What are your favorite scriptures and why?

[Fether]

What scriptures have deep meaning to you and why? I’ll share some of mine 

 

1 Peter: 1:7 - And I also remember that thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have a more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared.

I find it beautiful and poetic to suggest that the trials we go through where we come out faithful are more precious than gold. 

Ether 12:4, 32 - Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God… And I also remember that thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have a more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared.

While serving my mission, I found myself in a state of despair and so could t find my way out. I decided to study hope. I had always seen hope as a shallow attribute that was not necessarily needed, but rather a tool to be used for people who were emotionally unstable in their faith. I began studying the topic of hope just to see if there was more to it. Boy was I in for a treat. Hope has since been one of my most favorite gospel topics. This scripture has been a catalyst for a lot of the joy I have on the topic 

Doctrine and Covenants 88:123-125 - See that ye love one another; cease to be covetous; learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires. Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated. And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace. Pray always, that ye may not faint, until I come. Behold, and lo, I will come quickly, and receive you unto myself. Amen.

This seems to be just a great scripture about how to truly be excellent and live a righteous life. Though it is t an exhaustive list, it gives you an idea of what a Saint out to be. I remember verse 124 sticking out particularly to me as a youth. The whole bit about not being idle, not sleeping in and not staying up late seemed very reasonable to me. Since I was 16ish, I have made that a staple of my life. I go to bed early and arise early and it has made a huge difference in my life. It isn’t a matter of the typical self help gurus “I wake up at 5am!”. Though I do often wake up at 5, sometimes I wake up earlier or later. My approach has been 7 1/2 hours of sleep every night. I do not allow myself to sleep less than 6 1/2 or more than 8.
Having those early mornings to study scripture, prepare for work, pray, and mentalize how so will treat my family has been a huge blessing. Also, if I have finished my routine and my kids aren’t up yet,  I get to play video games 🤘

 

Edited July 17, 2021 by Fether

[bluebell]

1 Ne. 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.

This one is the verse of scripture that got me to serve a mission, one of the best and most impactful experiences of my life.  I was at a crossroads trying to decide what to do and, being 21, one of the obvious options was to serve.  I didn't think it was something I was really capable of though.  I was extremely close to my family and was a person who was easily homesick.   I had never wanted to serve a mission as it seemed way to hard and way to far out of my comfort zone.  As I was contemplating the whole idea  of whether or not I was supposed to serve, I said to myself "I can't do it" and immediately the words to this scripture came into my head.  I was out on a mission 6 months later.

Isaiah 61:3-

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

Life is so hard, and there are so many moments of mourning, so many times when life is in ashes.  I love the hope of this verse.  It has gotten me through more than one dark night.  I especially love the redemptive promise in the verse.  Even if we ourselves are the ones that have burnt our life down, beauty is still possible.  Because of Christ.

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 strong unto them.

I have so many weaknesses that I hate.  That I wish so much would just cease to exist, but they seem ingrained into me, as much a part of me as my liver or my arm.  It can be a hopeless feeling, to try to change them.  Like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the hill each day, only to have to do again the following day.  This verse brings me comfort.  It reminds me that weaknesses are not all bad--they serve a purpose--and that with Christ nothing is impossible.

Helaman 5:12-

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Again, hope.  And a reminder of where to seek refuge in the storm and what foundations must be built on if they are to survive.

[strappinglad]

John 11: 35   Jesus wept   .     Says a great deal in such a small space. 

[CV75]

Matthew 28:20, “…I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Self-explanatory, I hope!

Isaiah Chapter 12, the benefits of repentance in a nutshell, even unto the end of the world. 😊

[JustAnAustralian]

6 hours ago, strappinglad said:

John 11: 35   Jesus wept   .     Says a great deal in such a small space. 

And even more when you know the context in which it occurred.

[Rain]

 

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 strong unto them.

It started being a favorite when my youngest was about 7 or 8.  When he was 4 he was only at 3 percentile in expressive speech.  It's a very long story, but in several ways I saw this scripture literally unfolding before my eyes as his weak speech became a strength.

Then 8 years ago I felt that this scripture needed to be my theme for the year.  I don't choose to have themes each year.  Just every once in awhile I get the feeling.  

So that year I worked on being humble.  And I felt humble.  I felt I was doing what was required, but I didn't really feel it deep inside. 

Then my world turned upside down.  I have felt it to my core.  I still feel oh so weak, but here and there I am gaining strength in ways I would not have guessed.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

n all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

This goes along with the other scripture. For over 30 years if there was anything I could and did know was that God is there and he loves me.

When my world turned upside down I clung to this thought. Trust Him. Thank Him.  Listen to Him.  No matter what that is what I go back to.

 

Edited July 18, 2021 by Rain