Hi, friends. Welcome back to Primarily Scripture. I'm Cindy Young, and this is a beginner's guide to scripture study. So I'm just helping you break down, what does scripture study look like? How do we go from reading our scriptures to studying them? There are some super simple things that you can do every time you study that will make it easy and effective. And it's so easy that even a child can do it. So come along and let's study the scriptures. We are following Come Follow Me.   And this week we are in 2 Nephi chapters 20 through 25. Now several of these chapters cover prophecies from Isaiah. And you can go back to last week and the week before for some tips on how to make Isaiah study a little bit easier.  

 Today, though, let's turn to 2nd Nephi chapter 25. 

At the beginning of chapter 25, it talks about why Nephi loves Isaiah so much, but then Nephi also talks about how he wants to really speak in plain terms so that you can understand them. Which, aside from the Isaiah chapters, isn't that true of 1st and 2nd Nephi?

You can really understand what's going on. It's so easy to follow the story and learn the lessons. And I love that about Nephi and about the Book of Mormon. That it really can be easy to understand. 

 After Nephi talked about that a little bit, then he started to bear his testimony about Jesus Christ.  And if you turn to verse 26, it says this: "We rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." I love this verse, and it's quoted a lot actually.  Nephi is talking about the importance of bearing testimony of Jesus Christ and some different ways that you can do that. So there are a few different ways that you can study this verse.

First of all,  let's 📍make a list of the things he says to do. 

What does he say?  And I'm going to take a colored pencil and mark just one word answers of what Nephi says to do.  

  📍All right, guys, if you are studying along, then hit pause right here and open up your scriptures and see if you can  find the list I'm talking about.  Spend just  a few moments looking for that list. Now you might find the same words as me.

Or maybe your list will be slightly different and that is okay. The point is you can find this list for yourself and it doesn't have to be exactly the same as mine.  

📍   First,  talk; we talk of Christ.  And then  rejoice.  And after that, preach, prophesy, write, and look.   We just found a list of things that Nephi was trying to do in order to bear testimony and teach others about Christ.

That was searching. Now we get to ponder it. How are we going to ponder this list? Do you remember that I said📍 pondering is asking questions? What should we ask?  

  📍 Finding questions to ask is easier for some people than it is for others. If you are not sure what questions to ask, then here's an easy place to start. Are you ready? One word: 📍 HOW. It's only three letters long, such a short word, but it is such a powerful way to ponder. Here, I'll show you what I mean. 

 📍 Try asking how it looked for Nephi,  and then we can ask questions about how it would look for ourselves.

 How did Nephi talk of Christ? How did Nephi rejoice in Christ? How did Nephi preach of Christ? This is the same question for each item on the list. Do you see that? But if you stop and think about each one, then it opens the door for the Spirit to come and teach you something. 

📍 If you would like a little extra guidance as you work through these questions,  then head over to primarilyscripture.com/resources  and  you can download this week's free worksheet. I've provided a chart that will walk you through it. There's a column for pondering how Nephi did these things. And one for helping you apply it to yourself. 

Something to keep in mind,  you don't have to ask and answer every question that I suggest. In fact, if the Spirit draws your attention to just one or two specific things, then   definitely put your time and effort into pondering just those things.   Don't look at it as skipping questions. You're receiving personal revelation! 

  📍 Okay, so we asked questions about how it would look for Nephi.  How might it look for you? Can you mention your blessings more? Can you, on Monday, tell people that you had a great time at church? Can you invite a friend to come to an activity? Maybe you're going to say a prayer of thankfulness every day. Maybe tell your family what you love about the Savior. 

You might come up with different ideas... You need to write them down.! That is a super important tip that as you write down your ideas, then you are showing the Lord that the answers he's given you are important to you, and then he'll give you even more. But then you can also remember it, right?

If you make a list of the ways you're going to talk of Christ, or the ways you're going to Rejoice in Christ, then you can pray about it and make a plan and move forward. 

And as you ponder it and you're studying it, then the Holy Ghost will teach you more.  I love this list that Nephi made in verse 26, and I would encourage you to do some pondering about it.

I have some ideas about what it could mean for you.  But this show is not so that I can teach you all the ideas that have come to my head when I study the scriptures. It's to encourage you to find answers and to find ideas in the scriptures. 

And most importantly, pray about it because the Lord knows how to help you and you can get answers from him as you search and ponder and pray.  

You can find free worksheets on the website that can help you through some of the study for this week. But of all the resources out there, please don't rely on any one too heavily, because what you need to be studying most importantly, primarily,  is scripture.
So go open your scriptures and you will find something if you are searching.  I'm Cindy Young. Thanks for watching! I'll see you next time! 

  📍  Thanks for tuning in to Primarily Scripture with Cindy Young. Don't forget, you can subscribe to the newsletter and download free worksheets on the website primarilyscripture. com. And if you like the channel, be sure to subscribe, like, share, and leave a review. See you next time!