From: Paul Gage
FASTING, PRAYING, STUDYING AND LIVING FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD
JUNE 25, 2021
God's Blessings to the Saints around the World,
For some time now, we have been dealing with the spiritual disciplines of fasting, praying, and studying as we strive to live for the Kingdom of God. We would like to look more closely at the discipline of studying.
As we are told in Doctrine and Covenants 85:4, "And the spirit and the body is the soul of man." As we regularly feed the body, we should also regularly feed the Spirit. One way this can be done is through regular study. Most people probably face severe spiritual hunger because of a lack of study of God's Word. II Timothy 2:15 tells us to "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
If our spirits are to remain alive and growing, we need to consume the word of God through regular study of the scriptures. In order to qualify as children of God we must meet the requirements of living by every word which God has spoken. We cannot live by God's words unless we know God's words. In John 5:40, we are told, "Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they testify of me."
Study benefits us only when it is a discipline in which we apply ourselves in diligent effort. Study is work; it is easy to find excuses for avoiding it. Our agency, however, makes us responsible and accountable for our learning. One may combine the partaking of spiritual food with some mealtimes, or fast completely and use the time for study. The specific time chosen for study is not important; what does matter is that every day we set aside a time for nourishing our spirits through study of God's word.
Because we are responsible for how we use the intelligence which God gives us, we must plan our daily activities so that we have time for study. We must demonstrate that we have learned by putting our knowledge into practice, that is our daily living for the Kingdom. There is no end to study; our search for wisdom and truth must continue throughout our lives. By diligently partaking of the word of the Lord, we can become the people He desires us to be. We can know and live the words of God.
In our fourth book of scripture, The Hymnal, there is hymn entitled, "Plea for a Sanctified People." Verse two states: "Live by all that you know, and the way you should go, will I show you each step of the way. Be MY people today, work and study and pray for you must be endowed for this day."
Paul Gage
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