Day 63: Alma 24-25

Part of the repentance process is restitution. If restoring that which was lost is not possible, such as life, then we must do all we can to ease the burdens and bless the lives of those wronged. In addition, we must cast aside those tools that reminds us, and could very well tempt us, of the sins we have committed.

Here, the converted Lamanites, Anti-Nephi-Lehies, make a covenant with God to never lift the sword against anyone ever again. Much like these people, so we have our weakness tested to see if we truly buried our "weapons of rebellion" deep in the earth.

"In abandoning sin, one cannot merely wish for better conditions. He must make them. He may need to come to hate the spotted garments and loathe the sin. He must be certain not only that he has abandoned the sin but that he has changed the situations surrounding the sin. He should avoid the places and conditions and circumstances where the sin occurred, for these could most readily breed it again. He must abandon the people with whom the sin was committed. He may not hate the persons involved but he must avoid them and everything associated with the sin. He must dispose of all letters, trinkets, and things which will remind him of the "old days" and the "old times." He must forget addresses, telephone numbers, people, places and situations from the sinful past, and build a new life. He must eliminate anything which would stir the old memories." Spencer W. Kimball The Miracle of Forgiveness, p.171

Day 62: Alma 22-23

This is no trick indeed, but you are halfway though The Book of Mormon! Tis a treat to daily read and study. Especially as we read of King Lamoni's father and his desire to give up all his sins to know the Lord, and repent of his sins. But did this happen by mere happenstance? No! A young missionary opened his mouth and shared the Gospel message with boldness and love.

"…Each of us has the sacred responsibility to proclaim the gospel. The Savior's commandment applies to all members of the Church, not just to full-time missionaries or to returned missionaries. We each have the responsibility to follow the Spirit when it prompts us to share the gospel so that others can come to follow the Savior.

We must act when the Spirit speaks! It [is] God's message, brought to [our] mind by the Spirit of the Lord." (Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Finding Peace in Our Lives, p. 241)

Open your mouth to all those around. You never know who will respond.

"Walk to the edge of the light, and perhaps a few steps into the darkness, and you will find that the light will appear and move ahead of you." - President Harold B. Lee

Day 61: Alma 20-21

This is not a Halloween trick - tomorrow you'll be reading through the halfway point in The Book of Mormon!

With no more desire to do evil, many of the Lamanites under the kingship of Lamoni begin the transformation to fully obeying the word of the Lord. But the work has only begun. Ammon and Lamoni in route to save his brethren in another land, run into the King over the entire Lamanite people - Lamoni's father. Coincidence? No. But great promises are about to be fulfilled.
In the process of arguing with Lamoni's father regarding Lamoni and the recent events, the father is angry with Ammon and attempts to slay him. Ammon delivers a signature blow to the arm, but restrains from completely cutting it off. So we must all remember in our own lives - when we share the gospel with others, we do not want to completely sever their faith and hope. We are to build upon their beliefs and bring to the knowledge of the fullness of the truth.

Because Ammon was merciful, and had great love for the Lord and His work - he recognizes the great danger of seriously hurting the king over the whole land, Just as well, he recognizes a great opportunity for a potential investigator.
As we go about today, we are watched by many people - in and out of the church. Do we represent the Lord in all we do? Or by our actions cause a larger gap to form between an individual or group because of the things we say and do? Much like Ammon probably prevented a war between the Nephites and Lamanites by sparing the life of the king, so we can avoid backlashes against the Church by being true and faithful, ever hearkening to the voice of the Spirit.

Day 60: Alma 18-19

“Another special challenge we face from time to time is having good motives and good intentions—and even good actions misfire. Abish, the ‘Lamanitish woman’ (Alma 19:16-17), was not the first nor the last Church member to think an opportunity to be present and, therefore, to act on the impulse to do good. Confusion and contention followed her deed, as did tears from conscientious Abish. Vindication was nearly immediate in her case, but it is much slower coming at other times.

If our motives and actions are good, we should be able to endure some misunderstanding, but the pain and frustration of it will be real because we really care. Time and truth can cause lower courts of opinion to reverse themselves, hopefully soon. But if not, we will come to that final gate where Jesus Christ is the gatekeeper and ‘he employeth no servant there.’ The gospel guarantees ultimate, not proximate, justice.” (Neal A. Maxwell, Wherefore, Ye Must Press Forward, p. 115)

Day 59: Alma 17-18

Let's look at Ammon's experience in a different perspective; related to ourselves. First, if we have the desire, and a pure heart, we are called to the work. Though we may be in situations that try our faith or cause to lose our focus, we can remember the promise of the Lord, and go forth to serve.

As you go about day to day, you will meet new people with whom you can share your testimony - some of whom will have to develop a relationship of trust first. As you live your life, trial will arise. How will you react? When things go wrong, as they sometimes do, to whom do you turn?

As we reach out to those in need, are we doing all we can to maintain the Lord at the forefront of our minds? We see people everyday who are like Ammon, the Lamanite servants, the wicked Lamanites causing problems, and yes, even the sheep.

Since we are all given responsibilities to care for the Lord's sheep, do we drive them off, sit and cry when they are driven off, or go before the Lord in prayer then go out and make a difference? Once you learn from one experience, you can then bring the sheep to water again. You have prepared better to encircle the sheep about with love, friendship, a responsibility, and nourishment with the good word of God. Finally, in the strength of the Lord, fight battles against wickedness to ward off those who desire to scatter the flocks again. When the battle is over, give thanks to the Lord for protection, the protection of His children, and continue to perform His labors with humility.

Day 58: Alma 15-16

A short phrase with a lot of power: Alma 15:5. "...they went immediately, obeying the message..." Whether the Spirit of the Lord sends us a prompting, or a distress call from one in need (and we may not know it is a distress call), we need to act immediately.

I believe the Lord provides us opportunities to act immediately, and if we "have ears to hear". we will recognize those opportunities. Once recognized, we must then act. Once we act, the blessings of our Father are poured upon us. Though we may not recognize any grand blessing right off, treasures are being laid up, and we can have peace of conscience.

Day 57: Alma 14

Not much is spoken of Amulek in talks, books, and commentary, but this man was faithful and strong to the end. He was that second witness to Alma, he was rejected by his people - whom he loved and knew well, and he watched the destruction of many good lives. Though not ever written in the scriptures, I believe he watched the martyrdom of some in his family. I surmise this idea because mentioned in previous chapters of him speaking of his children, then following some preaching, Alma then takes him into his own home.

My point in this comment is not to dwell much on the wickedness of those who would perform such acts of murder of innocent people, instead to testify of the Spirit of God within Amulek. Without a firm testimony and faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, how can one stand by to see so many killed for a belief/knowledge. And yet, so many have done so before and since, and will happen again.

What if you were in this situation of watching the martyrdom, or one about to be martyred? Would your faith be strong enough?

“Now, we find many people critical when a righteous person is killed, a young father or mother is taken from a family, or when violent deaths occur. Some become bitter when oft-repeated prayers seem unanswered. Some lose faith and turn sour when solemn administrations by holy men seem to be ignored and no restoration seems to come from repeated prayer circles. But if all the sick were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the Gospel, free agency, would be ended." (President Spencer W. Kimball Tragedy or Destiny," Improvement Era, March 1966, pp. 180)

“The right question to ask is not why good people have trials, but how shall good people respond when they are tried?…God does not deny us the experience we came here to have. He does not insulate us from tribulation or guarantee immunity from trouble. Much of the pain we suffer and inevitably impost upon others is self-induced through our own bad judgment, through poor choices… But much that happens to us in this life we cannot control; we only respond.” (Elder Marion D. Hanks, Ensign, Nov. 1992, p. 64)