Feasting on the Scriptures

[Joan]

I've been a member of the LDS church my whole life. I love reading the scriptures. I'm going through a slump right now in my reading. Love to hear ideas of how you study.  

[Vort]

I have three scripture study sessions daily (ideally):

1. Family scripture study, usually a column or page or some such small scripture reading. We concentrate mostly on the Book of Mormon, reading it from beginning to end, alternating readers with each verse. We also occasionally throw in the New Testament, the Doctrine and Covenants, or the Pearl of Great Price. (I don't remember reading the Old Testament for family scripture study, but we may have one time.)
2. Couple scripture study. My wife and I read scriptures every night, and have done so almost without fail since we got married. On rare occasions, we  have missed a night, as e.g. when I'm traveling, which we make up soon afterward. Between our anniversary in early May until the end of the year, we read one chapter per day from the Book of Mormon, which is exactly the right length to go through December 31. Between January 1 and our anniversary, we read another book of scripture, usually either the Doctrine and Covenants or the New Testament. As with family scripture study, we proceed in order from the beginning of the book we're reading to the end.
3. Personal scripture study. I normally try to follow the seminary schedule, which for this year would be Book of Mormon. I'm also working on the Old Testament, which is taking me some time. I normally read sequentially through the books, as with the above two types of scripture study, but I will sometimes take a topical approach for my personal study.

This may seem like overkill to some, but it really is not. The truth is that I probably do not spend as much time in the scriptures as I should. Family scripture study rarely takes more than five minutes and almost never more than twenty or so. Couple scripture study is strictly dependent on how long the chapter is, so for Jacob 5 it can take twenty minutes or a half an hour, sometimes more, but today (Moroni 5) will take under a minute. My non-personal scripture study time is typically 10-15 minutes, and my personal scripture study time usually ends up about the same length of time. That comes to about 20-30 minutes per day in the scriptures, on average. I once had a stake president who suggested that we read two hours per day in the scriptures. I have not yet exercised the faith to put his words into action; I kind of feel like Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof:

If I were rich, I'd have the time that I lack to sit in the synagogue and pray
And maybe have a seat by the eastern wall
And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men seven hours every day
That would be the sweetest thing of all.

Ah, well. I do not hold myself up as any sort of public example, but I will say that if you aren't doing these types of scripture study, I highly recommend them. Others will have their own scripture reading regimens, and some will swear by them. Whatever works for you, just so long as you're studying your scriptures daily.

[Joan]

Thank you!!! That really helps! Do you read any other seminary or institute manuals along with it?

 

Edited December 26, 2017 by Joan

[Guest]

1. Read them as much as you can.
2. Read accompanying manuals, books, commentaries, etc. by those who would know something about what you're reading.
3. Have open dialogue with a group with diverse backgrounds and opinions.  Hey, you're here, aren't you?
4. Pray A LOT.
5. Study more, read more, pray more.

I also like to memorize scriptures.  I find that I get more when I memorize than if I just read.  I realize that not everyone has a talent for memorization.  But if you can at least try to memorize one sentence at a time, then the words are making their way into your conscious mind.  That is the important thing.  If you forget it 10 minutes later, don't worry.  You'll have it come back again when you need it.  You may not be able to recite it perfectly.  But in this electronic world, you should be able to remember enough to punch in some search terms that will get you back to that scripture when you need to.

[Vort]

3 hours ago, Joan said:

Thank you!!! That really helps! Do you read any other seminary or institute manuals along with it?

 

Nope. I have talked to others who seem to gain value from reading seminary manuals, scriptural commentaries, and other such aids, but I rarely use them. The exceptions are the maps and sometimes the Bible dictionary found in the back of the LDS edition of the KJV Bible. I use those quite a bit, especially the maps.