Act in Doctrine - Chapter One

I have been thinking deeply about this new book by Elder Bednar, and I wanted to record some of the main thoughts he teaches.

Really, anyone looking at these notes would want to read the whole book, so I won't try to summarize, but here are the points that are particularly resonating with me:

• The scriptures are full of invitations to ACT.  It's not enough to simply know something.  We have to do something with what we know. ("Let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence" - Doctrine and Covenants 107:99.)

• This question is powerful: What doctrines and principles, if understood, would help me or you to live more consistently with what we know is true?  Isn't that beautiful?  Every single problem I have in my life goes back to this.  That's why I've been studying faith in the atonement of Christ.  I get too stressed and worried about the things that are on "my" shoulders, when really, the Lord has already taken them upon Himself.

•  I wrote a bit about this idea here on my other blog (Fighting the Inclination to Turn Inward), but main idea is that the Lord's character is what enabled the atonement.  He always turned outward and served others--even when He was in the midst of pain.  (After fasting for 40 days, He sent angels to minister to John the Baptist, who was in prison.  In the upper room, right before the atonement took place and before He was crucified, He was comforting His apostles and giving the Intercessory Prayer. He healed the ear of the guard right after He was betrayed. He asked the Father to forgive those who crucified Him. He made sure His mother was cared for while He was hanging on the cross.)

•  And I love that the word "Character" has the word "act" right in the middle.  And that the word "charity" (though not related) has "char" as a part of it.

• Elder Bednar describes what a "drip" system is in gardening/irrigation.  It "involves dripping water onto the soil at very low rates from a system of small plastic pipes fitted with outlets called emitters or drippers.  Unlike surface and sprinkler irrigation that invloves flooding or gushing or spraying large quantities of water where it may not be needed, drip irrigation applies water close to a plant so that only the part of the soil in which the roots grow is wetted."  It's more focused and more frequent, and it provides a high moisture level in the soil.  THIS is how we need to get our spiritual nourishment--drop by drop, day by day.  We can't study our scriptures for 5 hours and have that be more productive than 30 minutes a day for 10 days.  It needs to sink into our souls.  We need to have time to act upon what we are learning.  

• And in the ordinary days of our lives, we are laying the foundation of a great work.  D&C 64:33.

I love the questions that go with this book, as well.  Elder Bednar has done an absolutely beautiful job putting this together.