Tag: Alma

How often is the call to repentance presented as part of a joyful message? I’m realizing that it is much more often than we think—perhaps because of how often those hearing it treat it as if it weren’t joyful. While Alma told the people of Ammonihah “repent or you will face destruction” he also told…

Alma knows how hard it is to preach to people who are set on not hearing the truth.

I wonder if Alma somehow needed the rejection from the land of Ammonihah to prepare him for the assurance from the angel that his efforts were acceptable to the Lord even as he was called to return to Ammonihah with a more direct and specific message.

I am so familiar with the phrase from Isaiah about preparing the way of the Lord and making his path straight but it is a fresh reminder to hear Alma phrase it as “walk in His paths, which are straight.” In other words, the pathway of the Lord is straight and the hope is that…

As I think about it, the setting apart of priests and teachers to watch over and regulate the church in Zerahemla after Alma had preached to the people reminds me of a stage conference where a new stake presidency has been called.

It seems to me that the proud people who Alma is speaking about are focused on projecting their wealth, their righteousness, their superiority to the world while the humble people he is inviting them to be would focus on projecting the love of God to those around them, seeking out those who are oppressed or…

It seems to me that any time we play gotcha with people—any time we try to be clever to lead them into a trap against them—we are falling prey to a snare of the adversary. He wants us to feel like we are smart and we are in control and that we can manipulate others…

I can only imagine the discouragement that Alma felt after wrestling in mighty prayer for the people of Ammonihah to feel that it had all been in vain and to start to leave them without having had success. I think the message, “repent or face destruction”was not what Alma had been preaching before. It is…

They began to persecute those that did not believe according to their own will and pleasure. Alma 4:8 I think this can be captured in the term “self-righteous.” I also think that it’s most innocent form where we need to end it early is when we see children turning “smoking is bad for you” into…