Silver and Gold . . .

Today in primary, my class (CTR 10) was discussing the historical events that led up to the scriptures we now have. Each sat in class with their “quads” on their lap as we talked about our reading goals for the year. After class I was contemplating my first memories of my own scriptures. At their age we were not called CTR’s and no one brought scriptures to primary. In fact, none of us had our own. The first book I owned was the New Testament – not the entire Bible, just a small New Testament because we were learning about the life of Christ.

For the most part, the scriptures seemed entirely foreign to me and were hard to understand. I distinctly remember the day that changed. We had reached the book of Acts and had already covered the death and resurrection of Christ. Although those events were extremely significant, they had not touched my young spirit. As we moved into Acts, we were taught the following scriptures:

Acts 3:1-7

1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;

3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.

4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.

5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.

6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

I was stunned! Even at my young age, I understood enough to know that the apostles had little monetarily and would have had no money to give, but more important than any money, they had the power to exercise the Priesthood and give this man the ability to walk! For the first time, I realized the significance of the Gospel itself and the Priesthood authority which we have. Over and over again I found myself reading those passages in my little New Testament. Verse 6 probably was the first scripture that I ever memorized.To this day, those verses still have the power to touch my heart.

Years have gone by and I now own a beautiful set of leather scriptures but I will never forget those first moments when I held that little New Testament in my hands and felt the beginnings of my very own testimony!