These last 2 days I finished up chapter 14 and 15. For chapter 14, there was one other topic in the manual I thought was interesting. It talks about verses 1-5 and "a divided people." This is what Brigham Young said about this:
"The Gospel of salvation in perfectly calculated to cause division. It strikes at the root of the very existence of mankind in their wickedness, evil designs, passions, and wicked calculations. There is no evil among the human family, but at the foundation of which it strikes effectually, and it comes in contact with every evil passion that rises in the heart of man. It is opposed to every evil practice of men, and consequently it disturbs them in the wicked courses they are pursuing."
There is so much I want to say about this and about the world we live in today, but I can't figure out how I want to put it...I will say this, I think that all of us that truly believe in the gospel principles and the standards of the church should stand up for them more often. I am definitely a non-confrontational person so I am speaking to myself when I say this too. :)
Showing posts with label commandments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label commandments. Show all posts
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Alma 8
Okay, so I am finally sitting down to write about what I'm reading... Chapter 8 is pretty cool - you should read it if you haven't in a while. :) It is basically introducing Alma and Amulek to talk about their experiences preaching the gospel together from chapters 9-14.
Verse 11 talks about the people rejecting Alma because of his "foolish traditions." I thought that was interesting, especially because we see people use that excuse a lot even now. "America isn't a Christian nation" stated by our current president illustrates the point that people see our Christian values as foolish traditions of our forefathers.
In verse 15 an angel is talking to Alma and says, "thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivest thy first message from Him." If we are keeping the commandments we DO have great cause to rejoice. Look at all of the examples of people that have endured great tribulations in the scriptures and in our LDS history. Where are they now? With our Heavenly Father...all of us should rejoice if we are keeping the commandments and working toward our goal of returning to our Father in Heaven.
In verse 18 Alma follows the angel's instructions and "speedily" returned to the city. Not casually, or even the same pace he left...speedily. When I go to general conference and get direction from the Lord's prophets I usually resolve to change little things in my life. We should come home from conference and speedily change those things we need to, as little as they are. Then Alma goes into the city another way...we should try sharing the gospel with different approaches.
Finally, the last 2 verses of the chapter (31-32) talks about the power of God, which will be illustrated in the next couple chapters...they will be good ones!
Verse 11 talks about the people rejecting Alma because of his "foolish traditions." I thought that was interesting, especially because we see people use that excuse a lot even now. "America isn't a Christian nation" stated by our current president illustrates the point that people see our Christian values as foolish traditions of our forefathers.
In verse 15 an angel is talking to Alma and says, "thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivest thy first message from Him." If we are keeping the commandments we DO have great cause to rejoice. Look at all of the examples of people that have endured great tribulations in the scriptures and in our LDS history. Where are they now? With our Heavenly Father...all of us should rejoice if we are keeping the commandments and working toward our goal of returning to our Father in Heaven.
In verse 18 Alma follows the angel's instructions and "speedily" returned to the city. Not casually, or even the same pace he left...speedily. When I go to general conference and get direction from the Lord's prophets I usually resolve to change little things in my life. We should come home from conference and speedily change those things we need to, as little as they are. Then Alma goes into the city another way...we should try sharing the gospel with different approaches.
Finally, the last 2 verses of the chapter (31-32) talks about the power of God, which will be illustrated in the next couple chapters...they will be good ones!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Alma 7
I have decided that on the weekends I will read, but just wait to post my readings on Monday...This weekend I finished up chapter 5 and 6...In chapter 7 there are a couple points that I thought were interesting in my manual.
Alma 7:10: This verse has been one of the favorites for anti-mormon literature. It says that Jesus will be born in the land of Jerusalem. In my manual it talks a lot about the wording. Alma had no intention of declaring that Jesus would be born in the city of Jerusalem. He simply said he would be born "at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers." Here Jerusalem is not the city, it is the land. Christ was born about six miles from Jerusalem in the village of Bethlehem. So, technically it WAS in the land of Jerusalem. This makes sense to me, as I always tell people I am from Seattle, when I am actually from Maple Valley (but no one knows where that is) :)
The second point in this chapter is Alma 7:23-24 which lists requirements of a true follower of Christ.
1. Humble
2. Submissive
3. Gentle
4. Easy to be entreated
5. Full of Patience
6. Long-suffering
7. Temperate in all things
8. Diligent
9. Keep commandments
10. Asking for what we need (spiritual & temporal)
11. Returning thanks for those things
12. Faith
13. Hope
14. Charity
15. Good works
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Know the Lord
Mosiah 26: This chapter focuses on a couple different topics. I liked reading the scriptures 24-28 and the manual's interpretation of them. It talks about knowing the Lord, which is something that has been hard for me to grasp. I feel like I could never REALLY know the Lord until I meet him and see him. Here is what the manual says:
"The kind of knowing referred to in these scriptures involves obeying the Lord's commandments and becoming like him"
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said "To know God in that full sense which will enable us to gain eternal salvation we must...obey those laws that will enable us to acquire the character, perfections, and attributes that he possesses. And before we can obey those laws, we must learn what they are; we must learn of Christ and his gospel..."
This makes a lot of sense. The only way we can truly know the Lord is by studying His teachings and obeying his commandments. It seems like every time I am wondering what I need to be doing to please the Lord the answer is always those same primary answers: read the scriptures, pray, go to church, love one another, etc. But, they really are the answers! The gospel is simple! We just need to do the things we know we should be doing!
"The kind of knowing referred to in these scriptures involves obeying the Lord's commandments and becoming like him"
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said "To know God in that full sense which will enable us to gain eternal salvation we must...obey those laws that will enable us to acquire the character, perfections, and attributes that he possesses. And before we can obey those laws, we must learn what they are; we must learn of Christ and his gospel..."
This makes a lot of sense. The only way we can truly know the Lord is by studying His teachings and obeying his commandments. It seems like every time I am wondering what I need to be doing to please the Lord the answer is always those same primary answers: read the scriptures, pray, go to church, love one another, etc. But, they really are the answers! The gospel is simple! We just need to do the things we know we should be doing!
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