And then there was ten!

       Hello there! It has been a long time since I have last posted and I apologize for not updating my blog in the longest time! So.... (Drum roll Please)....This is my Tenth Post!!
       Thank you, thank you! Thank you! You've been a wonderful audience! :) No really, thank you for continually visiting my Blog it means a lot to me and it means that the more views I get the more people can be inspired by the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! So please tell your friends about my Blog on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc. And also subscribe to my page. It will be worth it!

So without further delay, let's get to it!

       Today I wanted to talk about some things that I feel have really influenced my life and also my scripture study. Now, no offense to the scriptures, because they are great and really good to read and to study, but sometimes they can be really boring and sometimes really hard to read. So in aid of this boredom of the scriptures, there are three big things that I like to do that can really help aid my study of the scriptures and I feel that they can help you too.
       Now these three things can be applicable to the Book of Mormon and The Holy Bible, so whichever one you are reading, this can apply. NOTE: these three things are ways to do a good scripture study and get more out of reading the scriptures. They are meant to be done separately but can be done in steps as well.

1. Evaluate your life and things you can do to be a better Disciple of Christ. And along with that, evaluate you relationships with family, friends and if your married, with your spouse. And find what you can do to be better within the scriptures.
2. Ask a question that you are interested about and try to find as much as you can to answer that question. Some questions that I have asked are: What is Charity? How can I have more faith? What does it mean to be Christ-like?, etc. The more interested you are in the question the more you can get out of your scripture study.
3. Keep a study notebook or Study Journal and when you study record any inspiration or thought that comes as you read. When you highlight something or find something interesting, take the time to record it in your study journal so you know that there is a record of it, remember that it can be something that can later be found to give inspiration and guidance when in times of need. Many a time have I found something that I recorded in my study journal, that has been a reminder of a promise or covenant I made with the Lord and has given me strength in times of challenges or hardship. Or it was a reminder of when I learned something special and precious to me that I really wanted to remember. Regardless, record as much as you can as you study. It will be worth IT when you look back, years later, at your old study journal and remember something that may have changed your life.   
4. Lastly (and yes I did say three but there are four), if you put a footnote by something you have highlighted or underlined and put your notes in your study journal with that same footnote next to what you wrote, it can be a reference for when you are studying a similar topic or when you want to study the same topic again. And it can be something you go back to and study and reflect upon again.

       As I have studied and have had opportunities to do study projects and research within the scriptures, I have often prayed before my study time so that I can have the spirit with me and also so I can learn more about the things I am reading about.
       So, now that I have explained a little bit abut how to better study the scriptures, I want to share a little about some things that I have studied that have touched my life. And I hope that they can touch yours as well.

       So I wanted to share a document that I created during some study that I did and I want to share it with you. And it all started with the Question, "What is Guile?" So I then researched it in the Bible and the Book of Mormon and created this document to talk a little more about Guile and what we can do to be without Guile. So here it is:
Now once again this is my opinion and will be different from what others may think so if you do have questions or comments about this document just comment below. And  I will get back with you as soon as I can:

Being without Guile:

• 3 Nephi 11:38- “And again I say unto you, you must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the Kingdom of God.

• Doctrine and Covenants 121:42-“By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile.”

• Psalms 32:2- “Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.”

• John 1:47- “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”

So what is the Opposite of Guile?

I feel that Charity is the absolute opposite of Guile, Charity is the first, utmost characteristic of Jesus Christ and Charity is a natural attribute that I believe Christ had on the earth and has now.  “…Charity is the pure love of Christ…” Moroni 7:47 (Paraphrasing)

 So what scriptures can I find that describe a man without guile?

• Moroni 7:47- “But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.”

• Doctrine and Covenants 4: 5-6- “And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work."

• “Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.”

• 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7- “4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,”
• 5 “Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;”
• 6 “Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;”
• 7 “Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

• Alma 7:24- “And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works."

(Note:The answer below with and without bullet points, is my personal feeling about being without guile and how it applies with my own life. So as a challenge I ask that you take some time and research more about this and how it can apply it to your own life. The scriptures listed above are some good resources that I have used to find out more about being without guile and you are more than welcome to use them with your own research and study.) 

What can we do to be men without Guile?

Well there are several things that I feel that I can do and most of those come from the Scriptures. I also feel that this is a continual process that takes a lifetime to perfect and to practice. And I feel that my best is something that can change and that with progress that I can make my best into to something better. But for now I know that the Lord will be pleased with my best. As a missionary I feel that it is important to do good things and do better things and to the best things that will help us to be better people after our missions. And so looking at these scriptures I feel that there are several things that I can do to be the best missionary I can be:

• Become familiar with those of Other Faiths and learn to respect and love those around me by applying Christ-like Attributes.

• Pray at least three times a day and find answers through scripture study, pondering, and thoughtful study of the words of the Prophets.

• “Do a good turn daily” Do something nice for someone else or perform an act of service for someone in need of love. It doesn’t need to be large or over the top but it can be a small act of kindness. Even a simple smile can lift the day of another.

• Keep yourself in the right or in the light. By continual repentance we come closer to our Heavenly Father. And through this relationship my ability to receive inspiration or personal revelation will grow and we will be more susceptible to the promptings and tugging of the Spirit as we go about our days. As in verse 7 of 1 Corinthians 13 Charity: “Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, (and) endureth all things.” So I should thus strive to have charity in all that I do.

       I hope that this has helped you to find more in the scriptures and that your studies will become more meaningful, more guiding and more exciting. As I have studied the Scriptures with this new sense of study, great things have come forth and I have learned things that I wouldn't regularly have learned. things have opened up to me and the gospel has become more real and exciting to me. I know that knowledge and learning will come to you as well if you will apply effort and diligence to your study and research in the scriptures.

       I hope that as you study that you can feel the spirit and find good things that can guide your life to better things, better thoughts and ultimately to better actions. I bear testimony of the Bible and the Book of Mormon and know that they are the Word of God and that they have been given to us to testify of Christ and of His great sacrifice and Atonement. I am so grateful to have the Bible and the Book of Mormon as they have both given me valuable guidance throughout my life. I know they are true and know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true and I do so in the name of my beloved Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

       "The scriptures aren't meant to be downloaded and forgotten in your list of apps or purchased and then set on a shelf to look pretty, they are meant to be read and to be studied to the bare bones! So get up and go read 'em!"

       -Elder Sheets