family looking at photo album

December 26–January 1

We Are Responsible for Our Own Learning

The purpose of the scriptures is to help you come unto Christ and become more deeply converted to His gospel. Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families can help you understand the scriptures and find in them the spiritual strength you and your family need. Then, in your Church classes, you will have opportunities to share insights and encourage your fellow Saints in their efforts to follow Christ.

Record Your Impressions

“What seek ye?” Jesus asked the disciples of John the Baptist (John 1:38). You might ask yourself the same question—for what you find in the New Testament this year will greatly depend on what you seek. “Seek, and ye shall find” is the Savior’s promise (Matthew 7:7). So ask the questions that come to your mind as you study, and then seek diligently for answers. In the New Testament you will read about the powerful spiritual experiences of disciples of Jesus Christ. As a faithful disciple of the Savior, you can have your own powerful spiritual experiences as you accept the Savior’s invitation, found throughout this sacred volume, “Come, follow me” (Luke 18:22).

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Ideas for Personal Scripture Study

To truly learn from the Savior, I must accept His invitation, “Come, follow me.”

The Savior’s invitation, “Come, follow me,” applies to all—whether we are new on the path of discipleship or have walked it all our lives. This was His invitation to a rich young man who was striving to keep the commandments (see Matthew 19:16–22; Luke 18:18–23). What the young man learned—and what we all must learn—is that being a disciple means giving our whole souls to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We progress in our discipleship as we identify what we lack, make changes, and seek to more fully follow Them.

Learning from the Savior starts when we strive to understand what He taught. For example, how does your understanding of humility deepen as you explore the following?

• The Savior’s teachings (see Matthew 18:1–5; Luke 18:9–14)

• An example from His life (see John 13:1–15)

If you want to learn more, try this activity with another gospel principle, such as love or forgiveness.

I am responsible for my own learning.

Elder David A. Bednar taught: “We should not expect the Church as an organization to teach or tell us everything we need to know and do to become devoted disciples and endure valiantly to the end. Rather, our personal responsibility is to learn what we should learn, to live as we know we should live, and to become who the Master would have us become. And our homes are the ultimate setting for learning, living, and becoming” (“Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 102).

What does it mean to take responsibility for your own learning? Look for possible answers in Elder Bednar’s statement and in the following scriptures: John 7:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; James 1:5–6, 22; 2:17; 1 Nephi 10:17–19; 2 Nephi 4:15; Alma 32:27; and Doctrine and Covenants 18:18; 58:26–28; 88:118. What do you feel inspired to do to be more active in learning the gospel?

I need to know the truth for myself.

Perhaps you know people who never seem to lose their faith, no matter what happens in their lives. They may remind you of the five wise virgins in the Savior’s parable (see Matthew 25:1–13). What you may not see are their diligent efforts to strengthen their testimonies of the truth.

How do we gain and nurture our own testimonies? Write down your thoughts as you ponder the following scriptures: Luke 11:9–13; John 5:39; 7:14–17; Acts 17:10–12; 1 Corinthians 2:9–11; and Alma 5:45–46. (See also Gospel Topics, “Testimony,” topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.)

young woman by a path

Each of us must gain a testimony for ourselves.

What should I do when I have questions?

As you seek spiritual knowledge, questions will come to your mind. The following principles can help you address questions in ways that build faith and testimony:

• Seek understanding from God. God is the source of all truth, and He reveals truth through the Holy Ghost, the scriptures, and His prophets and apostles.

• Act in faith. If answers don’t come right away, trust that the Lord will reveal answers when the time is right. In the meantime, keep living by the truth you already know.

• Keep an eternal perspective. Try to see things as the Lord sees them, not as the world does. View your questions in the context of our Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation.

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Ideas for Family Scripture Study and Home Evening

Matthew 13:1–23.To help your family prepare to learn from the New Testament this year, you could read the parable of the sower. Your family might enjoy going outside and looking for the different types of ground described in the parable. How can we make our hearts like the “good ground” Jesus described? (Matthew 13:8).

Galatians 5:22–23; Philippians 4:8.President Russell M. Nelson has invited you to “transform [your] home into a sanctuary of faith” and to “remodel your home into a center of gospel learning.” To those who do these things, he promised: “Your children will be excited to learn and to live the Savior’s teachings, and the influence of the adversary in your life and in your home will decrease. Changes in your family will be dramatic and sustaining” (“Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 113).

The beginning of the new year is a good time to hold a family council about making your home “a sanctuary of faith” and “a center of gospel learning.” What ideas about how to do this come to mind as we read Galatians 5:22–23 and Philippians 4:8? Maybe your family could set personal and family goals to study the New Testament this coming year. What can we do to remind ourselves of our goals?

For more ideas for teaching children, see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Primary.

Suggested song: “Teach Me to Walk in the Light,” Children’s Songbook, 177.

Improving Personal Study

Look for doctrine. A doctrine is an eternal, unchanging truth. President Boyd K. Packer declared that “true doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior” (“Little Children,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 17). As you and your family study the scriptures, look for truths that can help you to live more like the Savior.

Jesus Christ

Light of the World, by Brent Borup