Lessons on the Book of Mormon 2020
Lesson No. Forty-Eight
The Less Conspicuous Spiritual Gifts Change Our Lives – Moroni 10
The importance of spiritual gifts and how to obtain them is a central theme of Moroni 10 – “And again, I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them” (Vs 8).
Moroni next gives several examples of gifts of the Spirit. These spiritual gifts include: the gift to teach the word of wisdom; the gift to teach the word of knowledge; the gift of exceeding great faith; the gift of healing; the gift to work mighty miracles; the gift to prophesy; the gift of beholding angels and ministering spirits; the gift of tongues; the gift of the interpretation of languages. (See Vs 9-16).
“And all these gifts come by the Spirit of Christ; and they come unto every man severally, according as he will. And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ” (Vs 17-18).
Every person is given a gift by the Spirit of God, and it is our responsibility to develop and share our gifts – The Lord said: “For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby” (D&C 46:11-12).
Elder Marvin J. Ashton of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles spoke of spiritual gifts that are not always evident or noteworthy but that are real, valuable, and very important. Some of these less conspicuous spiritual gifts include: “The gift of asking; the gift of listening; the gift of hearing and using a still, small voice; the gift of being able to weep; the gift of avoiding contention; the gift of being agreeable; the gift of avoiding vain repetition; the gift of seeking that which is righteous; the gift of not passing judgment; the gift of looking to God for guidance; the gift of being a disciple; the gift of caring for others; the gift of being able to ponder; the gift of offering prayer; the gift of bearing a mighty testimony; and the gift of receiving the Holy Ghost…
We must remember that to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. It is our right and responsibility to accept our gifts and to share them” (There are Many Gifts, Ensign, Nov 1987).
We are to seek earnestly for the best gifts (see D&C 46:8) many of which are among the less conspicuous ones – In the last three verses of the Book of Mormon Moroni speaks of eternally valuable, less conspicuous, spiritual gifts:
The gift to love God with all our might, mind and strength – Moroni concludes the Book of Mormon with a powerful explanation of how we can come unto Christ and lay hold upon every good gift: “And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift….Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ” (Vs 30, 32).
The gift of grace – Grace is celestial currency that we receive when we labor in the work of the Lord. (See Mosiah 18:26) Grace is the enabling power of God whereby we can be perfected and sanctified in Christ by the shedding of His blood, which is the covenant of the Father unto the remission of our sins, that we become holy, without spot. (See Vs 33).
I have been given a gift to see the wonder of the Book of Mormon and a desire to ponder it in my heart (See Moroni 10:3) – This less conspicuous spiritual gift has changed my life.
As we conclude this years study of the Book of Mormon I feel to exclaim, paraphrasing the words of Nephi: “And in these Lessons I write the things of my soul. For my soul delighteth in the Book of Mormon, and my heart pondereth it, and I write for the learning and profit of my children” (See 2 Nephi 4:15).
As I ponder these things in my heart I remember how merciful the Lord has been to the people of the latter days in giving us the Book of Mormon (Moroni 10:3), and I remember the promise that if we will “ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if the Book of Mormon is true; and if we ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost we may know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:4).
I have asked and have received a personal witness, by the power of the Holy Ghost, that the Book of Mormon is true. This has given me to “know by same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is His revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the Second Coming of the Messiah” (Book of Mormon, Introduction).