Alma 30-39

Quotes of the Week:

"All of beauty in the earth bears the fingerprint of the Master Creator."

--Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, 5/78

"Real disciples absorb the fiery darts of the adversary by holding aloft the quenching shield of faith with one hand, while holding to the iron rod with the other.  There should be no mistaking, it will take both hands."

--Neal A. Maxwell, CR, 4/87

Further Reading:

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Of Things That Matter Most," Ensign, 11/10
Larry Lawrence, "Courageous Parenting," Ensign, 11/10

Handouts: 

Alma 30:12-28--Teachings of Korihor

Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, 11/97
Societies structured by situational ethics--the belief that all truths are relative--create a moral environment defined by undistinguished shades of gray.

Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, 3/93
Isn't it interesting that these groups consider it "freedom of expression" to profane the Lord's name and use obscenities, but oppose prayer in public places.

Alma 31:5--Power from the Word

Spencer W. Kimball, "What I Hope You Will Teach My Grandchildren and All Others of the Youth of Zion," CES address, 1966, p. 4

I find that when I get casual in my relationships with divinity and when it seems that no divine ear is listening and no divine voice is speaking, that I am far, far away.  If I immerse myself in the scriptures,  the distance narrows and the spirituality returns.  I find myself loving more intensely those whom I must love with all my heart and mind and strength, and loving them more.  I find it easier to abide their counsel.

Alma 32:6--Humility in Trial

Millet and McConkie, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 3:224
It has been wisely observed that a blessing is anything that brings us nearer to God.  Thus our afflictions often become our greatest blessings.   It is in our extremities that most often we meet God, not in our comfort.  Thus any time conditions come to pass--even what at the time might be construed as tragic or unfortunate conditions--that lead us toward the truth or contribute to our eventual well-being, we have indeed been blessed.

Carlos E. Asay, Family Pecan Trees:  Planting a Legacy of Faith at Home, 193-94
Most of us seem to have the "Nephite cycle" as part of our character.  There is a point when we are teachable; our humility enables us to grow and to ride the crest of spirituality.  Then there are other times when we begin to feel self-sufficient and puffed up with pride. . . .  How much better it would be if we kept in remembrance our God and our religion and broke the cycle by consistent worship and righteous living.  How much better it would be if we were humbled by the word of the Lord and strong enough in spirit to remember our God in whatsoever circumstances we find ourselves.

Alma 32--Faith

Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith, 1:24
Faith, then, is the first great governing principle which has power, dominion, and authority over all things; by it they exist, by it they are upheld, by it they are changed, or by it they remain, agreeable to the will of God.  Without it there is no power, and without power there could be no creation nor existence.

Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, 11/87, 54
Of all our needs, I think the greatest is an increase in faith.

Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, 11/02, 83
Faith exists when absolute confidence in that which we cannot see combines with action that is in absolute conformity to the will of our Heavenly Father.  Without all three--first, absolute confidence; second, action; and third, absolute conformity--without these three, all we have is a counterfeit, a weak and watered-down faith.

New Witness, 191-92
Faith is not the power of positive thinking.  One does not have faith simply because he is positive or optimistic. Faith is based on the truth.

Richard G. Scott, Ensign, 5/03
Even if you exercise your strongest faith, God will not always reward you immediately according to your desires.  Rather, God will respond with what in His eternal plan is best for you. . . . Indeed, were you to know His entire plan, you would never ask for that which is contrary to it even though your feelings tempt you to do so.  Sincere faith gives us understanding and strength to accept the will of our Heavenly Father when it differs from our own.

Boyd K. Packer, "What Is Faith?" in Faith, 42-43
Faith, to be faith, must center around something that is not known.  Faith, to be faith, must go beyond that for which there is confirming evidence.  Faith, to be faith, must go into the unknown.  Faith, to be faith, must walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness.

James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith
Faith in Christ comprises belief in Him, combined with trust in Him.  One cannot have faith without belief; yet he may believe and still lack faith.  Faith is vivified, vitalized, living belief. . . .  Knowledge is to wisdom what belief is to faith, one an abstract principle, the other a living application.  Not possession merely, but the proper use of knowledge constitutes wisdom.

Alma 32:28--Planting the Seed

Joseph B Wirthlin, Ensign, 5/82
To soundly plant good seeds in your heart requires prolonged, intense, unremitting pondering.  It is a deep, ongoing, regenerating process which refines the soul.

Alma 34:18-27--Prayer

Joseph Fielding Smith, CR, 10/1919

No man can retain the Spirit of the Lord, unless he prays.  No man can have the inspiration of the holy Spirit, unless in his heart is found this spirit of prayer.

Alma 34:28-29--Service

Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 5:401
I love that man better who swears a stream as long as my arm yet deals justice to his neighbors and mercifully deals his substance to the poor, than the long, smooth-faced hypocrite.

Alma 34:32-33--Repentance after Death?

Richard G. Scott, Ensign, 5/97
You can progress much more rapidly here on earth with your mortal body in this environment of good and evil than you will as a spirit in the spirit world.

Alma 34:33--Procrastinating Repentance

J. Richard Clarke, Ensign, 5/93
I believe, to use an insurance phrase, we must pay the deductible.  We must experience sorrow enough, suffering enough, guilt enough so we are conscious and appreciative of the heavier burden borne by the Savior.  My soul pains when His Atonement is treated lightly, when the blessing of repentance is reduced to simply "taking care of it with the bishop," when there is brief confession without humility or godly sorrow.  . . .  Such indulgence in premeditated sin shows pitiful misunderstanding of repentance.

Alma 34:34-35--Attitudes after We Die

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church--Brigham Young, 279
The wicked spirits that leave here and go into the spirit world, are they wicked there?  Yes.

Alma 34:40-41

John H. Groberg, Ensign, 11/93, 26
Sometimes we pray for the strength to endure yet resist the very things that would give us that strength.  Too often we seek the easy way, forgetting that strength comes from overcoming things that require us to put forth more effort than we normally would be inclined to do

Alma 36:3--Supported in Their Trials

Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, 5/04, 44
If various trials are allotted to you, partake of life's bitter cups, but without becoming bitter.

Alma 36:16-17--Racked, Tormented, Harrowed

Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, 5/01, 22-23
The prophet chose very graphic words.
Racked means "tortured."  Anciently a rack was a framework on which the victim was laid with each ankle and wrist tied to a spindle which could then be turned to cause unbearable pain.
A harrow is a frame with spikes through it.  When pulled across the ground, it rips and tears the soil.  The scriptures frequently speak of souls and minds being "harrowed up" with guilt.
Torment means "to twist,' a means of torture so painful that even the innocent would confess.

Alma 36:17; --Teachings of a Tender Parent

Jeffrey R. Holland, The Book of Mormon, It Begins with a Family, 97-98
The teachings and testimonies of parents and other good people have an inevitable, inexorable effect.  Those lessons are not lost on even the most wayward soul.  Somewhere, somehow, they get recorded in the soul and may be called upon in a great moment of need.
It was in such a moment that the young Alma "remembered also to have heard my father prophesy" (Alma 36:17).  That prophecy may have been uttered in a day when Alma was taunting his father, or jeering at those who believed, or willfully denying the reality of revelation.  It may have come at a time when his father assumed Alma did not care or hear or understand.  Or it may have come so early in life that his father might have thought he had forgotten. . . .  Now it was being called forth for the very protection it had intended to give. . . . There will always be a great power--even latent, delayed, residual power--in the words of God we utter.

Henry B. Eyring, Because He First Loved Us, 35-36
Some of you have invested months and years trying to offer people you love the gospel of Jesus Christ--to people who have not yet accepted it.  Take heart.  Alma the Younger, when he came to the point of extremity, remembered the words of his father and it saved his eternal life.  God may yet bless you with that greatest of all returns for the investment of your time, that the words of truth you spoke will be remembered in that moment of spiritual yearning by the person you loved enough to offer the most precious thing you ever received.

Christianson and Bassett, Life Lessons from the Book of Mormon, 79-80
(Alma 36:19) Notice the role of the father in the process of spiritual growth.  The Savior removed Alma's pain and stain of sin, but the words of the elder Alma lead his son to the fruits of Gethsemane.  The quality of spiritual example and instruction by parents illuminated the strait and narrow path for many of those who have become our heroes in the Book of Mormon.

Alma 37:32-37; 38:10-15; 39:9-14--To His Sons . . .

Larry R. Lawrence, Ensign, 11/10, 98-100
In these last days, what the world really needs is courageous parenting from mothers and fathers who are not afraid to speak up and take a stand. . . .  It is vital that parents have the courage to speak up and intervene before Satan succeeds.. . .
Our Church leaders have counseled us to establish righteous patterns in our homes. Consider five fundamental practices that have the power to fortify our youth: family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, family dinner together, and regular one-on-one interviews with each child.
It takes courage to gather children from whatever they’re doing and kneel together as a family. It takes courage to turn off the television and the computer and to guide your family through the pages of the scriptures every day. It takes courage to turn down other invitations on Monday night so that you can reserve that evening for your family. It takes courage and willpower to avoid overscheduling so that your family can be home for dinner.
One of the most effective ways we can influence our sons and daughters is to counsel with them in private interviews. By listening closely, we can discover the desires of their hearts, help them set righteous goals, and also share with them the spiritual impressions that we have received about them. Counseling requires courage.
Try to imagine what the rising generation could become if these five righteous patterns were practiced consistently in every home. Our young people could be like Helaman’s army: invincible (see Alma 57:25–26).
Parenting teenagers in the latter days is a very humbling assignment.  Satan and his followers are striving to bring this generation down; the Lord is counting on valiant parents to bring them up.  Parents, "be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid" (Joshua 1:9).

Alma 37:6-7--Small and Simple Things

Gordon B. Hinckley, Stand a Little Taller, 13

The course of our lives is seldom determined by great, life-altering decisions.  Our direction is often set by the small, day-to-day choices that chart the track on which we run.  This is the substance of our lives--making choices.

Alma 37:35; 38:2--Youthful Obedience

Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, 5/95, 53

The decision we make, individually and personally, become the fabric of our lives.  That fabric will be beautiful or ugly according to the threads of which it is woven.  I wish to say particularly to the young men who are here that you cannot indulge in any unbecoming behavior without injury to the beauty of the fabric of your lies.  Immoral acts of any kind will introduce an ugly thread.  Dishonesty of any kind will create a blemish.  Foul and profane language will rob the pattern of its beauty.

Alma 38:12--Bridle Our Passions

Truman G. Madsen, Four Essays on Love, 36
What is a bridle for?  To kill, to diminish, or even to limit the spirit and power of the steed?  Never.  Once you have trained your pony you can direct him with the merest nudge.  Eventually you can give him his head and ride free, bareback like the wind.  We are given our bodies and our emotions not to destroy but to ride.  The bridle warns you that to get excited without listening to the voice of the Spirit (the rider) will bring a complaint, "Hey, wait for me!"  When the body is susceptible to the Spirit, it can always catch up to the Spirit.  But I defy anyone to get the Spirit in harmony with the runaway body.

Alma 39:4-5--Immorality

Ezra Taft Benson, BYU Speeches of the Year, 1987-88, 51
Do not be misled by Satan's lies.  There is no lasting happiness in immorality.  There is no joy to be found in breaking the law of chastisty.  Just the opposite is true.

Alma 39:5-6--Denying the Holy Ghost

Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 23
The eyes can be deceived, as can the other physical senses, but the testimony of the Holy Ghost is certain.  The sin against the Holy Ghost requires such knowledge that it is manifestly impossible for the rank and file to commit such a sin.  Comparatively few Church members will . . . .deny the Holy Ghost.

Alma 39:9--Cross Yourself

Joseph B. Wirthlin, CR, 1982, 33
It is not possible to have a free ride on the road to joy, and there is no real joy that does not involve self-denial and self-discipline.

Ezra Taft Benson, "A Mighty Change of Heart," Ensign, 10/89, 4
Godly sorrow is a gift of the Spirit.  It is a deep realization that our actions have offended our Father and our God.  It is the sharp and keen awareness that our behavior caused the Savior, He who knew no sin, even the greatest of all, to endure agony and suffering.  Our sins caused Him to bleed at every pore.  This very real mental and spiritual anguish is what the scriptures refer to as having a "broken heart and a contrite spirit."

Richard G. Scott, Ensign, 11/02, 87
The painful consequences of sin were purposely put in His plan of happiness by a compassionate Father in Heaven so that you need not follow that tragic path in life.

Alma 39:11--Example

Henry B. Eyring, Ensign 11/02
Just the way you smile or the way you offer to help someone can build their faith.  And should you forget who you are, just the way you speak and the way you behave can destroy faith.