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9 - 15 Mar - Learn With Joy and Not With Sorrow - Jacob 1 - 4

Jacob 1 - That We Might Persuade Them to Come Unto Christ I'm taking an online economics class right now, which prompted me to think of the definition of economics in the context of the scriptures. Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. In the case of Nephi and his successor Jacob, the plates upon which they engraved their record was a scarce resource. They were costly to make and difficult to engrave, and instilling a tradition of passing them through generations was surely cumbersome.  Recognizing the great importance of spiritual things and the challenge of maintaining records, Nephi instructed Jacob to prioritize religious instruction saying, " if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:4).   This priority was not only reflecte...
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Alma 16 - And There Was No Inequality Among Them


As prophesied by Alma and Amulek, the wicked people of Ammonihah were destroyed by the Lamanites. The new leader of the Nephite army, Zoram, believed in Alma's prophetic power and sought his help. He asked Alma to inquire of the Lord regarding the location of the Lamanite army that had destroyed the people of Ammonihah and take other Nephites captive. Alma received prophetic inspiration which he shared with Zoram, and as a result, "the Lamanites were scattered and driven into the wilderness; and they took their brethren who had been taken captive by the Lamanites, and there was not one soul of them had been lost that were taken captive" (Alma 16:8). 

 Having temporarily abated the threat of attack from the Lamanite, Alma and Amulek continued to preach the gospel. They "went forth preaching repentance to the people in their temples, and in their sanctuaries, and also in their synagogues, which were built after the manner of the Jews. And as many as would hear their words, unto them they did impart the word of God, without any respect of persons, continually. And thus did Alma and Amulek go forth, and also many more who had been chosen for the work, to preach the word throughout all the land" (Alma 16:13-15). Their missionary work was focused on those who "would hear their words." In His great atoning intercessory prayer, Christ held a similar attitude toward His redeeming work: "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world ... I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine" (John 17:6, 9). Both Christ and Alma realized that there would be many who would reject their message, and even the atoning power of Jesus Christ. Their motivation, their focus, and their mission was not to fret over those who would rebel, but to seek out and save those who would accept the gospel. Seeing an individual accept the truth of the gospel, make changes in his or her life, and enjoy a new level of confidence, growth, and possibility is highly motivating and should be a the center of our desire to share what we know to be true. 

 Alma and Amulek proceeded to record that "there was no inequality among them" and that "the Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming" (Alma 16:16). Equality is the fruit of righteousness and one of the defining characteristics of the people of God. When we esteem others as ourselves we open the door to new spiritual insights. 


 Application Questions

 Who is your life is willing to hear the word of God? How can you share what you know with those who are open to it?

 Can you think of someone or a group of people you distrust, dislike, or do not understand? What can you do to increase your understanding and empathy for them?
Image Credit: nwha.org.uk

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