Feasting in the Scriptures

Feasting in the Scriptures

Taught by Sue Chappell


Sister Chappell started her lesson by explaining that when giving a presidency message like this on Fast Sundays, the leader gets to pick the topic based on promptings.

She then talked about how recently a friend of hers was spotlighted in the newspaper for being such a gifted teacher. Sue was inspired by this article and wanted to apply it to her lesson today--namely on scripture studying. She asked us to think about how we are doing on our own scripture study and asked, "Does it feel like a burden or a blessing?" She pointed out the blessing that it is, but how it can also sometimes feel like a burden.

She talked about President Benson and how he really encouraged the LDS to dive into the scriptures. Sister Chappell remembers back around this time her stake was really focusing on the scriptures and one of the prophets wives came to an activity--an experience that was really neat.

On the board Sister Chappell had a list of scriptures:
Doctrine and Covenants 1:35-37
Revelations 12:17
2 Timothy 3:1-7
Revelations 13:7
1 Nephi 12:17
1 Nephi 8:28,32
1 Nephi 15:23-24
3 Nephi 23:1-5
Doctrine and Covenants 84:85
Doctrine and Covenants 84:54-57
2 Nephi 33:10-15
3 Nephi 23:1-5
Alma 31:5
2 Nephi 32:3
Doctrine and Covenants 3:19-20

Sister Chappell talked about Sister Amenola's testimony earlier and, "How does she know these things?"

She then talked to us about her plan for the scriptures on the board. She wanted us to look at them in context of answering the question, Who (who recorded it and who is it for)? What? When? Where? and How?

Together we looked at Doctirne and Covenants 1:35-37
Who? Joseph/All men
What? What will happen in the last days
When? Now
Where? World
How? Terrorism, barbaric measures, complacency

She encouraged us to do this with all of the scriptures on the board when we get a chance.

Sister Chappell emphasized how important it is to hold fast to the word of God. She asked us to ask ourselves if it is a priority--there really aren't any excuses--but we have to study God's word no matter what stage of life we are in.

She talked of prophets that had talked about this day including Isaiah, Paul and Lehi.
She talked about how Revelations was written by John. He had been a fisherman, one of John the Baptist disciples and one of Christ original 12 apostles. She also talk about how his book holds a lot more doctrines then some of the Gospel books in the New Testament.

She again iterated how the scriptures have so much truth and doctrine about what is happening in our day.

She talked about Sister Roberts' testimony earlier in the day when she said, "If this is to happen it is up to me."

Sister Chappell posed the question, "What can the scriptures do for us?" She talked about how they can give us solutions. She shared a story about her sister's stake where the leaders were praying to give their congregation a spiritual experience. They decided to ask all present to open their scriptures on their lap, think about a personal problem they were experiencing, and then open the scriptures and read until they were able to find some counsel on that particular problem.

Sister Chappell talked about promises we are given for reading our scriptures--including be fortified against discouragement and temptations and deception. She shared from President Kimball how we should discover the scriptures for ourselves, again and again.

She talked about how church teachers are forced to study the scriptures, but what about the rest of us? She wondered if one day we would stand in judgement on how well we knew God's word in the scriptures--and how maybe additional scriptures were sealed because we weren't ready.

She shared the famous quote from President Benson, "There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called “the words of life” (D&C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance."

Sister Chappell asked, "Aren't we all looking for greater abundance?"
She asked us to focus on how we could do this and talked about:
1. Searching
2. Feasting
3. Doctrine
She talked about how we even can do it on social media--including Book of Mormon 365 on Instagram.

She focused on how scriptures:
-A blessing that can affect our minds
-Direction and Inspection
-Not deceived
-Many promises for obedient
-Accountability

She shared a quote from President Hinckley which promised how the reading of the Book of Mormon could help to heal wounded hearts and souls. She then asked if any of us have ever had a wounded heart of soul.

She bore testimony how it speaks to her--almost like it was written for her and how we are really missing out if we aren't reading our scriptures. She said to stop spending so much time on Facebook or watching T.V. and devote some of that time to the scriptures and how we need to do this to be fortified and a light to the world today.

Sister Chappell finished her lesson by expressing love to the sisters and joked that she could get a rug burn on her knees from all the time she spend praying for the sisters of our RS. She was thankful that we put up with her weaknesses and bore testimony of her love of the Lord and the Savior and her excitement to live in these exciting times knowing that we can rise to the occasion.