The Book of Mormon and the Bible

As of late I have been reading the New Testament. I love the New Testament especially the Gospels (JST: The Testimonies). I have been reading the Book of Mormon as well. I try to live strictly to the advice of reading the Book of Mormon everyday, so I do in small increments by reading one page a day. Reading the New Testament gets exciting to me. My favorite is when Christ stumps the Pharisees and other who are trying to catch him in his words. In the most meek and humble way he tears off there faces and hands it to them.

A few weeks ago I noticed something I have never noticed before. I was reading in the New Testament in the book of Mark. I felt good like I always do when reading the Bible. Feeling good while reading the scriptures to me means the spirit was in the room testifying of the truth of what I was reading. The spirit wasn't any stronger or weaker then it usually is. After finishing the Mark chapter I put my Bible down and I picked up the Book of Mormon and proceeded to read my page as I previously mentioned. There was something different reading the Book of Mormon that night. I felt the same spirit that I felt while reading the Bible but it was amplified. I wasn't just feeling good like I did before; it was as though the spirit knob was cranked up. I felt great. The words came alive and the feeling of "pure knowledge flowing into me," was there. I stopped reading and started to ponder, "Why has the spirit come to me with such a punch as it has just now". The spirit doesn't come to people just for fun. He's works are very deliberate with exact purpose. We may not know now or ever why he came, but it is my job to listen and try to understand what I am feeling.

After some pondering I felt I may have come to the answer. One of the reasons I stared to read the Bible is because I was getting a little tired of the Book of Mormon exclusively. Reading it everyday makes it difficult to read the other standard works. Also reading it year in and year out is a little tiresome for me too. So I decided to only read the New Testament for a time. My wife caught on to my activities and kindly suggested to me to still read the Book of Mormon while reading the Bible. I grudgingly followed her advice. Making that decision to read the Book of Mormon lead me to this experience.

Towards the end of my pondering session these verses came to my mind, "Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation. And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion ,even all. And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written." Doctrine and Covenants 84:55-57.

OK, maybe these verses didn't come verbatim to me, but the gist of it did. My decision to listen to my wife may be the best decision I have made in a while.