Every January we start a new course of study in church. The program is called, "Come Follow Me." We study at home with our families during the week. When we go to church on Sunday, we discuss our insights from our reading. 2020's course of study was "The Book of Mormon." I was excited to kick off the new year, so I changed the pictures in my home to match the study theme.
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| "Tree of Life" by Greg Olsen |
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| "First Vision" by Greg Olsen |
We all have to agree that taking down Christmas trees can be sad, so I left one tree up and made it a Book of Mormon Tree.
I decorated the tree with little Book of Mormon characters and favorite scriptures of mine and people I love who were passing through.
2020 has been a wonderful year to be studying the Book of Mormon. Every day I found a scripture that gave me the courage, faith, knowledge, or hope that I needed to face whatever craziness I encountered. Here we are at the end of the year, and I have to admit, I have gained significantly greater understanding of the scriptures I've read. I attribute this to the trials and challenges that prepared my heart in a new way. I was looking for answers and truth and comfort, and I found them. So thanks for a year of growth and clarity as to what is most important in this life. May 2021 be the year we apply what we've learned.
PS. Here is a list of the favorite BOM scriptures that were hanging on the tree.
1 Nephi 3:7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. Eliza.
1 Nephi 17:3 And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.
1 Nephi 17:13 And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led.
1 Nephi 18:3 And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things.
1 Nephi 20:10 For, behold I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
1 Nephi 21:15-16 For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
2 Nephi 2:6-7 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.
2 Nephi 2:27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.
2 Nephi 9:18 But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever.
2 Nephi 9:51 Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, no your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.
2 Nephi 10:23 Cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves--to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.
2 Nephi 22:2 Behold, God is my salvation I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation. Annalisa
2 Nephi 25:26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and w write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins. Paul
2 Nephi 25:29 And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all you might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out.
2 Nephi 26:27 Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance. Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden
2 Nephi 27:23 For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.
Mosiah 4:5 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive your; and now, if you believe all these things wee that ye do them.
Mosiah 4:19-20 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and fo all the riches which we have of every kind? And behold, even at this time ye have been calling on his name and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spiit upon you, and has caused that our hearts should be filled with joys, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.
Mosiah 4:21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another.
Mosiah 5:8 And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.
Mosiah 5:15 Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that ye may have everlastng salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen.
Mosiah 18:12 O Lord, pour out thy Spirit upon thy servant, that he may do this work with holiness of heart.
Alma 37:35-37 O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God. Yeah, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day. Mary
Alma 37:44-45 For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land. And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise. Elder Bailey
Alma 48:17 Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men. Janet, Andrew and Gabe
Ether 12:12 For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith. Natalie
Ether 12:27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become string unto them. Kyle
Moroni 7:41 And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the Atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise. Janet
Moroni 8:26 And the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God. Jacob
Moroni 10:32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. Jeff
Moroni 10:33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot. Elder Todd
