LEARN AS CHRIST
How did the Savior
learn? What did he do to gain knowledge? How can I gain a firmer testimony of
the life and mission of Jesus Christ?
John 16:13
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The
Spirit of truth will guide us in all truth (learning)
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Hebrews 5:8
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Learn
by obedience through trials
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1 Nephi 19:23
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The
scriptures are available to us that we might profit and learn from them.
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Alma 1:26
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Teachers
and learners are not to set themselves one above the other.
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Alma 12:10
D&C 50:24
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As
we soften our hearts, desiring to learn, we are granted knowledge.
Our
spiritual knowledge is multiplied as we seek for it.
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Alma 38:9
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Learn
of Christ, He is the only way through
which Salvation comes
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Mormon 9:31
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Learn
from the experiences of others
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D&C 19:23
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Learn
of Christ and receive peace
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D&C 88:118
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True
learning is a product of diligent study and faith
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D&C 107:99
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Learn
your duty and then fulfill it
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D&C 130:18
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The
intelligence we gain in this life will rise with us into the next
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John 8:28
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The
Savior was taught by his Father
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John 12:49-50
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We
can taught of the Lord, and then teach those truths
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JST Matthew 3:24-26
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Jesus
sought knowledge of the Lord, and grew in understanding so much that other
men could not teach him more.
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D&C 93:12-13
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The
Savior learned line upon line as we do.
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LEARN AS CHRIST QUOTES
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURES
Alma 37:35
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Learn wisdom early
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2 Timothy 3:14
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Continue learning
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Philippians 4:11
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Learning contentment
|
Proverbs 1:5
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It is wise to increase your learning
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2 Nephi 9:29
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To be learned is good if you hearken to
the counsel of God
|
Psalms 119:71
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We learn of God through adversity
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2 Nephi 27:35
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Learning doctrine reduces murmuring
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D&C 88:119
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Establish a house of learning
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John 6:45
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Those that learn of the Father come
unto Christ
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Matthew 11:29
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Learn of Christ and find rest
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Moroni 8:7
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Inquire of the Lord to confirm learning
|
LEARNING SPIRITUAL THINGS
“In order to build our lives “upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is
Christ, the Son of God”[1]
we must come to know Him. We must learn who He is and understand His divine
mission. We must learn when, how, and why He lived and died. We must seek to
know His message of truth and light and learn how to implement His teachings in
our daily lives.”[2]
“In our learning, let us not neglect the fountain of revelation. The
scriptures and the words of modern-day apostles and prophets are the sources of
wisdom, divine knowledge, and personal revelation to help us find answers to
all the challenges in life. Let us learn of Christ; let us seek out that
knowledge which leads to peace and truth.”[3]
“There is spiritual learning just as there is material learning, and
the one without the other is not complete; yet…, if I could have only one sort
of learning, that which I would take would be the learning of the spirit”[4]
“[It is the] parents responsibility is to make sure children can stand
on personal revelation by the time they leave home. ‘Personal revelation requires
study as well as prayer,... Therefore, if children learn in the home the
importance of study as well as how to pray, they will have the foundation for
receiving guidance from the Lord to aid in their individual lives’”[5]
“The purpose of God’s creations
and of His giving us life is to allow us to have the learning experience
necessary to come back to live with Him in eternal life. That is only possible
if we have our natures changed through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, true
repentance, and making and keeping the covenants He offers all of His Father’s
children through His Church. True learning must have a powerful spiritual component.
That spiritual element, when it is effective, refines and uplifts the aims of
our total education.”[6]
“Most individuals limit their learning primarily to what they hear or
what they read. Be wise. Develop the skill of learning by what you see and
particularly by what the Holy Ghost prompts you to feel. … Write down in a
secure place the important things you learn from the Spirit. … Express
gratitude for the help received and obey it. This practice will reinforce your
capacity to learn by the Spirit. It will permit the Lord to guide your life and
to enrich the use of every other capacity latent in your being.”[7]
“The most important thing you can do is to learn to talk to God. Talk
to Him as you would talk to your father, for He is your Father, and He wants
you to talk to Him. He wants you to cultivate ears to listen, when He gives you
the impressions of the Spirit to tell you what to do. If you learn to give heed
to the sudden ideas which come to your minds, you will find those things coming
through in the very hour of your need. If you will cultivate an ear to hear
these promptings, you will have learned to walk by the spirit of revelation”[8]
“Our first priority should go to spiritual learning. For us, reading
the scriptures would come before reading history books. Prayer would come
before memorizing those Spanish verbs. A temple recommend would be worth more
than standing first in our graduating class. But it is also clear that
spiritual learning would not replace our drive for secular learning… It is
clear that putting spiritual learning first does not relieve us from learning
secular things. On the contrary, it gives our secular learning purpose and
motivates us to work harder at it. To keep spiritual learning in its proper
place, we will have to make some hard choices of how we use our time. But there
should never be a conscious choice to let the spiritual become secondary.
Never. That will lead to tragedy. Remember, you are interested in education,
not just for mortal life but for eternal life. When you see that reality
clearly, you will put spiritual learning first and yet not slight the secular
learning. In fact, you will work harder at your secular learning than you would
without that spiritual vision.”[9]
SEEK LEARNING
“To follow Christ is to become more like Him. It is to learn from His
character. The Savior invites us to learn His gospel by living His teachings.
Ancient and modern prophets described it with three words: “Keep the
commandments”—nothing more, nothing less.”[10]
“We ought to be real
students—students like no one else. … If we, in this lay Church, don’t become
proficient in learning the gospel of Jesus Christ, who on earth will? If the
elders of Israel do not become profound theologians, who on earth will? If you
mothers and mothers-to-be don’t learn the gospel sufficiently to teach your
children, who on earth will? And, you missionaries, if you don’t learn the
message the Lord would have you teach, who on earth will? Many painfully
discover the obvious—you can’t teach well that which you do not know!”[11]
“Maintain an enthusiasm for learning throughout your life. Find joy in
continuing to learn and in expanding your interests. Choose to actively
participate in the learning opportunities available to you.”[12]
“Learning is a basic purpose of
life… You must learn to seek the power and direction that is available to you,
and then follow that course no matter what… Understanding the Atonement may be
the one most important truth that you can learn… Take advantage of the great blessing you have
to learn the doctrines of the Church and the teachings of the prophets. Learn
that which is of most worth. It will bless you and your posterity for many
generations to come… Remember that supernal gift of the Holy Ghost. Learn to be
taught by it. Learn to seek it. Learn to live by it. Learn to pray always in
the name of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of the Lord will attend you, and you will
be blessed.”[13]
“May we learn what we should learn, do what we should do, and be what
we should be. By so doing, the blessings of heaven will attend. We will know
that we are not alone. He who notes the sparrow’s fall will, in His own way,
acknowledge us.”[14]
“The Lord has commanded us to learn as much as we can about His work.
He wants us to learn about the heavens, the earth, things that have happened or
will happen, things at home and in foreign lands[15].
However, there are those who try to gain knowledge by their own study alone.
They do not ask for the help of the Holy Ghost. They are those who are always
learning but never arrive at the truth[16].
When we receive knowledge by revelation from the Holy Ghost, His Spirit speaks to
our minds and our hearts[17].”[18]
“May your attitude be one of humility and a desire to learn.”[19]
“Those who diligently seek to
learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him. They will personally receive
a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a
puzzle—one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily
recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each
piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after
enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all.
Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to
be with us—not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed… Let us learn
to hearken to the promptings of the Spirit and then be eager to heed them.”[20]
“The Lord instructs us to seek learning and wisdom, to study and learn
out of the best books, and to become acquainted with languages, tongues, and
people (see D&C 88:118; 90:15). Therefore, the choice to place the sacred
above the secular is one of relative priority, not exclusivity; “to be learned
is good if [we] hearken unto the counsels of God” (2 Nephi 9:29; emphasis
added).”[21]
“Believe the testimonies of the prophets. Learn of God and Christ. The
pattern to do so is clearly taught by prophets of old and prophets today…
Cultivate a diligent desire to know that God lives. This desire leads us to ponder on the things
of heaven—to let the evidence of God all around us touch our hearts. With
softened hearts we are prepared to heed the Savior’s call to “search the
scriptures”[22]
and to humbly learn from them. We are
then ready to ask our Heavenly Father sincerely, in the name of our Savior,
Jesus Christ, if the things we have learned are true. Most of us will not see God,
as the prophets have, but the still, small promptings of the Spirit—the
thoughts and feelings that the Holy Ghost brings into our minds and hearts—will
give us an undeniable knowledge that He lives and that He loves us.”[23]
LEARNING PRACTICAL SKILLS
“Conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ brings a desire to learn… Joseph Smith had essentially no formal
schooling, yet the effect of the gospel on him was to make him want to learn
more so that he could be more useful to God and to God’s children.”[24]
“As our desires to learn and live the gospel increase, we naturally
seek to serve one another. The Savior said to Peter, “When thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren.”[25]
“When sisters meet for Relief
Society meetings during the week, they have the opportunity to learn and
accomplish the charitable and practical responsibilities of the Relief Society.
This is where they learn and practice skills that will help them increase their
faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and provide service
to those in need. These meetings are meant to be instrumental in teaching the
skills and responsibilities of womanhood and motherhood in the Lord’s plan. It
is here that women learn and apply principles of provident living and spiritual
and temporal self-reliance, and they also increase in sisterhood and unity as
they teach one another and serve together… When we plan, we ask what the Lord
needs us to learn and become in order to be prepared for eternal life.” [26]
SEEK A SECULAR EDUCATION
“Our education must never stop… It takes neither modern technology nor
much money to seize the opportunity to learn in the moments we now waste. You
could just have a book and paper and pencil with you. That will be enough. But
you need determination to capture the leisure moments you now waste.”[27]
“There is need for another
education, without which the substance of secular learning may lead only to
destruction. I refer to the education of the heart, of the conscience, of the
character, of the spirit—these indefinable aspects of our personalities which
determine so certainly what we are and what we do in our relationships one with
another.”[28]
“The thirst for education can
be a blessing or a curse, depending on our motives. If we continue to seek
learning to serve God and His children better, it is a blessing of great worth.
If we seek learning to exalt ourselves alone, it leads to selfishness and
pride. That is one of the reasons we should always put spiritual learning
first. And that is why the Church has placed institutes of religion across the
earth wherever young members are gathered in sufficient numbers. Their
spiritual education in the institute will shape the purpose and speed the
process of their secular learning.”[29]
“Through prayer, fasting, and hard work, with a motive to serve Him, we
can expect His grace to attend us. I can assure you from my own experience,
that does not mean we will always be on the high end of the grading curve. It
means that we will learn more rapidly and grow in skill beyond what we could do
only with our unaided natural abilities.”[30]
“The Church has long encouraged its members, and especially its youth,
either to obtain a college education or to become well trained in some
vocation. … We … strongly urge all young people to engage and continue [where
possible] in formal study of some kind beyond high school’”[31]
SEEK LEARNING IN THE TEMPLE
The temple “becomes a school of instruction in the sweet and sacred
things of God. Here we have outlined the plan of a loving Father in behalf of
His sons and daughters of all generations. Here we have sketched before us the
odyssey of man’s eternal journey from premortal existence through this life to
the life beyond. Great fundamental and basic truths are taught with clarity and
simplicity well within the understanding of all who hear”[32]
“In the temple, we learn more about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ,
and we are able to grow closer to Them. We learn about Their plan for us, which
is referred to in the scriptures by various titles, such as the plan of
redemption or plan of salvation.”[33]
BLESSINGS OF LEARNING OF CHRIST
“If we practice the teachings of Jesus Christ in our lives, we will
become more like Him. We will develop compassion for others and want to serve
them. When we do our best to live the teachings of our Savior, we keep our
covenants with Him and worthily bear His name (see Mosiah 5:7–15). We find joy
in sacrificing earthly pleasures and possessions, when necessary, for the sake
of other people. We even accept rejection, misunderstanding, persecution, and
punishment, even though we may be innocent of any wrongdoing. In the Book of
Mormon, Alma tells us that if we will fully live the gospel of Jesus Christ, we
will receive His image in our countenances (see Alma 5:14, 19). We will become
like Him.”[34]
“Your education should include spiritual learning. Study the scriptures
and the words of the latter-day prophets… continue throughout your life to
learn about Heavenly “Father’s plan. This spiritual learning will help you find
answers to the challenges of life and will invite the companionship of the Holy
Ghost.”[35]
LEARN AS CHRIST - ADDITIONAL NOTES
[1] Helaman 5:12
[2] The Latter-day Saint Woman: Basic Manual for Women,
Part B, Lesson 1: Jesus Christ Our Sure Foundation
[3] “Learn”, Dieter F Uchtdorf, Friend, Sept 2011
[4] “Spiritual Education,” President J. Reuben Clark Jr.,
Church News, 29 June 1974, 16
[5] “Chapter 33: Continuing to Learn”, Latter Day Saint
Woman: Basic Manual for Women, Part B
[6] “Real-Life Education”, Henry B Eyring, From “Education
for Real Life,” Ensign, Oct. 2002, 14.
[7] Richard G. Scott, “To Acquire Knowledge and the
Strength to Use It Wisely,” Ensign, June 2002, 32, 34.
[8] Harold B Lee, Teachings of Presidents of the Church,
55
[9] “Real-Life Education”, Henry B Eyring, First Counselor
in the First Presidency, From “Education for Real Life,” Ensign, Oct. 2002, 14.
[10] “Becoming Like Jesus Christ”, Dieter F Uchtdorf,
Liahona, January 2009
[11] Joe J. Christensen, “Learning Is Everybody’s
Business,” Ensign, Feb. 1979, pp. 64–65
[12] For the Strength of Youth, 10 [2011]
[13] “How to Survive in Enemy Territory”, Boyd K Packer,
Ensign, April 2012
[14] “To Learn, To Do, To Be”, Thomas S Monson, Ensign,
November 2008
[15] D&C 88:78–79
[17] D&C 6:15, 22–24; 8:2; 9:7–9
[19] “Believe, Obey, Endure”, Thomas S Monson, Ensign, May
2012
[20] “Waiting on the Road to Damascus”, Dieter F Uchtdorf,
Ensign, May 2011
[21] “To Hold Sacred”, Paul P Pieper, Ensign, May 2012
[22] John 5:39
[23] “How to Seek and Know the Father and the Son”, Robert
D Hales, New Era, Feb 2012
[24] “Real-Life Education”, Henry B Eyring, From “Education
for Real Life,” Ensign, Oct. 2002, 14.
[25] “Coming to Ourselves: The Sacrament, The Temple, and
Sacrifice in Service”, Robert D Hales, Ensign, May 2012
[26] “Relief Society: A Sacred Work”, Julie B Beck, Ensign,
Nov 2009
[27] “Real-Life Education”, Henry B Eyring, From “Education
for Real Life,” Ensign, Oct. 2002, 14.
[28] “Words of the Prophet: Seek Learning”, Gordon B
Hinckley, New Era, Sep 2007
[29] “Real-Life Education”, Henry B Eyring, From “Education
for Real Life,” Ensign, Oct. 2002, 14.
[30] “Real-Life Education”, Henry B Eyring, From “Education
for Real Life,” Ensign, Oct. 2002, 14.
[31] William R. Siddoway, “Are Four Years of College
Necessary?” New Era, Dec. 1971, 41
[32] “The Salt Lake Temple,” Gordon B Hinckley, Ensign,
Mar. 1993, 5–6
[33] Endowed from on High, Lesson 1: The Temple Teaches
about the Great Plan of Salvation
[34] The Latter-day Saint Woman: Basic Manual for Women,
Part B, Lesson 1: Jesus Christ Our Sure Foundation
[35] For the Strength of Youth, 10 [2011]
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