Mosiah 27

It is interesting to me that what made them about in the grace of God was treating each other as equals and everyone working for their own support unless they absolutely couldn’t. Sometimes the gospel all seems to come down to a few simple things. Love each other and live your taking responsibility for your choices. Almost everything seems to fit into those two things.

The story of Alma the younger and the sons of King Mosiah remind me  of something I’ve been thinking about lately. We tend to take such a small view of the world and our problems, and on other peoples problems. I bet Alma and Mosiah’s hearts were broken over their children’s choices. But eternally, they came out stronger in faith on the other side. I need to remember that when I am teaching my children, instead of getting mad and going crazy, that my job right now is to teach. When I am freaking out I am taking such a short view of the situation. I pray for an eternal perspective and the peace in the moment to remember this and be able to hold onto it. 

It also makes me think of the talk I read a while back about how father’s natural inclination is to cling to their children, but what they need to do is cling to the Savior and then their children will be safe. 

I’ve never noticed before that the angel said that Alma’s father had prayed with great faith before. Always in my mind I imagined desperate heart-broken pleading. But that’ wasn’t the case. The angel came because of his faith, not his worry. That is so important!

At the end, the angel still gave Alma his agency to be cast off himself if he would. It’s an example of hoe God can answer the prayers for protection of the righteous while still honoring the agency of the wicked, which is something it’s been hard for me to philosophically understand before.

Alma talking about the pain and torture in his repentance is a good one for illustrating why is it better to never have sinned. Not only do you miss the blessings you otherwise could have had, but it is no easy process to return to the fold of God. To really repent of those serious sins, you have to hate the choices you made and be filled with unspeakable sorrow at them.

Even after the amazing heavenly appearance and transformation of Alma, he was still persecuted by the unbelievers. I’m sure they thought he was a sell-out. It’s amazing how hard our hearts can become.

It is such a beautiful part of the story that the rebels then spent their time zealously trying to repair all the damage they had done and publishing peace. And I love that the chapter concludes with “how blessed they are.” No condemnation anymore, but forgiveness and the blessings. That is how the atonement works!

Mosiah 27

Mosiah 26

The rising generation that didn’t believe the traditions of their father’s reminds me of the gifts of the Spirit I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I appreciate that it is a gift for some to bear testimony and for some to believe the testimony of others. Christina and I have talked about this a lot when lately. It’s always been really easy for her to just believe. She doesn’t struggle with every doubting the way some of us do. The gift to be able to just believe the testimony of others is something I really admire in other people.

I think verse 4 is the key here, though. The remained forever in their carnal state because they refused to call upon the Lord. Even for those who need their own confirmation and testimony, that don’t just believe the testimony of others, the Lord offers that testimony. If they had wanted to believe, or been willing to try and find out if it might be true, they would have known it was. They never knew because they didn’t want to know.

I think verse 5 is important, too. There weren’t very many unbelievers, but because of fighting in the church, and people getting offended, the numbers grew. It makes me think of so many things, but mostly, how easy it would be to be offended and fall away if you didn’t keep taking care of that testimony. You have to know it’s true to let some of the things go that other imperfect people in the church do. You have to know so that nothing else matters. 

I appreciate that Alma didn’t want to be the judge in this case. It would be a difficult responsibility to bare to be a “judge in Israel”. 

I love what the Lord tells Alma here about it is He that suffered for them and it is He that created them, and He who grants them Eternal Life at the end. Because there is a plan, I sometimes take for granted that if we follow the plan we get the prescribed blessings. I don’t always appreciate that God has the power to withhold anything He wants, because He has all power. But he won’t. I am forever relying on His mercy, and on His perfect love, even in following the plan.

It makes perfect sense to me when the Lord says He that will not hear my voice the same shall ye not receive into my church. It makes a mockery of it to say you are a member of the Lord’s church and one of His disciples if you won’t follow Him. It reminds me of when someone at church yesterday was reading a quote about people who sin now planning to repent later are making a mockery of the atonement. They can’t understand what He did for them, can they? 

Lately I understand the safety in the Lord’s command to pray without ceasing and to give thanks in all things. It keeps us remembering and feeling the Spirit to pray always, and keeps us humble to remember all things come from Him and we give thanks. Not only that, but we are constantly reminded of our blessings, and how much He loves us, His children.  I really think if I just did those two things really always, I would always be safe from temptation.

Mosiah 26