3 Nephi 11:29

For verily, verily I say unto you,

he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me,

but is of the devil, who is the father of contention,

and he stirreth up the hearts of men

to contend with anger, one with another.

Week 19 - Looking Back

Things I thought about during my study this week:

Amulek’s and Zeezrom’s conversion stories – not quite as dramatic as Alma’s that had taken place earlier, but then most conversion stories aren’t. This quote sums it up nicely for them: President David O. McKay, who was Prophet and President of the Church in the 1950s and 1960s said that “the purpose of the gospel is […] to make bad men good and good men better, and to change human nature” (Conference Report, October 1965, 136).

Alma 17 starts with an ending. Alma & Amulek’s work in Ammonihah (which has now been destroyed just like the prophecy had warned) was finished. The sons of Mosiah’s work among the Lamanites for fourteen years had ended. And they met each other while traveling. I can relate to this in v. 2: Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; . . . I have been a member of the church for almost 32 years. I have served in a lot of positions in the ward and stake level. The Chattanooga Stake was formed not long after my baptism and within just a few years, I was serving as a counselor in the stake young women presidency. Because of that, I made friends with people from several different places. To this day, whenever I see any of them at the temple, etc., my heart does a little cartwheel because of their example of continued faithfulness. Conversely, whenever I hear of someone who was faithful then but subsequently lost their way, my heart is pained. And that is how it will be for this seminary class, whether you realize it now or not. You will always be interested in what happens with each other. You will rejoice, as Alma did, when 14 years from now you learn that each one of you has remained faithful. For each one of you who remains faithful, you will serve as a shot of strength and rejoicing into the souls of all those who knew you “way back when.” If you lose your way, there will be heartfelt prayers for your safe return. Even though you come from different backgrounds, have different talents and abilities, and will choose many different ways to map out your futures, you will always be bound by these years of when you shared your experience in the gospel with each other. As your teacher who loves you, my prayer is that you will choose to live lives that will be a strength and a joy to all who ever knew you and who ever will.

Soon after that joyous reunion, everyone went their separate ways: The scriptural account then turns to Ammon’s work in Ishmael among King Lamoni’s people. It is good to remember that what brought us to this point is that first, Ammon – like his brothers, had experienced a mighty change, a conversion of living lives of wickedness to those of good and faithful deeds. Because of their experience with feeling the redemptive power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, they declined the opportunity they had to live lives as the sons of a king – or even to one day become the king. In order for that to happen, they first had to really know and understand how vital the Atonement was to each of them. It wasn’t something they read about in a book. It was something they had truly experienced for themselves. That, in and of itself, caused them to feel so much humility and so much gratitude that a natural outgrowth of those experiences was that they wanted to be instruments in the hands of the Lord to make that possible for others – namely, the Lamanites.

So, now, Ammon finds himself on the precipice of a great work among the people of Ishmael. His conversion had been real, his confidence was sure, and his faith was fixed on the Lord, Jesus Christ. Those things made it possible for him to put one foot of faith in front of another and walk into the city of a people who had been taught to hate him. He understood very keenly, though, that he was on the Lord’s errand and he knew his motives were pure. He simply wanted to bring the message of Jesus Christ to a people who sorely needed it. His only desire was to serve them – by taking care of the kings’ flocks at first, and then by really serving them by bringing the message of the great plan of redemption.

Here are two favorite quotes in that regard:

***Elder M.Russell Ballard said, “First, get to know your neighbors. Learn about their families, their work, their views. Get together with them, if they are willing, and do so without being pushy and without any ulterior motives. Friendship should never be offered as a means to an end; it can and should be an end unto itself. . . . Let us cultivate meaningful relationships of mutual trust and understanding with people from different backgrounds and beliefs.

“Second, I believe it would be good if we eliminated a couple of phrases from our vocabulary: nonmember and non-Mormon. Such phrases can be demeaning and even belittling. Personally, I don’t consider myself to be a ‘non-Catholic’ or a ‘non-Jew.’ I am a Christian. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. That is how I prefer to be identified – for who and what I am, as opposed to being identified for what I am not. Let us extend that same courtesy to those who live among us. If a collective description is needed, then ‘neighbors’ seems to work well in most cases (Ensign, Nov. 2001, 37-38).

***“Live in such a way that people who know you but don’t know Christ will want to know Christ because they know you” (H. David Burton, Ensign, May 1994, 68).

Helaman 5:12

And now, my sons, remember,
remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer,
who is Christ, the Son of God,
that ye must build your foundation;
that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds,
yea, his shafts in the whirlwind,
yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm
shall beat upon you,
it shall have no power over you to drag you down
to the gulf of misery and endless wo,
because of the rock upon which ye are built,
which is a sure foundation,
a foundation whereon if men build
they cannot fall.

Week 18 - Looking Back

When Pres. Hinckley was a young missionary, he became discouraged. So much, in fact, that he wrote a letter home to his father telling him that he was wasting his time and his father's money. His wise father's response was for his son to forget himself and get to work. Initially as Alma labored among the people in Ammonihah, he became discouraged so he left. However, an angel appeared to him and commanded him to return. In the meantime, back in Ammonihah, a man named Amulek had received a vision wherein an angel told him to welcome Alma into his home. And that's how the Lord set the stage for what would become a great missionary companionship.

Once again, Alma began to preach calling the people to repentance and teaching pure doctrine. He reminded them of things they should never have forgotten, for they had fallen into a trap that so many of the Lord's children do -- they failed to remember all that the Lord had done for them and their fathers. He told them that unless they repented, they would be in worse shape than the Lamanites, not only in the next life, but this one, too.

Amulek then added a second witness to all that Alma had taught them. He began by telling them of his conversion. Since he was a wealthy man and was well-known, he hoped that they might be more willing to listen to him.

Among those who heard these two men preach was a man named Zeezrom -- one of a number of lawyers whose purpose was to stir up the people in order to get gain. Zeezrom challenged Amulek, but Amulek held fast -- even after Zeezrom offered him "six onties of silver" -- definitely more than just pocket change. In fact, it was equivalent to 42 days wages for a judge. Amulek's response: "Knowest thou that the righteous yieldeth to no such temptation?" A wise response for us to remember when something or someone tempts us to do something that would compromise the covenants we have made and the principles we've been taught.

After Amulek finished with Zeezrom, Alma stepped in until the record states, "Zeezrom began to tremble." Alma told Zeezrom that he had been deceived by the devil and how that had happened. At one point, Antionah who was a chief ruler, challenged Alma on what he thought he knew about what took place in the Garden of Eden. Alma tried to correct his thinking and used a phrase that was only used by Alma as far as we have record: probationary state. And then he taught that it was vital for people to be taught the plan of redemption first and then the commandments. The plan of redemption provides the answers to all the "why" questions we could ever have concerning commandments, standards, etc.

As Alma concluded his remarks, the intent of his motives was clear, "I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repentance." Earlier, it is recorded that what he said unto those people he said unto all -- that includes you and me.

You'd think that would have been enough - and for some, it was. There were many who accepted the message that Alma & Amulek brought them. But those with power did not. They put these good men into prison where they suffered much. Those who would not deny the message that Alma and Amulek brought were burned alive - with these good men watching. And then the record sounds very similar to what is recorded in D&C when Joseph was languishing in the jail at Liberty, "How long shall we suffer these great afflictions, O lord? O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance." And at last the Lord heard their pleas, for their work was not finished, and the walls of the prison came down and their persecutors were destroyed. Only Alma and Amulek walked out alive.

What would you take to recount your testimony? Six onties of silver? What would you deny in order to be saved from a fiery death? Which of your principles would you compromise to be able to attend a party? What commandment would you break in order to be accepted within a certain group? With a resounding voice may we always face temptation with the words of Amulek, "Knowest thou that the righteous yieldeth to no temptation."

The value of the scriptures is not found in historical content or even in our admiration of men and women who were faithful, but rather in how their examples help us to overcome the challenges we face and to walk by faith.

Alma 41:10

Do not suppose,
because it has been spoken concerning restoration,
that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness.
Behold, I say unto you,
wickedness never was happiness.

Happy Birthday, John!!!

Week 17 - Looking Back

To Acquire Spiritual Guidance
Elder Richard G. Scott

The first link is to the video (scroll to the right until you reach Elder Scott's address) and the second is to the text:

http://www.lds.org/move/index.html?type=conference&event=Oct179&lang=english

http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1117-2,00.html

What impressed me the most:

I witness that as you gain experience and success in being guided by the Spirit, your confidence in the impressions you feel can become more certain than your dependence on what you see or hear.

Spirituality yields two fruits. The first is inspiration to know what to do. The second is power, or the capacity to do it.

I believe that you can leave the most precious, personal direction of the Spirit unheard because you do not respond to, record, and apply the first promptings that come to you.

Sometimes the impressions are just general feelings. Sometimes the direction comes so clearly and so unmistakably that it can be written down like spiritual dictation.

Thomas S. Monson
President of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

"My advice . . . is that you should study and prepare for your life's work in a field that you enjoy, because you are going to spend a good share of your life in that field. It should be one which will challenge your intellect and which will make maximum utilization of your talents and your capabilities. Finally, it should be a field that will supply sufficient remuneration to provide adequately for your companion and your children. Now that's a big order. But I bear testimony that these criteria are very important in choosing your life's work.

"While this counsel would apply to young men, it also has relevance to young women. There are situations in life which we cannot predict which will require employable skills. . . .

"Have discipline in your preparations. Have checkpoints where you can determine if you're on course.

"I hope that you are not afraid of tough classes. I never did have a "cinch" class. I hope that you are not afraid of lengthy periods of preparation. Burn the midnight oil. Don't procrastinate. . . .

"You simply have to apply yourself. I hope that you want to be so well equipped that you can compete in this competitive world. I hope that you will learn to take responsibility for your decisions, whether they be in your courses of study which you elect to take, or whether they be in the direction of the academic attainments which you strive to achieve.

"Should you become discouraged or feel burdened down, remember that others have passed this same way; they have endured and then have achieved. When we have done all that we are able to do, we can then rely on God's promised help.

"You have access to the lighthouse of the Lord. There is no fog so dense, no night so dark, no mariner so lost, no gale so strong as to render useless the lighthouse of the Lord. It beckons through the storms of life. It seems to call to you and me: 'This way to safety; this way to home.'" . . .

"My young brothers and sisters, don't take counsel of your fears. Don't say to yourselves, 'I'm not wise enough, or I can't apply myself sufficiently well to study this difficult subject or in this difficult field, so I shall choose the easier way.' I plead with you to tax your talent, and our Heavenly Father will make you equal to those decisions.

"In this life, where we have opportunities to strive and to achieve, I bear witness that on occasion we need to make a second effort -- and a third effort, and a fourth effort and as many degrees of effort as may be required to accomplish what we strive to achieve.

(Life's Greatest Decisions, CES fireside, 7 September 2003)