Day 131

  • Principle: Learning is a lifetime endeavor.
  • Book of Mormon Reading: Mosiah 28:1 - 28:20
    •  From these verses how does one become a lifelong learner?
  • Read D&C 130:18-19 why do you think knowledge and intelligence will lead to an advantage in the next life? What do you think that advantage would be?
  • Study the following quotes and look for why you should be a lifetime learner.  

  • Henry B. Eyring:

    “No service that matters can be given over a lifetime by those who stop learning. A great teacher is always studying. A nurse never stops facing the challenge of dealing with something new, be it equipment or procedure. And the workplace in every industry is changing so rapidly that what we know today will not be enough for tomorrow.

    “Our education must never stop. If it ends at the door of the classroom on graduation day, we will fail. And since what we will need to know is hard to discern, we need the help of heaven to know which of the myriad of things we could study we would most wisely learn. It also means that we cannot waste time entertaining ourselves when we have the chance to read or to listen to whatever will help us learn what is true and useful. Insatiable curiosity will be our hallmark” (“Education for Real Life,” 4).

    Elder L. Tom Perry: “The rapidly changing world breeds obsolescence and requires us to be continually engaged in preparing ourselves for the future. We can become antiquated in our professions if we do not stay up-to-date. Imagine how many patients a dentist would have if he continued to use the same tools and techniques he used a decade ago. What about a businessman that tried to compete without the use of computers? Or a builder who had not stayed abreast of the latest materials and methods available? Education has, of necessity, become a lifelong pursuit. We must, in our scheduling of time, allot sufficient time to educate ourselves for now and for the future” (“If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 36).

  • Gordon B. Hinckley:

    “There is a great potential within each of us to go on learning. Regardless of our age, unless there be serious illness, we can read, study, drink in the writings of wonderful men and women. …

    “We of this Church have been given a marvelous promise by the Lord Himself. Said He: ‘That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day’ (D&C 50:24).

    “What a remarkable statement that is. It is one of my favorite verses of scripture. It speaks of growth, of development, of the march that leads toward Godhood. It goes hand in hand with these great declarations: ‘The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth’ (D&C 93:36); ‘If a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come’ (D&C 130:19); and, ‘whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection’ (D&C 130:18).

    “What a profound challenge is found in these marvelous statements. We must go on growing. We must continuously learn. It is a divinely given mandate that we go on adding to our knowledge” (“A Conversation with Single Adults,” Ensign, Mar. 1997, 61–62).

  • Gordon B. Hinckley:

    “The learning process is endless. We must read, we must observe, we must assimilate, and we must ponder that to which we expose our minds. I believe in the evolution of the mind, the heart, and the soul of humanity. I believe in improvement. I believe in growth. There is nothing quite as invigorating as being able to evaluate and then solve a difficult problem, to grapple with something that seems almost unsolvable and then find a resolution.

    “For such reasons, and because the pace and complexity of life demand it, we cannot afford to stop learning and growing and progressing. We must not rest in our personal development—development that is emotional and spiritual as well as mental. There is so much to learn and so little time in which to learn it” (Standing for Something [2000], 62).

  • What areas of knowledge do you feel you don't understand?  Take some time today to learn a little bit more about the topic or subject.
  • Additional Study