Death

Alma 46:39

"And it came to pass that there were many who died, firmly believing that their souls were redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ; thus they went out of the world rejoicing."

Death is rejoicing when we trust in the Lord. The Plan of Salvation explains that death is not the end of our lives, rather it is a passing point to the next phase. When we accept Christ and live our lives how He wants us to live them, we can be at peace and have joy in the upcoming reunion with our Savior.

Yea, I believe!

Alma 45:3

"And Helaman said unto him: Yea, I believe."


This is a very simple verse, yet it has so much meaning. Helaman believed all the words of the scriptures and the prophecies his father, Alma, had made. He believed all the words of the prophet! This firm statement 'Yea, I believe' holds so much power. Helaman believes in Christ, in His gospel, in His commandments, in His all. He believes that if he follows Christ that he will be saved and have everlasting joy in the life to come. He believes that there is more to life than this mortal experience. He knows we are all children of an Almighty God and that there is divinity within us all. He believes all these things, and so do I.

Punishment for Sin

Alma 42:20

"And also, if there was no law given against sin men would not be afraid to sin."

Sinning is bad, but if it goes unpunished there's no incentive not to sin. Sinning brings unhappiness, so the Lord graciously gives punishment for sin so we don't want to sin. Without punishment, we would never learn and choose for ourselves.

After Death

Alma 40:9

"Therefore, there is a time appointed unto men that they shall rise from the dead; and there is a space between the time of death and the resurrection..."

Alma asked the Lord what happens to us when we die. His answer is in chapter 40. Alma teaches that there is a time between when we die and when we are resurrected. During this time we are either happy or miserable, based on how we chose to live our lives in this mortal life. The righteous will teach those who knew not Christ. After this time, we are resurrected. Whether we are all resurrected at the same time or at different times does not matter. God knows and that's all that matters. After we are resurrected, we are judged of God and we receive our glory.

Repent

Alma 39:8

"But behold, ye cannot hide your crimes from God; and except ye repent they will stand as a testimony against you at the last day."

God knows all our actions; whether good or bad. We cannot hide from Him. We are all subject to His laws. Through the atonement of Jesus Christ we can repent of these sins and become pure before the Father. We don't have to be ashamed of our wrongdoings when we have completely repented and moved away from them. It is so important to constantly repent so that we are not guilty before Him at the last day.

Repentance

Alma 38:8

"And it came to pass that I was three days and three nights in the most bitter pain and anguish of soul; and never, until I did cry out unto the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy, did I receive a remission of my sins. But behold, I did cry unto him and I did find peace to my soul."

Alma was in torment for 3 days and nights because of all the sin he had committed in his life. For three days and nights he thought he was doomed and that there was no turning back. Through Christ, however, he was able to repent and become a better person permanently. He turned away from the sins and devoted his life to the Lord. It was no free repentance though. He had to do his own work. He had to come to Christ and seek His mercy. We can't expect to sin and be ok. We have to repent of these sins in sincerity and then we'll be filled with peace.

Deliverance

Alma 36: 27

"And I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in him, and he will still deliver me."

When we trust in God, there is no limited amount of times that He will help us. He may not always deliver us out of our trials/hardships right away, but He'll give us the strength to get through them. He will never leave us alone. He will guide us through hard times and give us something to hold onto. He helped Alma, someone who previously was an awful sinner and destroyer of His church, and He will help each of us when we come to Him and ask for help. We must humbly follow Him and He will be there.

Rest from Afflictions

Alma 34:41

"But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions."


I love this outlook on life. Mortal life is full of hardships and trials, but they are not eternal. They are temporary and necessary. They stretch us and help us learn skills and become stronger. These are not lasting, though. One day, when we pass from this life, we will have rest! As long as we follow Christ and make and keep covenants, we will be able to rest from these afflictions and have true joy.

The atonement

Alma 33:11

"And thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my sincerity; and it is because of thy Son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me, therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine afflictions, for in thee is my joy; for thou hast turned thy judgements away from me, because of thy Son."

It's all because of the Son. The atonement is so crucial! Without it, we would never be forgiven and we would not live again after death. Jesus Christ did so much for us. We owe everything to Him. I want to study the atonement more and apply it more to my life so I can understand this great event. This great sacrifice that was necessary for us all to return and live with our Father again.

Faith and Trust

Alma 31:38

"... Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith."

Before this sentence, it's written that Alma and the other missionaries are provided for by the Lord. They are provided for because Alma asked the Lord for help and because they were doing what the Lord wanted them to do. When we pray for help in faith, the Lord will help us as long as it is with something He wants us to do. We must trust in Him and know that He knows all; especially what is best for us.

Missionary Work

Alma 29:9

"I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."

The glory  of God is His children. He loves us so much and wants what's best for us. This included living His gospel. There is so much joy in heaven and on earth when God's children follow Him and spread His message to others.

Missionary Work

Alma 28:14

"And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord..."


Due to a great amount of sin and iniquity among people, it's so necessary to labor in the vineyard and share the gospel with all people. Without Christ, no one can be saved, so everyone needs to know about Him and embrace Him.  There are so many missionaries in the world today doing just this, but we don't have to be missionaries to teach the gospel to our friends. I know there's a lot more that I can do, and I want to do better at sharing the gospel.

Death Has No Sting

Alma 27:28

"And they did look upon shedding the blood of their brethren with the greatest abhorrence; and they never could be prevailed upon to take up arms against their brethren; and they never did look upon death with any degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it."

These people understood the eternal nature of their Spirits. They knew that death was not the end of existence. Death is just a passing point from this life to the next life. Because of Jesus Christ, we will all have bodies again after we die. We will all be resurrected and live in a more perfected state. We will gain the body that reflects how we have lived our lives on the earth. This life is a preparatory state and determines our welfare after we die. When we trust in Christ and live how He lived, death is not worrisome!

Relying on God

Alma 26:12

"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."


Every success we have in this life we can attribute to God. Likewise, and hard time we have that stretches us and helps us grow we can also attribute to God. He is all aware of us and what we are going through. He will help us and guide us through all times if we seek Him and rely on His strength. We are nothing without God. He is everything and He loves us enough to help us and lead us.

Answered Prayers

Alma 25:17

"...seeing that the Lord had granted unto them according to their prayers, and that he had also verified his word unto them in every particular."


I love how Ammon, Aaron, Omner, Himni, and their brethren recognized how the Lord answered their prayers and fulfilled every part of His word unto them. Their testimony that the Lord answers all our prayers is so powerful and I know I need to look for more ways the Lord has answered my prayers. I'm sure there are answers that I've overlooked and if I take the time to recognize them I'll feel His love and presence in my life.

Charity

Alma 24:18

"And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God, and also to men, that they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man's blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands."

The Anti-Nephi-Lehi's were people of God. They were so concerned about the welfare of the Lamanites, who knew nothing about God, that they would rather die than have them die in sin. They were filled with charity towards their brothers, letting go of all selfishness. These people are true examples of the Savior, and how the Savior sacrificed Himself for us.

True Conversion

Alma 23:6

"...yea, I say unto you, as the Lord liveth, as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were  converted unto the Lord, never did fall away."

These people were true in their conversion to Christ. They  knew without doubt that the Gospel was true and that living by its principles would bring them salvation. They never fell away from this conviction. They were permanently changed for the better and served the Lord all their days.

Devotion

Alma 22:18

"O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou are 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..."

This king understood the importance of Jesus Christ and the atonement and truly wanted to have it as part of his life. He humbly asked God with real desire to know if He were real. The king received his answer and believed in God whole heartedly. He gave up all that was not inline with the gospel and aligned his life with the Lord's way. What faith!

Daily Exhortation

Alma 21:23

"... And he did exhort them daily, with all diligence; and they gave heed unto his word, and they were zealous for keeping the commandments of  God."


Daily exhortation is sometimes necessary for us to heed the word. Daily reminders of the gospel through scripture study and prayer are helpful to keep up doing what is right.

Being an Example

Alma 20:26-27

"And when he saw that Ammon had no desire to destroy him, and when he also saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: Because this is all that thou hast desired, that I would release thy brethren, and suffer that my son Lamoni should retain his kingdom, behold, I will grant unto you that my son may retain his kingdom from this time and forever; and I will govern him no more-
    and I will also grant unto thee that thy brethren may be cast out of prison, and thou and thy brethren may come unto me, in my kingdom; for I shall greatly desire to see thee. For the king was greatly astonished at the words which he had spoken, and also at the words which had been spoken by his son Lamoni, therefore he was desirous to learn them."


The king was amazed that Alma did not want power and glory. He was more amazed that he love his son and his brethren enough to plead for their lives. This impressed the king enough that he granted Alma his wishes and also wanted to learn more about his lifestyle. Alma lived the gospel and was an example to the king. The king recognized Alma's good qualities and wanted to learn more about them. Alma's example lead to the king being taught the gospel.

All People

Alma 19:36

"And thus the work of the Lord did commence among the Lamanites; thus the Lord did begin to pour out his Spirit upon them; and we see that his arm is extended to all people who will repent and believe on his name."

We are all Heavenly Father's children, so He loves us all! He wants us all to be happy and the only way to be happy is to repent and believe in Him. When we repent, all the guilt and bad feelings we have can leave and we are left feeling cleansed; a much happier state. This is available to everyone!

Promptings

Alma 18:24

"And Ammon began to speak unto him with boldness, and said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God?"


Ammon was in tune with the Spirit and knew how to start a religious conversation with King Lamoni. He starts with asking if the King believed in God. This is what troubled the King the most and what Ammon could help with the best. Ammon only knew this because he was following the promptings the Holy Ghost was giving him. If we listen, the Spirit will prompt and help us with our conversations with others.

Good Example

Alma 17:11

"And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls."


Being a good example is a great way to do missionary work. Being patient with people in public and in private is a great way to be a good example. This is not always easy, especially when anger and tempers flare quickly.  But, the Lord wants us to be patient and kind to all people. This is something I want to work on more.