April 2010, at the BYU Women\u2019s Conference, Julie B. Beck challenged us to read the Book of Mormon with a special intent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a little exercise for those of you who want something specific to do in your scripture study. Get a new little copy of the Book of Mormon. In the front of it, open to a blank page and write three questions: Who am I? What are my responsibilities in the house of Israel? How do I fulfill my responsibilities? As you read and study, you will find some blank pages in the back. You can add Post-it notes if you like. Start writing your answers in the back as you read, and you will have a journey of discovery about who you are. It doesn\u2019t matter how long this study takes. Take one month, take ten years, and discover who you are. When you finish studying those questions in the Book of Mormon, study them in the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Old Testament. The Lord knows who you are. He knows what your responsibilities are and how you can fulfill them. Power and strength will come to you as you understand who you are in the Lord\u2019s kingdom.\u201d\u00a0 (Julie B. Beck, BYU Women\u2019s Conference, Opening Session, April 29, 2010)<\/p>\n
I took this challenge and just finished reading the Book of Mormon.\u00a0 I labeled the blank pages with each question and filled them with my discoveries.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think I learned anything earth shattering, but I\u2019ll tell you what I came to know.\u00a0 I came to know, once again, that God knows who I am, and has a plan set in motion that I am participating in.\u00a0 It\u2019s very humbling to me to know this.\u00a0 The gospel becomes personal to me and I cannot let the Lord down.<\/p>\n
Here are a few thoughts I wrote down:<\/p>\n
WHO AM I<\/strong>\u2014\u201cI am a child of God.\u00a0 This earth has been prepared to sustain me while I make a very important choice\/commitment\/covenant.\u00a0 I cannot afford to let Satan pull me off my course.\u00a0 As a baptized member of the Church of Jesus Christ, I am part of the House of Israel, and I am chosen of my Father.\u00a0 Alma says in Chp. 13 that being of the House of Israel is a holy calling.\u00a0 The power is within all of us according to our faith which is in Christ.\u00a0 When we know who we are, we will recognize the devil and his wickedness. This is kind of like the Second Rescue of the Martin and Willie Handcart story.\u00a0 The Latter-day House of Israel will save the Original House of Israel.\u00a0 God is depending on us to succeed.\u00a0 Earthlife is my opportunity to choose God, for He has already chosen me.\u201d<\/p>\n WHAT ARE MY RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL<\/strong>\u2014\u201cI need to be willing to see, hear, and know, to recognize my Savior and my Heavenly Father, so I can return to them.\u00a0 We should all be willing to say Here Am I; Send Me.\u00a0 To preach that he lives and has already saved us if we but come unto Him (2 Ne 29).\u00a0 Use Priesthood power to gather the House of Israel (Mosiah 18).\u00a0 Teach nothing but repentance and faith.\u00a0 No contention-1 eye, 1 baptism, unity.\u00a0 Once we learn who we are, we must dedicate ourselves to serve, testify, bear witness, follow Christ\u2019s example, and love one another (Mosiah 20).\u00a0 To keep my house full and my children\u2019s houses full, and their children\u2019s houses full.\u00a0 To not fail like the original House of Israel did.\u201d<\/p>\n HOW DO I FULFILL MY RESPONSIBILITY<\/strong>\u2014\u201cGod wants me back.\u00a0 He has provided the means for me to do so.\u00a0 Yet, He allows me to choose for myself.\u00a0 Does He love me that much?\u00a0 Does He trust me that much?\u00a0 Can I fulfill this great expectation? The Holy Ghost has been given to me, so I may know the truths necessary to choose Jesus Christ and return to Him.\u00a0 The Book of Mormon will unlock the sacred messages and promises of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 We can record sacred experiences and testimony in the hopes it will touch someone\u2019s heart to repentance.\u00a0 When the House of Israel forgets who they are, the Lord loves them enough to remind them.\u00a0 Serve mission after mission as Alma did.\u00a0 Teach by the power of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 Answer the call to serve.\u00a0 Bear witness.\u00a0 Pray for those we teach.\u00a0 Use the Spirit to draw people to you.\u00a0 Awake and Arise! Put on the holy garments and constantly seek to be strengthened by the Spirit.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t help but feel that the early sisters understood their mission as the Latter-day House of Israel.\u00a0 We need to refocus and unite as we set out to accomplish all of the work we have before us.\u00a0 There is no time to waste.\u00a0 If we procrastinate, we don\u2019t delay the Lord\u2019s Coming, we take the chance of greeting Him with an ungathered, incomplete house.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" April 2010, at the BYU Women\u2019s Conference, Julie B. Beck challenged us to read the Book of Mormon with a special intent. \u201cI have a little exercise for those of you who want something specific to do in your scripture study. Get a new little copy of the Book of Mormon. In the front of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[473,425,481,6,476],"tags":[388,422,618],"class_list":["post-2378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faith-2","category-feature","category-scripture-study-2","category-scriptures","category-womanhood","tag-attitude","tag-house-of-israel","tag-scriptures"],"yoast_head":"\n