#BOMTC Day 85, June 30~Moroni 10 or Pages 530-531: “I Would Exhort You”

Book of Mormon Testimonies

Prophets and Apostles discuss the importance of gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon. (3:46)

I won’t take much of your time, because I know many of you are trying to catch up on your reading to finish the Book of Mormon today. Moroni 10 contains the prophet Moroni’s final words before he sealed up the record to be brought forth by the gift and power of God. About 1,400 years before Joseph Smith received the gold plates, Moroni concluded his father’s record by writing some final exhortations to those who would receive the Book of Mormon in the last days (see Moroni 10:1–2). The word exhort means to urge, advise, caution earnestly, admonish urgently. Moroni used the word nine times in the final chapter of the Book of Mormon.

Moroni’s first exhortation can be found in Moroni 10:1–2, and “I would exhort you” to look for the remaining exhortations that Moroni felt inspired to include in this final chapter and consider which one applies to you and your current situation in life.

Perhaps the most well know exhortation extended by Moroni is that found in Moroni 10:3-5. These verses have always meant a lot to me. I have a burning witness of the veracity of the Book of Mormon. As a young man I experimented with Moroni’s exhortation in relation to the Book of Mormon and I found it to be true. As a father I have also exhorted my children to do the same. On one occasion my oldest son was finishing the Book of Mormon for the first time. He had made a goal for himself to read the entire Book of Mormon before he was baptized. He started on his 7th birthday and read 15 verses a day to finish by his 8th birthday. My wife or I would read each night with him, alternating verses. When we arrived at this second exhortation, relating to the Book of Mormon, I was reading with him. I asked him if he was going to accept Moroni’s challenge and pray to know for himself that the Book of Mormon is true. He casually responded that he was not going to do so. Surprised by his response, and a bit worried, I asked him why he wasn’t going to do it. With all of the innocence and sincerity of a seven-year-old, but with the wisdom of a sage, he responded with words along these lines:

I don’t need to pray to know that the Book of Mormon is true. I already feel the Holy Ghost tell me that it is true every time I am reading it.

Well, what can I say to that? That was one of the most exciting moments as a parent that I had experienced up to that point. He is now 11 and has read the Book of Mormon almost every day (on his own) since he first finished it. He has completed it several times since then and continues to affirm its truthfulness and helpfulness in his life. His sister has followed his example and also read the Book of Mormon in the year preceding her baptism and continues to read it personally on a daily basis. She is completing it for the second time on her own. I have three other young children that I pray will follow the example of their older siblings.

And that brings us to my personal exhortation for you with this final blog posting. When my son finished the Book of Mormon that first time I asked him, “What will you read tomorrow?” and his response was, “I will start at the beginning of the Book of Mormon again.” I will use the words of Moroni and President Henry B. Eyring to extend this extra exhortation to you:

And now my beloved blog-buddies, “I would exhort you” that when you have finished studying the Book of Mormon as part of the Book of Mormon Translation Challenge, that you would “go back to the Book of Mormon and drink deeply and often” because, “great faith has a short shelf life” (“Spiritual Preparedness: Start Early and Be Steady“, Ensign, Nov. 2005). And to those of you who may not have finished reading the Book of Mormon by June 30, “I would exhort you” to continue where you are currently reading and join the BOOK OF MORMON SUMMER study program to help you complete the Book of Mormon. (CLICK HERE to join)

PLEASE leave a comment at the bottom of this post (or our Facebook Page or Facebook Group) letting me know that you FINISHED studying the Book of Mormon. I would like to add your names to the list on this blog of those who completed the Book of Mormon Translation Challenge.

Finally, THANK YOU! Thank you for accepting the challenge to read the Book of Mormon in the time that it took Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to translate it. Thank you for making time in your busy schedules to study this holy book. Thank you for sharing your comments on this blog and on our Facebook Page/Group. Thank you for inviting me into your life to share my thoughts and excitement for the Book of Mormon with you.

A Book with a Promise

The Book of Mormon is a book with a promise. Although its history is compelling by itself, it is a book of scriptural significance that should be received and read under the influence of the Holy Ghost.