Alma 31

Reading about Alma’s sorrow because of the wickedness of his people gives me an idea of the weight of increased responsibility in the church. As the Beehive advisor, my realm of responsibility is relatively small, but I feel so sad when they are making choices that I know will hurt them. I have felt how when the Lord calls you to serve people he changes how you feel about them. With all the other responsibility that comes with leadership callings, I bet that sorrow is heavy to bear.

When I was in college verse 5 really struck me, that the preaching of the word had a greater tendency to get people to do what is right than punishment. I am always excited to find that scripture again, and to be reminded. It feels important to me as a mother, to teach rather than punish; another thing that would be greatly helped by not getting angry.

In the Zoramites apostasy, it was not wanting to keep the commandments that led them astray. In my own life, I have seen a tendency to want to change my beliefs to what I wanted to do, instead of giving my will to God and changing what I want to do to what he wants. I have been reading a book the last few days that had some really immoral parts. I kept feeling like I should stop, but the story was interesting, so I kept justifying that it was okay to keep reading it. As I read this passage, and realize what it means I am so grateful I finally returned it this morning.

The other thing that led them astray was not praying daily. I don’t know why it is so easy for me to fall into this category, but I am grateful for this reminder and warning.

Here again, Satan’s trick is to lead them away from Christ. They would say they still believe in God, but not Christ. I feel like it is so important to keep our focus on Him. Even know Satan uses the same traps and tricks. The world believes that you don’t need Christ to have a relationship with divinity, and that a vague idea of God is enough. And even, as the Zormaites are saying here, that a belief in Christ takes us away from God—that Christians are somehow less holy. It is the same trick again. And it is a good trick. It doesn’t matter what else we believe, if we don’t come unto Christ, and participate in His atonement, we are lost.
The Rameumptom is such a crazy idea, the holy stand to get up on and talk to God. But when I think about how it applies to my life, I wonder if my pride, specifically when I think I am more righteous than other people, isn’t that stand anyway. Sometimes we lift ourselves up in our hearts and thank God that we are more holy. Is that any different? I am very prideful, and it is hard sometimes for me to be humble and remember that we are all beggars before God.

Would Alma be sad about our hearts being set upon the things of the world? That is such a hard thing for me.

This is such a beautiful prayer: “O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ. O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall come upon me,”, it speaks to my soul like poetry, and it feels like truth. And the answer to the prayer is beautiful to: And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Where true peace and joy is found.

Alma 31