Exceeding Joy

I want to follow up on Andrea's post about the joy of Alma that was so great it exhausted his strength and he fell to the earth. Alma 27:18 says,

"Behold, this is the joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of Christ."

Contrast that with Korihor just a couple chapters later. He goes around saying there is no God, and he accuses those who preach there is a God of leading away the people after silly traditions for their own gain. Korihor asks for a sign there is a God. The sign is that he is struck dumb. He then wanders around begging for food and is eventually trampled to death by the wicked Zoramites.

The moral of he story is found in Alma 30:60.

"And thus we see he end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day but doth speedily drag them down to hell."

We have the choice being like Alma and in the end experiencing inexpressible joy, or following he example of Korihor, who may have been popular for a while by following the devil, but in the end, the devil abandoned him and dragged him down to hell.

Alma 32:21 & 22

Alma, after dealing with Korihor, gets word that the Zoramites have fallen into apostacy, so he and Aaron start on a mission to convert them to the true gospel. When they arrive, they see that the people don't believe in Christ and that they have corrupted many of the true principles of the gospel. Nevertheless they begin to teach the word of God to them. They come upon a multitude of sick and poor Zoramites that have been cast out, and seeing that they have been humbled the missionaries start to preach to them. And this is a part of what they taught.

And now as I said concerning faith-faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

And now, behold, I say unto you, and I would that ye should remember, that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word.

I have faith that Heavenly Father is real and that he is the father of all our spirits. I have a testimony of our Savior. I know that Christ attoned for all our sins, and that he was crucified on Calvery. I have faith that if we have faith in our Father in Heaven, we truely will be blessed and that God will grant us mercy at the judgement seat. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testiment of Jesus Christ and I bear testimony that it is true. I now know the blessings which are given when we take the time to read and ponder the scriptures and share what the spirit has revealed to us while we read. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Alma 27:18

"Now was this not exceeding joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seekers of happiness?" Alma was so filled with joy that he fainted! How great would it be if we could be filled with that kind of happiness? Luckily, we can, if we do what the verse says. If we are humble and penitent, we can receive this kind of happiness! I hope we'll all do our best to achieve this joy.

Led by the Spirit of the Lord

I like the message in Alma 21:16. Ammon and Aaron and the other missionaries with them decided to preach to the Lamanites. How did they know where to go and who to preach to?

Verse 16 gives us the answer:

"And they went forth whithersoever they were led by the Spirit of he Lord, preaching the word of God ..."

That was a lesson to me about how we should live our lives. I know we can be led by the Spirit of God if we just heed the promptings we get. I had an experience once where I felt really prompted to ask a young man at my work if he planned to go on a mission. He was totally inactive and not living the gospel standards, so I felt kind of foolish asking him that question. He just looked at me funny and said he had thought about it. He soon left my work for another job but about a year later I got a letter from him. He said my comment got him thinking and he decided to get his life in order and go on a mission and he invited me to the sacrament meeting where he would be speaking. We should follow the example of the Ammon and his brethren and try to be led by the Spirit.

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 miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

This is what Ammon the missionary says to Aaron, after he accuses Ammon of being too joyfull and of boasting. But anyway, I just found this verse very meaningful to me. I know that with the Lord we really can do all things as long as we are keeping the commandments and are trying our best to be like Christ. I know that we can perform miracles as long as we are intuned with the spirit and are fullfilling the covenants which we have made to our Father in Heaven. I know that I am a child of God and that he loves me and knows everything about me. I know that he loves everyone in the world just as much. I know that this book is true, and that Heavenly Father through Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris translated the Book of Mormon. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that he will come again at the Second Coming. I am thankful for a true prophet and apostles who lead God's church in these Latter Days. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Alma 21:22

This verse says "...they might have the liberty of worshipping the Lord their God according to their desires, in whatsoever place they were in..." Doesn't that sound very similar to the 11th Article of Faith? "We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience and allow all men the same privilege. Let them worship how, where, or what they may." In our country we have the freedom of religion. It is a great blessing to be able to do what both that scripture and the 11th Article of Faith say. We should take advantage of that and attend our church meetings, pray, and study our scirptures since we can without oppsition. Others, like Daniel, would have loved to have freddom of religion! But even though he didn't, he still prayed, even though it meant being cast into a den of lions. I think we can all sacrifice a little bit of time each day to worship our God- we could have it a lot worse!

This is the Beehive class

Saydee: So far in the Book of Mormon I am in the middle of 2nd Nephi... i am not doing to well on the Book of Mormon challenge but i try to read at least a chapter every night.

Chloe: to add on to what Saydee said I'm not doing very well either I am in the middle of first Nephi but I have decided to read about 5 or 6 pages a day. even though I am not very far I still have a very strong testimony on the Book Of Mormon

Jaidyn:I am reading the Book of Mormon and I am not doing very well but I am reading 4 pages a day now and when I do I feel like a better person

Megan:I am reading the book of mormon with my family at least every monday i forgot what page i was on but we have tried to be active on reading the book of mormon but when when we do we feel the spirt in the room

Laura: I was not doing very well, but committed to do it everyday, so far things have been going well and I will keep doing, because I love the feeling I have doing it.

McKayla:

Sister Staker: I have loved rereading the Book of Mormon with the youth. I have been reading about Samuel the Lamanite. I am so grateful for the courage these great prophets had. The Book of Mormon has been a great blessing in my life and every time I read I am blessed with the knowledge that our Savior lives and loves each one of us. I admire all those that have been so diligent in posting on the Shamrock Park blog. Thank you for your posts!

Sister Urling: I started this challenge late, so I am only in 2nd Nephi. I am really enjoying reading the Book of Mormon again. Every time I read it I find new things that impress me. I love reading it and the feeling I get when I read.

McKayla: the book of mormon is a great tool because even though they wrote it over 2,000 years ago, their lesson's are still used and applied today!

Alma 17:12

This verse says that it "took courage...to declare unto them the Word of God." This is talking about Alma and Amulek! You know, the guys who got thrown into prison, beaten, and tried by law because they were preaching the gospel. Because we live in a free country, we won't be hurt like they were if we share the gospel with others. It's a hard and scary thing, though, to bring up the gospel in a conversation. But that's why the scripture says it takes courage! It is a hard thing to do and so we need to be like Alma and Amulek and trust in the Lord so we can share His gospel. I bear my testimony of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

St. John 6:38

For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me.

This is a great scripture for all of us, especially the men and women who are preparing to go on a mission to really ponder and think about. For it reminds me that this is how I want to be, and I want to do all that I can do to be an instrument in the Lord's hands. I have forgotten a few times, and passed up a moment that I really could've been of service to someone, but after reading this I have tried harder not to pass up such opportunities. I will try my best to act upon the Holy Ghost and to stay worthy to go to the temple. I am so thankful for this wonderful ward, and for the love and friendship we all have for each other and for the Lord, Jesus Christ. I am thankful for the watchmen we have in our lives. I believe that the bible is the word of God as far as it is translated correctly, and I truely believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Watch and Pray Continually

Alma 13:28 admonishes us to "..watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can can bear..."

I can't overemphasize how true this is. People can do so well in staying spiritually strong as they read their scriptures each day and say their prayers faithfully and that gives them the strength to stay on the right path and avoid temptation. But then comes the danger in being too overconfident and thinking your strong enough to skip those things for a few days. That's when Satan strikes and people are more likely to give in to temptation. I have a testimony that as we watch and pray continually - not taking a break from doing that - that we will indeed see the promise fulfilled that we will not be tempted above that which we can bear.

Alma 14

I am sorry for my absence in posting on the blog for the past couple of weeks. I was still kinda caught up in the holiday season, plus we still had family staying here who wanted to play games and do stuff. Anyway, this scripture that I have for you today is a great story of remaining faithful to the Lord. Because this story is a full chapter long, I will sum it up and tell it in my own words.

Alma and Amulek are commanded to preach the gospel to the people of Zeezrom. They do as they are asked. They teach the people about Jesus Christ, the plan of salvation, and they tell the people that they need to repent of their sins and quit living their lives wickedly, or the Lord will destroy them. Well, the multitude of people they were teaching, reject their words and are angry with them, and tie them up. The people then cast stones at them. They then take all the wives and children that believed the missionaries' words and cast them into the fire, along with all the records and scriptures they had. Alma is commanded of the Lord not to save the righteous people or the burning records. The angry mob then puts them in prison for three days. Once they are let out, the people try to get Alma and Amulek to deny Christ and what they believe in. The people say if they do, they will let them go. But Alma and Amulek won't deny their beliefs, so they are smote on the cheek by every one of the people who are angry with them. They continue doing this to the missionaries, and even make them take their clothes off. The people continue to mock them and give Alma and Amulek more opportunities to deny what they believe, but they still remain faithful. They receive many more beatings, until Alma prays to the Lord, asking him to give them the strength to break the bonds they are tied with. The Lord, pleased with Alma and Amulek, does, and the missionaries are able to escape.

I would like to bare my testimony of the gospel and of its truth. I know that Jesus Christ is our savior and because of him we are able to return to our Heavenly Father. I know the Book of Mormon is the true words of prophets and apostles, and that they were all inspired by the Lord to write what they wrote. I know we have a true prophet today, President Thomas S. Monson. I am thankful for the church building and for the temple we have so close to our homes. I know that our bishopric was called of God, and I am thankful for them. I am thankful for the preisthood, and for the miracles that are performed through it. I am thankful for my family, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Alma 7:11-13, 15

Verses 11-13 describe, in short, our Savior's life, why He did what He did, and all He did for us; His example, His sacrifice, and the miracles He performed. The magnitude of what He did just touched me so deeply!
Verse 15 says, "...show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with Him to keep His commandments, and witness it unto Him this day..." Our life is filled with choices- it's what we call agency. Christ sacrificed His life for us and there's know denying it. Our choice is whether we decide to accept that and use it to help us, or if we ignore it. I know that I can be forgiven of my sins and shortcomings through my Savior Jesus Christ. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

The reward of our works

I was impressed with Andrea's previous post about how clear cut some of the Book of Mormon verses are. Here's another one - Alma 9:28:

...for the time is at hand that all men shall reap a reward of their works, according to that which they have been - if they have been righteous they shall reap the salvation of their souls, according to the power and deliverance of Jesus Christ; and if they have been evil they shall reap the damnation of the their souls, according to the power and captivation of the devil.

In other words if our works are good we'll have our reward, if they are bad, we'll suffer the consequences. Another reason to do what Andrea suggested in the last post - choose the good stuff - it's God's stuff. I like that.

Alma 5:40

"For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil comethe from the devil." I really liked this verse because it was so straightforward. Think of all the blessings we have, and then think of where they come from. Heavenly Father! He provides us with an opportunity to live here on earth, to live with an eternal family, to partake of the sacrament, the restored gospel, a living prophet, and so much more. I know that Heavenly Father also blesses us with challenges to help us grow. Sometimes it's hard to tell that challenges are blessings, but when we look back, we can see how they helped us. All of these good things come from God. But then, of course, we sin, and make mistakes, and those things come from Satan. But where does repentance come from? Christ's sacrifice for us, which is yet another good gift from God. So, pick the good stuff- it's God's stuff.