Alma 13-16 - Alma, Amulek, Zeezrom, and the city of Ammonihah

When we left off from my previous post, Alma had become discouraged by the hard-heartedness of the people of Ammonihah, and had been about to depart for the city of Aaron to preach there instead, when the Lord through an angel told him to go back and try again, and where Amulek, having seen an angel, was prepared to feed Alma.

Protect Ourselves by Listening and Being Humble

So many times in ancient history, we've read about the Lord sending prophets to go back to a city that wouldn't listen, and to try again. Abinadi did this for King Noah's people, and Lehi did this for the wicked city of Jersusalem. Each time that the people did not listen, their cities were destroyed, and the people either died or were taken into bondage. The same thing happens with Ammonihah, that boasts in Alma 9:4-5 that they cannot be destroyed in a day. In Alma 16:3, 9, 10, we read "... and the people of Ammonihah were destroyed; yea, every living soul of the Ammonihahites was destroyed, and also their great city, which they said God could not destroy." The Lord loves his children and it was reaffirmed to me again that he sent prophets back again and again because he truly wanted to give the people an opportunity to listen and repent, and in some cases, some heard and repented.

It is a great reminder not to be lifted up in the pride of our hearts, never to forget that our gifts come from the Lord, and that they should be used to lift others up, not for our own pride.

This scripture from earlier came to mind as I was reading this section of scriptures: Mosiah 4:30: "But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of Our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not." 

Alma reminds us in Alma 13:28-29, "But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering; Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest."

In Alma 13, alma reminds of us Melchizedek, whose people had forgotten to be humble and forgot their God. However, Melchizedek exercised much faith, and preached repentance to his people. They listened, and as a result, it says in Alma 13:18, "... Melchizedek did establish peace in the land in his days."

The Opportunity for Repentance

The sad thing about these cities being lost and destroyed is that it was entirely preventable if people would stop hardening their hearts. I thought it was interesting and maybe a little ironic that Alma had to content with the savvy lawyer Zeezrom because Zeezrom might not have realized that when Alma was younger, he was just like Zeezrom, preaching things that were opposite to the word of God (see Mosiah 27). 

Remember, Zeezrom was one of the very successful lawyers at the time, and the reason he sought to destroy Alma and Amulek was because if people and were good, then they didn't need to be brought before the judges, which then took away the livelihood of the lawyers. They wanted people to make mistakes because it was very profitable for them. So, it is interesting that as Zeezrom sought to destroy Alma and Amulek with words, he suddenly realized that he was truly talking to men of God, and that he had made a terrible mistake preaching against them. In Alma 14, Zeezrom tried to right his wrongs but the people that had previously listened to him not cast him out too. Alma and Amulek were then taken to jail, and many of God's followers were burned in a fire. 

Zeezrom wouldn't know that the Lord was with them and protected them, and killed the evil lawyers and judge by having the prison walls come down upon them, until the two arrived in Sidon and found the people that had fled. Sounds familiar? Alma was following some of the patterns of his father, taking people out of the city with him that were believers of God, and in Alma 15:12, it says, "Alma baptized Zeezrom unto the Lord; and he began from that time forth to preach unto the people." Just like Alma's father who used to be one of King Noah's evil high priests, just like Alma who used to preach against God, Zeezrom learned that he had been following the wrong path, repented, and devoted his life to preaching the word of God.

The Power of Sacrifice

Amulek, Alma, and Zeezrom all made great sacrifices to preach the word of God. Amulek was a wealthy man with much respect and friends. It says in Alma 15:16 that he lost the support and respect of his father, his friends, and he had to give up his worldly possessions as he left them behind in Ammonihah. 

I thought it was beautiful though that Amulek met Alma when he first fed him after Alma had fasted many days, and after their harrowing experience in Ammoniah, that Alma took Amulek back to Zarahemla, and in Alma 15:18, it says that he "took him to his own house, and did administer unto him in his tribulations, and strengthened him in the Lord." 

Amulek had to watch a lot of good men and women die for their their beliefs too, and that was hard for him to see, and though we are reminded that "the Lord receiveth them up unto himself in glory" (see Alma 14:11) I don't think that necessarily lifted the sorrow from their hearts. But the Lord was with them and they were blessed as they continued to choose God over their fears and the pride of the world.

We are Equals in the Lord's Eyes

My final thought this week was that we are truly equal in the Lord's eyes. There are unfortunately a lot of voices out there saying otherwise, or trying to demean the voices asking for equality by shrugging it off as not a "real" issue, or using callous labels to demean others or lay unfair blame on the door of an entire race, and pretending injustices aren't happening. The Lord sees all of us, and he sees how we choose to live each moment of our lives. In ancient times he uses angels more frequently, in modern times, he gives us promptings to be each other's angels, to lift each other up, as equals, brothers and sisters and children of a Heavenly Father.

In Alma 16:14 we are reminded, "And as many as would hear their words, unto them they did impart the word of God, without any respect of persons, continually." Alma and Amulek preached to anyone who would listen, as the gospel is for everyone. 

In Alma 16:15 we learn that though the scriptures here talk about Alma and Amulek, "many more" were "chosen for the work." 

And in Alma 16:16, it says, "And there was no inequality among them; 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."

"Jesus Christ Will Come to Redeem His People" - Alma 8-12

As I read Alma 8-12 this week, a much-quoted line that I believe originated from President Thomas S. Monson in his October 2012 talk, "Consider the Blessings," came to mind. He said, "... Heavenly Father is aware of our needs and will help us as we call upon Him for assistance. I believe that no concern of ours is too small or insignificant. The Lord is in the details of our lives." Today I want to share some thoughts about how I have seen that this is true.

The Lord Sends Missionaries to Save His People
This week's theme from the "Come Follow Me" manual is "Jesus Christ Will Come to Redeem His People." Our Heavenly Father has always used servants of God to help teach and serve, and these chapter are no different. In Alma 8, Alma has stepped down from the Chief Judgement seat, which was a place of honor and power, as the judges had replaced the king in the land. He did this because his heart ached for every soul that had not come to God.

By Alma 8:15, Alma was "weighed down with sorrow." While he had been successful in his missionary journeys to Zarahelma, Gideon, and Melek, at this point he was weighed down because he had left Ammonihah, and there, the people were so hard-hearted that they "spit upon him, and caused that he should be cast out of their city." (Alma 8:13.) Alma was crushed by the wickedness of his people. Contrast this to people like Nehor and Amlici in previous chapters, that were seeking fame and fortune. Alma just wanted to save souls.

I had this confirmation that the Lord is in the details of our lives as an angel visited Alma in Alma 8:15 and asked him to "lift up they head and rejoice, for thou has great cause to rejoice; for thou has been faithful in keeping the commandments of God." He then asked Alma to return to Ammoniah to preach repentance.

The Lord Prepares a Way
The Lord also sent an angel to Amulek to prepare him for Alma's return to Ammoniah, letting him know that Alma would need to be fed, and that Amulek and his family would be blessed for it.

This preparing of the way reminded me of the Acts 10 in the Bible, that was written in the years after Jesus died on the cross, and his apostles had gone out to continue teaching his word. This chapter talks about a devout man that feared and prayed to God but did not have the full gospel of Jesus Christ in his life. He was a Gentile. Cornelius was told by an angel to send for Simon Peter in the same way that Amulek was told to wait for Alma. Both were blessed for their faith. In both cases, a prophet of God visited with them because the prophet was also listening to the Lord.

In Alma 9:25 it says, "And now for this cause, that ye may not be destroyed, the Lord has sent his angel to visit many of his people, declaring unto them that they must go forth and cry mightily unto this people, saying: "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is night at hand." I love this reminder that the Lord expects us to live up to the level of light and knowledge we have about the gospel of Christ but that he does not want us to fail. He sends prophets, preachers, scriptures, and more to give us ample reminders lest we forget to be as Alma says in chapter 7:32: humble, submissive and gentle, easy to be entreated, full of patience and long-suffering, temperate in all things, diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all time, always returning thanks unto God, with faith, hope, and charity, always abounding in good works.

Pride Cometh Before the Fall
In Alma 9:4-5, the people of Ammonihah that refuse to listen to Alma brag that a city as great as theirs could not be destroyed. Alma immediately reminds them that Jersualem said the same thing in 1 Nephi 1 when Lehi preached repentance to his people. This theme happened in the scriptures, and is happening in the world, over and over again. When we forget the Lord, become puffed up in pride and greediness, the cities we build, the wealth we've gained, will eventually come crumbling down. Alma reminds them in Alma 9:8, "how have ye forgotten the tradition of your fathers; yea how soon ye have forgotten the commandments of God."

He reminds the people in Alma 9:26, "And not many days hence the Son of God shall come in his glory; and his glory shall be the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, equity, and truth, full of patience, mercy, and long-suffering, quick to hear the cries of his people and to answer their prayers."

We must forget that our blessings and our gifts come from the Lord. If we can remember, we can focus on how to use our brief time here on earth wisely, to be kind, gentle, patience, and to keep the commandments of God.

Choosing Greed Before God
In Alma 10 and 11 the lawyers fight against Alma and Amulek, hoping to make them look bad because if the people repent, and no longer needs lawyers to defend themselves from the judgement seat, then those lawyers lose some of their income. This is reminiscent of Corinthians in the Bible, where in some areas of the land, Aphrodite was worshipped, and metal workers greatly profited from making metal idols. They also fought the word of God because the more people that turned to God, the less people they had to buy their metal works. How neat would it have been if these lawyers and metal workers could have looked for way to re-target their talents and skills?

During this Covid-19 pandemic, and the great mourning of our Black brothers and sisters as they fight for true equality, I have seen people successfully shift their skills rather than fight for greed before God. For instance, in response to the pandemic, a local restaurant that made a great deal of their money by catering to wedding events, and likely had a little more money than some of the other smaller, struggling businesses, paid their employees that now no longer had any work, to go and volunteer at the other businesses that were struggling to get by. To support our Black community, the global tech company where I work has created new education channels and donated $1 million to the EJI that defends human righhts, among other activities. I am citing examples that are close to me but I wanted to share these two examples from groups that don't represent the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day but are being Christ-like, the way that Cornelius and Amulek may not have known God well, but sought to be Christ-like, and chose God before Greed.

In Alma 10:4-5, Amulek was a successful man but he stated that despite his successes, he hadn't known God, until he realized that he did. He says in Alma 10:5, "... I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people."

Themes from Come Follow Me guide
I want to briefly touch on some of the topics in the Come Follow Me guide and how some of the thoughts above relate.

1. "My efforts to share the gospel may require persistence and patience."
This goes along with what I was reminded that the Lord prepares a way - but he doesn't always prepare the pay we might expect, in the timeline we might expect. I talked about this earlier, when Alma's father, Alma, was leading his people away from evil King Noah. They were in bondage for some time to the Lamanites before they could escape. Persistence and patience is always a theme in life and it's worth it. I compare it to the patience of earning a high school diploma or a college degree, getting ready to run a 5K from not having run before, recovering from an illness and getting your body healthy and strong again.

2. "God's plan is a plan of redemption."
God has commandments in place for us to return to him but he very clearly does not want us to fail. That is why he sends us so many maps, so many guides. We have the Bible, the Book of Mormon, teachings from our prophets and leaders that are recorded on our church website, and in words of the prophets books, among other places. We have prophets, bishops, and weekly sacrament. It is all in place to help us to success in his plan.

3. "If I will not harden my heart, I can receive more of the word of God."
The more we listen, the more we get to learn. I loved what Amulek said about this in Alma 10:4-5, that I referenced above. In Alma 11and 12, Zeezrom, a lawyer, tries to convince the people that Alma and Amulek are wrong. He thinks he can do this because he's a very skilled lawyer. I think it's interesting that Alma used to go about preaching against the word of God. Essentially, he was Zeezrom before an angel of the Lord struck Alma dumb and called on him to repent. Alma knew exactly what he was doing. He let Amulek do the talking and before long, Zeezrom was shaking as he heard the truth.

I affirm that the Lord is in the details of our lives. He sees us, he knows us, and as we willingly place our trust in him, he will help us, though the path may be steep and not so very straight.

Come Follow Me - Alma 5-7 - "Have Ye Experienced This Mighty Change In Your Hearts?"

Good afternoon. I hope you are having a beautiful Sunday.

I jotted down some thoughts as I read Alma 5-7, and what scriptures stood out to me. Afterward, I read the Come Follow Me guidance for Alma 5-7, and came away with some additional thoughts. I will again focus on my own reactions though, and encourage you to read the manual for those additional opportunities to ponder.

He Knows Us
Alma 5:15-16 reminds us that we are fooling only ourselves when we choose to be dishonest with our fellow man. It says, "do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say - Lord, our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth - and that he will save you?" If we seek the praise of the world outwardly by pretending to be Christlike, but inside we are envying, and scheming, finding way to cheat and lie, then we are doing a disservice not just to the Lord but to ourselves. The Lord knows us and he wants us to benefit from the joy and blessings of following Christ.

The Gospel is for Everyone
Our God is a God of inclusion. There is no limit to how many of us can return to Him. He cries for every soul that is lost and will always look to bring the lost sheep back. I felt that reaffirmation as I read Alma 6:5-6, that "none were deprived of the privilege of assembling themselves together to hear the word of God" and that for those that chose not to listen, those who DID listen were not just asked, but commanded, to "gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God."

The Importance of Teaching
Alma dedicated his life to the Lord, and went so far as to step down from the judgement seat where he was doing much good, in order to preach among the people. As he explains this in Alma 7:1-2, it reminded me of Paul traveling throughout the lands in Corinthians and further, writing to his people and explaining why he couldn't get there sooner. Christ himself came to this earth and tirelessly traveled and taught.

An Eye Toward God
In Alma 7:7, as Alma preached in Gideon, he knew he was talking to good people that were diligently trying to follow the teachings of the church. Yet, he still felt it was important to remind them that with all they would see in the world, there was one thing that was most important. He said, "For behold, I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all - for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people."

2020 has been globally recognized and nationally recognized as a pretty tough year for various reasons. What peace it gives to remember to respond with all things with an eye toward preparing for the coming of Christ. How does that change your priorities as you look around your homes and your interactions with others? As you respond to a relentless barrage of difficult news?

In Alma 7:9, Alma reminds us, "Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight; for behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth."

In Alma 7:15, he says, "Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism."

If we try our best, truly, sincerely, then we need not fear. We need to remember that God is with us.

Your Duty to God
In Alma 7:22, Alma talks about our duty to God, that we may "walk blameless before him." In the following two verses, he shares these attributes:

• be humble
• be submissive and gentle
• easy to be entreated
• full of patience and long-suffering
• temperate in all things
• diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times
• asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal
• always returning thanks unto God
• have faith, hope, charity
• always about in good works

The list is a little long but if you really thing about, it's a very reasonable ask. Alma is saying - just be a good person!

And he return, he blesses us with the peace of God resting upon us, our houses, and our families.

Next Week's Scripture Study
We have been encouraged over and over to read our scriptures daily. This is not always easy to do, but I wanted to point out that the recommended scripture study for this week is Alma 8-12. Tomorrow is June 8. I challenge you for this week only to align your scripture reading for that day to match the chapter with the day. Read Alma 8 on June 8. Read Alma 9 on June 9. You will have finished this week's study by Friday, and that will give you Saturday and Sunday to summarize your thoughts on what you have learned and read.

"They were steadfast and immovable" - Come Follow Me - Mosiah 29 - Alma 4

Today as I was studying scriptures, and re-reading a chapter that I've studied several times in the last week, I felt an intense wave of emotion as I read Alma 2:30:

At this point in history, an evil man Almici, was trying to make himself king of Zarahemla. When he didn't succeed by vote, he made himself a king anyway with his followers, then tried to overthrow the Nephites in the land by brute force. When that didn't work, and the Amlicites had to flee from the Nephites, the Amlicites joined forces with the Lamanites to return and destroy the Nephites. That's when we get to this verse.

In Alma 2:16, it says that Alma is "at the head of his armies," not trying to protect himself, but to protect his people, fighting with the wicked Amlicites face-to-face. This is a scary prospect. It says in Alma 2: 27 that after the Amlicites joined forces with the Lamanites and returned to defeat the Nephites that those Lamanites + Amlicites were "numerous almost, as it were, as the sands of the sea." The Nephites were relying on their faith in the Lord, and that they were defending their beliefs, their God, and their families.

Alma never flinched from his faith in the Lord and in doing so, he helped his people to be strong during great adversity. The Lord gave him strength to slay Amlici in Alma 2:31, then fight the king of the Lamanites in Alma 2:32. I think it's interesting that with Alma's great faith he slew, and even gave chase, that they might have peace in their lands. Whereas the king of the Lamanites hid behind his guards once he realized that he wasn't going to defeat Alma.

Remembering
Earlier this month, I shared a seven-minute video on the book of Mosiah and how we can turn to the Lord if we always remember. When we get to Alma 4, just eight years after King Mosiah has died, and Zarahemla no longer has a king (they've moved to a system of judges that King Mosiah recommended to prevent an evil king from taking over one day, like King Noah did), we see the effects of people forgetting.

In Alma 1, no one went hungry or naked. Everyone was equal. By Alma 4, just eight years later, there were envyings and strife, and people turning their backs upon the naked and hungry. (Click on image to enlargen or click on links above to go to those scripture chapters.)

It's stunning how little time it takes for people to forget, and for a righteous to become corrupt. It's stunning how many people forgot the words of King Mosiah and how much peace and happiness they had throughout the land. It's a reminder to always remember, and always put the Lord first in our lives. We can't take our blessings and gifts for granted, lest we forget where they come from and that they should be used for good, to serve others, to serve our God. We can't forget that the Lord loves us all equally, no matter the trials we face in our lives, our gender, our age, our titles, or the color of our skin. We are to serve each other as equals, as brothers and sisters united under one God.

As happened in the land of Nephi, when Alma listened to Abinadi and escaped into the wilderness to preach the word of God, there were people in Zarahemla that hadn't forgotten. They were steadfast and immovable. They still fed and clothed the poor and needy. Alma himself stepped down as chief judge, appointing a righteous man in his place, so that he could go out among the people and teach the word of God. He was steadfast and immovable in his conviction and desire to bring people to God. He didn't put a title in front of the value of worthy work, and that's something that Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, Enos, King Mosiah, King Benjamin, King Mosiah's son King Mosiah, Alma, and of course, Alma the Younger himself, all did. It was never about fame, accolades, title, or wealth. It was about serving their people because when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God. (Mosiah 2:17).

Gideon Never Forgot
One final thought I want to share about this section of scriptures, is another one of my favorite scripture heroes, Gideon. Gideon was a brave and intelligent warrior. It says in the scriptures that the wicked Amlici was also a wise man but only "as to the wisdom of the world." (Alma 2:1). Gideon could have defeated King Noah but he let him go because the Lamanites were coming and King Noah lied and said he needed to save his people. Then, when King Noah's people were taken in bondage by the Lamanites, it was Gideon who devised a plan to help them escape and return to Zarahemla (Mosiah 22:3-9). Finally, Gideon died defending the word of God from the wicked Nehor (Alma 1:8), because at that point he was very old, and no longer able to defend himself from the blows of the sword. I admire this courageous man. A lot of his successes were that he never forgot. He ended his life as a martyr for the Lord, never forgetting his Lord, his God.

The Book of Mosiah: Gathered in Zarahemla (Come Follow Me study)

This post covers Mosiah 25-29. The Come Follow Me reading for this week is Mosiah 25-28.

Mosiah may genuinely be one of my favorite books in the Book of Mormon. Every time I read it, I am overwhelmed with the awareness of the goodness of God and his hand in our lives. I say this knowing that so many people suffer so many terrible things in this world, and it doesn't seem right, but I truly believe that He suffers when we suffer. In the grand view of the eternities, our life on earth is but a small drop of time. If we can hang on through the tough times, it will get better, and we will return to our Father in Heaven, where all will be well.

Four Sons of Mosiah Kneeling in Prayer

Photo Source: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website

I want to focus today's thoughts on three themes that stuck out to me the most in Mosiah 25-29, the last chapters of Mosiah. These are themes I've talked about before from other verses of the Book of Mormon and the Bible, which just reaffirms for me their great importance:

1. The importance of record keeping. 

At this point in the book, all the people that we know of that are trying to follow God have reunited in Zarahemla:

1. The descendants of Zeniff (Limhi and his people) that left for the land of Nephi and then ended up in bondage to the Lamanites have escaped back to Zarahemla.

2. Ammon and King Mosiah's other men who went searching for the descendants of Zeniff have returned to Zarahemla with Limhi and his people.

3. Alma, the prophet who listened to the prophet Abinadi and led 450 faithful people into the wilderness, and were eventually put in bondage by the Lamanites have also escaped and returned to Zarahemla.

4. The wicked priests of Noah that kidnapped Lamanites and ended up with Alma's people have already gone to Zarahemla and changed their names to Nephites because they don't want to be associated with that evil (Mosiah 25:12)

It is because of these records, and the records that were brought together that Mosiah read to the reunited people, that they, and now us, know of their stories. I love picturing the people gathered together as they gasped and reacted to the history as it was shared to the people. (Mosiah 8-11). I related to to Mosiah 25:8 when it says, "For they know not what to think" as it goes through their emotions of great joy and grew sorrow for what happened to their brethern.

Throughout the Book of Mormon, we get updates on who is keeping the records, and how they are being handed off. Near the end of Mosiah, King Mosiah uses seer stones to translate some of the new records that came into his care from all the people gathering in Zarahemla, and then he entrusts them to Alma the Younger, to both care for and to continue the history of his people. (See Mosiah 28:20)

What experiences are you living through now, and what have you learned from them, that can bless others? What legacy do you want to live behind? I was intrigued as a read someone's hand-written history recently how they divided their history: 88% about their personal work history, 5% listing their trips, 4% listing their church positions and one story of faith, and 3% about family that skimmed over spouse, children, and grand-children. What balance do you want in your history? Or do you have one at all? Even writing an annual Christmas newsletter and binding those together could be a decent history. Think of the book of Enos, where Amaron summarized 320 years of the history of his people in just five verses! (Omni, 1:4-8).

2. The blessings of great faith.

Throughout the Book of Mormon and the Bible, there are great stories of mighty faith, and how the Lord blessed them. When Alma has to deal with people that are taken "in divers iniquities" (Mosiah 26:11) he goes to the Lord in prayer about what to do, rather than taking advantage of his power.

The Lord answers him, "Blessed art thou, Alma, and blessed are they who were baptized in the waters of Mormon. Thou art blessed because of they exceeding faith in the words along of my servant Abinadi. And blessed are they because of their exceeding faith in the words alone which thou has spoken unto them."

Remember, those that were baptized in the waters of Mormon had to leave behind their belongs and flee into the wilderness to practice what they believed.

Another area where I saw great faith was after a son of Alma and the sons of Mosiah repented, the sons of Mosiah wanted to return to the land of Nephi to preach repentance. I'm sure Mosiah would have liked to keep his children near and safe, after all, his sons had to plead "for many days," (Mosiah 28:5). Mosiah trusted in the Lord though, who told him, "Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites." (Mosiah 28:7).

3. The importance of loving everyone and what that means.

Mosiah was a good and faithful man. In fact, it says in Mosiah 29:40 that, "... they did wax strong in love towards Mosiah; yea they did esteem him more than any other man; for they did not look upon him as a tyrant who was seeking for gain, yea, for that lucre which doth corrupt the sou; for he had not exacted riches of them, neither had he delighted in the shedding of blood; but he had established peace in the land, and he had granted unto his people that they should be delivered from all manner of bondage; therefore they did esteem him, yea, exceedingly, beyond measure."

His love was selfless.

In addition, he fought for fairness between all groups. It says in Mosiah 27:3-4, "And there was a strict command throughout all the churches that there should be no persecutions among them, that there should be an equality among all men. That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb that peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support.

When men were brought before Mosiah that were doing bad things, he asked Alma to figure out what to do, and Alma turned to the Lord (Mosiah 26). They both sought to be fair.

Conclusion
When the book of Mosiah draws to a close, two great men, King Mosiah, and Alma have passed away.

King Mosiah's legacy is one that was esteemed greatly and loved greatly by his people "exceedingly, beyond measure" (Mosiah 29:40).

Alma's legacy was founding the church in the land of Zarahemla, which you can see best through the son that he raised, who "did walk in the ways of the Lord, and he did keep his commandments, and he did judge righteous judgements; and there was continual peace through the land" (Mosiah 29:43).

Alma (the elder) then died at 82, and Mosiah then died at 63, 509 years after Lehi left Jerusalem (Mosiah 29:46).

What an incredible legacy and a story of great faith among so many.

(Video) Turn to the Lord for Peace - The Importance of Remembering

I am so compelled by the story of the people that left Zarahemla and eventually returned to Zarahemla: Zeniff's group, Alma's group that ran away was an off-shoot of Zeniff's group, and Ammon's group that went looking for Zenniff at King Mosiah's request. Also, the people of Zarahemla that the Lord directed to that part of the land in the first place, and Mosiah, King Benjamin's father, who was led by the Lord out of the land of Nephi to the land of Zarahemla.

When I was asked to share a recorded message this week, I thought about the below passage of scriptures that deeply affected me as I was studying them last week. I put my thoughts into a video recording so that you can both listen to my thoughts and watch some slides I made to go with them here. It's seven minutes long.

The talk is centered around these scriptures:

Mosiah 23:25-29 -

25 For behold, it came to pass that while they were in the land of Helam, yea, in the city of Helam, while tilling the land round about, behold an army of the Lamanites was in the borders of the land.

26 Now it came to pass that the brethren of Alma fled from their fields, and gathered themselves together in the city of Helam; and they were much frightened because of the appearance of the Lamanites.

27 But Alma went forth and stood among them, and exhorted them that they should not be frightened, but that they should remember the Lord their God and he would deliver them.

28 Therefore they hushed their fears, and began to cry unto the Lord that he would soften the hearts of the Lamanites, that they would spare them, and their wives, and their children.

29 And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the hearts of the Lamanites. And Alma and his brethren went forth and delivered themselves up into their hands; and the Lamanites took possession of the land of Helam.

Come Follow Me: In the Strength of the Lord - Mosiah 7-10

The themes for Mosiah 7-10 that most stood out for me were learning from our parents, faith during affliction, and the importance of record-keeping. I felt the theme in the Come Follow Me manual for this set of scriptures was a great umbrella term for these themes that stood out for me: "In the Strength of the Lord."

Summary of the history covered in Mosiah 7-10
In Mosiah 7-10, King Mosiah sends 16 strong men, led by Ammon, to find out what happened to the men that left to inhabit the city of Lehi-Nephi, who left with Zeniff. They had never heard from them again. What happened is that Zeniff struck a deal to live peacefully in Nephi-Lehi, and did so for twelve years, before the Lamanites attacked them with King Laman's blessing. From then on, the people of Zeniff had to guard their people, and with God's help, they defeated and slayed 3,043 Lamanites in one day and one night but they also lost 279 of their own brethren. They were watchful from that point forward. 22 years later, King Laman's son had taken reign and the attacks began again. By the time Ammon found the people, they are in bondage, paying a 50% tax on all they had to the Lamanites, a heavy burden.

We learn that this land was huge, and it was a miracle that Ammon found them because a descendent of Zeniff, King Limhi, had also sent people out to find the city of Zarahemla - 43 people that were lost in the wilderness for any days and found a city that had been destroyed, but they never found Zarahemla.

Strength in the Lord
Throughout the story, we learn about how turning to the Lord, or turning away from the Lord, had consequences for people. We learn that the reason the Lamanites were so vile against the descendants of Zeniff was that they held a grudge taught to them by their fathers, that they felt they had been unfairly wronged by Nephi. We have a great responsibility to influence for kindness and good instead of nurturing generations-old grudges that can be based on untruths and often the selfish bending of the truth. Why nurture anger when we can nurture Christ-like attributes that seek to serve and bring kindness to others?

Our decisions can truly affect generations to come. We see this as I have mentioned in the past, with the strong leadership of men like King Benjamin and King Mosiah, who labored with their people and taught the importance of faith, hard work, and obedience to God. We see this in the opening lines of the Book of Mormon, as Nephi declares that he has been born to "goodly parents."

We see this as King Limhi joyfully welcomes Ammon into his land after realizing that he, too, is a descendant of Zarahemla. He holds a meeting of all of his people and focuses on a God of mercy that helps his people through their trials. He says in Mosiah 7:18-20:

"O ye, my people, lift up your heads and be comforted ... put your trust in God, in that God who was the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; and also, that God who brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and caused that they should walk through the Red Sea on dry ground, and fed them with manna that they might not perish in the wilderness; and many more things did he do for them. And again, that same God has brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, and has kept and preserved his people even until now; and behold, it is because of our iniquities and abominations that he has brought us into bondage."

Nurturing Strength in the Lord
Bringing these two strong lessons together, that of being an example in teaching goodness, and that of turning to the Lord, we can see examples of how this happens effectively.

During a Sunday School lesson many months ago, a woman in church shared that she has a young daughter that experiences some anxiety. They read together an account of one of her ancestors that shared that she struggled from anxiety, too! Hearing that her ancestor was just like her, but was still a great woman, brought this child a lot of comfort. This wouldn't have happened if the mother wasn't faithfully following the direction to work on family history, if an ancestor hadn't focused on good record-keeping, and if the mother hadn't worked to instill in her daughter that we can turn to the Lord in our struggles.

In another example shared in the Sunday School manual, Elder Donald L.Hallstrom shared his story in "Turn to the Lord," of grandparents that suffered a devastating loss (their only daughter died in childbirth trying to bear twins) and how they turned to the Lord despite their heartbreak. Years later, another descendant died giving birth at 34, leaving behind four children. Says Hallstrom, "With the example that they had seen in the previous generation, my parents - without hesitation - turned to the Lord for solace."

We can always turn to the Lord in our struggles, and like the quote from King Limhi above shows, the timeline of when the struggle will end is not always clear, but the Lord will provide a way and lift our burdens for us as we faithfully trust in him.