"We need to feast upon the words of Christ in the scriptures and as these words come to us from living prophets. Just nibbling occasionally will not do. (See 2 Nephi 31:20 and 32:3.) Feasting means partaking with relish and delight and savoring—not gorging episodically in heedless hunger, but partaking gratefully, dining with delight, at a sumptuous spread carefully and lovingly prepared by prophet-chefs over the centuries. These words plus the gift of the Holy Ghost will tell us all things we should do. The scriptures, ancient and continuing, are the key of knowledge....
"Appreciation for and the acceptance of the scriptures and the words of the living prophets are much more important steps than many realize. The Lord has said, '...he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am.' (Ether 4:12.) To turn aside His teachings is to turn away from Him, and disdain for His doctrines is disdain for Him."
- Neal A. Maxwell, Wherefore Ye Must Press Forward [1977], pp. 28-29
With his remarkable gift of expression, Elder Maxwell teaches us the power of feasting on the words of Christ, as opposed to nibbling occasionally. Considering the difference in those two types of consuming physical food gives good insight into the spiritual application employed in the scriptures:
The additional insight Elder Maxwell offers is that to some extent, the attention we give to the scriptures reflects how we really feel about our Father in Heaven and our Savior. Disregard for the word of God is a sign of disregard for God Himself. We should be very careful what our behavior demonstrates! Our efforts to feast—"with relish and delight and savoring"—will be rewarded more than we anticipate.
(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)
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