Elder Patrick Kearon - God's Intent Is to Bring You Home

 Elder Kearon taught - 

"God is in relentless pursuit of you. He “wants all of His children to choose to return to Him,” and He employs every possible measure to bring you back."

"The intent of the Father’s plan of redemption is in fact your redemption, your being rescued through the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, freed from the captivity of sin and death. It is not to leave you as you are."

"If you are prone to worry that you will never measure up, or that the loving reach of Christ’s infinite Atonement mercifully covers everyone else but not you, then you misunderstand. Infinite means infinite. Infinite covers you and those you love."

"In other words, the Father’s plan is not about roadblocks. It never was; it never will be. Are there things we need to do, commandments to keep, aspects of our natures to change? Yes. But with His grace, those are within our reach, not beyond our grasp."

Alma 8

 I find it interesting the Alma and Amulek - 

"...had power given unto them, insomuch that they could not be confined in dungeons; neither was it possible that any man could slay them; nevertheless they did not exercise their power until they were bound in bands and cast into prison. Now, this was done that the Lord might show forth his power in them."  (Alma 8:31)

What a great example of patience having such power and not using until the Lord would have them do so.

Alma 7

 Alma comments to those in Gideon - 

"Behold, I do not say that he will come among us at the time of his dwelling in his mortal tabernacle; for behold, the Spirit hath not said unto me that this should be the case. Now as to this thing I do not know; but this much I do know, that the Lord God hath power to do all things which are according to his word."  (Alma 7:8)

I think it is important that the Lord does not reveal things unless it is expedient.

Alma 5

 Alma told the saints in Zarahemla - 

"Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.

47 And moreover, I say unto you that it has thus been revealed unto me, that the words which have been spoken by our fathers are true, even so according to the spirit of prophecy which is in me, which is also by the manifestation of the Spirit of God."  (Alma 5:46–47)

Alma expresses that he knows the truth taught by the fathers is true by the "spirit of prophecy" manifested by the Holy Ghost.  It reminds me of the testimony of the angel to John that he  - 

"...and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."  (Revelation 19:10)

I believe that holds true in my calling that a testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Elder Dale G. Renlund - The Powerful, Virtuous, Cycle of the Doctrine of Christ

Using the analogy of a Hawiian kayaking trip, he taught - 

"Spiritual momentum is created “over a lifetime as we repeatedly embrace the doctrine of Christ.” Doing so, President Russell M. Nelson taught, produces a “powerful virtuous cycle.” Indeed, the elements of the doctrine of Christ—such as faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, entering a covenant relationship with the Lord through baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end—are not intended to be experienced as one-time, check-the-box events. In particular, “enduring to the end” is not really a separate step in the doctrine of Christ—as though we complete the first four elements and then hunker down, grit our teeth, and wait to die. No, enduring to the end is repeatedly and iteratively applying the other elements of the doctrine of Christ, creating the “powerful virtuous cycle” that President Nelson described."

"Our faith in Jesus Christ needs to be nourished daily. It is nourished as we pray daily, study the scriptures daily, reflect on the goodness of God daily, repent daily, and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost daily. Just as it is not healthy to defer eating all our food until Sunday and then binge our weekly allotment of nutrition, it is not spiritually healthy to restrict our testimony-nourishing behavior to one day in the week."

"The next element of the doctrine of Christ is baptism, which includes the baptism of water and, through confirmation, the baptism of the Holy Ghost. While baptism is a singular event, we renew our baptismal covenant repeatedly when we partake of the sacrament. The sacrament does not replace baptism, but it links the initial elements in the doctrine of Christ—faith and repentance—with reception of the Holy Ghost. As we conscientiously partake of the sacrament, we invite the Holy Ghost into our lives, just like when we were baptized and confirmed. As we keep the covenant described in the sacrament prayers, the Holy Ghost becomes our companion."

"Forward spiritual momentum also propels us to make additional covenants with God in the house of the Lord. Multiple covenants draw us closer to Christ and connect us more strongly to Him. Through these covenants, we have greater access to His power. To be clear, baptismal and temple covenants are not, in and of themselves, the source of power. The source of power is the Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. Making and keeping covenants create a conduit for Their power in our lives. As we live according to these covenants, we eventually become inheritors to all that Heavenly Father has. The momentum produced by living the doctrine of Christ not only powers the transformation of our divine nature into our eternal destiny but also motivates us to help others in appropriate ways.

Alma 5

 Alma spoke of those that - 

"...humble themselves and do walk after the holy order of God, wherewith they have been brought into this church, having been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and they do bring forth works which are meet for repentance—"  (Alma 5:54)

I specifically noticed "they do bring forth works which are meet for repentance".  It suggests to me that we not only confess and repent, but that we bring forth work that is evidence of repentance.

Alma 4

Shortly after war and a short period of peace, we find that -

"...in the eighth year of the reign of the judges, that 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.

7 Now this was the cause of much affliction to Alma, yea, and to many of the people whom Alma had consecrated to be teachers, and priests, and elders over the church; yea, many of them were sorely grieved for the wickedness which they saw had begun to be among their people.

8 For they saw and beheld with great sorrow that the people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to set their hearts upon riches and upon the vain things of the world, that they began to be scornful, one towards another, and they began to persecute those that did not believe according to their own will and pleasure."  (Alma 4:6–8)

I couldn't help but relate this to our day in politics.  It seems when times are good, we tend to lead to peace and freebies, but after some pain and suffering, we turn back to our conservative values.

Alma 2

Mormon records - 

"...there began to be a contention among the people; for a certain man, being called Amlici, he being a very cunning man, yea, a wise man as to the wisdom of the world,.."  (Alma 2:1)

"Now this Amlici had, by his cunning, drawn away much people after him; even so much that they began to be very powerful; and they began to endeavor to establish Amlici to be a king over the people."  (Alma 2:2)

"...he, being a wicked man, would deprive them of their rights and privileges of the church; for it was his intent to destroy the church of God."  (Alma 2:4)

In my mind, they wanted to alter ore change the "law" because it had restrictions on the evil and desired lifestyles.  In our elections today, we see many that want the law changed because it doesn't satisfy there unreligious practices.

 

Elder Ronald A. Rasband - Word Matter

 Elder Rasband taught - 

"...words matter a lot. Let me say that again. Words matter!"

"I promise that if we “feast upon the words of Christ” that lead to salvation, our prophet’s words that guide and encourage us, and our own words that speak of who we are and what we hold dear, the powers of heaven will pour down upon us. “The words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” We are Heavenly Father’s children and He is our God, and He expects us to speak with “the tongue of angels” by the power of the Holy Ghost."

When it comes to my calling, this talk meant a lot to me.

Alma 1

 Alma records that the people - 

"...were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them.

26 And when the priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left their labors to hear the word of God. And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again diligently unto their labors; and the priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength.

27 And they did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely.

28 And thus they did establish the affairs of the church; and thus they began to have continual peace again, notwithstanding all their persecutions." (Alma 1:25–28)

And in addition - 

"...because of the steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly rich, having abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need—an abundance of flocks and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance of grain, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things, and abundance of silk and fine-twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth.

30 And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need.

31 And thus they did prosper and become far more wealthy than those who did not belong to their church."  (Alma 1:29–31)

Mosiah 29

As Mosiah introduces how they might experience a democracy, he warns - 

"...if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land."  (Mosiah 29:27)

A truthful and great warning in our day.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf - A Higher Joy

  As Elder Uchtdorf discussed receiving happiness, he said - 

"Life is not an endless sequence of emotional highs. “For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.”7 And if God Himself weeps, as the scriptures affirm He does,8 then of course you and I will weep as well. Feeling sad is not a sign of failure. In this life, at least, joy and sorrow are inseparable companions.9 Like all of you, I have felt my share of disappointment, sorrow, sadness, and remorse."

"I acknowledge and respect these feelings. Our beloved Father in Heaven wants all His children to have as much happiness as possible, so He has filled this world with beautiful, wholesome pleasures and delights, “both to please the eye and … gladden the heart.”16 For me, flying brought great happiness. Others find it in music, in art, in hobbies, or in nature.

By inviting everyone and sharing the Savior’s good news of great joy, we do not discount any of these sources of joy. We’re simply saying that God has something more to give. A higher and more profound joy—a joy that transcends anything this world offers. It is a joy that endures heartbreak, penetrates sorrow, and diminishes loneliness."

"Worldly happiness, by contrast, does not last. It cannot. It is the nature of all earthly things to grow old, decay, wear out, or become stale. But godly joy is eternal, because God is eternal. Jesus Christ came to lift us out of the temporal and replace corruption with incorruption. Only He has that power, and only His joy is perpetual."

"During the coming days, weeks, and months, may I invite you to:

Spend time in a sincere, full-hearted effort to draw near to God.

Seek diligently for everyday moments of hope, peace, and joy.

Bring joy to others around you."

Mosiah 27

 Another testament of "prosper in the land" - 

"...that there should be an equality among all men;

4 That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support.

5 Yea, and all their priests and teachers should labor with their own hands for their support, in all cases save it were in sickness, or in much want; and doing these things, they did abound in the grace of God.

6 And there began to be much peace again in the land; and the people began to be very numerous, and began to scatter abroad upon the face of the earth, yea, on the north and on the south, on the east and on the west, building large cities and villages in all quarters of the land.

7 And the Lord did visit them and prosper them, and they became a large and wealthy people."  (Mosiah 27:3–7)

Alma 26

 We read that when Alma was given the charge to deal with those that had committed religious crimes - 

"the spirit of Alma was again troubled; and he went and inquired of the Lord what he should do concerning this matter, for he feared that he should do wrong in the sight of God.

14 And it came to pass that after he had poured out his whole soul to God..."  (Mosiah 26:13–14)

In my mind, one of the reasons Alma was so troubled was that he knew at one time, he too, had been a wicked priest. 

Obviously, it all came down to justice and mercy.  Forgiveness for those who would truly repent.