We do not overstate the point when we say that the scriptures can be a Urim and Thummim to assist each of us to receive personal revelation.

 Just as continuing revelation enlarges and illuminates the scriptures, so also a study of the scriptures enables men and women to receive revelations. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, “I sometimes think that one of the best-kept secrets of the kingdom is that the scriptures open the door to the receipt of revelation” (Doctrines of the Restoration, ed. Mark L. McConkie, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1989, p. 243). This happens because scripture reading puts us in tune with the Spirit of the Lord.

The idea that scripture reading can lead to inspiration and revelation opens the door to the truth that a scripture is not limited to what it meant when it was written but may also include what that scripture means to a reader today. Even more, scripture reading may also lead to current revelation on whatever else the Lord wishes to communicate to the reader at that time. We do not overstate the point when we say that the scriptures can be a Urim and Thummim to assist each of us to receive personal revelation.

Because we believe that scripture reading can help us receive revelation, we are encouraged to read the scriptures again and again. By this means, we obtain access to what our Heavenly Father would have us know and do in our personal lives today. That is one reason Latter-day Saints believe in daily scripture study.

Similarly, what a scripture in the Book of Mormon meant to me when I first read it at age sixteen is not conclusive upon me as I read it at age sixty. With the benefit of my life’s experiences and with my greater familiarity with revelation, I can learn things that were not available to me yesterday by reading the scriptures today.

Scripture Reading and Revelation

January 1995

1995

Dallin H. Oaks

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1995/01/scripture-reading-and-revelation?lang=eng&verse=#p

The Secret's Called the Scriptures

Scriptures Are God’s Recipes for Happy Living.” I immediately clicked on that two-minute video and watched President Nelson teach a group of Primary kids a simple and powerful message about how to be happy. He taught: “If you’re making a cake, you follow the directions, don’t you? And you’ll get a good result every time, won’t you?”

He continued, speaking about turning 95 years old soon: “People say, ‘What do you eat? What’s your secret?’” He replied, “The secret’s called the scriptures. You might read them and try them.”

Well, there we have it. The simple secret for happy living is to just follow God’s recipe as detailed in the scriptures. I call it the “Good News Recipe.”

What do you do if something goes wrong when following the recipe? Well, embedded in the Good News Recipe is the “secret ingredient” to ensure you always get it right in the end. The answer is always Jesus Christ.

I think we all have moments when we feel our ingredients are not good enough, or we struggle to follow the directions, or perhaps we do something out of order, or something happens that is out of our control, and so on.

What’s the remedy? It’s simply to add more of what invites Jesus Christ into your life.

The Good News Recipe

October 2025

General Conference

John D. Amos

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/10/56amos?lang=eng&verse=#p

Scriptures studied in multiple languages and cultural perspectives deepen gospel understanding.

Scriptures studied in multiple languages and cultural perspectives deepen gospel understanding.

No One Sits Alone

October 2025

General Conference

Gerrit W. Gong

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/10/25gong?lang=eng&verse=#p

Spiritual maintenance plan of personal prayer, regular scripture study, and frequent repentance

 With so many powerful helps to guide us in our mortal journeys, it is disappointing that so many remain unprepared for their appointed meeting with our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. His parable of the ten virgins, spoken of so frequently in this conference, suggests that of those invited to meet Him, only half will be prepared.

We all know examples of the unprepared: returned missionaries who have interrupted their spiritual growth by periods of inactivity, youth who have jeopardized their spiritual growth by separating themselves from Church teaching and activities, men who have postponed their ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood, men and women—sometimes the posterity of noble pioneers or worthy parents—who have departed the covenant path short of making and keeping covenants in the holy temple.

Many of such deviations occur when members fail to follow the fundamental spiritual maintenance plan of personal prayer, regular scripture study, and frequent repentance. In contrast, some neglect weekly renewal of covenants by not partaking of the sacrament. Some say the Church is not meeting their needs; those substitute what they perceive as their future needs ahead of what the Lord has provided in His many teachings and opportunities for our essential service to others.

Divine Helps for Mortality

April 2025

General Conference

Dallin H. Oaks

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/04/47oaks?lang=eng&verse=#p

I would ask if they were too busy to eat lunch that day and then teach them that they have both a body and a spirit, and just as their body will die if not nourished, so will their spirit if not nourished by the good word of God.

 Several years ago, my wife and I served as mission leaders in Tokyo, Japan. During a visit to our mission by then-Elder Russell M. Nelson, one of the missionaries asked him how best to respond when a person tells them that they are too busy to listen to them. With little hesitation, Elder Nelson said, “I would ask if they were too busy to eat lunch that day and then teach them that they have both a body and a spirit, and just as their body will die if not nourished, so will their spirit if not nourished by the good word of God.”

Seek Him with All Your Heart

October 2024

General Conference

L. Todd Budge

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2024/10/45budge?lang=eng&verse=#p

We call it “study,” and that’s good because it implies effor

 We call it “study,” and that’s good because it implies effort. But we don’t always need to learn some new fact. Sometimes reading the Book of Mormon is just about feeling connected to God today—nourishing the soul, being strengthened spiritually before heading out to face the world, or finding healing after a rough day out in the world.

It Is Wisdom in the Lord That We Should Have the Book of Mormon

April 2024

General Conference

Mark L. Pace

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2024/04/56pace?lang=eng&verse=#p

One of the most important things you can do … is to immerse yourselves in the scriptures.

Our mortal experience requires that we walk by faith. At times we can become irritated. Family members and those we associate with may disappoint us. We may sometimes feel tired, faint, weary, and tempted on every side. Conditions in this world may cause us to wonder if indeed “the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice” over our plight (3 Nephi 9:2). Given these situations and trials, particularly in these last days, our enthusiasm for living the gospel can wane if we are not diligent.

But we can follow basic religious practices to protect ourselves, even when life is hard. These personal religious practices are essential to strengthening our faith, maintaining our ability to resist temptation, and remembering our spiritual experiences. They help us grow spiritually and overcome Satan’s tactics.

The testimonies of two latter-day prophets on the blessings of two of these personal religious practices are noteworthy:

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) testified:

“One of the most important things you can do … is to immerse yourselves in the scriptures. Search them diligently. Feast upon the words of Christ. Learn the doctrine. Master the principles that are found therein. There are few other efforts that will bring greater dividends. … There are few other ways to gain greater inspiration. …

“… When individual members and families immerse themselves in the scriptures regularly and consistently, … testimonies will increase. Commitment will be strengthened. Families will be fortified. Personal revelation will flow.”

A Change of Heart: “Can Ye Feel So Now?”

June 2024

Liahona

Brook P. Hales

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2024/06/come-follow-me/18-a-change-of-heart-can-ye-feel-so-now?lang=eng&verse=#p

I like to quote from them, for they give the voice of authority to that which I say

 I love our scriptures. I love these wonderful volumes, which set forth the word of the Lord—given personally or through prophets—for the guidance of our Father’s sons and daughters. I love to read the scriptures, and I try to do so consistently and repeatedly. I like to quote from them, for they give the voice of authority to that which I say. I do not claim distinction as a scholar of the scriptures. For me, the reading of the scriptures is not the pursuit of scholarship. Rather, it is a love affair with the word of the Lord and that of his prophets....

I do not concern myself much with reading long commentary volumes designed to enlarge at length upon that which is found in the scriptures. Rather, I prefer to dwell with the source, tasting of the unadulterated waters of the fountain of truth—the word of God as he gave it and as it has been recorded in the books we accept as scripture. Where there are questions, or where cross-referencing will help, the tools in the new editions will be invaluable. Through reading the scriptures, we can gain the assurance of the Spirit that that which we read has come of God for the enlightenment, blessing, and joy of his children.

Feasting upon the Scriptures

December 1985

Gordon B. Hinckley

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1985/12/feasting-upon-the-scriptures?lang=eng&verse=#p

We will come to discern that, as helpful as other sources may be in our study of the Savior and the words of His prophets, they must never become a replacement for them.

 We will come to discern that, as helpful as other sources may be in our study of the Savior and the words of His prophets, they must never become a replacement for them. We must drink deeply and often directly from the source.

The Virtue of the Word

October 2022

General Conference

Mark D. Eddy

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/10/54eddy?lang=eng&verse=#p

Drenching Ourselves In Scriptures

What Kinds of Things Can We Do to Maintain the Fire of Our Convictions?

Experiences like FSY conferences, camps, sacrament meetings, and missions can help to burnish our testimonies, taking us through arcs of growth and spiritual discovery to places of relative peace. But what must we do to stay there and continue to “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ” (2 Nephi 31:20) rather than slipping backward? We must continue to do those things that brought us there in the first place, like praying often, drenching ourselves in scripture, and serving sincerely.

For some of us, it may require an exercise of trusting in the Lord even to attend sacrament meeting. But once we are there, the healing influence of the Lord’s sacrament, infusions of gospel principles, and the nurture of the Church community can send us home on higher ground.

Lasting Discipleship

October 2022

General Conference

Steven J. Lund

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/10/45lund?lang=eng&verse=#p

The First Great Commandment - Do You Love the Lord?

Do you love the Lord?

Spend time with Him. Meditate on His words. Take His yoke upon you. Seek to understand and obey, because “this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” When we love the Lord, obedience ceases to be a burden. Obedience becomes a delight. When we love the Lord, we seek less for things that benefit us and turn our hearts toward things that will bless and uplift others.

The Great Commandment

October 2007

2000–2009

Joseph B. Wirthlin

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2007/10/the-great-commandment?lang=eng&verse=#p

There was much more to my reading than just marking scriptures.

There was much more to my reading than just marking scriptures. With each reading of the Book of Mormon, front to back, I was filled with a profound love for the Lord. I felt a deeply rooted witness of the truth of His teachings and how they apply to “this day.” This book fits its title, “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” With that study and the spiritual witness that was received, I became a Book of Mormon missionary and a disciple of Jesus Christ.

This Day

October 2022

General Conference

Ronald A. Rasband

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/10/17rasband?lang=eng&verse=#p

A father who reads scripture to and with his children acquaints them with the voice of the Lord

 A father who reads scripture to and with his children acquaints them with the voice of the Lord.

Fathers

April 2016

2010–2019

D. Todd Christofferson

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/04/fathers?lang=eng&verse=#p

Give [God] A Fair Share of Your Time

 With frightening speed, a testimony that is not nourished daily “by the good word of God” can crumble. Thus, the antidote to Satan’s scheme is clear: we need daily experiences worshipping the Lord and studying His gospel. I plead with you to let God prevail in your life. Give Him a fair share of your time. As you do, notice what happens to your positive spiritual momentum.

The Power of Spiritual Momentum

April 2022

General Conference

Russell M. Nelson

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/04/47nelson?lang=eng&verse=#p

What It Means to Study the Scriptures

 When I say “study,” I mean something more than reading. It is a good thing sometimes to read a book of scripture within a set period of time to get an overall sense of its message, but for conversion, you should care more about the amount of time you spend in the scriptures than about the amount you read in that time. I see you sometimes reading a few verses, stopping to ponder them, carefully reading the verses again, and as you think about what they mean, praying for understanding, asking questions in your mind, waiting for spiritual impressions, and writing down the impressions and insights that come so you can remember and learn more. Studying in this way, you may not read a lot of chapters or verses in a half hour, but you will be giving place in your heart for the word of God, and He will be speaking to you. Remember Alma’s description of what it feels like: “It beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.” You will know that the gospel is being written in your heart, that your conversion is happening, as the word of the Lord from His prophets, past and present, feels more and more delicious to your soul.

When Thou Art Converted

April 2004

D. Todd Christofferson

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2004/04/when-thou-art-converted?lang=eng&verse=#p

As we are increasingly coming to know the Savior, scriptural passages and the words of the prophets become so intimately meaningful to us that they become our own words.

 I am realizing that how intimately I know the Savior significantly influences my ability to hear Him as well as how I respond....We need to recognize that knowing the Savior is the most important pursuit of our lives. It should take priority over anything else....As we are increasingly coming to know the Savior, scriptural passages and the words of the prophets become so intimately meaningful to us that they become our own words. It is not about copying the words, feelings, and experiences of others as much as it is coming to know for ourselves, in our own unique way, by experimenting upon the word and receiving a witness from the Holy Ghost.

Our Personal Savior

April 2021

Michael John U. Teh

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/04/48teh?lang=eng&verse=#p

Whenever possible I would rather have the reader focus directly on Book of Mormon language than on someone else's language about it

Whenever possible I have let the scriptures speak for themselves without commentary from me.  Occasionally those passages are quite lengthy...Whenever possible I would rather have the reader focus directly on Book of Mormon language than on someone else's language about it.  

Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, Preface

Intensity and Consistency Is Required

Over the years many of my students and others have come to my office inquiring as to how they might become better students of the scriptures. I have also frequently been asked how men like my father, Elder Bruce R. McConkie, and my grandfather President Joseph Fielding Smith, both of whom had the reputation of being gospel scholars, studied the scriptures. Implicit in such questions is the idea that there is some methodology or secret known to but a few, and that secret gives those who know it a marked advantage in scriptural understanding. Indeed, I will reveal the great and grand secret. It is that there is no secret.

As to my father and my grandfather, their method consisted in not having a method. Methods are not the answer! Effective scriptural study has nothing to do with the marking system you use. It has nothing to do with the choice of a blue marking pencil over a red one. It has nothing to do with whether you study a particular subject chronologically or topically. It has nothing to do with your using a quad instead of a triple combination. It has nothing to do with the size of the type unless you are getting older.

It has everything to do with the intensity and consistency with which you study. There are no shortcuts; there are no secrets.

Joseph Fielding McConkie, “The ‘How’ of Scriptural Study,” in By Study and by Faith: Selections from the Religious Educator, ed. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Kent P. Jackson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009).

Joseph Fielding McConkie is a professor emeritus of ancient scripture at BYU. This address was given at BYU Education Week, August 2006.

Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games, or social media.

Don’t yield to Satan’s lie that you don’t have time to study the scriptures. Choose to take time to study them. Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games, or social media. You may need to reorganize your priorities to provide time for the study of the word of God. If so, do it!

Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority, Elder Richard G. Scott, October 2014 General Conference

Feasting upon the scriptures is not just reading them. It should bring us real joy and build our relationship with the Savior..

Feasting upon the scriptures is not just reading them. It should bring us real joy and build our relationship with the Savior...

The words of Christ will profoundly touch hearts and open the eyes of those who do not yet see Him. On the road to Emmaus, two disciples walked with Jesus. They were sad and did not comprehend that the Savior had triumphed over death. In their grief, they did not recognize that the living Christ was walking with them. Though Jesus “expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself,” they still did not recognize Him as the resurrected Savior until they sat and broke bread with Him. Then did their “eyes” open. As we—or our friends, associates, and neighbors—feast and break bread with Him, our eyes of understanding will open. When the disciples at Emmaus reflected on their time with the resurrected Savior, they said that their hearts burned within them while He opened the scriptures to them (see Luke 24:27–32). This will be true for all of us.

Feasting upon the Words of Christ

April 2019

General Conference

Takashi Wada

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/04/26wada?lang=eng&verse=#p