Verse 3 is a great explanation of foreordination compared to
destiny. Because God knew before what would happen, he knew, when given the
choice, which spirits would be most valiant, and so prepared them from the
beginning to help his other children. Then they were born, left to choose, and
having chosen the good, are ordained in life as they had been foreordained in
heaven. But they still had the choice; they didn’t have a destiny determined by
God, only a character known by God.
It is also interesting that a call as a High Priest is a
call not to more power, but to more service and self-sacrifice—a call to be
more like God in real and practical ways. It takes a lot of time, and effort,
and emotional energy to serve in any of the callings that come with the office
of a High Priest. That’s why what it requires in a soft hart, or humility. And
all that work, and self-sacrifice, is described as, and I know it is, a
privilege.
When he is talking about the high priesthood without end,
though, that has to be eternal marriage. And I have part in that priesthood
through the sealing ordinances of the temple. So these verses, these things he
is talking about, they are for me as well. And that selfless service that is
mine to give, that call, is motherhood. I pray that I can keep that perspective, that
it is my privilege in the things I do every day to take care of my family to
serve and teach His children. It is all my time and all my energy and all my
heart. And if I can do it with an eye single to glory of God, as the highest
priesthood calling, it can make me like His Son, joint-heirs with Christ—as
fellow laborers in His great work. Not that we deserve to be joint heirs, but
privileged beyond measure to assist Him, in our small way, in the work of
salvation.
And this priesthood is after the order of His Son. Who is
full of grace, equity, and truth. Truth, living more honestly is something I have felt
like I need to work on for a long time. Equity, I feel like I am pretty fair, but I feel like
there is more to that. I feel impressed that it has more to do with equal, and
seeing all people as my equals, seeing the value in everyone and wanting
everyone to have the same eternally good things. Helping whenever and whoever I
can instead of withholding my good graces for who I feel is worthy. But what
does it mean to be full of grace? Looking at the definition of Grace, I think it means
good-will and kindness. In reference to the Son of God, I think it is love—the
way we think of His love and gentle, and open, and generous—merciful and
compassionate. It’s amazing how much can be contained in just those three
words, grace, equity, and truth. Those
are the things I want to be full of, instead of being full of pride, which is
what it feels I am full of most of the time.
I love the description of a changed heart that can’t look at
sin but with abhorrence. I want to be so changed that the sin and it’s lies
don’t offer any enticement any more. I am sure no one becomes perfect in this
life, but what a beautiful thing to not want
those sins at all. To only want to be good all the time, and to live close
enough to the Spirit to never be deceived about things as they really are
before God.
When we taught about ordinances I hope I talked about
ordinances being there to point us to, and teach us about, Christ. I’ve never
thought about a priesthood ordination in that context. How is the order and
ordination of the priesthood to point us to Christ? What is the symbolism of hand
on shoulders hands on heads? What does that teach us about Christ? The one thing
that comes to mind about the order, but no the ordination of the priesthood, is
the hierarchy and taking direction, as Christ did not His own will, but the will
of the Father. I will have to think about this more.
I have never noticed in the story of Melchizedek that all of
his people had gone astray, and he taught them and called them to repentance and
they repented and had peace. And he was called the prince of peace because of the
peace he brought. Melchizedek as a type of Christ has never made sense to me so
well before. What a beautiful story!
In verse 20 Alma talks to the people about wresting the scriptures
to their own destruction. The definition of wrest is to forcibly pull something
from a person’s grasp. I think it means to twist the meaning into something else,
to pull the truth out of it.
It is amazing to me that the Lord can teach us the truth through
his prophet’s and scriptures “plainly so we cannot err.” And even as then, as we
are more humble and more willing to hear, the plainness becomes even more plain,
and in the things he has already taught us there is more truth than we saw before.
And this can go on to infinity.
I love verse 27, and the longing pleading of Alma for the people
to repent. I can feel his love in it. And his pain. It is something I have only
understood in the role of wife and mother, as my love for my family grows, and I
long for their safety and happiness. It is almost like a painful ache. I love the
whole end of this chapter. It is what I want to tell my family, what I want to tell
the young women I teach, and what I feel when I want to speak in Sacrament meeting,
or invite Shirley to church. Please, please, come know this joy!
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