Testimony of Alma, son of Alma, of Jesus Christ

My favorite person and the stories written about him are Alma, son of Alma, who was first chief judge and subsequently the prophet of the Church of Christ in the Book of Mormon taught me that the Savior until he ordained his son, Helaman to be the prophet of the church.  Even as I first read the Book of Mormon, while a child, I became intrigued by this man-of-God and defender of the faith.

Originally, I was impressed that Alma the younger had originally fought against the church and had been an apostate when actually was a son of the prophet of God then turned to become a champion of the faith and leader in the Lord’s Church!  Next, I remember being in debate class in junior high and being astounded at Alma’s use of logic as he thwarted the anti-Christ, Korihor.

This was my discovery that God didn’t and that man doesn’t simply use  testimony and miracles to confound the wicked but that every word of God can be found in the logic of the truth of the Gospel or rather, that the logic in the Gospel can be found in the truths that make-up the Gospel of Jesus Christ!  Spirituality and logic go hand-in-hand and complement each other, making-up a testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ and His church!

Alma taught me that body (mind) and spirit are necessary to return to God.  Thank you Mormon for introducing me to Alma, son of Alma, in the Book of Mormon!  Thank you, also, Joseph Smith for being humble enough to ask your Heavenly Father for forgiveness as well as to ask which of the churches on Earth was His true church, and for not stopping when you were told that none of the churches on Earth were led by thy Son or Spirit but that His church and that he needed to help restore Thu Church!

JPS

Given our just rewards in the next life

 

You know how sometimes, when you were small, you thought, “Why didn’t we just go to heaven and accept our reward?  Why did we need to go through this life, pain, sickness, tragedies, death, and all if an omniscient God could spare us and give us our just reward?”  Huh?  

Well, I think the reason is because some of us or most of us and even almost all of us would have rebelled and claimed, “Nah, I would have done better than that…  I would have repented after making such foolish choices…  You gave me a raw deal!”

Well, Moroni chapter 8 tells us that it is solemn mockery before God to baptize little children, as they are alive in Christ and need no baptism…  Children are only baptized after they are accountable. 

Why, then, I wondered, do we perform baptisms for the dead?  I mean, if everyone will be baptized in the end, why do we (Jesus Christ’s disciples) teach His doctrines and principles, like faith, repentance, baptism, and the laying on of hands and bestowal of the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Well…  think about it.

Everyone receives their just rewards and needs to know that they have done all the things in order to receive their reward…

JPS

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

Washington issued a proclamation on October 3, 1789, designating Thursday, November 26 as a national day of thanks. In his proclamation, Washington declared that the necessity for such a day sprung from the Almighty’s care of Americans prior to the Revolution, assistance to them in achieving independence, and help in establishing the constitutional government. 

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go: Washington

Beelzebub's end?

 

Don't want to dwell on this topic (or him) for much time at all...  But, we know that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ will progress eternally and that all of their children can progress eternally after having succeeded in making celestial-like choices during this life... never mind--figured it out or it came to me.  All those that are banished to outer-darkness will suffer the same fate--banished to a lightless eternity.

JPS

Continual rays of light...

Yesterday, in Elder's Quorum we had a lesson on a talk given by Elder Alexander Dushku called, "Pillars and Rays."  He talked about receiving light continually by God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and how that light comes to us, among other ways, through rays of light or by a larger pillar of light.  We shouldn't be discouraged, though, if we haven't received giant pillar of light, like Joseph Smith did in the Sacred Grove, because "we too can have our own pillar of light—one ray at a time."  As in, a cumulative effect.

The prophet Alma, in the Book of Mormon, book of Alma chapter 36 is recounting his testimony to his son, Helaman, in verse 18:

18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.

19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.

20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!

21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy. 

Recounting the experience when he had been knocked-out for three days and three nights:

23 But behold, my limbs did receive their strength again, and I stood upon my feet, and did manifest unto the people that I had been born of God.

24 Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

25 Yea, and now behold, O my son, the Lord doth give me exceedingly great joy in the fruit of my labors;

Which reminded me of a short phrase used by Joseph Smith, recounting his "First Vision" (or as Truman Madsen prefers to call it, his first "Visitation"), where Joseph says, "and my soul was filled with love and for many days I could rejoice with great Joy and the Lord was with me."  Joseph was able to feel the joy in his soul for many days because the Lord was with him.

Seems to me that, even though we can receive a continual stream of light, though they seem to almost be fleeting, when once we receive that pillar of light, we can enjoy it and feel that the Lord is with us for days!

So, those pillars con't come in continual streams, like the rays can, but the rays can add-up to a pillar and so, we can have those continual rays add-up to a pillar and thus be able to rejoice with great joy because the Lord is with us!  It seems to me that, besides continual prayer, which we are all commanded to do by Jesus Christ and His apostles (1 Thesalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing."), we can be buoyed-up by the Spirit of the Lord at all times and in all places that we may be in.  Joseph Smith told George Albert Smith, his cousin, that, "I should never get discouraged, whatever difficulties might surround me. If I was sunk in the lowest pit of Nova Scotia and all the Rocky Mountains piled on top of me, I ought not to be discouraged but hang on, exercise faith, and keep up good courage and I should come out on the top of the heap at last.”

JPS

Honesty and integrity

So, it all comes down to being honest with yourself and with your Maker, right?  I’m not saying that it’s possible to never sin (unless you are the Christ), but it all starts with self-betrayal or lying to yourself, and then lying to others.  Satan, the enemy of all righteousness, will lead you down the path—the soft and silky path—until he catches you in his snares.

That’s why it intrigues me to hear the phrase, “well, if I’m being honest with myself…”, as if is has become the prefix for anything that in some way is not being honest with yourself (will nobody realize that they’ve been duped by a lying phrase that makes some people feel better about themselves while they are telling a bold-faced-lie?).  It’s like putting a little foundation or base or facial make-up on their face, trying to hide the fact that they have actually turned green or red or a different color than their natural skin color…

Just tell the truth when presented with a choice between telling the truth and telling a lie, and then keep telling the truth every time the choice is presented to you!

Seems so simple, right?  It’s just a simple choice.

JPS

What do I need to pray for?

 

I think it’s sometimes easy for me to see what I think others may need so I pray for others to find the gospel and be converted. I often overlook myself. 

Am I praying for myself to be converted? Do I have a willing heart? Am I praying for a willing heart to seek and do his will or do I think it’s for others because I see all the stuff they need to fix? 

I believe I need to clean my own side of the street (or worry about myself...) and pray for the courage to not only hear his will but to have the courage to put into action what I hear.

So easy to sin… but, even easier to stay clean!

 

Mosiah 2:36-37 says, in part, that “… if ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken, that ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord … that the man that doeth this, the same cometh out in open rebellion against God; therefore he listeth to obey the evil spirit, and becometh an enemy to all righteousness; therefore, the Lord has no place in him, for he dwelleth not in unholy temples.”

The active words that are central to this verse are, “if ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken”.  Transgression is what drives the Spirit away (a sin of omission can also be a sin of commission, and both are transgressions…).

So, to choose to act (or possibly not act [sin of omission…]) contrary to the Lord’s Will is to lose the Spirit which is sin.  Why else would the Spirit withdraw from you?  You are unclean…

Stay on the strait & narrow path, though, and be clean.

If you start on the strait and narrow, you are clean, and you have the Holy Ghost and Spirit of Christ to guide you and make good choices—now just never step off the path—and stay true till the end! 

Any and every time you are tempted to leave the path or act contrary to that which you’ve been commanded to do, the Spirit of Christ and the Holy Ghost will remind you of what Christ would have you do and the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ will strengthen you so that you can stay on the path of righteousness.

JPS

Pride

1 Nephi (in the Book of Mormon—the keystone of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), chapter 13, verse 9, says:

And also for the praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God, and bring them down into captivity.

I ask myself why do they seek to destroy the saints of God…

I believe the answer is part of the oldest stories of all:

In the Pre-mortal existence, Lucifer’s plan (which was in direct opposition with the plan of God and daughter to destroy the agency of man) was rejected by God the Father and the plan of our eldest brother, Jehovah (who would have the name Jesus on Earth and He would become our Savior and Redeemer!) would be accepted and adopted as The Plan of Salvation or The Plan of Happiness (after all, it was the Father’s Plan, and His Father’s Plan, and His Father’s Plan…).

Lucifer and the third of the host of heaven that followed him, were enemies to God.  Enemies to Jehovah and they hated God the Father and God’s Well-Beloved Son.  They still hate God and His Plan.  Hate Jesus Christ who championed that Plan and everyone who follows that plan…

One way, the easiest way, they can beguile mortals into carrying-out their hate-filled rebellion is through the mortal weekends of pride.  Make man feel that pride through the praise of the world or through that which they feel pride over already…

“… And also for the praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God, and bring them down into captivity.“

JPS

Section 88 of the Doctrine & Covenants and the building-up of Zion

 

This verse seems to be important for section 88 and for building Zion:

The revelation was given after [we] at a conference prayed “separately and vocally to the Lord to reveal his will unto us concerning the upbuilding of Zion.”