What he want from our gospel study determines the effectiveness of our study. If we want to satisfy our vain ambitions, to impress people, to look smart, or to satisfy idle curiosity, our study efforts will be ultimately ineffective. On the other hand, if we seek knowledge so that we can act better, serve more effectively, teach more diligently, and draw closer to the Savior, then we can expect heavenly help in our studies.
A story about Aristotle illustrates that desire is an important prerequisite to learning. A would-be disciple came to Aristotle and asked him to teach him. Aristotle took the young man to the nearby beach and waded into the water. The eager student followed. Aristotle grabbed him and pushed him under the water. The young man flailed about and struggled mightily to get his head above water, but Aristotle held him firmly beneath the surface. Just as the boy's struggles began to subside, the philosopher jerked him from the water and dragged him to the beach. When the young man finally caught his breath, Aristotle said, "When you want to learn as much as you wanted to breathe, talk to me again."
Action is also a key to learning. If we sit comfortably and wait for knowledge to be poured upon us, we will learn nothing. We are told to "seek learning". That implies action on our part. Not only do we have to go after knowledge, we also must act on the knowledge we receive. If we seek a testimony, we should plan to bear that testimony to others. If we want to understand the law of tithing, we must be committed to live it. If we want to learn charity, we must do our best to act in charitable ways towards our neighbors. If we want to receive the will of God for us, we must be prepared to follow his will.
Scriptures
If any man will do his will, he will know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. (John 7:17)The Savior invites us to put the doctrine and the will of God to the test through action. He does not say that we should just ponder his teachings or discuss them or philosophize about them or speculate on them. He does not even say to pray about them, although prayer is certainly part of the formula. He says to do them. We must act upon what we have learned as a sign to the Lord that we believe him and we want to follow him. Only when we put our knowledge into action will we receive a witness. Alma teaches that we must "experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith" (Alma 32:27). "Experiment" and "exercise" are action verbs.
And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith. (D&C 88:118)In this single verse the word "seek" is repeated three times. In scriptural language, such repetition is significant. The Lord places great emphasis on seeking. To seek implies desire and action. We are to desire words of wisdom and learning, and then we are to go after them diligently. The best seeking involves a plan and a goal. To seek successfully, we must know what we are looking for. If we do not know what we want, we will not know when we find it.
Colonial farmers in Titusville, Pennsylvania, were perturbed by a thick, black, viscous liquid that oozed up from the ground and spoiled sections of their fertile fields. They could not figure out how to get rid of the messy stuff. A century later, after the flammability and other properties of petroleum were discovered, the search for oil became intense. The first oil well was drilled in Titusville, and the rest, as they say, is history. The nature of oil had not changed, but men's perceptions of it had changed dramatically. It became an object of earnest seeking. Everyone wanted it, and greedy men worked hard to find it.
If we sought gospel knowledge with the same fervor and diligence as oil barrons seek oil and miners seek gold, we could have great treasures of knowledge.
Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. (2 Nephi 2:16)We are accountable to God for our actions. He has given us agency. We are free to pursue whatever it is that we desire. We decide what we want, and we decide how we will get it. We will be judged on our use of this, the greatest gift of God to man in mortality. The War in Heaven was fought over this very principle. We can use our agency to learn the gospel, grow closer to the Savior, and become a disciple; or we can use it to acquire worldly treasures, fame, and power, which will canker and rust and remain behind when we depart this life. "Thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee," the Lord said to Adam regarding the commandment to abstain from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (see Moses 3:17). It gives to us as well to choose what we will do with the resources he has given us. Our choices are crucial to our progress and our ultimate destination.
For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward. (D&C 58:28)This scripture reinforces the previous statement by Nephi. We must choose well, and then we must do well. There is a reward for righteous actions that follow righteous intents. The reward is the opportunity to choose good and do good again. We are also rewarded with the opportunity to repent and invite the Holy Spirit into our lives. Our "confidence [shall] wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distill upon thy soul as the dews from heaven" (D&C 121:45). We will increase in our knowledge of the doctrine of the priesthood. It will fill not only our minds but our very souls. It will come to us in a natural way. It will surround us and fill us from the very air around us. It will cling to us as dew clings to the grass, and it will bring us life.
Proper desires and actions are the keys to this promised blessing from God. Our studies are most effective when the Holy Ghost is our guide and teacher, and he can play that role most fully in our lives when we choose righteously and then follow up our choices with righteous actions. When we humbly repent, the Atonement takes effect in our lives and the fruits of the Atonement are peace and confidence in the presence of our Lord and Savior.
Examples
An obvious example of one whose desires followed by actions led to great treasures of knowledge is Joseph Smith. He desired to know the truth about the churches that were actively proselyting in his area. He acted on this desire by attending meetings, talking with others, and studying the scriptures. Not satisfied with what he was learning, his desires for sure knowledge increased, and with that increase came an increase in action. He took his questions directly to God in prayer. His desires coupled with appropriate actions opened the door to the greatest revelation in history and the initiation of a new dispensation of the gospel.Abraham is another who desired "to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God" (Abraham 1:2). His righteous desires led him to righteous actions. The Atonement came fully into his life, and he received great knowledge from God about the plan of salvation, the universe, and all of God's creations.
May we follow Abraham's example in desiring greater knowledge and then acting on what we learn by being of greater service to our Heavenly Father.
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