Mosiah 1: 1-7

 

What difference does it make in your life when you can read the scriptures regularly?

"1 And now there was no more contention in all the land of Zarahemla, among all the people who belonged to king Benjamin, so that king Benjamin had continual peace all the remainder of his days.

2 And it came to pass that he had three sons; and he called their names Mosiah, and Helorum, and Helaman. And he caused that they should be taught in all the language of his fathers, that thereby they might become men of understanding; and that they might know concerning the prophecies which had been spoken by the mouths of their fathers, which were delivered them by the hand of the Lord.

3 And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God.

4 For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; for he having been taught in the language of the Egyptians therefore he could read these engravings, and teach them to his children, that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time.

5 I say unto you, my sons, were it not for these things, which have been kept and preserved by the hand of God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries, and have his commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled in unbelief, and we should have been like unto our brethren, the Lamanites, who know nothing concerning these things, or even do not believe them when they are taught them, because of the traditions of their fathers, which are not correct.

6 O my sons, I would that ye should remember that these sayings are true, and also that these records are true. And behold, also the plates of Nephi, which contain the records and the sayings of our fathers from the time they left Jerusalem until now, and they are true; and we can know of their surety because we have them before our eyes.

7 And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land according to the promises which the Lord made unto our fathers." (Mosiah 1: 1-7)

And here's the commentary entitled: “Search [the scriptures] diligently.” :

"In these verses, notice how the sacred records blessed King Benjamin’s people. How is your life better because you have the scriptures?"

My life is better indeed, so much better because I have the scriptures. I'm grateful for my earthly father, first of all, for making the choice to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ so that his own children could be brought up in the gospel. I'm grateful for my own mother because she decided to follow the lead of my father. And together my parents brought us, their children in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I learned early on the value of reading the scriptures because I saw my own parents' example--they would read the scriptures themselves individually and together with our family. And I, myself, have developed the habit of reading and studying the scriptures. Going to church regularly and studying and sharing what I'm learning with members of the church and even teaching what I'm learning at church also has been instilling in me the value of the scriptures and studying them regularly. I've been learning and growing to become my better version as I read the scriptures over and over again and do my part to practice what I'm learning in my own life. 

I'm grateful for my husband's quiet example of reading the scriptures first thing in the morning daily. His example prompted me to do the same. Since I got married seven years ago, I've been able to read the scriptures more consistently than ever before. 

Being able to consistently read and study the scriptures now that I've been back to doing my blog, my life has been better because the impact of what I'm reading is now greater than ever before since the scriptures become more alive to me as I'm able to contemplate more and I'm able to see myself going through similar situations as the characters in the stories I'm reading. And I know, more than ever, that those stories are real, the characters are not fictitious--they are real people because I feel them. I know that the Holy Ghost is teaching me and making me feel the truth more than ever as I consistently make the effort to read and study the word of God.