Sunday, August 31, 2014

Preach!

Alma 16:14

"And as many as would hear their words, unto them they did impart the word of God, without any respect of persons, continually."


Alma and Amulek preached the gospel to whoever would listen to it. They did not preach only to specific people. The gospel is for everyone! Everyone can benefit from it and draw nearer to God through it. The gospel teaches us who we really are and what we are meant to do. Share it with everyone.




Saturday, August 30, 2014

Devotion of Disciples

Alma 15:16

"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;"


Wow!  This is a huge sacrifice for the word of God. Amulek was a man who, after being called by the Lord many times, decided to heed the word of God and obey His command to preach with Alma. This decision was not easily made. He lost his precious things as well as the support of his friends and family. I don't think he regretted this though. He could see the blessings that came from following God and was willing to have these hard times because he knew he was doing what the Lord wanted. What else matters?

Friday, August 29, 2014

Action

Alma 14:1

"And it came to pass after he had made an end of speaking unto the people many of them did believe on his words, and began to repent, and to search the scriptures."


When we hear the words of modern day prophets, do we act on them? Do we do as these people did and believe, repent, and search the scriptures? This is a gospel of actions, not just a gospel of listening.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Scripture Study

Alma 13:20

"Now I need not rehearse the matter; what I have said may suffice. Behold, the scriptures are before you; if ye will wrest them it shall be to your own destruction."

We have the scriptures, and within them there is so much information. It's one thing to have the scriptures and another to actually read, study, and know them. It is not enough to own scriptures. They need to be read daily.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Rest

Alma 12:34

"Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest."

I want to enter into the rest of the Lord, so I need to repent continually and keep my heart humble and receptive to the Lord. I should follow the Prophet and study daily as well as fulfill my duties to my family and those around me. It's a lot to do, but it's so worth it and I know it's the only way to truly be happy.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Missionary Work


Alma 11:21,22

"...Now Zeezrom was a man who was expert in the devices of the devil, that he might destroy that which was good; therefore, he said unto Amulek: Will ye answer the questions which I shall put unto you?
And Amulek said unto him: Yea, if it be according to the Spirit of the Lord, which is in me; for I shall say nothing which is contrary to the Spirit of the Lord..."

This chapter includes a debate between Amulek and Zeezrom. Zeezrom tries to get Amulek to deny the Christ, but Amulek would never do that! Amulek continues to preach truth and explains himself in a loving, but bold way. I love Amulek's perseverance and determination to teach what is true and explain himself clearly. Amulek had the Spirit with him and that allowed him to preach the gospel and to say what the Lord would have him say. This is such a great missionary experience!

Monday, August 25, 2014

Obedience

Alma 10:6,7

"Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear...

"As I was journeying to see a very near kindred, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto me and said: Amulek, return to thine own house, for thou shalt feed a prophet of the Lord..."


If we take the time to listen, we'll see that the Lord calls us many times. Amulek chose to ignore the Lord for a long time, but repented and listened. Amulek obeyed the Lord and fed the prophet Alma and went about preaching with him. There are always opportunities to return unto the Lord. We should heed His word because it will make us happy.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Good works

Alma 7:24

"And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works."


Good works are the works of God. That's what I want to do. I need to have faith, hope, and charity so that my life revolves more around doing good things. This is how I can be a good example, help those who truly need help, and make a difference.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Alma 5

Alma 5:26

"And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?"


This chapter is really good! It describes how we need to live our lives to gain salvation. Alma explains the process of gaining a testimony. In this verse, Alma emphasized the need to continually feed our testimonies. Every day there are things we need to do so we keep feeling the Spirit and having the desire to sing the song of redeeming love. There is no one and done with the gospel. It is a continual lifestyle.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Example

Alma 4:10

"And thus ended the eighth year of the reign of the judges; and the wickedness of the church was a great stumbling-block to those who did not belong to the church; and thus the church began to fail in its progress."

When members do not live the gospel, they are no different from the world. Why would anyone need to be a part of a church that's no different from anything else? It's important to set ourselves apart from the world by living our covenants and being Christlike. Wickedness within the church leads to greater downfall and lost potential for growth.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Choices

Alma 3:19

"Now I would that ye should see that they brought upon themselves the curse; and even so doth every man that is cursed bring upon himself his own condemnation."


We are free to choose to be good or bad. There are consequences with these choices. These people chose to be evil, thus they were cursed. God did not choose to curse them; rather they chose to curse themselves.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Preparation

Alma 2:13

"And thus they were prepared to meet the Amlicites at the time of their coming. And there were appointed captains, and higher captains, and chief captains, according to their numbers."

The Nephites were prepared because they took the time to prepare. They did not sit idly by; rather they worked with their might to prepare for an upcoming conflict. I need to keep this in mind and not be lazy. I need to prepare myself for troubled times. I need to prepare my home and my family. There is a lot to do.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Service

Alma 1:30

"And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need."

When these people had excess and time to give, they gave it to those in need. There are so many that are in need, and so much that we can all be doing to help out. I love how these people helped anyone, no matter their circumstances, race, gander, or religion. We are all children of God and we all need help sometimes. It feel so good to help others, and these people totally knew that :)

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Righteous leader

Mosiah 29:23

"...and thus an unrighteous king doth pervert the ways of all righteousness."

When the government is corrupt and wickedness prevails, it's harder to be righteous. This is why it's so important to have a good leader and to be a good citizen. There are many situations where this is not possible, and examples of people who remain righteous and few but amazing.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Change

Mosiah 28:4

"And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon them, for they were the very vilest of sinners. And the Lord saw fit in his infinite mercy to spare them; nevertheless they suffered much anguish of soul because of their iniquities, suffering much and fearing that they should be cast off forever."

These men were the vilest of sinners, but they were able to completely turn their lives around. They were so wicked, but they became so righteous. The Lord forgave them and it was as if they had never done those horrible things. They had to truly repent though, and that required much suffering on their part. But they got through it and were much happier because of it.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Missionary work

Mosiah 27:37

"And how blessed are they! For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth."

Alma and the sons of Mosiah were extremely blessed because they repented of their sins and spent their time teaching the gospel. Missionary work brings true joy and blessings. These boys were able to turn their lives around and dedicate themselves to the work of the Lord.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Forgive

Mosiah 26:31

"And ye shall also forgive one another your trespasses; for verily I say unto you, he that forgiveth not his neighbor's trespasses when he says that he repents, the same hath brought himself under condemnation."

It's so hard to forgive people when we know they've done something wrong. Especially when they've wronged me. I've found that as I pray and ask Heavenly Father for help, I am able to forgive and let things go. When I hold things against people I'm not being fair to them. They could be going through an awful time and have no idea they've offended me somehow. It's so much easier to let things go and forgive. That's how the Lord wants it.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Thanks

Mosiah 25:10

"And again, when they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering Alma and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites and of bondage, they did raise their voices and give thanks to God."

Immediately, after thinking of the great things the Lord did for them, these people gave thanks. They did not just remember this and pass it by; rather, they expressed sincere thanks to their Maker. This helped them remember the source of their blessings and give credit to Him. They did not think they did these things on their own. They knew God was with them and did so much for them.

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Thanks!

Mosiah 24:22

"And they gave thanks to God, yea, all their men and all their women and all their children that could speak lifted their voices in the praises of their God."

I love the unity these people had as they gave thanks to God. They knew God had delivered them from bondage and gave Him the thanks He deserved. God loves to thanked for all the things He does for us each day.

Friday, August 8, 2014

Trust

Mosiah 23:22

"Nevertheless-whoseover putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and this it was with this people."

There are so many unknowns in life and so many hard situations. If we put our trust in God, He will help us through those times. When we get too scared to do what He would want us to do, we risk so much more than the risk of doing the task. The Lord knows us and is there for us. We just need to trust in Him. Pray to Him and trust in His answer. Trust in the peace we receive and do what we feel is right.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Receive with Joy

Mosiah 22:14

"And it came to pass that Mosiah received them with joy; and he also received their records, and also the records which had been found by the people of Limhi."


Mosiah received these people into his land with joy! He was so glad they were no longer in bondage to the Lamanites and that they were desirous to live righteously. Aren't we all glad when others make good choices and finally get out of bad situations? Mosiah received these people with love, and we should love too.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Answers

Mosiah 21:15

"And now the Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities; nevertheless the Lord did hear their cries..."


Even though the Lord may take His time to answer our prayers, He always hears them and is aware of our needs when we pray and tell them to Him. In order to receive answers though, we need to be righteous and ask for righteous things. He's not going to give us everything we want, rather He'll give us what we need.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Family

Mosiah 20:11

"And it came to pass that the people of Limhi began to drive the Lamanites before them; yet they were not half so numerous as the Lamanites. But they fought for their lives, and for their wives, and for their children; therefore they exerted themselves and like dragons did they fight."

Contrast this with Yesterday's post about the selfish king Noah who wanted nothing to do with his family anymore. King Noah did not care for anyone but himself. The people of Limhi were much more Christ-like as they fought with all their might to protect their precious families. They truly loved their families and cared more for their protection than their personal protection. This is how my husband is. He would do anything to protect us. He is a righteous example to me and my children and I am so grateful for him!

Monday, August 4, 2014

Selfishness

Mosiah 19:11

"Now it came to pass that the king commanded them that all the men should leave their wives and their children, and flee before the Lamanites."

This is such a selfish act. 'Save yourselves, and leave your loved ones to perish!' This is just how Satan works. He doesn't care about anyone but himself. He'll leave us his followers to perish and not even care.

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Unity

Mosiah 18:21-22

"And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and love one towards another.
And thus he commanded them to preach. And thus they became the children of God."

When we do what the Lord has commanded us, we become His children. We become closer to Him and feel His presence more in our lives. He wants us to be loving and united. It is so wonderful and happy when this happens.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Light and Life

Mosiah 16:9

"He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death."


This verse is beautiful! Christ is both our light and life. He makes the world shine, and He makes it possible for us to live again as He did.

Friday, August 1, 2014

Christ

Mosiah 15:7-8

"Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.
And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men-"


Christ did so much for us. He allowed his perfect self to be taken and killed because it was the Father's will. He was willing to do whatever it took to redeem us from sin. Death no longer lasted, because He was living again 3 days later. He made it possible for us all to be resurrected!