Scripture Mastery

Now that I have completed discussing the 13 Articles of Faith, I thought I would continue my blog talking about the 100 different scriptures that the youth of the church are encouraged to study and memorize.  There are 25 scriptures in each of the "Standard Works" (i.e. The Old and New Testaments in the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants)

These scriptures cover many different aspects of the Gospel.

Let's start with Matthew 5:14-16:

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

These verses are taken from Christ's Sermon on the Mount.  These verses teach us that we need to be mindful of our actions.  We hope that from our actions, people can see the light of Christ.  We hope to be good examples to others.

However, we also know that our example can go the other way--if we are not living the gospel, that shows as well, and has a very negative impact on those who watch us.

We can not hide our example from others--they see it, whether we want them to or not.  If we are obedient to God's commandments, our happiness shows, and is a light to others around us.

We also understand from these verses, that Christ wants us to actively share his Gospel with others.  We are not to hide from others the goodness that we have received.  The Gospel is meant to be shared.  The word gospel literally means "good news."  Good news is something that begs to be shared.  There are many in the world who are in need of the good news of the Gospel.  The Gospel of Christ brings joy and peace and happiness to those who hear and obey it.

I like the last part of these verses as well--that the people who see our good works can glorify God.  We don't share the gospel for our own benefit, but rather because we love those we are sharing it with.  The Gospel is not shared for our personal gain, or to make ourselves seem better than others.