"Not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written"

“And your minds in time past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—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—That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion.” (Doctrine and Coventants 84:54–58)

This statement was included in a revelation dated 1832, which surprises me because I thought at that point the church was all about the Book of Mormon and the revelations Joseph Smith was receiving. And then President Benson told us that the church was still under this condemnation in 1986! And really, not much has changed since then. We’ve had a couple of Book of Mormon reading challenges, but not much in-depth analysis and discussion of what this means. 

So I want to see if I can change this in myself, to improve my ability “not only to say, but to do” what I find in the scriptures. Really, if my mind has been darkened through not paying attention to the light and truth I’ve already received, I should go back and look at it from a different perspective.

Starting with the Book of Mormon because that’s the scripture that’s named in the revelation, I’m going to post what I see that I should be doing, and try to implement that.