Mosiah 29; Alma 1-4: pt 1

I love the example of Mosiah's sons refusing to become king because they were preaching the gospel and had no desire to be king. It didn't matter that the kingdom rightly belonged to Aaron; his heart was in preaching the gospel, and I assume he knew there was a better way than to have a king. Recently I have seen some examples of adult siblings contending somewhat over the inheritance of their parents. This type of contention would not exist if they would follow the example of Mosiah's sons. I am going to use this part of the Book of Mormon as I counsel clients or others who may have lost sight of what really matters.

Mosiah 25-28; Alma 36: pt 3

The Lord saw fit in his infinite mercy to spare Alma and the sons of Mosiah. Likewise, he has seen fit to spare each of us. Every one of us must be born of the Spirit. The Lord knows whether we need to see an angel and be struck lame and dumb or if there is some other way for him to call us to repentance. He deals with each of us in the way that will make it most likely, short of taking away our agency, for us to obey and follow him. It's good for me to remember and feel this.

Mosiah 25-28; Alma 36: pt 2

Chapter 26, verses 13 & 33: When Alma was confronted with a new situation, he asked the Lord for guidance because he was afraid of doing wrong in the sight of God. It might have been easy for him to rely on past prayers or to have a casual attitude about it, thinking he was in tune with the Spirit so he'd be fine. Instead, he sought the Lord diligently in prayer. He did not have a casual attitude toward the new problem he faced. He was rewarded with a direct and specific revelation. Further evidence that he did not take it lightly is that he wrote the words of the revelation down, "that he might have them."

I am faced with a new and difficult question. So far I have taken a casual approach to it, but reading this tonight tells me I need to follow Alma's example. I need to be afraid to do wrong in the sight of God and pray earnestly to know his will.

Mosiah 25-28; Alma 36: pt 1

Chapter 25, verses 8-11: Things that should cause us sorrow: loss of our loved ones, people killing other people, the sinful and polluted state of others. Things that should cause us joy: deliverance from bondage, the immediate goodness of God and his power.

One of the purposes of this lesson is to inspire class members to continually apply the principles of repentance. As we do so, our hearts, and thereby our emotions, will be more aligned to God's heart and emotions. We will be more like him in sorrowing for the sin we see around us (instead of ignoring, being entertained by, or glorifying and promoting it like so much of the world does). Likewise, we will be more like him in feeling joy at the blessings received by others, especially the blessing of being delivered from every type of bondage.