“Effort to study the scriptures and unite common concepts from like scriptures will qualify one to receive further inspiration and guidance through pondering the scriptures”

(Elder Richard G. Scott, “Helping Others to Be Spiritually Led, CES Symposium, 11 August 1998).

Suppose I told you I was going to give you a brand new Mercedes this Saturday. But when I bring the car to your house to put it in your garage, you are surprised to find that what I am giving you are the pieces to the car. So now you have every piece necessary to put together your new car—the engine, brakes, steering components—everything!

What would you do with this gift? Would you take the carburetor and put it on your desk to show people? “Hey, how do you like my new carburetor?” Probably not! You would want to put the car together. (But if you’re like me you would probably need some help!)

Elder Richard G. Scott used this Mercedes analogy to show how we can gain valuable insights in our scripture study by putting several scriptures together to make a more valuable whole. There are two parts to this method:

1. Analyze and unite related scriptures.

2. On a separate sheet of paper make a statement that contains the truth found in those scriptures.

This method of scripture study is similar to looking in the topical guide and searching for patterns and themes (see chapters X and Y). I think you’ll better be able to understand this process if we work through an example together. Suppose we want to know how we can gain more from our scripture study. Our goal is to put together several related verses to make a powerful statement of truth.

We’ll start with this statement:

In order to get more out of my scripture study I must:

If I am going to analyze and unite related scriptures as Elder Scott suggests, I need to find verses that would help me learn how to get more from my scripture study. I could start by thinking, “Do I know of any scriptural accounts where somebody seemed to get a lot from their scripture study?”

Can you think of any examples?

One that comes to mind is the account written in Joseph Smith History 1:12. You’re familiar with this verse—after quoting James 1:5, Joseph Smith wrote, “Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again…”

So one thing I can do to get more from my scripture study is reflect on them again and again (ponder the words I read).. Let’s make this the first scripture in our statement.

**

In order to get more out of my scripture study I must:

Ponder the things I learn (Joseph Smith History 1:12).

**

Notice that you do not have to use the exact words in the scripture. Elder Scott explained that you may need to sometimes “alter [the words] so they fit into the format of what an individual should do. That needs to be done carefully so as not to lose the power of the doctrine” (“Helping Others to be Spiritually Led”).

If I cannot think of another scripture example, I could look up “Scriptures, Study of” in the Topical Guide and skim through the entries looking for verses that would help me learn how to get more from my study. The sixth entry jumps out at me, Ezra 7:10: “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” This verse gives me a couple ideas—I’ll add them to the list.

**

In order to get more out of my scripture study I must:

Ponder the things I learn (Joseph Smith History 1:12).

Prepare my heart before I read (Ezra 7:10).

Act on what I learn from the scriptures (Ezra 7:10—note the phrase, and to do it).

**

Continuing through the Topical Guide I find the following verses that all have a common theme.

• “They received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily…” (Acts 17:11).
• “They searched the scriptures” (Jacob 7:23)
• “He that hath the scriptures, let him search them” (3 Nephi 10:14).

**

In order to get more out of my scripture study I must:

Ponder the things I learn (Joseph Smith History 1:12).

Prepare my heart before I read (Ezra 7:10).

Act on what I learn from the scriptures (Ezra 7:10—note the phrase, and to do it).

Search the scriptures (Acts 17:11, Jacob 7:23, 3 Nephi 10:14).

Make time for daily study (Acts 17:11).

**

Towards the end of the Topical Guide entry I notice an entry for Doctrine and Covenants 138:1. This verse also talks about the pondering, so I can add that reference to the one from Joseph Smith History. In the last reference I notice the phrase, “treasureth up my word” (Joseph Smith Matthew 1:37). This makes me think that I need to treat the scriptures like a treasure, and really value my time studying them.

**

In order to get more out of my scripture study I must:

Ponder the things I learn (Joseph Smith History 1:12, Doctrine and Covenants 138:1).

Prepare my heart before I read (Ezra 7:10).

Act on what I learn from the scriptures (Ezra 7:10—note the phrase, and to do it).

Search the scriptures (Acts 17:11, Jacob 7:23, 3 Nephi 10:14).

Make time for daily study (Acts 17:11).

Treat the scriptures like a treasure (Joseph Smith Matthew 1:37).

**

Before going on, I should point out that there are many more insights that could be gained from other verses listed in the Topical Guide. But in the interest of brevity, let’s suppose that I’ve exhausted all of the scripture stories I know, and I’ve used all the verses in the Topical Guide. How else could I find verses to add to my statement of truth?

Maybe I will hear something at a church meeting. For example, suppose that next Sunday I hear a speaker quote 1 Nephi 19:23: “I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.” A-ha! Another verse to add to the list.

**

In order to get more out of my scripture study I must:

Ponder the things I learn (Joseph Smith History 1:12, Doctrine and Covenants 138:1).

Prepare my heart before I read (Ezra 7:10).

Act on what I learn from the scriptures (Ezra 7:10—note the phrase, and to do it).

Search the scriptures (Acts 17:11, Jacob 7:23, 3 Nephi 10:14).

Make time for daily study (Acts 17:11).

Treat the scriptures like a treasure (Joseph Smith Matthew 1:37).

Liken the scriptures to my life (1 Nephi 19:23).

**

As I pull together different verses that teach about scripture study, I’m able to build a more complete statement of truth. Just like you’d rather have a car than the pieces of a car, putting the verses together makes for deeper understanding. And there are many other statements of truth you can unite scriptures to. Here are some suggestions for starting points (the first four are suggestions that Elder Scott gave):

· “To have the Atonement work in my life I must…”

· “To exercise the power of the priesthood more effectively, I must…”

· “To benefit more from the ordinances of the temple, I must…”

· “To be a better father [or daughter, or brother/sister], I must…”

· “In order to have more effective prayer, I must…

· To fulfill my calling I must…

· In order to more effectively share the gospel I must…

· In order to have charity, I must…”

This method of scripture study may seem hard to do, and it is true that it does take work and effort. But, Elder Scott said at a missionary conference, “The more we struggle, the more we remember.”

Uniting verses together to create statements of truth is well worth the effort! Start putting those pieces together!

Invitation: Elder Richard G. Scott gave an extended example of how to unite principles of truth in a talk he gave to seminary teachers. You can read this talk here. See what you can learn from his example (it is much better than mine).

Invitation: Create your own unified statement of principle. Choose something you would be interested in studying (like, “In order to improve my prayers I must…” or “In order to apply the Atonement in my life I must…”) and find several scriptures that you can unite together to give yourself greater understanding. If you’re feeling up to it, share it with the world by posting it to your blog (link to your blog-post in the comments section below, or directly share it in the comments section).