101 things in 1001 days #1 Read the Standard Works

           When I first started making out my 101 things in 1001 days list, I knew this was one of the things I wanted to do.  I found a great chart that helps you read the standard works in a year.   Regular scripture study has not been an easy thing for me.  There have been times when I have felt I was too busy and to be honest, not very interested. I felt there were other things I would have rather spent my time reading.  But I wanted to do better and I believed that being in the scriptures daily would bless my life.  Yesterday, I finished the last chapter of Revelations and read the Articles of Faith, finishing off the Pearl of Great Price.  What an absolute blessing this goal has been! I am so grateful that I did it!

I started reading the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon together.  I loved the familiar stories at the start of the Old Testament, of Abraham, Issac, Jacob and Joseph, and Moses and him setting the children of Israel free. I decided to read two of the designated sections each day because the stories were so interesting, I didn’t want to stop.  As I got further into the “law” section of the Old Testament, I did get bored often but kept plugging along.  I enjoyed the stories of David and Solomon.  I LOVED Psalms and Proverbs.  Isaiah was not as hard as I thought it would be to get through but Jeremiah was the hardest book for me. 

I loved reading the Book of Mormon at the same time and seeing how they all fit together.  For anyone reading this who is unfamiliar with The Book of Mormon, it is a record of the people on the American continent some of whom left the Jerusalem area just before the Babylonian captivity and some who left the area at the time of the tower of Babel, as well as other people.  It also includes Jesus Christ’s visit to that continent after his resurrection.  I loved getting the added perspective and history that came with reading these two books simultaneously. It also gave me added perspective about how they complement each other so well.  In the Old Testament, Jehovah is often portrayed as being angry and ready to destroy.  We need The Book of Mormon in our lives to help us understand better the character and nature of Jehovah and his incredible mercy. 

After I finished the Book of Mormon, I started on the Doctrine and Covenants, which is a book of revelations and commandments received by the prophet Joseph Smith during the time of the restoration of the church.  I loved reading this book and imagining all the extraordinary things that happened during that time.  It helped me gain an added appreciation for temples and helped strengthen my testimony and gratitude for revelation, both on a personal and prophetic level.  Again and again, I saw evidence that the Lord is very much aware of his people. 

I really enjoyed reading the New Testament.  I am very familiar with the four gospels but I loved reading about the life of our Savior again.  I think my favorite part of the entire experience of reading the Standard Works was reading the writings of Paul.  What an inspired and wonderful apostle! His words strengthened me many times and helped me want to be a better person.  Revelations was another book that was tough to get through but was inspiring at the same time.  What an incredible experience John had!

The Pearl of Great Price is indeed a treasure.  There is the book of Moses, part of the Bible translation Joseph Smith did.  There is the book of Abraham, which is the translation of some Egyptian writings that were found in the early days of the church.  There is Joseph Smith: Matthew, which is Matthew 24 and part of the Joseph Smith translation of the Bible.  There is the Joseph Smith history in which the prophet gives an account of his First Vision among other things, and The Articles of Faith, part of a letter stating what we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints believe.  There is so much in this small book of scripture.  We learn so much about who we are and our divine potential.  I absolutely loved reading it.  As I read the account of the First Vision again I felt the Holy Ghost confirming to me again that it is all true.  I wanted to read the last of the Joseph Smith history yesterday because it talks about the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood and yesterday was the anniversary of that great event.  I was a little sad to have it all over when I closed the book on the Bible and the Pearl of Great Price yesterday.  I really have noticed a difference in my life as I’ve read the scriptures every day.  I found that I missed the experience if there was a day I couldn’t do it.  I simply felt better and became better each day because of it.  I’m so glad I chose this goal! Here is the link to the chart I used if you would like to try this.  I can highly recommend it!! 

http://www.cityapplications.com/scripture_schedule_fullpage-4.pdf