Like a Shining Stone
Book of Mormon Notes - Friday, December 29, 2023, 3 Nephi 11-30
I love the Book of Mormon.
The Book of Mormon is true.
I echo the prophet’s recent testimony of the Book of Mormon:
Whenever I hear anyone, including myself, say, “I know the Book of Mormon is true,” I want to exclaim, “That’s nice, but it is not enough!” We need to feel, deep in “the inmost part” of our hearts,12 that the Book of Mormon is unequivocally the word of God. We must feel it so deeply that we would never want to live even one day without it. I might paraphrase President Brigham Young in saying, “I wish I had the voice of seven thunders to wake up the people”13 to the truth and power of the Book of Mormon.
I echo President Eyring’s most recent testimony of the Book of Mormon:
Those who sincerely read the Book of Mormon, live by its precepts, and pray about its truthfulness will feel the Holy Ghost and increase their faith in, and testimony of, the Savior.
Everything that we have read and studied up to this point has prepared us to learn from Jesus Christ Himself in 3 Nephi 11-30.
Mormon prepares his readers perfectly for this moment, and for the unparalleled experience of witnessing the Lord’s ministry to His people in ancient America, and to us. It is almost as though Mormon and all of the Book of Mormon prophets have carried us with them on this journey, and prepared us, like the survivors of the calamities, to worship the Lord and receive the great blessings that He has in store for us.
This is why I would like to recommend a possible course of study of the Book of Mormon one day. It will work best if we have read the entire Book of Mormon up to this point, but even if we have read the Book of Mormon a thousand time, if we set aside an hour to read 3 Nephi 11-30, and truly feast upon the words of Christ that are given, I promise that it will be an unforgettable experience. We will feel, deep in the inmost part of our hearts that the Book of Mormon is unequivocally the word of God, and if we sincerely read, live by its precepts, and pray about its truthfulness, we will feel the Holy Ghost and increase our faith in, and testimony of, the Savior Jesus Christ.
Try it.
I promise that we will also feel it so deeply that we would never want to live even one day without the Book of Mormon.
I echo President Eyring’s testimony again:
The Book of Mormon has been for me like a shining stone touched by the Lord. It has illuminated my journey through life.
I love the Book of Mormon.
Today I set aside an hour to read 3 Nephi 11-30. Rather than immediately comment on all the details of the events in these chapters, I just want to invite my readers to experience the love of Christ, the joy, the peace, the hope, and the testimony that will be conveyed to you through a focused, diligent, and sincere study of these chapters.
Of course this is just the beginning, and there are even greater things that the Lord wants to share with us, by His Spirit and through this most correct of any book.
I may return to my Book of Mormon notes again, beginning with 3 Nephi 11, or I may move on to 4th Nephi. The important thing is that we feast upon the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon every day, and thank Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son Jesus Christ for this precious gift, this shining stone, the Book of Mormon. I too wish that I had the voice of seven thunders to wake up the people13 to the truth and power of the Book of Mormon, but perhaps the still, small voice of the Spirit will be enough for now.
I love the Book of Mormon.
The Book of Mormon is true.
Thank you for reading.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 🙏