Ever been stumped by something in life? Whether it is that a friend betrays you, or you lose your job, or it’s just harder and harder to feel joy … I think we’ve all been there!
That is precisely why I’m so grateful that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (casually know as the Mormons) publishes helpful scripture study aids, alongside the actual scriptures themselves. They all exist to aid you in drawing closer to your Father in Heaven and to help you understand your purpose in life. The scriptures can be a powerful tool for a happier life when actually read and studied!
As Mormons we love the scriptures, as so many do in the world. We value the scriptures for the peace they bring during challenging moments on earth. But not just peace for difficult times, but peace for joyous times also. What better way to worship our God than to read of His work, His love, His efforts on behalf of His children. Those things are contained within the pages of the scriptures and I love them.
As Mormons, we believe the Bible to be the word of God inasmuch as it is translated correctly. We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. Additionally, we have a volume of scripture called The Doctrine and Covenants, alongside a smaller volume entitled the Pearl of Great Price.
We discuss all of these great books of scripture here at LDSBlogs.com and I invite you to explore many of the postings and links contained at the site. I think you’ll begin to rejoice as you learn and see all that the Lord has done to bless His children through these great words of scriptural text.
Mormons often call all four books, when used in conjunction with each other, the “Standard Works.” So if I wanted to study the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I could find scriptures in all four standard works that testify of Him and His mighty gift of grace and salvation for us.
For example, in the Bible Dictionary (at the end of the Bible published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), under the entry “Atonement” we read:
“Atonement. The word describes the setting ‘at one’ of those who have been estranged, and denotes the reconciliation of man to God….”
The Bible Dictionary then refers me to scriptures about the Atonement. I could visit many, many scriptures, but I’ll just share a verse from each of the standards works as samples that mention the Atonement:
New Testament: 1 Corinthians 15:22
Old Testament: Isaiah 53:4-9
Book of Mormon: Mosiah 13:28
Doctrine and Covenants: D&C 19:16-20
Do you see how beautifully all four volumes of scripture work together to give such an illustrious and deep understanding of God’s work? The scriptures can be a powerful tool for life when actually read and studied! What an exciting adventure it is to do so. Not only does it help when the pains of life feel overwhelming, but scripture study brings even more peace to a soul who already is content.
I invite you to get started by visiting the online scriptures here. In fact, once you are at the scripture study site, at the top of the screen you can enter in one-word topics to narrow your study to your current interest. For example, if you’d like to learn more about “Joy”, enter “joy” as your search topic. If you’d like to learn more about “Peace” or “Repentance”, feel free to do the same.
May you have many happy hours studying the scriptures and learning of God’s love for you!
