LINE UPON LINE, PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT, HERE A LITTLE AND THERE A LITTLE (2 NEPHI 28:30)

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him thatreceiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have. (2 Nephi 28:30)

Some might wonder why we must read the Book of Mormon over and over again. Some might wonder why the temple teachings are repeated again and again. Those members of the church who have said to themselves, we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough (v.29), will receive no more. They will not learn anything new if they read the Book of Mormon a hundred more times. The Lord has said that our learning stops when we stop receiving the word of God. In contrast, if we understand that new things can be learned with every reading of the Book of Mormon and every visit to the House of the Lord, then the Lord says, unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

The plan of the Lord is to teach us in a piecemeal fashion, line upon line. He must feed us a bite at a time because we are not capable of swallowing an entire meal in one bite. He gives us time to taste the spiritual food, savor it, and digest it before the next delicious morsel is dispensed. The Lord has promised us that we need not stop eating at his hand-indeed, the feast is never over. Rather, we can continue to partake of his goodness as long as we are willing to receive it, and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom.

Many of us desire to know certain information before we are either prepared or able to act upon that knowledge. Elder Boyd K. Packer has eloquently addressed such concerns as follows:

"You cannot force spiritual things. Such words as compel, coerce, constrain, pressure, demand do not describe our privileges with the Spirit. You can no more force the Spirit to respond than you can force a bean to sprout, or an egg to hatch before its time. You can create a climate to foster growth; you can nourish, and protect; but you cannot force or compel: You must await the growth. Do not be impatient to gain great spiritual knowledge. Let it grow, help it grow; but do not force it, or you will open the way to be misled. ... Should we stand in need of revealed instruction to alter our course, it will be waiting along the way as we arrive at the point of need. (In Perfect Balance, p. 252-3)