Scripture Marking!!!

I absolutely love the scriptures!!  They provide a lot of insight on my faith and how I can come closer to my Father in Heaven and my Savior Jesus Christ.  To be honest, I see no downside to reading scriptures.  But it can be a struggle sometimes.  Scriptures are written in a style of writing we don't normally use in today's society.  "And it came to pass.....thou shalt not..... verily I say unto thee...."  It can be hard to get into and understand the scriptures sometimes.  But there are many tips and tools available to us  to help us get more out of our scripture study.  One of those tools is by marking your scriptures.  I'd like to share with you how marking scriptures has helped me understand God's word even more.

First we need to understand why scriptures are even important in the first place.  2nd Nephi 25:26 offers some insight, "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."  2nd Timothy 3:16-17 also says "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." The scriptures are an essential source of faith in Christ.  The ultimate goal of scriptures is to teach us of Him and help us grow our faith in Him.  No wonder God asks us to "Feast upon the words of Christ." (2nd Nephi 31:20, 32:3)  Marking our scriptures is a tool we can use to help us more better feast upon His word.

There isn't one right way to mark your scriptures.  Each person has a unique and individual way of doing it that makes the most sense to them.  However you mark your scriptures, do what works for you!  Here is a system that works for me that I'd like to share with you. 

There are 10 different colors I use.  Light blue, dark blue, light green, dark green, red, orange, purple, pink, yellow, and gold.  Each one represents a different gospel topic or doctrine.  Here's how it's organized.

Faith – Light Blue

Christlike Attributes, Service, Charity, Love – Pink

Prayer, Answers to Prayers, Personal Revelation – Purple

Jesus Christ, Atonement, Gospel of Jesus Christ – Red

Commandments, Obedience, Counsel – Dark Green

Repentance, Forgiveness – Gold

Holy Ghost, Spiritual Gifts – Yellow

Plan of Salvation, Resurrection – Orange

Prophets, Prophecy, Priesthood, Scriptures – Dark Blue

Baptism, Missionary Work, Temple, Fasting, Tithing, Covenants, Miscellaneous but Important Topics - Light Green

Whenever I come across a verse or passage of scripture that talks about one of these topics, I either color the whole verse that color or just the portion of that verse that talks about that specific topic.  Sometimes you'll come across a verse that has multiple topics discussed and you can highlight those portions their respective color  Sometimes you'll have a verse that talks about two or more topics all together and you might question which one to color it.  Use your best judgement and do what you feel is best.  The whole purpose of marking scriptures is to help you in your personal study of the scriptures.  

Whatever works for you, do it!!  As you develop a pattern of marking your scriptures, your desire to read and study them will increase.  You begin to study more intently as you contemplate each verse and how it should be marked.  You'll start seeing things and understanding things you haven't before, and your faith in Christ will grow.  I know this is true because I've experienced it myself and continue to do so each day.  I know the Bible and the Book of Mormon testify of Jesus Christ, and as we feast upon His word in the way that we learn the best, we will be filled and blessed!!

Scriptures on Scriptures!!!:

• 2nd Timothy 3:14-17
• 2nd Nephi 25:26
• 2nd Nephi 31:20
• 2 Nephi 32:3
• John 5:39
• John 20:31
• 2nd Peter 1:20-21
• Luke 24:32
• Psalms 19:7
• 2nd Nephi 4:15
• Alma 37:8
• Alma 37:44
• Preach My Gospel Chapter 2

The 7 Rules of Life - A New Perspective

I give so much thanks to a kind Sister from the Niagara Falls Ward for the inspiration behind this next post.  She and her husband came down to our ward in Lancaster about 2 months ago or so and both gave amazing talks in our Sacrament meeting.  But this Sister's talk really was amazing!!  One of the things she shared was this, 7 Rules of Life.  I don't know where it came from or who created these, but for the last few months, they've really blessed my life.  I have a copy of these rules on my desk where I see them every day as I study.  As I'm been doing my studies in the scriptures, I've looked at these rules many times and each time I see more and more how applicable these are to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

1)  Make Peace with your past so it won't screw up the present:  The Lord has always expected us to forgive each other.  In D&C 64:9-10, it says "Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin."  The Lord also states in D&C 58:42 "Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more."  We all make mistakes in this life.  some harm others, some harm us.  Sometimes other people's mistakes cause us harm.  Whatever the harm done is, we can be forgiven, we can forgive, and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can make peace with our past and move gracefully on into our present and future without interruption.

2) What others think of you is none of your business:  So true!!  We get caught up so much about what we think what other may think about us.  Does it really matter?  Who is the only one qualified to judge us?  That would be the Savior Jesus Christ because He's been through it all.  D&C 137:9 says "For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works of their hearts."  I myself stress get so stressed out about what others may think of me in terms of my appearance  mannerisms, personality, or anything I say.  But it really doesn't matter, we have no business poking around in that state of mind.  You are who you are and you are loved by Him who created you and Him who is our Father.

3) Time heals almost everything, give it time: I came across this quote from President Thomas S. Monson on page 120 of Preach My Gospel.  It says "Life is full of difficulties, some minor and others of a more serious nature. There seems to be an unending supply of challenges for one and all. Our problem is that we often expect instantaneous solutions to such
challenges, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required."  Sometimes we are required to wait before we can receive the necessary aide from Heaven.  I find this scripture a big help for times like this.  Psalms 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God:"  If somebody has wronged us and we can't forgive immediately  give it time and with the Lord's help, you'll get there.  Never forget to wait for some things.

4) Don't compare you life with others and don't judge them.  You have no idea what their journey is all about:  This kind of goes back to rule 2 about judging.  Remember, the Lord states in Matthew 7:3-5 "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye."  We each have our own unique challenges, obstacles, strengths and weaknesses.  We are all God's Children though, and we are all trying to reach the same place.  Give yourself and others some slack, "Do your best and forget the rest." - P90X

5 ) Stop thinking so much, it's alright not to know the answers.  They will come when you least expect it:  Most of us are used to the instant answer, google it type society where we get answers to our questions almost instantly.  And when we don't get an answer as quickly as we would like, we freak out and get very stressed, anxious, sometimes even angry and frustrated.  But we have to remember, our thoughts are God's thoughts, nor are our ways His ways (Isaiah 55:8)  And sometimes He wants us to wait before we receive an answer.  It took me 3 to 4 months before I got an answer from God as to which Univesrity I should attend.  It took Brigham Young 2 years before he came to know by the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon was true.  Be patient, keep studying it out, and be ready for when answers come because they will.  No stressing :)

6) No one is in charge of your happiness except you:  There is one scripture about our life on earth that really gives me comfort.  It's 2 Nephi 2:25 " Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."  You see, God's whole purpose for us being here is to be happy!!  The Savior didn't have a very easy life during his mortal ministry, but I bet He was a pretty happy and joyful guy to be around.  You decide if you are happy, not your external circumstances.  If you need help being happy, turn to Him who can lead you too that of happiness and fulfillment.

7) Smile :)  You don't own all the problems in the world:  Simple, yet effective.  Simply smile, it'll make others feel happier and it will trigger your brain into a happier state of mind.  In my opinion (and this is strictly my opinion) clean, wholesome humor is an amazing tool to get smiling and living a more abundant and fulfilled life.

Just remember, He is the one who can help us live a better life.  These 7 Rules aren't there to replace Him in anyway shape or form.  They are here to help us draw closer to Him.  They are to help us apply His Atonement more in our life.  They are in a way, His tips for comfort and counsel in this life.  I love Him with all my heart and strive to do my best to serve Him.

It Will Get Better Once it Stops Hurting

That statement always makes me laugh. It's one of my Grandpaisms my Grandpa Hess always likes to say. He always says funny things like "Kill to stones with one bird", or if you fall down "Come over here and I'll help you up". But the saying "It will get better once it stops hurting" really has some truth if you think about it.

Life's tough sometimes. There's nothing really around that fact. Sometimes during life we experience some pretty hard times. Trials and tribulations are to be expected, but that doesn't make them anymore less painful. We face so many different kinds of trials like sickness, death, depression, loneliness, guilt, family issues, finance problems, learning problems, etc, etc, etc. The list goes on and on. At times we seem to be thrown a never ending string of them that doesn't look like it will let up. Each of us individually face our own personal demons that turn life into this gauntlet of pain. Life isn't fair; it's not a cake walk; life is hard. In Matthew 5:45, the Savior says "he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Good things happen to bad and good people, bad things happen to bad and good people. Life is hard. But there is hope.

We have a loving Heavenly Father and we are His children. He loves each and every one of his children. That is why we are here on earth. He wants for us to receive all that He has. His purpose is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." He has provided us this opportunity to learn and progress so we can be more like him. We are here on earth to be tried and tested, and that means sometimes things aren't going to be very pleasant.

Life is a refiners fire. Trials are those hot flames that lick and scourge us. But through those flames we melt off the imperfections we possess. We burn off the portions of our lives that need to be removed. It's not fun, it's not pleasant, and it hurts at times. But the end result is something pure and sweet, beautiful and incorruptible. Orson F. Whitney said "No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility....It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we came here to acquire." And we aren't suppose to go through them alone.

2nd Corinthians 1:3-5 says "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort. Who comforteth us in our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ."

God is there and so is His Son Jesus Christ. Just like any parent or sibling, they want to help their sons and daughters, brothers and sister get through anything that they are struggling with. We can find hope and comfort in our afflictions in our Savior. I know this to be true. Through them we can get through anything.

So what do we need to do to receive this help? First we need to ask for it. Prayer is essential for help during trials. I remember one experience in my life that really helped me out. I was on a scout river kanoing trip in Wyoming. All of our equipment was stored in these five gallon buckets and tied down in the middle of the kanoe. Due to bad planning on my part the sleeping bag I chose wasn't quite the right size for the bucket so the lid didn't close all the way. Despite my most desperate attempts, our kanoe got swamped as our leaders and fellow scouts had fun trying to sink everybody else while going down the river. When we finally got to shore to camp the night I inevitably found my sleeping bag soaked with water. I tried to let it dry out before the sun set but still it was pretty damp by the time night came. A cold Wyoming night in the wilderness in a wet sleeping bag didn't exactly add up to a good nights sleep. I crawled into my bag and immediately the cold sapped the heat from my body. I shivered and shivered and things got colder and colder. I was out of options that night, I had no where else to turn. "I could potentially die tonight" was what I was thinking. I needed help. In my cold, damp sleeping bag I rolled over and offered a silent prayer to my Father in Heaven. I asked Him so desperately that this would seem so insignificant to everything else that was going on in the world but I really needed to be warm so I could sleep. After I ended my prayer immediately warmth ran throughout my body. The shivering stopped and I relaxed. I was able to sleep that night so peacefully and warmly than I ever thought possible. I know God answers prayers. During our times of affliction, I promise that if you call upon God for aide He will answer.

Along with prayer, your scripture study can be such a source of inspiration and strength to you. Christ when he was on the earth was always healing those who were in needed. Any sort of affliction or sickness he healed. He could heal people miles away, just by His words. Christ's words have the power to heal. So why should the scriptures be any different? Scriptures have the power to heal and strengthen us. There are so many good things hidden in the scriptures that will speak just to you for exactly what you might be going through. So when in doubt, scripture it out!!

As I've said before, trials are tough, but they are necessary. The Lord hasn't designed these trials for you to go through alone. Christ gave up His life to give us the greatest gift of the Atonement. He has gone through all our pains, sorrows, afflictions, and sins. He knows what you are going through more than we can imagine. That makes Him the only one who can really comfort us in times like trials. When we need Him most, He will come and bear us up. Push forward through whatever life throws at you. Doctrine and Covenants 122 is so famous for whatever we face in life. Remember whatever we face is for our own good and will give us experience.

I hope that this will help anyone who is going through anything hard in life. Remember prayer and scripture study. By small and simple things are great things come to pass. And remember, it will feel better once it stops hurting.

President Uchtdorf said "Often the deep valleys of our present will be understood only by looking back on them from the mountains of our future experience. Often we can't see the Lord's Hand in our lives until long after trails have passed. Often the most difficult times of our lives are essential building blocks that form the foundation of our character and pave the way to future opportunity, understand, and happiness."

Here are some tips from Elder Wirthlin that will help through trials.