For My Profit and Learning

After Alma addressed the people living in the city Zarahemla and warned them against pride, "he  ordained   priests  and  elders,  by  laying  on  his  hands  according  to  the  order  of  God,  to  preside  and  watch  over  the  church " (Alma 6:1). This mandate issued to priests and elders to watch over the church is particularly meaningful to me as I transition to a new calling (responsibility) in our ward (congregation). In my old calling as a counselor in the bishopric (the lay clergy of our congregation) I had a responsibility to advise and assist the bishop in caring for the spiritual and temporal wellbeing of youth of our ward, new members, and those who have not participated in church meetings and activities for a while. Now as the president of the high priest group (a group of seasoned priesthood holders in our congregation) to "watch over the church," specifically to support the strong and active members of our congregation and ensure they remain spi

To help counter the growing pride in the church, the prophet Alma travelled throughout the land encouraging the people to be humble and keep the commandments. His first instruction to the people was to ask the members of the church if they had "sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell" (Alma 5:6).  How does our appreciation and understanding of God's dealings with our predecessors help us to be righteous? Moroni also framed this kind of remembrance as the key to gaining a testimony of the truth of the Book of Mormon: " Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how  merciful  the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam

Even though the Nephites were able to fend off the Amlicites and Lamanites and reestablish peace, they suffered and mourned the loss of their fallen soldiers, and the destruction of their flocks and crops. These trials had a refining effect upon them and inspired the people to be more humble and righteous, “therefore they were awakened to a remembrance of their duty” (Alma 4:3). The church grew larger and stronger as a result of this change in the people, but faced new challenges after a few years of growth. “The people of the church began to wax proud, because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their fine-twined linen, and because of their many flocks and herds, and their gold and their silver, and all manner of precious things, which they had obtained by their industry; and in all these things were they lifted up in the pride of their eyes, for they began to wear very costly apparel” (Alma 4:6). This passage feels like a specific warning to me about the danger

The labels that matter the most are those we ascribe to ourselves. Others may try to categorize and bin us, but only the associations we choose define our identity and reflect what we most value. When we meet new people, we often simplify and summarize ourselves into a few seconds of information, and usually let our profession, hobbies, and family status stand in for our most important dimensions.  Who we tell ourselves we are is who we act like and who we become. Our labels for ourselves are more that descriptive, they are prescriptive; they tell us how to act, how to feel, and ultimately shape who we are. Maybe that is why our baptismal covenant commits us to take on the name of Christ, and why our first primary lessons remind us that "I Am a Child of God."  God will not prevent us from being anything we want to be. In this chapter of the book of Alma, Amlici sought to usurp power over the people of Nephi. When his attempt to use a plebiscite to establish himself as k

Five years after king Mosiah established a new political system among his people and Alma came to power, political turmoil and civil war erupted among the Nephites. A wicked man named Amlici tried to use a referendum election to put himself in power as king. When he failed, his followers still pronounced him their king and went to battle with the followers of Alma. Alma and his people fought back Amlici and his followers, who joined with the Lamanites and returned to battle Alma. Though Alma was able to fend off a second attack by Amlici and his Lamanite allies, thousands of people lost their lives.  Some of the most difficult passages for me to relate to in the Book of Mormon are those that detail political upheaval and war. Compared to the doctrinally rich sermons found in other parts of the Book of Mormon, it is hard for me to glean spiritual nourishment from historical accounts of "[Group A] led by [Leader 1] contended with [Group B] led by [Leader 2] in the Land of [X].

After King Mosiah's reign Alma took his place as the chief judge over the people. He came to power at a time when there was polarization and contention among the people, and church membership entered a period of decline. At the root of these challenges was pride:  "T here were many among them who began to be proud, and began to contend warmly with their adversaries, even unto blows ...  and it was a cause of much affliction to the church; yea, it was the cause of much trial with the church.  For the hearts of many were hardened, and their names were   blotted out, that they were remembered no more among the people of God. And also many   withdrew themselves from among them" (Alma 1:22-24). What are we thinking and feeling when we "contend warmly with our adversaries?" Usually our defensiveness comes from a place of insecurity. We argue not because of the correctness of our position, or the importance of the issue, but because we believe our worth and identi