Flooding My Life with the Book of Mormon 2.0

1 Nephi 11:23 And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul. Joyous means to be full of joy. To experience joy is to be in a state of sublimely satisfying pleasure. It is to feel good all the way into my soul, to be filled with profound delight.  Although joy and happiness are synonyms in the dictionary, I distinguish the two words philosophically as spiritual vs. temporal. I speak of joy as eternal and soul-satisfying, whereas happiness is more temporary and superficial. It is not a valid distinction, however, and I think I make too much of the difference. For example, I read in the Book of Mormon about the "plan of happiness" as a synonym for the plan of salvation. And when the Nephites were in their most righteous periods, they were said to be living "after the manner of happiness." Whether I call it joy or happiness, what I want is to be filled with the comfort, peace, and delight that God's love can bring me. And because God is eternal,...

1 Nephi 8:12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit. Joy is a natural reaction to that which is good. When we know we have found a source of nourishment that is pleasing, we rejoice in the anticipated health and strength we will derive from it. How much deeper, richer, and more satisfying is our joy when we find spiritual nourishment, even the Bread of Life and the Living Water which never faileth.