The Iron Rod: Why Should We Read the Scriptures?

Sometimes knowing WHY we do something is all the motivation we need.

Elder Bednar: THE SCRIPTURES ARE A RESERVOIR OF LIVING WATER
“The scriptures contain the words of Christ and are a reservoir of living water to which we have ready access and from which we can drink deeply and long. …
“Through normal activity each day, you and I lose a substantial amount of the water that constitutes so much of our physical bodies. Thirst is a demand by the cells of the body for water, and the water in our bodies must be replenished daily. It frankly does not make sense to occasionally ‘fill up’ with water, with long periods of dehydration in between. The same thing is true spiritually. Spiritual thirst is a need for living water. A constant flow of living water is far superior to sporadic sipping” (“A Reservoir of Living Water” [Church Educational System fireside, Feb. 4, 2007], 1, 7, broadcast.lds.org).
BECOME A HEARER AND A DOER OF THE WORD
Spencer W. Kimball, “How Rare a Possession–The Scriptures,” Ensign, July 1985, 3
Only the faithful will receive the promised reward, which is eternal life. For one cannot receive eternal life without becoming a “doer of the word” (see James 1:22) and being valiant in obedience to the Lord's commandments. And one cannot become a “doer of the word” without first becoming a “hearer.” And to become a “hearer” is not simply to stand idly by and wait for chance bits of information; it is to seek out and study and pray and comprehend. Therefore the Lord said, “Whoso receiveth not my voice is not acquainted with my voice, and is not of me.” (D&C 84:52)
Besides the almost constant encouragement and promptings which we receive from our present-day leaders, the prophets of old seem to cry out to us in almost every page of the scriptures, urging us to study the word of the Lord, the holy scriptures, “which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. 3:15)
STUDY TO FIND ANSWERS
Harold B. Lee, “Find the Answers in the Scriptures,” Ensign, Dec 1972, 2
We need to teach our people to find their answers in the scriptures. … But the unfortunate thing is that so many of us are not reading the scriptures. We do not know what is in them, and therefore we speculate about the things that we ought to have found in the scriptures themselves. I think that therein is one of our biggest dangers of today.
DON'T NEGLECT
“One would not forgo partaking of the sacrament because he is trying to lose weight, yet some neglect the scriptures because they are too busy minding the pressing cares of the world.”
(Neal A. Maxwell, The Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book, p. 300)
FOOTBALL ANALOGY COMPARED TO SCRIPTURE STUDY; WE MUST KNOW THE BASICS - While I was in high school in Oakley, Idaho, the school board was finally able to raise enough money to buy us football uniforms. Our coach was the chemistry teacher. He had seen a game one time, and so he taught us how to tackle and run a few simple plays. The rest of us had never seen an actual team play. Our first game was against Twin Falls, Idaho, the previous year's state high school champs. Well, as you can imagine, the game was interesting. We tried a couple of plays and didn't go anywhere, so we kicked the ball to get rid of it. Each time we got the ball, we kicked, and each time they got the ball, they scored. Near the end of the game, when we were battered and beaten, Twin Falls started to get a little reckless. Clifford Lee, who was playing halfback with me, had one of their wild passes land right in his arms. He wondered what to do with it. He saw them coming after him, so he started to run for his life. He scored a touchdown. We didn't try an extra point because we didn't have anyone who could kick one. The final score was 106 to 6. Our team lost so badly because we had not mastered the basics of football. In life when there is something to be done, we have to learn the basics. They are taught in the scriptures. None of them has changed. We have to learn to obey the simple, basic rules of the gospel that are necessary for us to advance. (David B. Haight, “The Basics Have Not Changed,” Friend, Sept. 1998, inside front cover, adapted from April 1997 conference address. See Ensign, May 1997, p. 37-39)
PRES. HINCKLEY'S DESCRIBES HIS “LOVE AFFAIR” WITH THE SCRIPTURES: I love to read the scriptures, and try to do so consistently and repeatedly….For me, the reading of the scriptures is…a love affair with the word of the Lord….I love the King James Version of the Bible….I delight in the spirit and the language of the Book of Mormon. I love the words of modern revelation…. I urge our people everywhere to read the scriptures more – to study all of them together for a harmony of understanding in order to bring their precepts into our lives. (Gordon B. Hinckley, New Era, December 1985, 9-10)
SCRIPTURE STUDY COMPARED TO A CELESTIAL COMPASS - When was the last time we checked our 'celestial compass' to see if we are still on course?…. When we fail to search the scriptures, we may find ourselves going the wrong way on a one-way highway…. Schedule a time to search the scriptures daily. Scripture study is such an essential part of our 'spiritual nourishment' that we must take time and make it a priority in our daily schedule. Our spirits should never be deprived of the much-needed 'spiritual nourishment' which comes from scripture study. Without this 'spiritual food', our spirits become starved and weakened to temptation. (L. Lionel Kendrick, Conf. Report, April 1993, p. 13,15)
IF WE DO NOT HAVE A DAILY HABIT OF SCRIPTURE STUDY, OUR TESTIMONIES ARE GROWING THINNER - Are you brethren continually increasing your testimony by diligent study of the scriptures? Do you have a daily habit of reading the scriptures? If we are not reading the scriptures daily, our testimonies are growing thinner, and our spirituality is not increasing in depth. We, ourselves, must be studying the scriptures and have a daily habit. (Pres. Harold B. Lee, Regional Representatives Seminar, 12 Dec. 1970, 10)
SCRIPTURES ARE PRIZED POSSESSIONS, FOR YOU AND OLD, MALE AND FEMALE - “The words of truth and inspiration found in our four standard works are prized possessions to me. I never tire of reading them. I am lifted spiritually whenever I search the scriptures…. The holy scriptures are for children, to fill their eager minds with sacred truth. They are for youth, to prepare them for the challenges of our fast-moving world. They are for sisters, remembering Pres. Spencer W. Kimball's advice: 'We want our sisters to be scholars of the scriptures as well as our men.' They are for the brethren…that they may [become] 'men of a sound understanding [who have] searched the scriptures diligently'. I know these sacred books of scripture are the word of God. With all my soul, as a special witness, I testify that they are true.” (Thomas S. Monson, New Era, Dec.1985, 10-11)
SCRIPTURES ARE THE BETTER PART OF THE WORLD'S LITERATURE: “The Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price do not contain the wisdom of men alone, but of God. . . . What mattereth it though we understand Homer and Shakespeare and Milton (and I might enumerate all the great writers of the world), if we have failed to read the scriptures, we have missed the better part of this world's literature.” (George Albert Smith, Conference Report, October 1917, 43.)
SCRIPTURE STUDY HELPS US TEACH AND SHARE LIKE JESUS DID – FROM THE SCRIPTURES: Do we truly know the scriptures and, therefore, the power of God? Or do we err by trusting in man's wisdom? It is imperative that we…make scripture study an integral part of our daily life. Nephi counseled us wisely to 'feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do' (2 Ne. 32:3). Not only will such study strengthen us spiritually and help us to draw closer to the Lord, but it will also make it possible for us to teach as Jesus taught: from the scriptures…. Similarly, we too should be prepared to share with others the treasures we find through our study of the scriptures…. (Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, Sept. 1995, 32)
DON'T STUNT GROWTH--President Gordon B. Hinckley
“Drink deeply from this ever-springing well of wisdom and human experience. If you should stop now, you will only stunt your intellectual and spiritual growth. Keep everlastingly at it. Read. Read. Read. Read the word of God in sacred books of scripture. Read from the great literature of the ages. Read what is being said in our day and time and what will be said in the future” (Brigham Young University Commencement, Apr. 27, 1995, 4–5).
GO ASTRAY WITHOUT--Do not wonder at your sons and daughters going astray and losing the faith, when they do not read the word of God. (CR, Oct 1897, p.40) George Q. Cannon
READ MORE SCRIPTURES--I admonish you, O Israel, search the scriptures; read them in your homes; teach your families what the Lord has said, and let us spend less of our time reading the unimportant and often harmful literature of the day, and go to the fountain of truth and read the word of the Lord. (CR, Oct, 1917, p.41.) George Albert Smith
CASUAL SCRIPTURE STUDY-CASUAL PRAYERS
If we become casual in our study of the scriptures we will become casual in our prayers. We may not cease to pray, but our prayers will become more repetitive, more mechanical, lacking real intent. Our hearts cannot be drawn out to a God we do not know, and the scriptures and the words of the living prophets help us know Him. As we know Him better, we love Him more. (Ensign, Nov. 2001, p.17) Elder Henry B. Eyring
LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE WORD OF GOD
Gordon B. Hinckley, “Feasting upon the Scriptures,” Ensign, Dec. 1985, 42
I love our scriptures. I love these wonderful volumes, which set forth the word of the Lord–given personally or through prophets–for the guidance of our Father's sons and daughters. I love to read the scriptures, and I try to do so consistently and repeatedly. I like to quote from them, for they give the voice of authority to that which I say. I do not claim distinction as a scholar of the scriptures. For me, the reading of the scriptures is not the pursuit of scholarship. Rather, it is a love affair with the word of the Lord and that of his prophets. They contain so much for each of us.
“I am grateful for emphasis on reading the scriptures. I hope that for you this will become something far more enjoyable than a duty; that, rather, it will become a love affair with the word of God. I promise you that as you read, your minds will be enlightened and your spirits will be lifted. At first it may seem tedious, but that will change into a wondrous experience with thoughts and words of things divine.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, May 1995, p. 99)