For my part, I am glad the book will be with us "as long as the earth shall stand." I need and want additional time. For me, towers, courtyards, and wings await inspection. -Neal A. Maxwell

Wednesday, April 25, 2007 Alma 7 Joy after Affliction and Sorrow Alma shares with the people in Gideon how his joy for the people in Zarahemla came after "wading through much affliction and sorrow." (Alma 7:5) Alma did not simply preach to the people of Zarahemla. He prayed and fasted many days before he taught them. I'm sure he spend many days with them and among them and helping them. I'm sure he saw all the wickedness in which they were laboring. Alma worked hard to help them correct themselves. This work dragged him through much affliction and sorrow. There will be times when we will have to work with people in our home and visiting teaching. It will take time and lots of patience, but our joy will be full when those whom we teach finally repent. The Hope of Christ Alma 7:7 says, "For behold, I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all - for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people." At this time in the Nephite history, the people did not know that many, many wars and tribulations would come to them before Christ would visit them. They would have to endure a lot of suffering and dark times before Christ would come. I don't know if this is what Alma meant, but he seems to say that of all the things to come, that they should remember that Christ indeed would come. His coming was the most important future event and that they should remember it when the dark times come. Christ will come again to the earth. But just as the Nephites and Lamanites had to pass through much darkness, so too will we pass through much darkness before the Christ comes again. But we must remember that he will come and that we ought to always have hope in Him no matter how dark it will become. Christ's Sufferings While on this earth in his mortal life, Christ suffered many things. He suffered pain and afflictions and temptations of every kind. He suffered sickness and death. He suffered every pain and suffering (both physical and emotional) that every human has ever experienced … only Christ suffered it in a much greater magnitude. He suffered all these things "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." (Alma 7:12) Why is it important to know that Christ suffered for your sins and that Christ has suffered every pain and hurt you have felt? There is something about us humans that when we know someone else has suffered as we have … that we were and are not alone in our suffering, our own suffering is alleviated. Also, to know that Christ has suffered everything we have suffered helps us have a greater love and appreciation for Him. I have been sick many times in my life. But perhaps the one sickness that stands out foremost in my mind was the time I contracted a form of chicken pox while serving in Guatemala. I could not lay down and rest during this time because of the many duties I had to perform. One particular day required that my companion and I visit a remote area in order for me to perform a few baptismal interviews. The ride we took to get to this area was full and so I had to hang on to the side of a truck for about an hour. When we arrived, I had to hike for an hour, perform the interview and then hike back … all in the cold rain. We stayed the night in the area with the other missionaries. I remember crawling into bed and passing out … the pain in my head was unbearable. Eventually the fever broke and I was able to see a doctor who gave me medication. But the suffering I endured that week was the greatest I've endured in my life. After that week-long experience, I gained significant appreciation and love for the Savior. My mind cannot fathom the smallest portion of what the Savior had to endure in his life, let alone in Gethsemane. Attributes of a True Disciple Alma 7:23-24 is a doctrinally dense passage. Humility/meekness - Elder Maxwell greatly expanded on the definition of humility and meekness. "The meek are filled with awe and wonder with regard to God and His purposes in the universe. At the same time, the meek are not awestruck by the many frustrations of life; they are more easily mobilized for eternal causes and less easily immobilized by the disappointments of the day. "Because they make fewer demands of life, the meek are less easily disappointed. They are less concerned with their entitlements than with their assignments. "When we are truly meek, we are not concerned with being pushed around, but are grateful to be pushed along. When we are truly meek, we do not engage in shoulder-shrugging acceptance but in shoulder-squaring, in order that we might better bear the burdens of life and of our fellow beings. "Meekness can also help us in coping with the injustices of life—of which there are quite a few. By the way, will not these experiences with mortal injustices generate within us even more adoration of the perfect justice of God—another of His attributes? "Besides, there can be dignity even in silence, as was the case when Jesus meekly stood, unjustly accused, before Pilate. Silence can be an expression of strength. Holding back can be the sign of great personal discipline, especially when everyone else is letting go. "Furthermore, not only are the meek less easily offended, but they are less likely to give offense to others. In contrast, there are some in life who seem, perpetually, to be waiting to be offended. Their pride covers them like boils which will inevitably be bumped. "Meekness also cultivates in us a generosity in viewing the mistakes and imperfections of others: “Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, … but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.” (Morm. 9:31.) "And for those of us who are too concerned about status or being last in line or losing our place, we need to reread those words about how the “last shall be first” and the “first shall be last.” (Matt. 19:30.) Assertiveness is not automatically bad, of course, but if we fully understand the motives which underlie some of our acts of assertion, we would be embarrassed. Frankly, when others perceive such motivations, they are sometimes embarrassed for us. "Granted, the meek go on fewer ego trips, but they have far greater adventures. Ego trips, those “travel now and pay later” indulgences, are always detours. The straight and narrow path is, after all, the only path which takes us to new and breathtaking places. "Meekness means less concern over being taken for granted, and more concern over being taken by the hand. Less concern over revising our own plans for us and more concern about adopting His plans for us is another sure sign of meekness. "You and I sing that Church hymn with the words “More used would I be.” One condition which keeps us from being “more used” is our lack of meekness. Sometimes, too, brothers and sisters, in our prayers we ask for the Lord to take the lead of our minds and hearts, but, as soon as we say “amen,” we go unmeekly in our predetermined directions. "Meekness does not mean tentativeness. But thoughtfulness. Meekness makes room for others: “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” (Philip. 2:3.) "There are, brothers and sisters, ever so many human situations in which the only additional time and recognition and space to be made available must come from the meek who will yield—in order to make time and recognition and space available for others. There could be no magnanimity without humility. Meekness is not display humility; it is the real thing. True meekness is never proud of itself, never conscious of itself. "Among the meek there is usually more listening and less talking. It was said of one able but comparatively meek nineteenth-century British Cabinet minister serving in Parliament: “If it was his duty to speak, he spoke, but he did not want to speak when it was not his duty—silence was no pain and oratory no pleasure to him.” (Forrest Morgan, ed., The Works of Walter Bagehot, Hartford, Conn: Traveler’s Insurance, 1889, 2:257.) "The meek think of more clever things to say than are said. And it’s just as well, for there is so much more cleverness in the world than wisdom, so much more sarcasm than idealism." (Neal A. Maxwell, “Meekness—A Dimension of True Discipleship,” Ensign, Mar 1983, 70) Submissive - To be submissive means that we are to submit our wills to God. The ultimate example of submissiveness is when Christ submitted to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. Elder Maxwell eloquently explained how Christ willfully submitted to the Father. "When the unimaginable burden began to weigh upon Christ, it confirmed His long-held and intellectually clear understanding as to what He must now do. His working through began, and Jesus declared: “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour.” Then, whether in spiritual soliloquy or by way of instruction to those about Him, He observed, “But for this cause came I unto this hour.” (John 12:27.) "Later, in Gethsemane, the suffering Jesus began to be “sore amazed” (Mark 14:33), or, in the Greek, “awestruck” and “astonished.” "Imagine, Jehovah, the Creator of this and other worlds, “astonished”! Jesus knew cognitively what He must do, but not experientially. He had never personally known the exquisite and exacting process of an atonement before. Thus, when the agony came in its fulness, it was so much, much worse than even He with his unique intellect had ever imagined! No wonder an angel appeared to strengthen him! (See Luke 22:43.) "The cumulative weight of all mortal sins—past, present, and future—pressed upon that perfect, sinless, and sensitive Soul! All our infirmities and sicknesses were somehow, too, a part of the awful arithmetic of the Atonement. (See Alma 7:11–12; Isa. 53:3–5; Matt. 8:17.) The anguished Jesus not only pled with the Father that the hour and cup might pass from Him, but with this relevant citation. “And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me.” (Mark 14:35–36.) "Had not Jesus, as Jehovah, said to Abraham, “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” (Gen. 18:14.) Had not His angel told a perplexed Mary, “For with God nothing shall be impossible”? (Luke 1:37; see also Matt. 19:28; Mark 10:27; Luke 18:27.) "Jesus’ request was not theater! "In this extremity, did He, perchance, hope for a rescuing ram in the thicket? I do not know. His suffering—as it were, enormity multiplied by infinity—evoked His later soul-cry on the cross, and it was a cry of forsakenness. (See Matt. 27:46.) "Even so, Jesus maintained this sublime submissiveness, as He had in Gethsemane: “Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matt. 26:39)." (Neal A. Maxwell, “‘Willing to Submit’,” Ensign, May 1985, 70) Gentle - The dictionary.com website has several words defining gentle: kindly, amiable, not severe, rough or violent; mild, moderate, soft, low, tame, calm, pacify, soothe, polite, refined. So much of the world today is not gentle. When I think of examples of gentleness in the scriptures, I think of Christ clearing the temple. In Jesus the Christ, Talmage states, "With tender regard for the imprisoned and helpless birds He refrained from assaulting their cages; but to their owners He said: "Take these things hence"; and to all the greedy traders He thundered forth a command that made them quail: "Make not my Father's house an house of merchandise." Easy to be entreated - Honestly, I've never stopped and "inspected" what the phrase "easy to be entreated" means. I looked up the definition of entreat and it means "to ask earnestly or beseech." Therefore, "easy to be entreated" means that you are approachable and willing to give to the petitioner. If a beggar were to entreat you, you would give to him easily and not rationalize the his circumstances. Are we easily entreated when the Spirit prompts us to do something … to serve someone … to say something? Full of patience and long-suffering - I may have patience some of the time, but long-suffering I do not have. Having patience is having the ability to see outside of the moment … seeing things in the grand scheme of things. So when my MTC companion was always late, I learned to hold my tongue and wait patiently. His tardiness is very insignificant compared to the eternities. When my two-year old smeared Vaseline all over his body and our new carpet, I had to remember that this little event was nothing and even laughable when looked back upon. Long-suffering means having patience with my two-year old who repeatedly smears soap all over himself and bathroom not once, not twice, but several times a month. To me, patience is more local and short-term while long-suffering means we are able to patiently endure long-term suffering, trials and nuisances. Long-suffering means we are willing to submit to our Father's time-table, not our own. An anchor is long-suffering. No matter what the waves and currents do, the anchor will steadfastly keep the ship in place until it is time to leave. Temperate in all things - being temperate in all things means doing everything in wisdom and order. It means we do not devote all our time to our work or our school or to the church or our family. It means we have balance in life … that we obey the spirit of the law. Diligent in keeping the commandments - daily, persistent obedience to the commandments will get us to heaven. As Hebrews 12:1 says, "let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Sprinting out of the gates and then failing later on will not let us finish the race. We cannot brush our teeth 14 times Monday morning and then expect them to be clean Sunday night. We must steadily run the race and brush our teeth daily. Asking and giving thanks - In our daily prayers, we must always give thanks for what our Father has given us and we must not hold back in our asking of blessings. Faith, Hope, Charity - these are the three pillars of Christianity. Posted by dp at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Monday, April 23, 2007 Alma 5 There is so much in this chapter. This is one of those passages in the scriptures that you really have to read carefully and not let the length of it distract you lest you begin to glaze over the valuable gems found therein. We ought to read Alma 5 regularly and while we are alone … where we have quite and plenty of time to ponder the many, many questions Alma poses. Spiritual Timeline The first half of this chapter seems to be divided into segments of time with each segment having a recommendation. The Past - Remember Alma begins his address to the members of the church by reminding them of the captivity and deliverance of their fathers from the hands of King Noah and from sin. Then he asks them three questions regarding remembering. "Have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers?" "Have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and longsuffering towards them?" "Have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell?" Their fathers were in physical and spiritual captivity and no one but the Lord could deliver them (from King Noah and the Lamanites and from Hell). How often do we stop and remember what the Lord has done for us? We should count our blessings often. As we remember the things the Lord has done for us, our gratitude will increase and we will desire to serve the Lord more. The most important thing the Lord has blessed us with and that we ought to always remember is our change in heart … our personal testimony. The Now - A Time to Act This life is so short and we only have a limited window to prove ourselves on this earth. Among the many things we must do in this life, we must repent and turn to God. Just as Alma's father and those who followed him had their hearts changed, so too we must "believe in the words" of the prophets and have that "mighty change wrought in [our] heart[s]." (Alma 5:12) We must humble ourselves and put our trust in God and then we will be spiritually born of God and have "his image in our countenances" (Alma 5:14) and we will "sing redeeming love." (Alma 5:9) The mighty change of heart that Alma refers to is not simply a reformation of our actions. It is a fundamental change in our way of thinking and therefore in our way of acting. The world would reform a man from the outside in, while the gospel would reform a man from the inside out. After reading this chapter, I listened to a talk by Elder Maxwell while driving home from work. Towards the end of this talk he said, "Yes, there are real costs associated with meekness. A significant down payment must be made. But it can come from our sufficient supply of pride. We must also be willing to endure the subsequent erosion of unbecoming ego. Furthermore, our hearts will be broken in order that they might be rebuilt. As Ezekiel said, one’s task is to “make you a new heart and a new spirit.” (Ezek. 18:31.) There is no way that such dismantling, such erosion, such rebuilding can occur without real cost in pain, pride, adjustments, and even some dismay. Yet since we cannot be “acceptable before God save [we are] meek and lowly in heart” (Moro. 7:44), the reality of that awesome requirement must be heeded! Better to save one’s soul than to save one’s face." (Neal A. Maxwell, “Meekness—A Dimension of True Discipleship,” Ensign, Mar 1983, 70) Ezekiel 36:26 further states, "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." There are also those who are born and grow up faithfully in the church who may have kept the commandments out of respect and duty. But eventually these hearts will have to fundamentally change too. They will eventually realize how much the Lord has done for them and they will love Him and cease to obey out of duty and will begin to obey out of love for God. And as we love God (the first great commandment), we will strive to be like him. And as we strive to be like him, we will have his image engraven upon our countenances and we will feel to sing the song of redeeming love. I don't know if there is a particular hymn that signifies the song of redeeming love, but one hymn stands out in my mind as a song of redeeming love. I Stand All Amazed was a hymn we sung often in the Missionary Training Center and on my mission. I used to not appreciate that song as a young man, but as a missionary, I grew to love that song and I felt that the words in that hymn appropriately described how I felt about the Savior. I still remember one Sunday in my post-missionary days during sacrament meeting singing this moving hymn. I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me, Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me. I tremble to know that for me he was crucified, That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died. Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me Enough to die for me! Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me! I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine, That he should extend his great love unto such as I, Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify. Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me Enough to die for me! Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me! My heart felt weak and I was truly grateful for what the Lord has done for my rebellious and proud soul. Why would he do it for me? Does he really love me? And then the last verse brought me to tears and I could only read along as I wept. I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt! Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget? No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat, Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet. Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me Enough to die for me! Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me! I am still moved to tears whenever I think of that sacred hymn. The Future - Are We Prepared? The third part of the spiritual timeline is that of the future. All that the gospel strives to do is prepare us for that great judgment day when we meet God and represent our actions in this life. Some of us will be prepared and we will be welcomed into heaven. (Alma 5:16) Others of us will think we can lie to God and say that we were good, but indeed we were not. (Alma 5:17) Still others of us will be harrowed up in our sins and we will have "a perfect remembrance of all [our] wickedness." (Alma 5:18) Regardless of our current situation in life, we would benefit from "looking forward" to that day. As we "imagine to [our]selves" what that day will be like, then perhaps our actions will change to the better. There is nothing quite worse than the feeling of being unprepared on an exam day. In my first semester back from a mission, I enrolled in a calculus class. I had never take calculus before and thought that I'd do well enough. I soon found myself struggling with the homework and quizzes. I knew I would not do well in the final and I was woefully under prepared. I entered the testing center knowing full well that this would be the worst exam I would ever take. It was a depressing feeling and I shutter to think back to that day. I exited the testing center with a final exam score of 13%. Thankfully I was able to take the course over again two semesters later and performed much, much better because I was prepared. Garments Washed White with the Blood of Christ I've always thought the idea of our garments being washed white with the blood of Christ was an interesting phrase and idea. How can something be white which is drenched in blood? I don't know if my reasoning is doctrinally sound, but the way I view this phrase is that the only blood we should have on our garments is the blood of Christ. Metaphorically speaking, his blood washes out all other blood and stains (if we repent and become His disciple). Much like a modern-day stain remover that you purchase at the store which removes stains, Christ blood removes stains from our souls. Taking that analogy a step further … my son wears a white shirt to church every week. Just a couple of weeks ago, he got a bloody nose during sacrament meeting and blood dripped all over his shirt. Interestingly enough, it was the same Sunday I gave my talk which was the same Sunday the High Counselor gave his talk on repentance in which he used this same metaphor, even bringing a bottle of stain remover as an object lesson. My wife got his nose to stop bleeding, but the blood on his shirt remained and dried for the rest of the day. When we arrived home, I took his shirt and applied stain remover to the blood spots and let it soak. Later, we washed and dried the shirt. The following Sunday, I noticed that his shirt was completely white … no mark of blood stains. Christ's blood (atonement) is the stain remover. It is available to everyone. For the atonement to be of use to us, we must apply it to our lives and then we must take the necessary steps to clean up our lives. Had we washed my son's shirt without applying stain remover, the blood stains would have remained. Just as we must apply stain remover to our clothes quickly and often in order for stains to be completely removed, so too we should apply the atonement to our lives quickly and often. We do not know when we will be called home to our Father in Heaven and therefore it is imperative that we prepare daily. (see Alma 5:27) Entering the Path to Discipleship In our daily preparations, we must strive to become true disciples of Christ. Discipleship is attained in two parts. First we must repent and cease from doing evil. Secondly, we must actively build up the kingdom of God and strive to serve others by placing our will on God's alter. The remainder of Alma 5 deals with repenting and ceasing to do those things that build up the kingdom of the devil. Alma counsels the church in Zarahemla to strip themselves of pride (Alma 5:28) and envy (Alma 5:29). He teaches them to not mock and persecute others (Alma 5:30). He also counsels them to not set their hearts on costly apparel and riches and the things of the world (Alma 5:53). Lastly he teaches them to not turn their backs to the needy and poor. In summary, he says, "come ye out from the wicked, and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things." (Alma 5:57) This summary by Alma reminds me of a talk by Elder Larry W. Gibbons in the October 2006 General Conference. Elder Gibbons said, "In the priesthood leadership session of a regional conference, we sang the hymn “Ye Elders of Israel.” The chorus contains a line “O Babylon, O Babylon, we bid thee farewell.” Following the singing, Elder Neal A. Maxwell spoke and expressed the thought that bidding Babylon farewell is actually one of our challenges, that too many of us like to keep a summer cottage there." (Larry W. Gibbons, “Wherefore, Settle This in Your Hearts,” Ensign, Nov 2006, 102–4) We cannot keep one foot in the Church and one in Babylon. We must come out and be separate. Fasting and Prayer and Testimonies We tend to think of fasting and prayer in terms of receiving a blessing for ourselves or in behalf of another. For example we might fast and pray for the way be cleared for a temple to be built in a land or city. We might fast and pray for a loved one to be healed of a serious illness or disease. But how often do we fast and pray for our testimony? Perhaps as we fast and pray for these other things and as we receive those things we seek our testimonies are strengthened. Alma left no room for doubt. He was not simply satisfied to hang on to the coat-tails of those who preceded him. He believe them, but he wanted to know for himself that what had been previously spoken by the prophets was true. Therefore, he fasted and prayed many days and the Holy Spirit of God manifested to him the truth of those things. He gained his own testimony by the spirit of revelation. (Alma 5:44-47) There is a one-liner in my patriarchal blessing that says, "Realize that in the Last Days the saving forces will be the Priesthood and the testimony of individual members." Elder Faust reiterated this when he said, " Satan has had great success with this gullible generation. As a consequence, he and his angels have victimized literally hosts of people. There is, however, an ample shield against the power of Lucifer and his hosts. This protection lies in the spirit of discernment through the gift of the Holy Ghost. This gift comes undeviatingly by personal revelation to those who strive to obey the commandments of the Lord and to follow the counsel of the living prophets. "This personal revelation will surely come to all whose eyes are single to the glory of God, for it is promised that their bodies will be “filled with light, and there shall be no darkness” in them. All who come unto Christ by obedience to the covenants and ordinances of the gospel can thwart Satan’s efforts. The humble followers of the divine Master need not be deceived by the devil if they will be honest and true to their fellow men and women, go to the house of the Lord, receive the sacrament worthily, observe the Sabbath day, pay their tithes and offerings, offer contrite prayers, engage in the Lord’s work, and follow those who preside over them. "There are forces that will save us from the ever-increasing lying, disorder, violence, chaos, destruction, misery, and deceit that are upon the earth. Those saving forces are the everlasting principles, covenants, and ordinances of the eternal gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. These same principles, covenants, and ordinances are coupled with the rights and powers of the priesthood of Almighty God. We of this Church are the possessors and custodians of these commanding powers that can and do roll back much of the power of Satan on the earth. We believe that we hold these mighty forces in trust for all who have died, for all who are now living, and for the yet unborn." (James E. Faust, “The Forces That Will Save Us,” Ensign, Jan 2007, 4–9) Lastly, we learn in Alma 6 that "the children of God were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God." (Alma 6:6) Posted by dp at 1:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Wednesday, April 18, 2007 Alma 4 The Consequences of Perceived and Real Godly Punishment Alma 4:3 talks about how the people thought that all the afflictions they had gone through were because the judgments of God were upon them. They felt that their afflictions came upon them because of their wickedness. They reasoned that if they were bad, bad things happened to them. They consequently reasoned that if they did good things, good things would happen to them. Weather their afflictions were caused by God or not, they “awakened [them] to a remembrance of their duty.” How do I apply this to my life? I apply it the same way. Sometimes I go through hard times. Those hard times may or may not have come on account of my sinfulness, but for whatever reason they came, the effect was still the same … those hard times humbled me and spurred me to be stricter in keeping the commandments. Attributes to Avoid and Purge from Our Lives Alma 4 describes many sins of which the Nephites are guilty. Pride is an oft mentioned topic in the Book of Mormon. It is the subject of the talk President Benson delivered in the April 1989 General Conference. President Benson defines pride in his talk. "Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing. "The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us. "Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s. When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of “my will and not thine be done.” As Paul said, they “seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.” (Philip. 2:21.)" (Ezra Taft Benson, “Beware of Pride,” Ensign, May 1989, 4) Pride is manifested in many ways. Alma 4:9 lists several. According to dictionary.com, the following terms are defined. Scorn - open or unqualified contempt; disdain. A derisive or contemptuous action or speech Envy - a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another's advantages, success, possessions, etc. Strife - vigorous or bitter conflict, discord, or antagonism Malice - desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another, either because of a hostile impulse or out of a deep-seated meanness These are all attributes of the natural man. Sadly, the pride of the church was so deep that it exceeded the pride of those who did not belong to the church … perhaps exceeding that of the Nehors whose main doctrine was founded on pride (see Alma 1:3-4). The church's pride became a stumbling-block to those who did not belong to the church (Alma 4:10). Willful Submission to God We combat pride by submitting our will to the Father. Alma 4:13-14 describes how the true saints in Alma's day submitted their will to God. They abased themselves … they did not think they were more important or better than others. They succored those who stood in need of succor. They gave their substance and food to the needy. In sum, they suffered all manner of afflictions for Christ's sake. A true disciple of Christ submits his will to God. Elder Maxwell has so poignantly said, "I am going to preach a hard doctrine to you now. The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. It is a hard doctrine, but it is true. The many other things we give to God, however nice that may be of us, are actually things He has already given us, and He has loaned them to us. But when we begin to submit ourselves by letting our wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him. And that hard doctrine lies at the center of discipleship. There is a part of us that is ultimately sovereign, the mind and heart, where we really do decide which way to go and what to do. And when we submit to His will, then we’ve really given Him the one final thing He asks of us. And the other things are not very, very important. It is the only possession we have that we can give, and there is no lessening of our agency as a result. Instead, what we see is a flowering of our talents and more and more surges of joy. Submission to Him is the only form of submission that is completely safe." (Neal A. Maxwell, “Insights from My Life,” Ensign, Aug 2000, 7) (see also Neal A. Maxwell, “‘Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father’,” Ensign, Nov 1995, 22) The Gift of the Holy Ghost: the Gift of Hope Often in the Book of Mormon I find one liners that stick out and provide insight. Alma 4:15 has one of those inspiring one-liners. We know of Alma's rebelliousness as a youth … he and the sons of Mosiah sought to destroy the church. We can probably assume that Alma possessed many of the qualities of pride in those dark days. When he saw that those prideful attributes began to surface among the church members, he "began to be very sorrowful." After all the work and labor to convert and teach and build up and establish, the members were beginning to fail and this depressed Alma. And here is where Mormon's one-liner is written … "nevertheless the Spirit of the Lord did not fail him." I almost wish that period were exchanged for an exclamation point. This one-liner reminds me of the servant in the allegory of the olive tree in Jacob 5. At one point, the master of the vineyard is very discouraged and weeps and laments that all the work he has done was in vain. He asks his servant many times, "What could I have done more for my vineyard?" (Jacob 5:49) It seems that the servant has great hopes and believes the vineyard can be salvaged. He counsels the master more than once to "nourish it a little longer" and to "spare it a little longer" (Jacob 5:27, 50). The attitude of the servant did not fail the master of the vineyard; nor did the persistence of the Holy Ghost fail Alma. So too, we must remember that the Spirit will never give up on us. Indeed we will need to do our part to "come unto" the Lord, but as for the Lord … his hand is "stretched forth … all the day long." (Jacob 5:47; see also 2 Nephi 19:17, 28:32) Alma Goes to Work Alma does not sit idly and watch the people dwindle in unbelief. He gives up the judgment seat and decides to "go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions." (Alma 4:19) The only way he saw to reclaim these people was by "bearing down in pure testimony against them." We too do not have to sit idly and watch those over whom we have a responsibility drift into unbelief. We can and ought to do something to help our brothers and sisters in need. Posted by dp at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Tuesday, April 17, 2007 Alma 3 "They had marked themselves" In Alma 3:4, Mormon talks about how the Amlicites marked their forehead with a red mark. They did this to distinguish themselves from the Nephites. This marking can be compared to us today. We take upon ourselves markings to distinguish ourselves from others. When we put a uniform or a jersey on, we demonstrate which side we are for. Taking marks upon us is a serious decision. As missionaries, we wear a white shirt, tie, a nice pair of pants and a nametag. We are showing the rest of the world who we are. In the temple, we receive our garments. We are taking marks upon ourselves by using our garments. We show God that we are on His side. Marks may not always be tangible or physical marks. Our actions are marks on us as well. If we decide to go to an R-rated movie or listen to degrading music, use a bad word or even eat or drink poisonous substances, we mark ourselves. We can mark ourselves by the way we dress, speak, eat and by how we are entertained. James counsels us to "visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep [ourselves] unspotted from (the vices of) the world. (James 1:27) We are also taught in the Doctrine and Covenants that to keep ourselves unspotted from the world, we should "go to the house of prayer and offer up [our] sacraments" on the Lord's day … in other words, we must keep the Sabbath day holy. (D&C 59:9) Our Actions Define Us Not until fairly recently have I heard people call the Book of Mormon racist. At first, I did not know why people would call the Book of Mormon racist, but then it dawned on me. Some people believe that since God put a curse on the Lamanites because they did not believe in keeping the commandments, they think the Book of Mormon is racist. Or better said, these people think that the authors of the Book of Mormon are racists, who use the name of God to establish racism. I don’t believe this garbage. The curse was just a method to separate the people of God from the people who didn’t want to keep the commandments (see Alma 3:6). There was no commandment that stated that anyone who had a curse could not become a saint. In fact, verse 11 says that a Nephite (by definition) is anyone who did not believe in the traditions of the Lamanites, but rather believed in the records that Lehi brought out of Jerusalem and who believed the commandments and in keeping the commandments. We will later see that Ammon and his brethren converted many Lamanites and these Lamanites become strong members of the church, despite their “curse.” The common trait among all those who did not keep the commandments was that they brought it upon themselves (Alma 3:19). The Amlicites marked their selves and thus were distinguished from the Nephites. In today’s terms, people distinguish themselves from the saints of God. Some distinguishing marks are: sexually transmitted diseases, the way people dress, the language they use, the company they keep and the lifestyle they live. Just from these distinguishing traits, people separate them selves from the members of the Church. Similarly, just as Lamanites could become converted to the Gospel and have the curse lifted, so can people today repent of their evil ways and becomes sons of God. Boomerang Effect A boomerang is not only a neat word, but it is a device that when thrown, travels a distance and then returns to its point of origin. In a gospel context, it means that if you "do good" you will "receive good." If you "do bad", then you will "receive bad." Those are very simplified terms, but the idea is the same as "you sow what you reap." Alma 41:14-15 does an excellent job in summing up the Boomerang Effect in terms of the gospel. "Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again. "For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored; therefore, the word restoration more fully condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all." King Benjamin taught this same doctrine in Mosiah 2:33, 37. We also read of this idea in Alma 3:26-27 and Alma 5:41-42. Posted by dp at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) Monday, April 16, 2007 Alma 2 The Protection of God The authors of the Book of Mormon are trying to convince us, the readers, that God really does play an active role in our lives. Not only will God guide our individual lives, but he will bless or punish an entire nation. Briefly put, God influences our lives on an individual basis and on a national level. The beginning of Alma 2 sets the stage for this important lesson. Amlici is a wicked man who not only wants to destroy the church, but he wants to rule supreme over the entire land and impose his will on all those who oppose him. The choice is put to a vote. Amilci loses and decides to fight his way to a dictatorship. A war ensues and the Nephites soon discover that they are truly outnumbered. After the Nephites slaughtered the Amlicites in the first battle, they rested and Alma sent spies to find out the designs of Amlici. The spies discovered that the Amlicites had allied themselves with the Lamanites. The Lamanites are so numerous, that they are described as the sands of the sea! (Alma 2:27) The Nephites, after fighting one battle, having lost over 6500 soldiers, have to immediately fight a host of Lamanites. But the Nephites had a more powerful piece on the board in their favor. God heard their prayers and answered them. Here begins the lesson and symmetry of the lesson. The Nephites, as a nation, prayed to God and God heard them and answered their prayers. On a smaller scale, we later read that Alma engages in sword-to-sword combat with Amlici. Alma also prays to God with all his heart and the Lord answers his prayers. Alma defeats Amlici and then Alma and his guards defeat the King of the Lamanites and his guards. Lastly, we read of the end of the battle with the Nephites sweeping the Lamanites before them and ending the bloody battle. The moral of the story of Alma 2 is that if you are faithful to God as an individual and as a nation, God will deliver you from evil. This is the message of the Book of Mormon, over and over again. Aminhu and Hermounts I've always thought all the names in the Book of Mormon are interesting and unique. Two words I've always thought were interesting are Amnihu and Hermounts … the names of two geographic locations in Alma 2. Amnihu stuck out like a sore thumb when I came across it while reading this chapter as a missionary. There are three towns in central Guatemala that sound a bit like Amnihu … Senahú, Tucurú and Tamahú. All three of them are found in the Polichic Valley in Alta Verapaz. If I remember correctly, "hu" meant paper or book. So perhaps the "hu" on the end of Senahú and Tamahú meant forest or something similar. As for Hermounts, I read that Egypt has a place named similarly (Hermonthis). Hermonthis was named after the Egyptian war god Menthu. According to the article on Wikipedia, "Menthu was an ancient god, his name meaning nomad, originally a manifestation of the scorching effect of the sun, Ra, and as such often appeared under the epithet Menthu-Ra. The destructiveness of this characteristic lead to him gaining characteristics of a warrior, and eventually becoming a war-god." Posted by dp at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Tuesday, April 10, 2007 Alma 1 The Gospel Warrior V1 – “having warred a good warfare, walking uprightly before God.” I remember in the October 2003 General Conference, at the very beginning President Hinckley spoke. After he spoke, he called Elder David Haight to come up and wave at the audience. Elder Haight was the oldest apostle ever to live since the Gospel was restored. As President Hinckley was commenting on this, he mentioned that Elder Haight was a great warrior in the Gospel. Elder Haight died in 2004. He truly was a warrior of the Lord … he fought for the Gospel truth all his life. I hope that I can war a good warfare all my life. I need to be steadfast in keeping the commandments and in doing good. On a related note, I was thinking the other day about how much life is like chess. We must live with purpose and we must limit mistakes in order to get to the endgame and have a fighting chance to win the battle. In chess, one of the levels of play a player must reach is being able to play with no tactical mistakes. If he can reach this level, then he prepares himself to move on to greater challenges of strategy. I think life is the same way. If we (I) can simply rid myself of the small mistakes and omissions, then I would be a position to receive greater understanding of the mysteries of God. I would serve with greater conviction. For example, if I could consistently read and study the scriptures every day and consistently pray every day, then I would be getting somewhere. If I could achieve 100% home-teaching every month and have FHE every week, then I would be accomplishing something. To not forget these commandments and to shun sin … this is what I need to work on. Priest Craft Nehor introduced priest craft among the Nephites. Priest craft, from what I understand, is teaching the gospel (or purported gospel truths) for the gain of money. I am unsure of some of these “conferences” and seminars that some members go to. In order to listen to the speakers at these conferences and seminars, people must pay money. Elder Oakes said the following regarding priestcraft: Another illustration of a strength that can become our downfall concerns charismatic teachers. With a trained mind and a skillful manner of presentation, teachers can become unusually popular and effective in teaching. But Satan will try to use that strength to corrupt teachers by encouraging them to gather a following of disciples. A Church teacher, Church Education System instructor, or Latter-day Saint university professor who gathers such a following and does this “for the sake of riches and honor” (Alma 1:16) is guilty of priestcraft. “Priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion” (2 Ne. 26:29). Teachers who are most popular, and therefore most effective, have a special susceptibility to priestcraft. If they are not careful, their strength can become their spiritual downfall. They can become like Almon Babbitt, with whom the Lord was not pleased, because “he aspireth to establish his counsel instead of the counsel which I have ordained, even that of the Presidency of my Church; and he setteth up a golden calf for the worship of my people” (D&C 124:84). (Dallin H. Oaks, “Our Strengths Can Become Our Downfall,” Ensign, Oct 1994, 11) I am a leery of the practice of merchandising the Gospel. I love the fact that the Church has done almost everything in its power to make available the conference talks and past articles from Church publications. Practically every conceivable document in recent history is found on the lds.org website. I love to be able to search on Gospel subjects (such as this one) and find exactly what the Apostles think of the subject. The Church truly “impart[s] the word of God …. without money and without price (v. 20). 2 Nephi 26:29 has this to say about priest crafts, "He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion." Nehor not only preached for riches, but he mixed scripture with the philosophies of men. The lies he taught – that all mankind should be saved, meaning eternal life, regardless of having sinned or not. He taught that we need not repent. The truth he mixed in was that the Lord created all men. This was the one truth amidst all the lies. Thus a whole church was based on the “vain things of the world” (v. 16). We will see that this church hardened many Nephite hearts against the truth. The proper attitude for teaching the Gospel is to have "faith, hope, charity and love with an eye single to the glory of God." (D&C 4:5) If the teacher strives for these things, then he will teach the true and pure doctrine of Christ. Persecution Persecution … it is a word that is used a lot within the Church. There are a couple of definitions from Webster’s on-line dictionary. The first is, “to harass in a manner designed to injure, grieve, or afflict; specifically: to cause to suffer because of belief.” The second is, “to annoy with persistence or urgent approaches (as attacks, pleas, or importunities).” I think the whole reason for persecuting someone for his or her beliefs is to make that person change or leave. For example, Laman and Lemuel constantly persecuted Nephi. They did not want Nephi to act the way he did because it made them feel uncomfortable … they didn’t want to have to live up to Nephi’s standard of living, so instead of raising their standards, they wanted to lower Nephi’s. The pioneer Saints were persecuted for various reasons. Some of the persecutors were former members. These former members were usually offended in some manner and wanted to get their revenge on the members of the church. I think most of these members were angry in one-way or another with Joseph Smith. They ultimately killed the Prophet. The martyrdom of Joseph did not stop the persecution. The Saints were driven from Nauvoo across the plains to Utah. For a season they were not persecuted, but once the Civil War ended, the federal government focused on the Mormons again. I don’t know all the reasons why the early Saints were persecuted, but I think a lot of it has to do with former members who were offended in one way or another. Even today, there are those who will do anything to speak evil of the Church. If you go and look at that person’s history, you will more than likely find that that person did not strive to cultivate a true testimony. They probably had doubts and never resolved to truly address those doubts. I think it was Elder Maxwell who said that there are those who leave the church, but for whatever reason, they can’t leave the church alone. As for members persecuting others … we are commanded to not persecute anyone. It seems that the members had problems persecuting non-members (if you will) in Book of Mormon times. They were commanded to not persecute anyone … within the church or without the church. President Hinckley gave a similar warning to members in a General Conference. A holier-than-thou attitude is not becoming to us. I am in receipt of a letter from a man in our community who is not a member of the Church. In it he says that his little daughter has been ostracized by her schoolmates who are Latter-day Saints. He sets forth another instance of a child who, it is alleged, had a religious medal ripped from his neck by an LDS child. I hope this is not true. If it is, I apologize to those who have been offended. Let us rise above all such conduct and teach our children to do likewise. Let us be true disciples of the Christ, observing the Golden Rule, doing unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us strengthen our own faith and that of our children while being gracious to those who are not of our faith. Love and respect will overcome every element of animosity. Our kindness may be the most persuasive argument for that which we believe." (Gordon B. Hinckley, “We Bear Witness of Him,” Ensign, May 1998, 4) Those who would detract from the Church are always quick to point out mistakes made by members. Persecuting others does no good. It is not Christ-like nor does it advance the work of the Lord. Steadfast and Immovable Another verse that I really love from this chapter is v.25, “they were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God.” My true heart’s desire is to be steadfast and immovable. To me, this means that I am an anchor when it comes to keeping the commandments of God. I need to remain steadfast and constant. This is my hope: that I become a rock in my loyalty to God. I need to be more diligent in reading the scriptures, obeying the commandments and magnifying my callings. I need despise sin in all forms and shun that which is evil. I hope I can become like those few saints described here in Alma 1. Because the saints were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments, they prospered. And instead of becoming wicked (and thus beginning the so-called Nephite cycle), these saints "got it." They did not become prideful because of their prosperity. Rather they "did not set their hearts upon riches" and they were "liberal to all." (Alma 1:30). And because they were liberal to all, the Lord prospered them even more and they became "far more wealthy than those who did not belong to their church." (Alma 1:31) Did Indulge Themselves I think that Alma 1:32 perfectly sums up the world in which we live today. All those who were not steadfast and immovable "did indulge themselves." In other words, they did not check their natural desires in the least bit. Rather than feast on the word of God, the indulged themselves in the things of the world. Posted by dp at 9:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) Friday, April 06, 2007 Mosiah 28 & 29 A Desire to Share One area in the Gospel in which I am weak is that of sharing the Gospel … missionary work. I know that I can be a missionary by being a good example and by helping the local missionaries, but when it comes to actively sharing the Gospel such as bearing testimony or giving a Book of Mormon to non-members, I fall short. The main reason I do not actively share the Gospel in this regard is perhaps out of a perceived respect for others … I feel uncomfortable when others "impose" their beliefs on me and therefore I don't want to be the one imposing my beliefs on others. But that does not excuse me from still sharing the gospel. I need to gain that same concern for my brothers and sisters as the sons of Mosiah had. So great was their concern and love for others that "they could not bear that any human soul should perish." (Mosiah 28:3) Sincere concern and love for others should be the driving force behind our desire to share the Gospel. To instill that concern and love within ourselves, we must pray for charity as Mormon instructed us. (see Moroni 7:47-48) Elder Oaks wisely counsels us, " I hope no person we approach with an invitation to hear the message of the restored gospel feels that we are acting out of any reason other than a genuine love for them and an unselfish desire to share something we know to be precious." (Dallin H. Oaks, “Sharing the Gospel,” Ensign, Nov 2001, 7) A Seer and Urim and Thummim "For he has wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God. And the things are called interpreters, and no man can look in them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the same is called seer." "A seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God." "But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known." (Mosiah 8:13, 16-17) "And behold, these two stones will I give unto thee, and ye shall seal them up also with the things which ye shall write." "I will cause in my own due time that these stones shall magnify to the eyes of men these things which ye shall write." (Ether 3:23-24) "Also, that there were two stones in silver bows - and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim - deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted "seers" in ancient and former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book." (JS-H 1:35) "The place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim" "This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ's." "Then the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17, will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known." "And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word." (D&C 130:8-11) "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." (Revelation 2:17) "And the Lord said unto me, by the Urim and Thummim … " (Abraham 3:4) "And now he translated them by the means of those two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow." (Mosiah 28:13) "And whosoever has these things is called a seer, after the manner of old times." (Mosiah 28:16) King Mosiah's Legacy of Leadership As discussed previously, the leadership of King Mosiah is demonstrated through his actions. He delegates where appropriate and retains power where needed. Given the circumstances, King Mosiah felt that the people were ready to govern themselves via judges as opposed to establishing a king. Mosiah explained to them all the advantages and disadvantages of a king. After explaining this to the people, they were no more desirous to have a king. The accepted the responsibility to govern themselves (Mosiah 29:38). Therefore, King Mosiah set up the government and Alma the Younger was elected to be the first Chief Judge among the people. Later, Alma the Elder and King Mosiah die and an era ends. Posted by dp at 1:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) Thursday, April 05, 2007 Mosiah 27 I cannot write it or say it better than this article by Elder Holland. Today, I could not read this chapter just once or twice or even three times. I was compelled to read it over and over again. And each time I read it, I seemed to be taken back to the day that angel appeared to Alma, Ammon, Aaron, Omner and Himni. I imagined the voice of the angel was so thunderous and so deep; that I could almost feel the earth move and shake … it must have been frightening. But that paled in comparison to the quaking Alma felt within after he heard the words, "If thou wilt of thyself be destroyed, seek no more to destroy the church of God." (Alma 36:9) Those sixteen words changed the course of Alma's life forever. In that one sentence, Alma decided to change. He caught hold of the thought of Jesus and cried "O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death." (Alma 36:18) When he had this thought and cried to the Lord, he was "snatched." It is no wonder then, that later on in his life he desired to be an angel and speak "with a voice to shake the earth" even a "voice of thunder" (Alma 19:1-2) How quickly he would be able to convert souls. But he was content to his lot in life. Of all the people who lived in Book of Mormon times, I would have loved to have been in the company of Alma and Ammon. As a boy I loved Ammon and Captain Moroni. I still love them today. But my love for Abinadi, Alma, Alma the son of Alma and Ammon has increased significantly. I cannot wait to meet them some day. Jeffrey R. Holland, “Alma, Son of Alma,” Ensign, Mar 1977, 79 The lessons we learn from his life give us hope for the future and teach the personal reality of Christ’s atonement. There are multitudes of men and women—in and out of the Church—who are struggling vainly against obstacles in their path. Many are fighting the battle of life—and losing. Indeed, there are those among us who consider themselves the vilest of sinners. We have all known such people. We have all spoken with someone who does not think he has been forgiven—or worse, who does not think he can be forgiven. How many broken hearts remain broken because those people feel they are beyond the pale of God’s restorative power? How many bruised and battered spirits are certain that they have sunk to a depth at which the light of redeeming hope and grace will never again shine? To these the story of the younger Alma comes like water to a parched tongue, like rest to a weary traveler. From the depths of hellish iniquity, from rebellion and destruction and utter wickedness the younger Alma returned—and therein lies again the “miracle of forgiveness.” It is a miracle. In fact, it is the greatest of all miracles. It is the miracle at the heart of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Surely that is the “good news” of the gospel—that there is a way back, that there is repentance and safety and peace because of Christ’s gift to us. The good news is that the nightmares—large ones, little ones, every fear and concern—can end, and a safe loving light can shine in that “dark place, until the day dawn[s],” clean and clear and gloriously bright, and “the day star arise[s] in your hearts.” (2 Pet. 1:19.) That is the message all the world must hear. The process of repenting, of course, is not an easy one. The experience of young Alma is a frightening testament of that. Wrongs must be made right, and there is no painless way to accomplish it. But it must be done, and with Alma we can all think our Heavenly Father that it can be done. However weary or wicked we may feel, the story of the younger Alma is an open invitation to every child of God. It is the promise that, with the psalmist, we too may sing: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. … “He restoreth my soul. … “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. … “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” (Ps. 23:1, 3–4, 6.) The sons of strong fathers provide many of the messages given in the Book of Mormon: Nephi and Jacob, sons of Lehi, recorded almost all of the material given on the small plates of Nephi. Moroni, son of Mormon, concluded his father’s work and some 1,400 years later delivered it to the young prophet Joseph Smith. Other sons who learned great lessons from their parents provide commentary throughout this sacred scripture. Perhaps no son, however, captures our imagination like the younger Alma. More pages are devoted to the span of his life and ministry than to any other person in the Book of Mormon, and the book that bears his name is nearly 2 1/2 times longer than any other in the record. He strides with prophetic power onto the great center stage of the Book of Mormon, appearing near the precise chronological midpoint of the record—500 years after Lehi leaves Jerusalem, 500 years before Moroni seals up the record. The centrality of Alma’s life is not limited simply to chronology or pagination, however. The significance of his life is in the course that it took. The gospel of Christ is literally “the glad tidings … that he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness; That through him all might be saved.” (D&C 76:40–42.) The life of the younger Alma portrays the gospel

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