Amalickiah versus Moroni

In Alma there is a contrast between good and evil. In verse Alma 46:10, a description of Amalickiah states, "a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words, that he led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly...."

In contrast, when Moroni saw the wickedness of Amalickiah, and saw the people turning away from their beliefs, he hoisted a title of liberty reminding the people of their God, their families, and their religion. He proclaimed it throughout the country, rallying the people to the cause of righteousness.

And then in chapter 48 it says, "Yea, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."

In previous verses of that same chapter it described Moroni as a "strong and might man:...a man of perfect understanding...", "a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God...", and "a man who was firm in the faith of Christ...".

Two lessons keep coming to mind: first, it is important that we surround ourselves with good friends. Our friends can influence our pathways in this life. If we are surrounded by the Amalickiah's of this world, we will find ourselves on a pathway that will only bring us misery; however, if surround ourselves with the Moroni's of this world, we will be facing God, and we will find joy and happiness. We truly become what we surround ourselves with. My mother-in-law has always taught her children that you can't "sleep with the pigs and not get dirty". And so it is with life, we can't assume that we are stronger than the influences around us. If we want to remain clean, we must surround ourselves with the good.

The second lesson is that not Moroni was able to fight against evil, because he had sacrificed himself to knowing God. He did the things that were required to be acquainted with the things of God. We can't merely hope to be like Moroni--this isn't going to happen without action on our part.

Alma 46

Alma 46: 7-10

• Book of Mormon

7And there were many in the church who believed in the flattering words of Amalickiah, therefore they dissented even from the church; and thus were the affairs of the people of Nephi exceedingly precarious and dangerous, notwithstanding their great victory which they had had over the Lamanites,... 

8Thus we see how quick the children of men do forget the Lord their God, yea, how quick to do iniquity , and to be led away by the evil one. 

9Yea, and we also see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men. 

10Yea, we see that Amalickiah, because he was a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words, that he led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly; yea, and to seek to destroy the church of God, and to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them, or which God had granted unto them, or which blessing God had sent upon the face of the land for the righteous' sake.

These scriptures seem so poignant to me. They seem to describe how easy it is to find ourselves on the other side of the line. The line between good and evil. These scriptures remind me of the necessity to constantly be working on our testimonies. If we slacken even a little, Satan will use that opportunity to try and drive us from the things of God. These scriptures remind me of the importance of reading my scriptures daily, of saying my prayers daily, and of attending church. It seems to me that our day isn't much different from that of Alma's. As I contemplate on the issues facing his day compared to our day, I see many similarities. All around me, I have people I love that are listening to the cunning words of the Amalickiah's of this world, and they are falling away.

I understand the temptation to quit, to give up, to simply be done. I hear Satan screaming these phrases at me, and to be honest--sometimes it feels appealing. We all struggle with our own set of sins, and as I struggle with mine, I feel discouraged and beaten. I sometimes wonder how to use the enabling power of Christ to make myself clean, or to remove these struggles from me. It's sometimes difficult to see my progress, because that progress is so small, so minuet. There are moments when I feel so discouraged that quitting seems like a good alternative to these constant attempts to choose the right. However, because I have been diligent in working on my testimony,I can hear these voices, but I am strengthened by a far greater power. A voice that shouts, "Don't you dare give up, hold on, keep going, I am here..." I know that He is there. Our Savoir died for us, and He loves us. If we will listen, He will shout His encouragement, which will fight against those negative voices; however, in order to hear Him, we must be holding His teachings. Satan is all around us, and he desires to have us. He will use every tactic to pull us away from the Savior. Our only protection is through the Savior, and it is our choice.

Alma 41 & Luke 1:38

BEHOLD THE HANDMAIDEN of THE LORD

Today I was reading about the resurrection of man. In Alma 40:12 it states, "that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace"(Alma 40:12). In the next verse it states, "that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil--for behold,...they chose evil works rather than good; ...shall be cast into outer darkness" (Alma 41:13). Alma further explains in verse 21 that "there is a space between death and the resurrection of the body, and a state of the soul in happiness or in misery until the time which is appointed of God that the dead come forth, and be reunited, both soul and body, and be brought to stand before God, and be judged according to their works" (Alma 40:21).

This life is the time for us to prepare to meet God. As President Monson has said, our "choices determine our destiny". This isn't to say that the atonement doesn't play a very real part in our salvation. Works alone cannot save us. It is only through the atonement that any of us can be saved; however, Christ's grace cannot be offered to one who denied His grace while in the flesh. Without the atonement, we would all be lost for no unclean thing can enter into God's presence (Alma 40:26).

I want my life to be one where the Lord knows He can call on me at any moment. I am not there. I am still striving to be that person. Just recently I have been assigned some things in my church that require a lot of effort from me. On one hand, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve, on the other hand, I am feeling burdened and overwhelmed. I am fighting the natural man tendencies to think of myself rather than to look to God with faith. I have faith that through God all things are possible. I think of Mary when she was asked to be the mother of our Savior. Her response to the angel has always touched me when she said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word" (Luke 1:38). I love Mary's example. I love that she didn't falter. She trusted God, and His plan for her. Being pregnant, without a husband, could mean that Joseph would release her of their betrothal, or it could even mean death. Mary didn't seem to concentrate on these factors--she only said, "be it according to thy word".

And so I have a choice. I can choose to be burdened by the requests that are made of me, or I can choose to say as Mary, "behold the handmaid of the Lord". I want to be like Mary. I want to do whatsoever the Lord requires, and I want to do it well. I want my heart to be His heart. I want my desires to be His. I know that I am not what I need to be for I still struggle with an internal battle of selfishness, but because my desires are pure, I believe God can change my unwilling heart. And so I pray, "Heavenly Father please help me to be what thou would have me be. Please change my heart to be like Mary's. Help me to be thy servant while here on this earth. Help me to do all things thou would require with a cheerful heart and a desire to serve. Please take this natural man out of me."

This is my probationary state. This is my time to prepare to meet God, and when I do--I do not want any regrets.

Which Way Do You Face by Elder Lynn G. Robbins

Which Way Do You Face

I was touched by this talk, because I think it is easy to forget our purpose. It is easy to fear what others may think of us, and to fall into the temptation of putting their thoughts as a concern in our minds. I like how this talk illustrates how we should care more about what God thinks than what others may think of us. I think this is a great challenge in our every day life. Not because we don't love God, but because we can't see God--we must have a personal relationship with Him in order to put Him first. The natural man tends to want to blend in with our peers. In today's society, we will not blend in when we put the will of God first.

I want to be the kind of person that will always choose God over men. He is my Father. I love Him with all of my heart. I want to live my life in such a way that He will know that I am His disciple. I want to always remember which way I face, and I want others to know as well--not for their acclamation's, but to do the will of my Father, and testify of Him.

Favorite quotes from this talk:

Trying to please others before pleasing God is inverting the first and second great commandment.

Decisions of character are made by remembering the right order of the first and second great commandment.

When people try to save face with men, they can unwittingly lose face with God.

While it certainly takes courage to face perils, the true badge of courage is overcoming the fear of men.

Courage is the form of every virtue at the testing point.

Lowering the Lord's standards to the level of a society's inappropriate behavior is --apostasy.

This talk was so profound for me. I liked how it pointed out examples in the scriptures of those who faced the Savior, and those who did not. Of those who had courage to remain strong, and those who forgot their place, because of the fear of men.

Pilate, King Herod, King Saul, and Aaron were all examples of men who were more concerned with the world's view than with God's view of them. In contrast, Mormon, Nephi, and Captain Moroni were examples of men who were more concerned about God.

I want to be like unto the good examples. I want my Father to be pleased with me, because I love Him.

Alma 39

Alma 39:14
Seek not after riches nor the vain things for this world; for behold, you cannot carry them with you.

What a profound statement. It seems so obvious that we should not set our hearts on materialistic items, and yet we do. When all is said and done, the "things" in life will not make us happy nor will they come with us when we pass on to the next life. True happiness will only be found by focusing our hearts on our relationships with God and our fellow men.  

When we were sent here to earth, our Heavenly Father gave us the sweet gift of agency. Because we have been given the ability to choose, it is ultimately up to us to decide our final destination. I have often envisioned what it will be like to stand before my Father in Heaven and be judged for my actions here on this earth. I want to feel, when I meet my Heavenly Father, that I did all that I could while I was here on the earth. A few months ago, I was taught a lesson on this topic. My mother-in-law entrusted my husband and I with her most prized possession—a necklace made from her mother’s wedding ring. She had left it at the cabin, and asked that we deliver it to her. Knowing how important this item was to my mother-in-law, my husband and I discussed ways in keeping it safe, and then followed through with our plan. However, when it came time to deliver the necklace to my mother-in-law, the necklace was no longer where it had been placed for safe keeping. This realization ensued several weeks of searching and praying for the lost heirloom. Throughout this time of prayer and contemplation, my soul longed for a “redo”. My mind was relentless with the “if only’s”, and the “should of’s”.  I couldn’t help but think of what I could have done, or what I should have done. In the midst of my turmoil, I was taught a lesson. One evening while contemplating the lost heirloom, my mind was opened to a new thought. In my mind I saw myself standing in front of my Savior after I had completed my time here on Earth. As I stood, my mind wondered—will I want a “redo”, or will I have done all that I could? In 2 Nephi it states, “Therefore, lift up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves, to choose the way of everlasting life, or the way of everlasting death” (2 Nephi 10:23). President Monson has said that decisions determine our destiny (President Monson, “Dare to Stand Alone”, Ensign, October 2011). 

Alma 38

When Alma speaks to his son Shiblon, he says, "And now my son, Shiblon, I would that ye should remember that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of of your trials and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day."

I trust that God can help me. I know that He can change that He can carry me through my trials, and make me whole. I will put my trust in Him. I will not quit. I will look forward to the day when I can look at these trials with a new perspective, because I will have known that God has been with me. All throughout the scriptures, it repeatedly says that we need to "endure". Satan is aware of each of us. It is his goal to pull us from God's pathway. When we make mistakes, he tries to convince us that we should quit and give up. I know that by putting my trust in God, I can endure. I can keep on the pathway to eternal life. There are times when I wish I could say I was perfect, but I know through these struggles, I am being refined into a more compassionate person. And someday I will have become the person the Lord would have me be.

At the end of this chapter it reminds us that it is only through Jesus Christ that we may be saved. As we turn to Him, He will carry us, refine us, and lift us along the path of righteousness.

Alma 37

I love the spirit of this chapter. As I read, I feel my life vision being formed for there are so many words of wisdom and direction. My favorite thoughts from this chapter are:

Alma 37:6
...but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

By small things, are great things brought to pass. As we keep the commandments, the Lord creates miracles in our lives. I can think of several "small" things that bringeth forth great blessings. To name a few: personal progress, scripture study, prayer, service, fasting, paying tithing...all of these things are simple and small in an of themselves; however, as we commit ourselves to living these principles, our lives are changed. The Lord creates within us something greater than we are. By having the faith to do His will, we become His. This is the desire of my heart. More than anything I want to be His. I want to live as He wants me to live. I want to BE what he wants me to BE. 

Alma 37:37

Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou rises in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

Prayer is our pathway to God. It is through prayer that we align our hearts with His. As we learn from Alma 33, that through prayer, "judgments are turned away" by the Son of God. As we plead our case before the Father, we must believe that the Savior as our advocate will lift us up at the last day.

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "Let prayer, night and morning, as a family and as individuals, become a practice in which children grow while yet young. It will bless their lives forever. No parent in this Church can afford to neglect it" (Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 466-7).

So, this is a call for not only my personal prayers, but also as a parent teaching my children. A prophet of God has declared that I cannot neglect this duty. It is my prayer that I will be more diligent in teaching my children, that I will remind them more often of this tool, and that I will be an example of this sacred duty.

Some thoughts I wrote on this passage in a talk:

In our world today, I have often felt worried, and I have desired for a sure way to protect myself and my family from the adversary. Our ultimate goal in this life is to live worthy to receive eternal life.  I love in the Book of Mormon when King Lamoni’s father asked, “What shall I do that I may have this eternal life?” I have often wondered similarly, and questioned—am I doing enough? What more can I do? There have been times when I have lamented to my husband that I wished I had my own personal Liahona. In the Book of Mormon, the Liahona was used by Lehi and his family. It was a brass ball that gave both spiritual counsel and directional instruction. However, the Liahona worked only according to the faith and diligence of Lehi’s family (1 Nephi 16: 28-29). I have told my husband that if I could only look into a ball, and be told exactly what to do, I would then do it. I would follow it exactly. These wistful thoughts were hinged on my desire for protection against the adversary, and my ultimate goal of eternal life. As I have prepared for this talk, I have realized that I do have a Liahona—it is the word of God, or in other words—the scriptures.

Alma 37: 44-45  illustrates how the scriptures are our personal Liahona’s. It states,

44 For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the ^aword of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass (the Liahona), which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.

45 And now I say, is there not a ^atype in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise. [italicized added for explanation purposes]

We do have a Liahona in my life; We do have a crystal ball--it is the scriptures. God will guide us on our pathways. Right now in my life--I need that guidance. I need the power of the scriptures to sustain me through this trial. Satan is aware of me, and he works hard to discourage me from the path. However, as I read the scriptures, I am fortified daily in my decisions. 

There have been moments when I have made mistakes and wanted to quit, because I keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Yet, as I read the scriptures and study about enduring to the end, and the love of God. I feel a sense of reassurance that the atonement can work in my life too. 

Alma 33 & 34

Jesus Christ is our salvation. As we pray, and seek Him in our lives, the atonement can become real in our lives. He stands as an advocate on our behalf. In order to allow Him to be our advocate, we must choose to use the atonement, and by so doing we obtain the mercy we desire.

Alma 34: 9 states, "For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made; or else all mankind must unavoidably perish..."

Alma 34:15, &16 states, "And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety..."

This life is our time to prepare to meet God. Through Jesus Christ, we can become clean.  As we seek Christ, and as we practice faith unto repentance, we allow the atonement to cleanse us from our sins. It is only through the atonement of Christ that we can be saved. For no "unclean" clean can enter into God's presence. Because our Father loves us so much, He provided a way for us to return. He wants us to succeed. He desires our return; however, we must choose our path. We must use our agency to acquire this great gift that has been offered.

We are in the Christmas Season, and the Church has launched a campaign proclaiming that Christ is the gift of Christmas. I have a testimony of this. Jesus Christ died for us. He suffered in Gethsemane providing for me a means to repentance. He died on the cross breaking the bands of death, and allowing me to live again in my Heavenly Home. Without this truth, I do not believe we would celebrate Christmas. Without Easter, there would be no Christmas. But because Christ did what He did, the true gift of Christmas is Him. The atonement is the greatest gift ever given.

It is my hope that I can remember the true meaning of Christmas. The reason for the season.

Alma 33

Alma teaches us through Zenos's words that we should pray and worship in all places, and if we do--judgments are turned away from us through the Son of God. Alma then taught from Zenock when he stated that mercy is bestowed through the Son of God, and finally he spoke of Moses saying that a "type was raised in the wilderness that whosever would look upon it, would live". That typed in which he is speaking, is again symbolic of Christ. As we look to Him, we are saved.

Alma states, "Cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works" (Alma 33:22).

Jesus Christ is my salvation. We have been given a plan in which we can return; however, it is up to us if we will choose to allow that plan to be a part of our lives. The Lord has done all He can for us--it is now up to us to choose His plan.

Alma 32

FORMULA FOR LIFE

Alma 32 is one of those "formula" type chapters for me. There are some real gems for principles within this chapter. My favorite principle is when Alma says, "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."

Alma explains that even if we can only have a desire to believe, then if we allow that desire to work within us through experimenting on that desire, we will then know whether it is good or bad. He explains that if it is good, it will expand and grow within us, and we will know that is good. As we do this, we begin to build our testimonies; however, we have only begun. We must be willing to continue experimenting, which will continue to build our testimonies. And herein lies the formula: Working at our Testimonies + Endurance = Eternal Life. For as Alma explains, "If ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life" (Alma 32:41). So, as we work our testimonies, by studying the word (the iron rod...as Nephi described it) and enduring to the end--we shall be led to eternal life. For the tree in which it speaks is the tree of life, and as we learned from Nephi, it leads to life eternal.

Alma's formula is exactly what we need for our day. It is our answer on how to remain steadfast. As I look around, I feel that there are many voices pulling us away from the principles of the Gospel. There are many who have fallen from these principles already: We must hold on to our testimonies in order to remain strong, and the only way to do that is by studying the scriptures.

I once wrote a talk about this idea of faith, and this is what I wrote:

We are taught more fully about our foundations of faith through Alma. He also spoke of the importance of the word of God; however, rather than likening the word to an iron rod—he likened the word to a seed which is planted in the heart. He states that if we will no more “than desire to believe”, the seed or the word will begin to sprout and grow. And as it beginneth to grow, we will know that “the word has enlarged our souls, and our understanding will be enlightened, and our minds will expand.” (Alma 32:34)  Alma states that continued nourishment and patience will cause the seed to grow into the tree of life —“a tree springing forth into everlasting life.” (Alma 32: 26-42) As we continue to study the scriptures, our foundations of faith will grow, and our knowledge will expand.

President Boyd K. Packer said, “True doctrine understood, changes attitudes and behavior…the study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior.”

I have an elder brother who until just recently has not been interested in many of the lasting joys that accompany membership in our church. However, slowly his disinterest turned to interest, and a few weeks ago my dear brother and his beautiful wife were sealed in the temple with their two children. I can’t begin to express the feelings that accompanied this marvelous event. It truly was a sacred moment in our family. After the sealing, I asked my sister-in-law what it was that made the difference for her and her family. She said that it started with a simple goal—a baby step.  As a family they made a goal to read the Book of Mormon in a year. She said that at times it was difficult. She remembers many mornings when no one wanted to rise for early morning scripture study, but through perseverance day by day this baby step turned into something more than a simple goal. The seed planted by the word of God, began to enlarge their souls, and by the end of the year my brother received the priesthood, and he and his wife were sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. My sister-in-law said that without scripture study, they would not have made their covenants in the temple. By studying the scriptures, their foundation of faith, and their testimony of truth was strengthened through the Lord.  As we study our scriptures, we too will be building a foundation of faith. President Monson said, that as we establish a firm foundation for our lives, we are given a precious promise:

Fear not I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
(“How Firm a Foundation,” Hymns, no. 85)