A New Appreciation

Day twenty-nine

It was so nice to sleep in this morning, no alarm yelling at me, and feeling like I had slept enough to recharge my battery.  My family had a great evening last night with a good dinner and a fun movie.  We needed it!  So this morning my prayers were filled with much gratitude, with a special thank you to the Lord for taking my burdens away for a little while. 

I have finished my study of the Doctrine and Covenants!  I read the two Official Declarations last night, which means I have read every verse on every page of the Doctrine and Covenants from beginning to end.  This was the first time I had every studied the whole book in order.  I have to say it was well worth it, I got more out of this study time than I ever have in the past.  To be honest, I had always found the Doctrine and Covenants to be a little dry, I now know that it wasn't the doctrine, but my attitude and study techniques that were the problem.

I love the last verse of the Declaration 2:

"We declare with soberness that the Lord has now made known his will for the blessings of all his children throughout the earth who will hearken to the voice of his authorized servants, and prepare themselves to receive every blessing of the gospel."

These were the keys to my studying of the Doctrine and Covenants:

"with soberness" - I approached my studies with a seriousness and reverence.  My studying had a purpose.

"hearken to the voice of his authorized servants" - I searched for the voice of the Lord in the words of the prophets.  I read each verse looking for what the Lord was trying to teach me through his prophets.

"prepare themselves to receive every blessing of the gospel" - It was the preparation that made the most difference.  Beginning my studies with the proper attitude, praying for the Spirit to be with me, researching the background of each section, listening for the Lord's voice, and keeping a scripture journal of my thoughts.

My testimony has grown immensely.  My love for the prophets and my appreciation for all the work they have done to restore the gospel has increased ten-fold.  My relationship with the Father and the Savior has been strengthened and my understanding of their will has increased.  My testimony of the truth of the gospel and the Church has been anchored in my soul.  What great blessings I have received!

I am really excited to see what the Lord has in store for my next topic of study the Pearl of Great Price and Old Testament.