Not a small task

Alma 30

Alma, some of his sons, and others go into the land of the Zoramites (apostates) who he's been told have perverted the ways of the Lord. When they get there, they discover the prayers of the Zoramites as they worship on their sabbath. They have perverted the gospel something fierce and Alma and his brethren are astonished. A prayer is recorded from Alma that is one we should all remember.

The thing that stood out to me this morning was the part of the prayer of the Zoramites that said, “But thou art the same yesterday, today, and forever; and thou hast elected us that we shall be saved, . . .” v17. If the Lord is unchanging, then this is false doctrine since he loves all his children equally and wants for all of them to find the gospel in its fulness and embrace it. The biggest contradiction is at the end of the this verse where they say “. . . that we may not be led away after the foolish traditions of our brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief of Christ. . .” Where does this come from? What would the gospel be without the Savior? Isn't it the gospel of Jesus Christ?  How do people get there? Finding out and then avoiding it like the plague would seem to be good advice to me.

In verse 23 there is a clue. “. . . they returned to their homes, never speaking of their God again. . .” Thinking of our eternal progress should be on our minds at all times. Our actions reflect our thoughts. The things we pray for reflect in the way we live our lives. 2 Nephi 25:26 comes to mind: And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that ourchildren may know

Verse 27 is another clue: “. . .their hearts are swallowed up in their pride.” They're more concerned in the eloquence of their prayer than he to whom they pray.

Verse 28: They decorate themselves with fine apparel and jewelry and their hearts are set upon these treasures.

Maybe the tall pole in this chapter is at the beginning where Alma concludes that the preaching of the word has a greater tendency to bring change than anything else. (v5) This is key to us as parents and as we serve in our various callings. What is the word? The scriptures, the words of the prophets old and present. We must remember this as we serve. Bearing testimony of these things with the Holy Ghost present will bring the change we are seeking.

How does this apply to me today? I must know the word. This means, study the scriptures, conference talks and other teachings of the prophets. When I speak, it will be those words that will come to my mind. This is not a small task and is ongoing.