
And how has it done in living up to this promise? Very, very, very well. I count myself among the millions—and even tens of millions—whose life has been forever altered because of the teachings I have found in this book. I, like so many others in this room, gave two years of my life to tell the world that this book is from God—and we knew that if anyone read from the pages of the Book of Mormon, they, like we had, would draw closer to Christ. And if they prayed about its truthfulness, they would receive a confirmation that the book is true, and, hopefully, this confirming witness would lead them to be baptized and enter the Kingdom of Christ, which is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And I, like so many of you, am here today because I have a strong, burning testimony that the Book of Mormon is true.
Let me share with you how I gained this testimony. I was in my first week at the MTC. Now had I always believed in the Church and had lived up to its principles, and I was now fulfilling a desire of mine to serve a mission. But I realized that I was lacking that burning testimony that this work was true. So I prayed unto the Lord to give me a testimony of these things. It was a prayer I’d said many times before—but this time was different because I sincerely wanted to know. On that next morning, I received a witness that Christ was my Savior. That night, my roommate, Elder Nibarger, got a shipment from his brother … included in it was some information regarding the Book of Mormon, which Elder Nibarger handed to me to read. And as I read, my heart caught fire in an indescribable manner in a way that only the Spirit of God can cause a man’s heart to burn. As I read, I knew this was my confirmation; this book was God’s book!
Months later, my companion and I were teaching a man named Michael Cormason, who was reading and praying about the Book of Mormon. We asked him how it was going, and he said, “Well, I’m praying, but I haven’t received an answer yet, but I think it’s because I’m not being sincere enough. So I’m going to try to be more sincere in my prayers.” I knew right then that Mike would be baptized because I knew his sincerity would be rewarded, as mine had been, with a deep, burning testimony of the Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon. And, indeed, he did receive that witness; he was baptized, and one year later, he was sealed to his wife and daughter in the London Temple, where I had the privilege to be one of the witnesses to the sealing. Today, Mike remains a strong member and leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Not because of me or my companion—but because he sincerely sought a testimony, gained that testimony and followed the Good Shepherd. That his life was patterned after Christ because he read, pondered and prayed about the Book of Mormon is one of the many evidences I have had that this Book does convince mankind that Jesus is the Christ.
I can tell you the Book of Momon brings a man closer to his Atoner because I have experienced. I understand this because, quite honestly, my reading of the Book of Mormon is cyclical instead of constant, as it ought to be. And when I’m in a cycle where I have not been faithful in my reading, I will invariably come to a point, where I ask myself, “What is going wrong here?” It is then that I will realize how distanced I am from God because of my lax reading. It is then that I will realize how adversely the absence of the Book of Mormon has affected my life. It is then that I will repent and read with more intent. And then I am again moved closer to Christ, and then is my life more fully enriched and more fully blessed by the Light of Christ that shines forth from the Book of Mormon.
When I read the Book of Mormon daily, I have an increased desire to be faithful to my covenants, and I more frequently remember Christ, and I am more often cognizant of his suffers which he endured on my behalf. Resultantly, I have a sharply increased desire to walk His path so that I may honor, revere, respect and partake of the Great Atonement forever.
For when I read, I made completely aware that He is the Great Rescuer of my Soul; I am reminded that I have been purchased with a price, and I know that I have a need—a great need—to remember Him who paid that price for me.
The Book of Mormon is a Testament of Christ, and, like no
other book can, it drivers it readers to Christ. I know the Book of Mormon is of God because the Spirit of God stays with me more fully in the times that I am faithful in reading it than in the times when I am not. I know that this a causal, not a coincidental relationship, so I can say to myself and to you: Read the Book of Mormon and be committed to Christ; don’t read and be committed to something else.
Also, I know the Book of Mormon brings a man closer to Christ because of the teachings contained in that book. Of all the great Book of Mormon stories, there is one that I love most, and it is that of Alma the Younger. There is no chapter in the Book of Mormon that I hold closer to my heart than that of Alma 36, when Alma relates to his Son, Helaman, the story of how his life was redirected when he was visited by an angel. This story convinces me of that great need for the atonement in all of our lives, for it is in this story that Alma explains the torturings of his own soul when he thought it damned compared to the rejoicings he had when he was washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. Let me read you a portion of the story:
“And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul.
“And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
“Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
“And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
“And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
“Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.” (Alma 36:16-21)
I like this scripture because I think Alma had a perfect understanding of what it was like to be condemned because of the shocking and forceful way that he was shown the error of his ways. But I love it more because it shows in a very real way how wonderful it is to have a Savior—who provided a way that we don’t have to suffer those awful torturings of a damned soul—and it shows how much joy we can have if we take advantage of the atonement by making and keeping covenants and enduring to the end. And this is certainly our goal—to be washed clean through Christ’s merciful Atonement.
That such a story is found in the Book of Mormon is not by accident. President Ezra Taft Benson taught that part of the way the Book of Mormon draws a man closer to Christ is that it testifies of the “necessity of for a Redeemer.” And, certainly, this book does just that.
***
But this is just one of the ways mentioned by President Benson in how the Book of Mormon draws one closer to Christ. The other ways include the following: the telling of the gospel of Christ in a plain manner, testifying of His divinity and our need to trust Him, bearing witness of the fall and the need for a broken heart and a contrite spirit. It also, said President Benson, counsels us how not to fall into Satan’s snares by exposing the enemies of Christ, confounding false doctrines and laying down contention. Or, as President Benson put it: “God, with his infinite foreknowledge, so molded the Book of Mormon that we might see the error and know how to combat false educational, political, religious, and philosophical concepts of our time.”
How blessed are we to have this book in our hands. The honest seekers of truth no longer have to run to and fro—they can quench their thirst for the knowledge of Christ—by reading this divine book. By feasting upon the words of Christ found in this book, can they be filled with the great light that shines from the gospel of Jesus Christ found herein.
***
And not only has God prepared this great feast for the honest seekers of truth, but he knew no good feast could be complete without a delicious dessert. And so he has given us another great blessing, the Doctrine & Covenants.
Said Ezra Taft Benson of this complement to the Book of Mormon: “The Book of Mormon brings men to Christ. The Doctrine and Covenants brings men to Christ’s kingdom, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth” (D&C 1:30). I know that.
The Book of Mormon is the “keystone” of our religion, and the Doctrine and Covenants is the capstone, with continuing latter-day revelation. The Lord has placed His stamp of approval on both the keystone and the capstone.”
I could spend hours telling you of my great love for the Doctrine & Covenants and how grateful I am for the plain and precious truths restored in this sacred volume, including the explanations on the Spirit World, temple work, the Three Degrees of Glory and the organization of the restored church. I have gained a better and greater love for God, as I have read this sacred volume!
***
But, wait! There’s more! Call now, and you can get the Pearl of Great Price included with the Doctrine & Covenants absolutely free! This short volume will teach you about the Spirit World and contains tales from each of the major dispensations up until our day, including Adam, Enoch, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Christ and the must-read story of Joseph Smith—not to mention the Articles of Faith. In addition, we also have great blessings to have available to us at this time the inspired Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, the Bible Dictionary, and a Topical Guide that will help us learn about any subject. Perhaps, most importantly, we have a prophet of God, Gordon B. Hinckley, along with the Apostles, to guide us in these latter-days.
Truly, this great feast is a fitting way to end of famine that was on the land for nearly 2,000 years. With all these great gifts given to us in our day, is there any reason to be spiritually malnourished?! No. Come and feast upon the words of Christ, found in the Book of Mormon and these other sacred volumes. And as, you do, may I implore you, as Moroni did, to read, search, ponder and pray about the things that you read. As you do, I know you will receive, as I have, a strong confirmation, from the Spirit of God, that these things are true! Please do so. It will be to your everlasting benefit to partake of these mighty and great volumes of holy writ that we have in our day. How blessed are we to have these volumes in our midst—these volumes that point us to the greatest of all gifts—the Atonement of Jesus Christ, that will bestow upon us immortality, and, if we are faithful to our covenants, eternal life.
I testify that he is our Redeemer, our Savior and our Friend. He died so that we might live. How grateful I am that I need not be paralyzed by the foolishness of my sins. How grateful I am for the chance to repent and the chance to be forgiven, as Alma was, and experience the joys of eternal life! I know the Book of Mormon is true, as are the Doctrine & Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. I know Joseph Smith was God’s prophet, and Gordon B. Hinckley is God’s prophet today. I know that this is Christ’s church, and I know it is He that stands at the head of it. Again, how eternally grateful am I for my Atoner. And this, I say, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Loyalty, happiness and love
Esau’s decision to sell his birthright for a bowl of soup goes down as one of the worst purchases in the history of mankind. Think of all that he gave up … for soup. I mean, at least, get a steak dinner, right? Even had he ordered steak and lobster, it still would have been the worst purchase in the history of mankind. But not only was his selling his birthright the worst purchase in history, it was one of history’s most selfish acts.
You see, Esau’s act didn’t just affect him. For the immediate filling of his stomach, Esau cheated his companion, his children and their children of the Great Abrahamic covenant. To satisfy an appetite, Esau gave away everything. Perhaps the strongest appetite we have, the one that needs to be reigned in and controlled before it controls—is the appetite of sexuality. Like Esau, one cannot violate the Law of Chastity and affect only himself. Like Esau, you may find that the selling of your virtue for immediate gratification is one of the worst purchases you ever made. “We better want the consequences of what we want!” said Elder Neal A. Maxwell.
The hallmark of a good marriage is selflessness. That starts long before the altar. That starts long before the first date with our chosen mate. President David O. McKay said: “Happiness does not begin at the altar; it begins during the period of youth and courtship. These seeds of happiness are sown by your ability to master your driving passion.” I have come to learn that the Law of Chastity is more protective than restrictive. It protects the Celestial relationship. The Law of Chastity requires us to show loyalty before marriage, and then our intimacy within marriage cultivates even deeper loyalty. A couple that adheres to the Law of Chastity will build their love first on friendship and respect; thus, they will be bonded first interpersonally—and then, when the time is right, they will bond sexually as well—and that bond will be deeper if both husband and wife have waited for each other. Too many marriages today fall apart because they only bonded through sex. The Law of Chastity also protects our hearts. When two people who are dating adhere to the Law of Chastity, should they break-up, the hurt will not be as sharp because they have not spent the deepest part of their souls on that relationship. Most of all, the Law of Chastity protects children. It protects them from coming into a family structure that is not as strong or as developed or, even in some cases, as complete as it should be. It protects them from being born to parents who are not yet ready for the responsibilities of parenting. Adherents to the Law of Chastity can also provide their children what they deserve and need most: Parents who love and are committed to each other; parents who love and are committed to the Lord, and parents who love and are committed to their family and parents who are sealed to their children through covenant.
Moreover, it’s not like we’ve been told to never have sex. We’ve just been told “not yet.” The day will come. Waiting, in the meantime, is a sacrifice that shows the love you already have for your eternal companion—to save that special part of yourself for your special someone. That, I believe, is one of the most beautiful expressions of love you can ever give to anyone. Sex, when properly practiced in the bounds the Lord has set, is one of the highest forms of love there is; sex outside of marriage is one of the lowest forms of selfishness. I think one of the best things you can ever do for yourself is make someone earn you. Don’t cheat yourself out of the Great Abrahamic Covenant; don’t cheat yourself out of temple marriage; or to paraphrase Camelot,“Don’t let your passion destroy your dreams.”
You see, Esau’s act didn’t just affect him. For the immediate filling of his stomach, Esau cheated his companion, his children and their children of the Great Abrahamic covenant. To satisfy an appetite, Esau gave away everything. Perhaps the strongest appetite we have, the one that needs to be reigned in and controlled before it controls—is the appetite of sexuality. Like Esau, one cannot violate the Law of Chastity and affect only himself. Like Esau, you may find that the selling of your virtue for immediate gratification is one of the worst purchases you ever made. “We better want the consequences of what we want!” said Elder Neal A. Maxwell.
The hallmark of a good marriage is selflessness. That starts long before the altar. That starts long before the first date with our chosen mate. President David O. McKay said: “Happiness does not begin at the altar; it begins during the period of youth and courtship. These seeds of happiness are sown by your ability to master your driving passion.” I have come to learn that the Law of Chastity is more protective than restrictive. It protects the Celestial relationship. The Law of Chastity requires us to show loyalty before marriage, and then our intimacy within marriage cultivates even deeper loyalty. A couple that adheres to the Law of Chastity will build their love first on friendship and respect; thus, they will be bonded first interpersonally—and then, when the time is right, they will bond sexually as well—and that bond will be deeper if both husband and wife have waited for each other. Too many marriages today fall apart because they only bonded through sex. The Law of Chastity also protects our hearts. When two people who are dating adhere to the Law of Chastity, should they break-up, the hurt will not be as sharp because they have not spent the deepest part of their souls on that relationship. Most of all, the Law of Chastity protects children. It protects them from coming into a family structure that is not as strong or as developed or, even in some cases, as complete as it should be. It protects them from being born to parents who are not yet ready for the responsibilities of parenting. Adherents to the Law of Chastity can also provide their children what they deserve and need most: Parents who love and are committed to each other; parents who love and are committed to the Lord, and parents who love and are committed to their family and parents who are sealed to their children through covenant.
Moreover, it’s not like we’ve been told to never have sex. We’ve just been told “not yet.” The day will come. Waiting, in the meantime, is a sacrifice that shows the love you already have for your eternal companion—to save that special part of yourself for your special someone. That, I believe, is one of the most beautiful expressions of love you can ever give to anyone. Sex, when properly practiced in the bounds the Lord has set, is one of the highest forms of love there is; sex outside of marriage is one of the lowest forms of selfishness. I think one of the best things you can ever do for yourself is make someone earn you. Don’t cheat yourself out of the Great Abrahamic Covenant; don’t cheat yourself out of temple marriage; or to paraphrase Camelot,“Don’t let your passion destroy your dreams.”
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