Can't afford to miss a day

Alma 32

Alma is teaching the poor people who have been denied the privilege of worshiping in the synagogues because of their coarseness in dress. This is sad to them and they feel very unfair because it is their labors that the synagogues were built in the first place. They have been humbled and ask Alma for help.

I love this chapter. It is full of visuals that are easy to understand. For one, I get the feeling that the Lord must have been a very good farmer. He understands the needs of a seed. A seed must be planted in good soil and then nourished. In regards to the gospel, it must be nourished with the good word of God. What would that be? The scriptures and words of the prophets, aka Conference Talks. It is not enough to believe in your Savior. That is the beginning, but if that faith is not nourished, it dies when the heat of the sun – or temptations and trials strike.

How many times have I seen this happen. Really good people embrace the gospel, make sacred covenants, walk in the ways of righteousness for a time and then something doesn't go their way - or they slack off on reading their scriptures for a while. They are disenchanted, cry “unfair” and become bitter and fall away from the church. Oh some say they still believe in their Savior, but have lost the faith to believe Him – that He is there to help them through the trials if they will only believe enough to do what is right. That is the hard part. Staying strong. As human beings, we have needs, and when those needs aren't met, it presents a problem. We will get them met in other ways, and those ways are not the Lord's ways. For a brief moment, we are appeased, but true happiness comes only in keeping the commandments and having faith sufficient to see us through trials and loneliness.

Pres. Benson speaks about the blessings of the scriptures. I wrote a note next to this “If we heed promptings”, so simply reading is not all that must be done. However, if we heed the promptings we receive when we read the scriptures, we will experience:

1. Success in lives
2. Power to avoid temptations
3. Guidance in our daily lives
4. Healing of soul

Why would anyone not want this in their lives? Well, in order to have it, we must exercise the faith necessary to pick up our scriptures and read. Learn about our Heavenly Father. Someone told me once that we learn in the temple. But we are learning about the teacher. When that becomes the focus of our learning, real learning begins.

What is a testimony? Alma 32:38 gives a little insight into this. It is sure knowledge received from the Holy Ghost that:

1. Jesus is the Son of God and Savior of the world.
2. Joseph Smith is the prophet through whom God restored the gospel.
3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true Church and is led by a prophet today.

M. Russell Ballard said: “Pure Testimony, simply stated, is born of the Spirit and confirmed by the Holy Ghost and changes lives. It changes how you think and what you do. It changes what you say. It affects every priority you set and every choice you make. To have a real and abiding testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to be “spiritually born of God” to [receive] his image in your countenances” and to experience a “mighty change in your hearts”. (Alma 5:14)

How does this apply to me today? I can't afford to slack of – not even for a day – on reading the scriptures and the word of the Lord. This is the beginning of the weakening process. You might think this is a little excessive. Maybe it is. However, I have learned that three days of anything creates a habit – whether it be in doing or in omitting.