Alma 60

This chapter is a letter from Moroni to Pahoran. In this chapter Moroni reminds Pahoran that sometimes it is needful to cleanse the inner vessel. He threatens to clean the inner vessel, or overthrow the government if they are not willing to send needed help. This can be compared to ourselves if we compare our hearts to a vessel. President Ezra Taft Benson said, "As we cleanse the inner vessel, there will have to be changes made in our own personal lives, in our families, and in the Church." (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 72). 

As I contemplate my inner vessel, Moroni mentioned something I should evaluate. He said, "Behold, I am Moroni, your chief captain, I seek not for power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country..." (Alma 60: 36).

I think it is easy to get caught up in the world and neglect the things that matter most. As I read this section, I paused and evaluated my heart. Am I seeking honors of the world? I hope not. Am I glorying in my God? I hope so. What am I doing to build the kingdom? 

These points are definitely cause me to reflect, and look inward. I hope I am accomplishing what my Heavenly Father would ask of me, and if not--I hope I am on my way to correcting my wrongs. I know I am not perfect. I know I have a long way to go, and I know that there are things I can fix. It is my prayer that I will understand just what it is that I need to fix, and then do it.

Alma 56 & 57

LESSONS FROM THE STRIPLING WARRIORS

This chapter of scripture is one of my favorite in all the Book of Mormon. I love the example of the two thousand stripling warriors and the lessons their example teaches me. When I read about them, I hope that I can be the mom that is described in these verses, and I hope that my children can be like the stripling warriors. This chapter serves as an example of what I want to accomplish in this life.

Lesson #1
Verse 45: "And now I say unto you, my beloved brother Moroni, that never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites.

We face many things in our life that require courage. Elder Lynn D. Robbins in the October 2014 general conference said that, "Courage is the form of every virtue at its testing point." I love this description of courage. President Monson has stated in numerous talks that courage is needed in order to overcome the trials we will face. These stripling warriors had courage to do whatever was required for the benefit of their people. In fact that encompasses lesson #2.

Lesson #2
Verse 47: "Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives..."

This is an unselfish love that I think takes a great deal of spiritual strength to acquire. It is part of the natural man in us all to think of ourselves. I can only imagine how I would feel if I were them facing an enemy army. I can't imagine the strength of character they must have had in order to think of other people above the fear of their own lives. I can't imagine the faith they must have had to trust in their mother's words when their mother's had told them to not doubt.


Lesson #3
Verse 47 and 48 "...yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it."

In my patriarchal blessing, it talks about my faith as a mother. These scriptures seem to speak to me directly. I feel I have been instructed that through my faith, my children will be saved. These mothers had that kind of faith. I'm not sure how to acquire this kind of faith, but I know I can pray for direction. I want my children to be like the Stripling Warriors and not doubt, because I KNOW. That is a mighty example. An example I hope I am setting.

These young men had great faith, and they were willing to declare their faith. In verse 46 it states, "...behold, our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall..." This line teaches me about faith in God. It teaches me to trust in Him over everything else. It teaches me to set aside my fears, and be believing. It teaches me to teach my children to do the same.

I know that God is with us. I know that He loves us. I know that He knows us individually. I know that as we let go of our will, and as we turn our will over to Him, He can do great things in our lives. As we trust Him, He will create miracles. I pray for this kind of faith. I pray that I can be like the mothers of the Stripling Warriors.

Lesson #4
Verse 56: "But behold to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with such mighty power did they fall upon the Lamanites, that they did frighten them; and for this cause did the Lamanites deliver themselves up as prisoners of war."

This continues throughout the story of the Two Thousand Stripling Warriors--they go to battle, and not one of them die. In Alma 57:25-26 it states, "there was not one soul of them who did perish; yea, and neither was there one soul among them who had not received many wounds. And behold their preservation was astonishing... And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe--that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power."

These young men were walking miracles. The scriptures attribute it to their faith. It seems to teach me a little about faith, and my desire to trust in the Lord in all things. For in 57:27 it states, "their minds are firm and they do put their trust in God continually."

And then in 57:21 it states, "Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that heir mothers had taught them."

I believe that their example teaches us to rely on God a bit more in our lives. It teaches us that as we keep the commandments, and as we trust in God--we can expect that God will look out for us. We can have the faith that all will work together for our good, because God promises blessings to the righteous. This doesn't mean that I think we won't have trials. I assume that these young men felt it was a great trial to be at war rather than at home. I suppose it was a great trial to face the Lamanites in battle at such a young age; however, no matter their trial they were still firm, and because they were firm--they had faith that God would be with them.

There are many around me that are struggling with great trials. I've been asked by my kids why bad things happen to good people. With these thoughts in mind, I can't answer "WHY", but I can say that those of my friends who are faithful, are somehow happier, are somehow lifted, are somehow feeling the presence of God despite their struggle; however, those of my friends who turn away from God, are seemingly lost, and are not receiving the assurance that all work together for their good.

Each and every one of us will face trials in this life. God is overall. He loves us. As we are obedient to Him and  submit our wills to His, we will be blessed. Maybe not in our time frame, but we can be assured that we will.

Alma 50

When Moroni protected his people against the Lamanites it describes him as being constant in his fortifications of the people. In verse 1 it states, "Moroni did not stop making preparations for war, or to defend his people against the Lamanites...digging up heaps of earth round about all the cities", verse 2 it states that Moroni built timbers upon the heaps of earth, and in verse 3 he placed pickets upon those timbers, and in verse 4 he caused towers to be erected and places of security upon those towers. And finally in verse 6 it states, "Thus Moroni did prepare strongholds against the coming of their enemies...".

A few years ago I was stressing about which school Hailey should attend. I wanted to pick the best school for her spiritual development. As I prayed and fasted about our decision, I read these verses and I felt I received an answer to my prayers. I felt that the Lord was telling me that it didn't matter where Hailey went to school--what mattered was what we were doing at home. Were we building up our fortifications? Were we reading our scriptures, saying our prayers, having regular Family Home Evenings? I felt impressed that as we built the spirit in our home, we would be fortifying our children just as Moroni fortified the Lamanites. 

Alma 49:30

Last night after dinner, my family and I had a moment of reflection. Amber was telling us an experience she had at school where a boy was totally flabbergasted that she doesn't hit her siblings--not even a little. As she described the scenario, my thoughts turned to our blessings. My heart filled with gratitude for the here and now. We are so blessed. My children love each other. Sure--we have moments of discord, but for the most part--there is love. I wish I could freeze time, because life is so good right now. As I sent the children off to bed, I stopped them for a moment of reflection. We had just finished reading about the Title of Liberty in The Book of Mormon and for a time the people of Nephi were happy because they were keeping the commandments of God. I reminded my children that as long as we were choosing the right, we could remain in this state of happiness towards one another; however, I told them that Satan was very real. I admonished them to hold tight to the Gospel teachings, and to come to us (their parents) if ever there came a time where they found themselves tempted to stray from the path. This experience reminds me of  a scripture in my own scriptures study this morning. I states, "Yea, and there was continual peace among them, and exceedingly great prosperity in the church because of their heed and diligence which they gave unto the word of God...".

We truly are happier as we live by the commandments. That doesn't mean that bad things won't happen to us--it just means that our hearts can have peace, and there is true happiness. When my brother died, it shook the faith of one of my siblings. He questioned how God could allow something like that to happen to someone so young. It was definitely a trial in all our lives; however, as I turned to God, I did find peace. I felt happiness midst the trial. Heavenly Father carried me through the trial. I knew I wasn't alone. On the other hand, those of us who didn't seek our Father in Heaven--walked through the trial alone. Bad things will happen to us, but we can overcome anything as long as we are walking with God, and with God by our side, we will find true happiness.

ALMA 48

MORONI

In a previous post I compared Amalickiah and Moroni. In verse 7 the scriptures point out that same comparison when it says, "that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God."

I'm not sure why this comparison intrigues me so much. Perhaps, it demonstrates who we can become--we can choose to influence others for good, or for bad. Or, perhaps it is the idea that the people in our lives can directly influence who we become. The stark difference between Amalickiah and Moroni seems so apparent there shouldn't be any gray area in our lives--we can either choose to be like Amalickiah or choose to be like Moroni. However, although I know our own determination to become plays a huge role in what we will eventually become--I also think that in order to "Become"--we must be diligent--keeping our eyes fixed on that ultimate goal. If we are not diligent Satan can carefully lead us way from the pathway with small, seemingly minuet transgressions. On the other hand, we can also form our lives into a life like Moroni's by small, seemingly minuet righteous choices.

The scriptures describe Moroni:
Verse 11: Strong Mighty Man; A Man of Perfect Understanding; Found Joy in Liberty

I can be more like Moroni by increasing my undrestanding through prayer, and seeking God first.

Verse 12: Heart Did Swell With Thanksgiving Toward God; A Man Who Labored for Safety of People

I can be more like Moroni by being more thankful towards my Heavenly Father--seeking more gratitude in prayer rather than seeking my wants and needs. I can also fulfill my calling by seeking the Lord's guidance without complaint.

Verse 13: Firm in the Faith of Christ; Believing that if He was Faithful in Keeping the Commandments, then the Lord would Deliver Them from Their Enemies (verse 15, and 16).

I can be like Moroni by trusting in God and keeping my faith. Trusting that if I do keep the commandments, then I can have faith that all will work together for our good.

I love in verse 17 it states, "Yea, verily, 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."

The scriptures then mentioned more men that were like unto Moroni--Ammon, Helaman, The Sons of Mosiah, Alma...

I want to be like Moroni. I want my name to be on a list in heaven like unto this list--not for the glory of men, but to fulfill my desire of becoming all that God would have me become. I want my children to be like Moroni too! I want us to seek God first in our lives.

As I read this scripture, my heart longs to become. My heart desires my children to also become. I have faith that the Lord can guide us. I have no doubt that we will have shortcomings and struggle at times; however, I also have no doubt that all can be made right through Heavenly Father.

As I was reading this, I felt prompted to memorize this scripture with my family. I think Moroni should become a hero for my little people, and I can help create that!