God Spoke to Ammon

One of my favorite things about the scriptures is how revelations from God to His servants are depicted, like this one to Ammon:

11 And it came to pass that Ammon went and inquired of the Lord, and the Lord said unto him:
12 Get this people out of this land, that they perish not; for Satan has great hold on the hearts of the Amalekites, who do stir up the Lamanites to anger against their brethren to slay them; therefore get thee out of this land; and blessed are this people in this generation, for I will preserve them (Alma 27).

God literally speaks to His chosen servants. The communications He sends are as clear and understandable as when two men speak aloud to each other face to face. They are so clear that they can easily be written down on a piece of paper or passed on to others by word of mouth. It intrigues me to no end how this is accomplished. I wonder did Ammon hear an audible voice coming from above him, in the direction of heaven? Or perhaps did the ideas formulate in his mind through the Holy Ghost? I suppose it could have been one of numerous different ways, but the fact is that the revelation was transferred from God to man in a manner that was understandable to man. This is a great blessing, to be able to go to God and receive direction on the way we need to go. 

God is Merciful

The following discussion by Ammon on God's mercy sticks out to me and impresses me:

17 Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state?
18 Behold, we went forth even in wrath, with mighty threatenings to destroy his church.
19 Oh then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal despair?
20 Oh, my soul, almost as it were, fleeth at the thought. Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls (Alma 26).

The phrase that impresses me most is in bold: it is that God withheld exercising the full measure of justice in regard to these vile sinners. It makes me realize that if God punished all sin immediately then I would imagine that the sons of Mosiah would have been justly destroyed for their many sins long before their repentance and long before their missionary labors, and long before the conversion of all these thousands of Lamanites. God saw their end from the beginning. He is so wise. He is all-wise. This event depicted here should lead me to trust Him more fully; trust in His wisdom and timing always. 

God's mercy has been demonstrated in my own life so many times. Indeed in my own history their were long stretches of time when God withheld justice from coming down and crushing me. I, like Ammon, should always remember this and rejoice that God is merciful. 

Alma 24

An awe-inspiring event. 

Alma 23

I think it would be fascinating to hear the details on the one Amalekite who was converted to The Lord. How did he escape from that people and lifestyle and beliefs? It must have been a miracle. 

Even when times are tough

Joesph was in a really rough situation. He was falsely imprisoned and stuck in jail. I think the following verses illustrate a very admirable quality that Joseph had.

13 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.
 14 But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:
 15 For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon  (Genesis 40).

Yes, he acknowledged his unpleasant situation and we see him here actively trying to better his benighted circumstances by leveraging the help of a guy who might be able to help him. In fact, it was in the very act of magnifying his calling in that dungeon that he say a sliver of light and a possible way out. But he did not dwell on his sad circumstances to the point that they consumed him. He got up every day and did the best he could under the circumstances. I hope I can emulate this example in my life, in good times and especially in bad times.

To know God

Upon learning the truth about the origins of man and the creation of the earth and the Plan of Salvation, this man declared:

17 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:
18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead (Alma 22).

That man was completely humble. He was in a state where he was willing to do anything to know God. How do I compare, I wonder? Maybe my question is analogous to that of the rich young ruler, who asked of Christ, "what lack I yet"?

Perhaps one answer to my own self is that I need to spend more time nurturing my relationship with God through prayer and pondering and reverent meditation. One way Nicole and I have decided to accomplish this is that we have planned to take individual trips to the Temple on alternating months. These will consist of a 2-hour drive down to Orlando, a Temple session, an opportunity to sit individually in the Celestial room, and another 2-hour drive home. That is going to be a significant chunk of alone time. It will allow for a lot of personal thought and reflection, as well as a lot of listening to and seeking the voice of the Lord.

Missionary Scriptures

Nephi and his brothers went to Jerusalem, to the house of Laban, and obtained the brass plates, the scriptures, the account of God's dealings with His peoples since the world began; he brought back to his father Lehi a scriptural account that is somewhat analogous to our modern day Old Testament, only Nephi's version was a much earlier, much purer rendition of the Scriptures. The scriptures were had among the people of king Mosiah and on into the reign of the judges. I wonder how many people had a personal copy of the Scriptures though. Based on the following scriptures, it seems like Aaron, one of the sons of Mosiah, had a personal set:

12 And it came to pass that when Aaron saw that the king would believe his words, he began from the creation of Adam, reading the scriptures unto the king—how God created man after his own image, and that God gave him commandments, and that because of transgression, man had fallen.
13 And Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him, and their carnal state and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name (Alma 22).

I would assume that a personal copy of the scriptures wasn't the easiest thing to obtain. Each copy had to be transcribed by hand, and that much have been an awful lot of pages to transcribe. Perhaps because Aaron was a son of the king he had more ready access to the Scriptures, as well as the education to read and understand them, and perhaps that is why he was able to get his own set.

 

Another interpretation is that he "read" the scriptures to the king out of his memory. Our own modern day missionaries were in the habit of memorizing the scriptures and discussions they taught word for word. Either way, it is clear that Aaron knew the scriptures well, having studied them diligently and obtained the word from them. And it is also clear that the scriptures are the most critical tool a missionary can have. Surely the mission trip of Aaron and his brothers would have been a failure without the power of the scriptures. Using those scriptures Aaron and his brothers tutored and trained kings in the ways of the Lord. 

Patient

Here's how I should be:

28 ...therefore the brethren of Ammon were brought forth out of prison.
29 And when Ammon did meet them he was exceedingly sorrowful, for behold they were naked, and their skins were worn exceedingly because of being bound with strong cords. And they also had suffered hunger, thirst, and all kinds of afflictions; nevertheless they were patient in all their sufferings.

May I patiently endure all the kinds of afflictions the Lord sees fit I should endure, that it might be said of me, at the end of my trials, that I endured them patiently. I know I will need the constant companionship of the Spirit of God, and His constant blessings in order to do so. 

Alma 20

False traditions can be perpetuated from generation to generation, like the false belief that the Nephite people had cheated the Lamanite people in some beginning:

13 And now when Lamoni had rehearsed unto him all these things, behold, to his astonishment, his father was angry with him, and said: Lamoni, thou art going to deliver these Nephites, who are sons of a liar. Behold, he robbed our fathers; and now his children are also come amongst us that they may, by their cunning and their lyings, deceive us, that they again may rob us of our property.

This tradition has its roots in the time when the Lord told Nephi to flee from the land first settled by his family because his brothers, Laman and Lemuel, were going to try to kill him. The Lord instructed Nephi to take with him the plates of brass and the Liahona and the sword of Laban, and perhaps other things. This is the "robbery" referred to by Lamoni's father. Laman and Lemuel had always taught their children that this was the case. 

False traditions will be perpetuated from generation to generation unless we make it not so. Each one of us has learned beliefs, habits, or traditions that are not correct because we come from imperfect parents. It is our duty to root those things out of our lives so that they don't get passed on to the next generation. Do you want your children or your close friends to pick up your bad habits so that those bad habits can plague them all their lives too? No. So you have to get them  out of your life.

How do I obtain a living, abiding faith?

President Joseph Fielding Smith answers:

… If we want to have a living, abiding faith, we must be active in the performance of every duty as members of this Church. …

I can't pick and choose duties. I can't do really well in my Church calling and then excuse myself for not doing my home teaching duties. I have to perform every duty. This is a great challenge for me (specifically referring to home teaching again). But a worthy one!

Comparing Israel

It is interesting to look at the family of Jacob (Israel) and compare. Here on one hand you have Joseph who stayed morally clean and faithful to God and rose to great success and renown. On the other hand you have a son who loses his birthright, and other children who fall into great sin. This was not a perfect family, and yet that family was the Lord's covenant people. We would do well to remember this as we raise our family. Mistakes will occur. We have to always remember to not demand perfection, but always teach the true principles and doctrines, and encourage the pursuit of perfection.

Faith Without Works...

I ran into some evangelists from the "Christians on Campus" club two days ago who shared a beautiful message about Christ and how through His grace we are saved. I agreed with most of what they said, but of course there was this one nagging issue they kept trying to drive home and that I kept resisting (don't worry, we disagreed in a very appropriate, genial way). They claimed that eternal life is a free gift for all those who believe in Jesus Christ.

That idea goes against a tenant of my faith, which, as it happens, is a subject that President Joseph Fielding Smith addresses in last weeks Preistood/Relief Society lesson:

The Lord redeemed us with his blood, he gave us salvation, provided—and there is this condition which we must not forget—that we will keep his commandments, and always remember him.

It's cool how sometimes you read things that you just dealt with a couple days ago. I know the Lord requires not only our obedience but ultimately our whole heart, might, mind, and soul in exchange for eternal life in His Kingdom. It is the challenge of my life to qualify for that, the greatest of all gifts. 

All Things Work Together

I love this commentary on Joseph of Egypt. I'm going to have to re-post it here word for word:

“The story of Joseph, the son of Jacob who was called Israel, is a vivid representation of the great truth that ‘all things work together for good to [those] who loved God.’ (See Rom. 8:28.) Joseph always seemed to do the right thing; but still, more importantly, he did it for the right reason. And how very, very significant that is! Joseph was sold by his own brothers as a slave and was purchased by Potiphar, a captain of the guard of Pharaoh. But even as an indentured servant, Joseph turned every experience and all circumstances, no matter how trying, into something good.

“This ability to turn everything into something good appears to be a godly characteristic. Our Heavenly Father always seems able to do this. Everything, no matter how dire, becomes a victory to the Lord. Joseph, although a slave and wholly undeserving of this fate, nevertheless remained faithful to the Lord and continued to live the commandments and made something very good of his degrading circumstances. People like this cannot be defeated, because they will not give up. They have the correct, positive attitude, and Dale Carnegie’s expression seems to apply: If you feel you have a lemon, you can either complain about how sour it is, or you can make a lemonade. It is all up to you.” (Hartman Rector, Jr., “Live above the Law to Be Free,” Ensign, Jan. 1973, p. 130.)

Genesis 39

Joseph got into big trouble even though he was totally innocent:

 19 And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.
 20 And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.

This part seems strange to me. It seems like Potiphar was overly lenient on Joesph. I would assume that he could have easily had Joseph put to death for so heinous an offense as trying to seduce his wife. It seems like any master who found a servant accused of that would have them immediately killed. And yet he let Joseph live.

My opinion is that Potiphar suspected his wife was perhaps not being truthful about this matter. I'm guessing that she was an unfaithful woman and that she had done this in the past with other men and I think her husband either knew that or suspected that or sensed that. I think that is why he put Joseph in prison instead of to death. I think he saw Joseph's purity in his countenance and I think he trusted in Joseph's character fully. And yet he had to do something. Here was an accusation from his own wife. Things would never be the same again. Joseph had to leave. And so I think he mercifully placed him in prison. But I think he knew Joseph was innocent or else I don't see any reason he would have let him live.

Alma 16

I believe that the Lord is preparing the hearts and the minds of many people right here in the town I live in. There are many I do not doubt that will come within the sound of my voice.

16 And there was no inequality among them; the Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming—
17 That they might not be hardened against the word, that they might not be unbelieving, and go on to destruction, but that they might receive the word with joy, and as a branch be grafted into the true vine, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord their God.

My question then of course, is the same question we all have who want to participate in the gathering of Israel: where are they? Who are they and what do I say to them? Which one of them will cross my path today and how will I know it?

Humility can come in different ways

Here is a group of people who who humbled themselves and repented and began keeping the commandments because of the preaching and efforts of Alma. They seem to have humbled themselves because of the word of God.

17 Therefore, after Alma having established the church at Sidom, seeing a great check, yea, seeing that the people were checked as to the pride of their hearts, and began to humble themselves before God, and began to assemble themselves together at their sanctuaries to worship God before the altar, watching and praying continually, that they might be delivered from Satan, and from death, and from destruction—(Alma 15)

Compare with those who are compelled to be humble. Alma later explained to a different group of people:

13 And now, because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seekethrepentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved.
14 And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word?
15 Yea, he that truly humbleth himself, and repenteth of his sins, and endureth to the end, the same shall be blessed—yea, much more blessed than they who are compelled to be humble because of their exceeding poverty.
16 Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized withoutstubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe (Alma 32).

Alma 15

Here is a man who gave up all his worldly possessions to serve the Lord:

16 And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek, Amulek having forsaken all his gold, and silver, and his precious things, which were in the land of Ammonihah, for the word of God, he being rejected by those who were once his friends and also by his father and his kindred;

That is not an easy thing to do. There must be a good chance that Amulek was married and had children. They rejected and disowned him apparently. Would I be ready to give it all up right now if it was necessary? 

Latitude of Mercy

It was said of President Smith:

“His decisions were always made in kindness and love and with the widest latitude of mercy that the circumstances could justify. It was not uncommon for him to say on learning the circumstances of an aggravated case, ‘Why don’t people behave themselves?’ This was not said accusingly or by way of condemnation but with sadness and regret.”

I wonder if that attitude would serve us well as parents, in all the disciplining we do in our home. Surely this applies in our home with our own spouses and children as it applies anywhere else. Could we perhaps be a little more lenient with our children? 

God is fair

God is perfectly just and fair. He loves all His children and has given us all an equal chance through our ability to choose for ourselves whether to do good or evil. Long before this life began He commissioned every single one of us to do great things with our time and talents on this earth as the prophet Alma explains:

4 And thus they have been called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this they might have had as great privilege as their brethren.
5 Or in fine, in the first place they were on the same standing with their brethren;

See that? In the beginning we were all on equal ground and we all had a fair chance and we are all responsible for where we are now and where we will be tomorrow. Any disadvantage we perceive now in our lives is not because God is cruel or unfair. Indeed, perhaps we are yet to develop a talent that will more than compensate for a perceived disadvantage. Remember the blind man in the scriptures who Christ healed? Christ explained that some people so stricken so that the miracles of God can be manifest through them. 

I believe in a perfectly just and fair God. 

To see if we will do all things He has commanded

This life is an exam. We are the subject of the examination. Down here on earth we will find ourselves in all sorts of different circumstances, up against all kinds of challenges, struggling against all manner of temptations, having the opportunity to seize all kinds of opportunities. God is watching, always watching. Watching, but not always intervening, because the test is to see what we will do. As the prophet Alma puts it, we are

...in the first place... left to choose good or evil;

And if we choose the right,

...therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling.... 

That first statement impresses me, that we are left to choose good or evil. We are free to choose our life and what we'll be, for good or no.We are in the drivers seat. We our manning the steering wheel of our own vessel.

Of course God has given us the Spirit of Christ which is an innate gift everybody receives that helps us know instinctively what is right and what is wrong. Additional heavenly guidance is available through prayer, scripture study, and receiving the gift of the constant guidance of the Holy Ghost after baptism. Still more Divine direction is available as we align our lives with the commandments of God and serve Him in His Temples.

Even with all these guiding tools, however, the choice is still always in our own hands. We are left to choose good or evil. God can make our conscience burn, He can send the Holy Ghost to whisper in our ears with a still, small voice, He can even send a prophet to preach to us. But He will never force the human mind. He respects our ability choose for ourselves the way we will go.

I am thankful for how perfectly respectful God is of our ability to choose for ourselves between good and evil. I am grateful for the invaluable guidance He gives me on a daily basis. I hope that at the end of this examination it can be said of me that I made my choices wisely and chose Him faithfully.  

Contention for Money

Last night I briefly flipped on the radio. There was an attorney hosting a show, taking calls from people in the community who were calling in about legal matters, mostly whether or not they should sue so-and-so for such-and-such. I immediately heard the women on the other end of the line ask, "so, should I sue him"? And the attorney rattled off his answer. The matter at hand seemed to me to be frivolous and petty. If she did decide to sue, it would be a case decided in the 100s of dollars range I would imagine. It impresses me that there are certain people in our community who seem to want to stir people up into contention with one another. And they seem to do it for the profit.

Don't think I am singling out any one profession by the way. It's not just the lawyers who do this. I only chose that example because it correlates with Alma 11:

20 Now, it was for the sole purpose to get gain, because they received their wages according to their employ, therefore, they did stir up the people to riotings, and all manner of disturbances and wickedness, that they might have more employ, that they might get money according to the suits which were brought before them; therefore they did stir up the people against Alma and Amulek.

Many Missionary Attempts are Seemingly Unsuccessful

From personal experience I know as well as anyone else that missionary work can seem to be demoralizing, discouraging, and deflating. In my experience much of the time it has been so (as a full-time missionary before and now as a member missionary). When these feelings do come, perhaps we can take some consolation in the fact that missionary work has never been easy, and brave old missionaries have had to "go against the grain" and appear unpopular and endure rejection since the beginning of time. Just look that Amulek's first missionary trip in Alma 10:

 16 And it came to pass that they began to question Amulek, that thereby they might make him cross his words, or contradict the words which he should speak.

and...

24 And now it came to pass that the people were more angry with Amulek, and they cried out, saying: This man doth revile against our laws which are just, and our wise lawyers whom we have selected.

and...

28 And now it came to pass that when Amulek had spoken these words the people cried out against him, saying: Now we know that this man is a child of the devil, for he hath lied unto us; for he hath spoken against our law. And now he says that he has not spoken against it.

And so it goes for each of us at times. Ever has been the nature of missionary work. So will it ever be. Sometimes people are receptive. Sometimes they are not. But if I let the bad experiences stop me from trying again I'll never hope to have those great joys that come when people are receptive to the Gospel message. I can experience great joy and exhilaration even doing the small and simple things of missionary work. Just extending a simple invitation, answering a single gospel question for one who is curious, or humbly praying and looking for my next missionary opportunity are very rewarding and uplifting activities in and of themselves. And I can count each one of those experiences as a success! 

Genesis 24

I love Laban and Bethuel's answer to the servant of Abraham after he had related all the circumstances and story behind his coming to look for a wife for Abraham's son Isaac. The servant of Abraham asks:

 49 And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.
 50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the Lord: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.

I love how definitive their answer is. They recognized that the Lord was in this, and so they concluded that whether they liked it or not, it was to be. I love it. They deferred to the will of the Lord without any question. They truly feared the Lord at this time. 

Rebekah herself was equally submissive and accepting of the will of the Lord. When her mother wanted her to stay awhile before leaving, her answer was simple:

55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.
 56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.
 57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth.
 58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. 59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men.

She said, "I will go." That's it. Immediate, humble submission to the Lord's will, even though it would totally alter the rest of her life. This woman was incredibly faithful. This impresses me. 

Testimony of Christ

In Alma 6, the prophet Alma is on a missionary trip, testifying of Jesus Christ, making known to all the people around the country who Christ is and the circumstances His birth, life, and death, and the eternal significance those events would have for everyone.

 10 And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.

 11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

 13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

I have a firm conviction that Jesus Christ is the divine Savior He claims to be in the scriptures. I have cultivated this conviction by trying to live His gospel and keep His commandments. I have experienced the reality of the peace of conscience that comes as I have repented of past sins. I do remember my past sins but they no longer trouble me. The guilt associated with those memories has been taken away. I am at peace. This peace of conscience is real and powerful evidence to me that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true and really works. The Author of this life-changing program must be real.

Beyond that, I find that my joy, happiness, fulfillment, peace, optimism, and outlook in life improve in proportion to how fully I follow the tenants of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has been the reason for everything good in my life.

Am I Prepared?

The first half of Alma 5 contains a series of very thought provoking questions about really how prepared we are to meet our Maker. Alma's tone is one of great urgency and deep emotion. He wants to make sure that each person is prepared:

27 Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins?

 28 Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life.

 29 Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless.

Alma's message and the urgency in his voice resonates with us because not any one of us knows exactly what day we will be "called" to die and return to our Heavenly Father, hence the importance of starting now, starting as early as we can to prepare ourselves for that day. Yes, we do all we can to maintain good health and prolong our lives as long as we can, but all of us have come to realize from our experiences here that life is so very fragile and so very fleeting. Not one of us is immune from illness, injury, or death. 

Today is my best opportunity to work on getting right with God. Today I can fix those little inconsistencies in my character that only He and I can see at the present moment. I once heard President Eyering promise that if we do our very best today to prepare ourselves and repent, then there will be enough time and we will be prepared when our day comes. 

Better Over than Under

I like how Alma took care of the invading Lamanite army. He didn't use any half measures:

 20 Now it came to pass that not many days after the battle which was fought in the land of Zarahemla, by the Lamanites and the Amlicites, that there was another army of the Lamanites came in upon the people of Nephi, in the same place where the first army met the Amlicites.

 21 And it came to pass that there was an army sent to drive them out of their land.

 22 Now Alma himself being afflicted with a wound did not go up to battle at this time against the Lamanites;

 23 But he sent up a numerous army against them; and they went up and slew many of the Lamanites, and drove the remainder of them out of the borders of their land (Alma 3).

 

I think it is good practice to send plenty of resources to get a job done. Many hands make light work. A previous Nephite king, Noah, had a different mentality. When faced with an invading Lamanite army, he sent only a small contingent of men, who were summarily wiped out, and then king Noah found himself on the ropes.

Service and Eternal Life

President Eyering gave the First Presidency message in this month's Ensign magazine. One thing that stuck out to me was as he was describing different acts of service the Savior did in His earthly ministry, one of those acts was feeding several of His apostles as they came ashore from a fishing trip:

12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
 13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise (John 21).

Jesus had roasted them fish and gave them bread to eat. He cooked dinner for them. That just strikes me as amazing. The resurrected Savior of the world went and gathered wood, rubbed sticks together to make fire, caught fish and prepared them, roasted them, and went and got bread and had it all ready for his apostles when they got ashore.

This is remarkable to me. I think this gives great insight into who Jesus was. He practiced exactly what He preached. He had previously told his apostles that he who would be greatest among them, would be a servant to his brethren. And so He served His brethren this simple meal to fill their bellies for just one evening. Such a seemingly small thing but I think it illustrates the intimate love and kindness He felt for His friends.

Also I see through this account that each delicious meal that Nicole prepares for our family is an act of Christian service to us. That should not be overlooked or taken for granted. Each meal should be received with thankfulness, and then gratitude should be shown afterward by helping to clean up the kitchen. Good ole George Durrant taught me that it is a great pleasure for a man to clean up the kitchen after his wife serves a delicious meal.

Check Yourself During Transitions

I keep noticing something about transitions as I read the scriptures. Whenever there is a transition, especially a major one like moving to a new form of government as in the case of the Nephites in Alma 1, that is one of the times when it seems like Satan likes to launch a new plan or strategy to lead people astray. Notice how in the very first year of a new form of government Satan launches a plan through his slave Nehor:

 2 And it came to pass that in the first year of the reign of Alma in the judgment-seat, there was a man brought before him to be judged, a man who was large, and was noted for his much strength.

 3 And he had gone about among the people, preaching to them that which he termed to be the word of God, bearing down against the church; declaring unto the people that every priest and teacher ought to become popular; and they ought not to labor with their hands, but that they ought to be supported by the people.

 4 And he also testified unto the people that all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice; for the Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life.

 5 And it came to pass that he did teach these things so much that many did believe on his words, even so many that they began to support him and give him money.

 6 And he began to be lifted up in the pride of his heart, and to wear very costly apparel, yea, and even began to establish a church after the manner of his preaching.

I think Satan does this because there may be the tendency or temptation to get distracted with new things that are going on in our lives. For example, after a move we may be tempted to spend so large a portion of our time and energy unpacking and organizing and decorating our new place that we hardly realize that we may be neglecting our family, our scripture study, our prayers, etc....Neglecting those important priorities makes us more susceptible to other temptations.

When transitions happen in my life, I want to try to make sure that all my good habits stay good habits and that no new bad habits creep in to my life. This could apply to moving to a new house, which is coming up for us in a couple months, getting a new job, starting a new semester at school, etc....

On Government

As king Mosiah aged it became necessary to start talking about his successor. A very interesting discussion on government ensues in Mosiah 29. I find some of his statements on this topic very interesting:

12 Now it is better that a man should be judged of God than of man, for the judgments of God are always just, but the judgments of man are not always just.

 13 Therefore, if it were possible that you could have just men to be your kings, who would establish the laws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments, yea, if ye could have men for your kings who would do even as my father Benjamin did for this people—I say unto you, if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you.

 14 And even I myself have labored with all the power and faculties which I have possessed, to teach you the commandments of God, and to establish peace throughout the land, that there should be no wars nor contentions, no stealing, nor plundering, nor murdering, nor any manner of iniquity;

 15 And whosoever has committed iniquity, him have I punished according to the crime which he has committed, according to the law which has been given to us by our fathers.

God inspired men to establish the constitution of the United States in part I think because He knows men are corruptible. Hence the establishment of a government with checks and balances and separation of powers, so that where one branch goes astray, the other branches can check and bring it back on course. But if all men and women who govern would just do so under the direction and inspiration of the commandments of God, we really wouldn't need such an elaborate government and hundreds of thousands of laws and giant bureaucracy to enforce the laws.

The way I take these statements from king Mosiah is that if people would be ruled by God, it wouldn't matter what type of earthly government we had, be it king, judges, presidents, or what have you. This being said, I'm still really grateful for the government we have here and the laws that are in place that protect my freedoms and responsibilities.

Alma the younger

Who is the most anti-religious, atheistic person you know? Who do you know that is not only openly agnostic, but aggressively seeks to dissuade all religious people to his or her point of view? Who do you know that has a personal vendetta against all things spiritual? Who do you know that has made it their personal mission in life to destroy the church and all faith in God?

That was Alma the younger. His father was a prophet of God, and he was the anti-prophet. Nothing worked. No amount of persuasion, no sermon or even intellectual argument could change Alma's mind. He would not listen to it. He would fight it until his last breath.

That was before the visitation though. Alma's father, who was also named Alma, fasted and prayed for what must have been many years and suffered to see his son working with all his heart to undo all the good things he was trying to do among the people. But one day, this miraculous thing happened:

An angel of God appeared to Alma while he was on his way to wreak more havoc against the faithful followers of Christ. The angel told Alma that the Lord had heard the many prayers of his father, and let him know in no uncertain terms that the Lord would not allow him to continue to hamper His work. Alma fell to the ground and was unconscious for several days.

When he woke up, Alma was a changed man. He did a complete 360-degree turn-around. The minute he awoke he immediately began to praise and glorify God. He spent the rest of his life repairing all the damage he had done and acting as zealously for the cause of Christ as he had against it. He became a great prophet.

So what happened while he was unconscious? How did such a drastic transformation occur? Read all about it in the Book of Mormon.

Laws of the Land

What if our leaders were to enact laws like this:

3 And there was a strict command throughout all the churches that there should be no persecutions among them, that there should be an equality among all men;
 4 That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support.

What if the federal government focused on making laws like this instead of making hundreds and thousands of other laws they make every year. What if instead of a giant welfare system, the government had a giant system to help people learn to labor with their own hands for their support? If these laws were in place I don't doubt that our country would become like king Mosiah's:

 6 And there began to be much peace again in the land; and the people began to be very numerous, and began to scatter abroad upon the face of the earth, yea, on the north and on the south, on the east and on the west, building large cities and villages in all quarters of the land.
 7 And the Lord did visit them and prosper them, and they became a large and wealthy people.

Time to call my local representatives! 

Numerous as the stars

After the Lord had promised Abraham seed, He did this powerful teaching lesson:

5 And he (the Lord) brought him (Abraham) forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be (Genesis 15).

This experience I would imagine was one that Abraham never forgot. Being out under the stars fills me with wonder and awe. There is something special and almost magical about gazing up at all those twinkling lights. Think of the awe it caused in Abraham's heart when the Lord told him that his seed would be numerous like the stars. And here he was, getting to be an old man, and still had no children, and indeed by all accounts it must have seemed to him and Sarah at that point that they would never have children, and that maybe it wasn't even physically possible to have children anymore.

But he believed the Lord! And the rest is history. Here I am, a child of Abraham and Sarah myself, one of billions, one little twinkling star among a whole sky full.

Blessings for the asking

I find it interesting that the Lord didn't discuss the offspring issue until Abraham brought it up:

2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

So many times the Lord lets us be until we ask a question or bring something up in prayer. Remember that there are many blessings He is more than willing to grant but makes conditional upon our asking for them. Well, what blessings am I missing out on? I want to be a blessing hog! What blessings could be ours in our family if only we would sincerely ask for them and seek them? I guess, as in the case with Abraham illustrated here, it starts with what righteous desires are in our hearts, righteous desires that drive us to our knees in prayer seeking them.

Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all things

How do you pray without ceasing? I've heard tidbits about great men who do this by living their life as if in prayer. When we pray we humble ourselves to our knees in worship to our maker, so they live each moment in humility, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. When we pray we focus our thoughts on God, so they live each moment with an eye single to His glory, and they look unto Him in every thought, with every thought, word, and action carried out with the purpose of glorifying Him. When we pray we give thanks, and so these men live with an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude for all blessings, and all trials, and all challenges, and everything.

I don't know if this is true but I heard once that a certain prophet lived his life this way, as if in continual prayer to God, and at night, with all his strength spent, he knelt down and simply uttered "in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." He closed his day with the name of the Savior, having spent every moment as if in prayer and worship of his Heavenly Father. His day was a prayer to God. His whole day.

The Strength of Youth

Mosiah 26 has an illustration of how much influence the youth of the Church can have, for good or for bad, in this case for bad:

 1 Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe the tradition of their fathers.
 5 And now in the reign of Mosiah they were not half so numerous as the people of God; but because of the dissensions among the brethren they became more numerous.
 6 For it came to pass that they did deceive many with their flattering words, who were in the church, and did cause them to commit many sins; therefore it became expedient that those who committed sin, that were in the church, should be admonished by the church.

These wayward youth were the cause of many many people leaving the Church. The youth of the Church are powerful, either for good or no. Nicole and I have a little powerful and influential flock of youth that will soon be unleashed in their own spheres of influence. I sure hope we can help train them to be always good influences on those around them, even blessings to their fellow men. 

Abraham

We get lots of amazing facts about Abraham from chapter 1 of the Book of Abraham from the Pearl of Great Price.

1. He somehow maintained great faith and righteous desires in a very wicked society and with no home or family support (v.1). 
2. He had to witness the human sacrifice of three pure and righteous young women who were his contemporaries. And this because they refused to bow down to the false gods.
3. His own father was wicked an idolatrous, and was involved in human sacrifices to pagan gods. And he allowed him, his own son, to be offered up to the priest of Pharaoh as a human sacrifice. 
4. He was miraculously saved at the last possible minute, on the sacrificial altar, by Jehova himself. He spoke face to face with the angel of the presence of Jehova (v.15).

So basically, Abraham was rock solid. 

Book of Abraham Facsimile No. 1

I heard a theory recently that the facsimile from the book of Abraham had been mis-interpreted by Joseph Smith. Today I was reading in Abraham 1 when I came across a direct reference to the facsimile by Abraham itself.

12 And it came to pass that the priests laid violence upon me, that they might slay me also, as they did those virgins upon this altar; and that you may have a knowledge of this altar, I will refer you to the representation at the commencement of this record.

 13 It was made after the form of a bedstead, such as was had among the Chaldeans, and it stood before the gods of Elkenah, Libnah, Mahmackrah, Korash, and also a god like unto that of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

 14 That you may have an understanding of these gods, I have given you the fashion of them in the figures at the beginning, which manner of figures is called by the Chaldeans Rahleenos, which signifies hieroglyphics.

 My faith is that the facsimile is translated correctly.

Mosiah 25

It just occured to me as I read this chapter that the sons of Mosiah were likely among the people who listened to the recital of all the records of the people who had joined the people of king Mosiah. They were among the people who must have been struck with wonder and amazement at all of this, and who thought:

 11 And again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their sinful and polluted state, they were filled with pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls.

Of course at this time if I'm not mistaken the sons of Mosiah were among the wicked youth and so they probably weren't filled with pain and anguish at the wickedness of the Lamanites. But I can't help but wonder that perhaps this was the beginning of their preparation to go and minister to the Lamanite peoples. And that perhaps after their conversion they remembered this and it worked on them and they were filled with a desire to go and minister to that people.

Mosiah 24

Some lessons I am reminded of in this chapter:

1. The Lord wisely refrains from shielding even His righteous children from misfortune and tragedy. This is evidenced by the fact that wicked Amulon and the Lamanites coincidentally happened upon Alma and the people of God, and subsequently enslaved them and persecuted them horribly (v.8-9).
2. Prayer is a critical lifeline, and when we have lived faithfully and righteously, prayer can be the means of securing God's comfort, peace, and support during our trials. Alma and his people poured out their whole souls to God in fervent and continual prayer for relief (v.10-14).
3. No matter the magnitude or the difficulty of the adversity we face, God can lend support and make our burdens seem light. God eased the burdens of the people so that they seemed light. Whether he made them physically stronger or whether he caused angels to be with the people and help them carry the burdens is not clear, but what is clear is that the burdens were made easy to bear (v.14-15).
4. After the trial of our faith, in God's own due time, when His purposes are fulfilled, whether to refine us or to humble us or to try us, He will deliver His righteous followers from all their afflictions. The people of Alma were miraculously delivered and led to join the people of Mosiah (v.16-25).

May we remember and trust in these principles as we face each wave of adversity, each test and trial in our life.

Free Stuff

Since there is no free lunch, and somebody has to pay for everything in one way or another, we should do well to be careful about promises of free stuff. Nowadays offers for "free stuff" zing in on us from every direction. Just remember that the free extra wine the Lamanites received was a trick:

 10 And king Limhi caused that his people should gather their flocks together; and he sent the tribute of wine to the Lamanites; and he also sent more wine, as a present unto them; and they did drink freely of the wine which king Limhi did send unto them (MSH 22).

Is free stuff really free? What do I get for "free"? Who really is paying the tab for it? How does getting free stuff affect me? These are all questions I have. I'm not saying I have the answers.

Humility

The people of Limhi humbled themselves, but only after they had first become angry and lashed out and were sorely and soundly defeated by the Lamanites. They chose first to lash out rather than humble themselves, and only after they were "put back in their place" did they soften and humble themselves:

14 And they did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions (MSH 20).

How much more blessed are those who humble themselves not because they are compelled to be humble by circumstances, but because of the word's sake (Alma 32:14)? I can see many evidences in my life where I did it the wrong way, where I had to be compelled to humility. Going forward may I make changes so that I will begin to humble myself because I believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. May hardness of heart be turned into selfless service to my family and friends.

Later, Limhi and his people showed evidence that they had truly humbled themselves by making a covenant with God to serve Him (v.32, 35), by desiring to be baptized to formalize that covenant (v.33), and by demonstrating charity by caring for and supporting the many widows and children among them whose husbands had died in the battles with the Lamanites (v.17). I can demonstrate humility in the same way through fasting and donating a generous fast offering, which offering may very well in fact go toward feeding, clothing, or housing a widow or a child.