Exceeding Joy

Alma 27: 17-18
17. Now the joy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth.
18. Now was this not exceeding joy? Behold, this is the joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness.

When I read these verses, I can't help but wonder what this joy feels like. I've never been so happy that I've passed out. But, as I think about it, the most overwhelmingly happy times of my life have happened when I've been doing what's right. They've been moments of peace inside the temple. They've been golden moments spent with my family. They've been personal revelations that I have received. The truly happy times have come to me when I remember what is important and focus on putting the Savior first in my life. I testify that true happiness, exceeding joy, and moments of bliss come from doing what is right, and from following the example of Jesus Christ. He truly is happiness.

How To

In Alma 26, there is an interesting promise in one of the verses that I have never really picked up on before.

Alma 26:22 "Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth coninually without ceasing--unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; year, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance."

So what I see in this verse is a How To scenario. If you want an increased presence of the Lord in your life, and an increased spirit of revelation, do these things:

1. Come unto the Lord humbly and repent.
2. Exercise faith.
3. Do good works and serve your fellow men.
4. Pray continually unto our Heavenly Father with a prayer always in your heart.

To me, it is completely worth it to try these four steps to feel an greater influence of the Lord in my life. I want to be the best I can be, and I know that these steps are one way for me to become a better disciple of Jesus Christ.

Words Cannot Tell

Alma 26 is one of my personal favorite chapters in all of the Book of Mormon. Ammon rejoices in The Lord and in the joys of missionary work:

Alma 26:26 "Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in The Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel."

This is such a powerful verse for me mainly because Ammon states that he just can't express himself adequately. I think that sometimes words just can't express our testimonies as much as deeds and love can. Ammon and his brethren showed their testimonies by serving the Lamanites and by sharing the gospel with them. There is an incredible lesson to be learned from them that the best way to share our love of this Gospel isn't always through words but through actions as well.

Another thing I just love about this chapter is how much Ammon discusses his joy that comes from missionary work. Reading his exclamations of joy makes me so excited for when I am a full time missionary and will be feeling similar things. The joy in this chapter is so exciting and desirable. I want to be moved beyond words because of my love of this Gospel. I want to be an Ammon.

Rather Than

In Alma 24, the Ammonites (also known as the Anti-Nephi-Lehies) commit themselves and their very lives to God. Rather than kill an enemy for their own protection, the "prostrated themselves before them to the earth, and began to call on the name of The Lord." (Alma 24:21)

This story has always impressed and stunned me simultaneously. HOW? I can't imagine watching the Lamanites coming at me to kill me and not doing anything about it. That takes an incredible amount of faith.

But, after reading through this story today, something new stood out to me. Not only were the Ammonites willing to live the gospel unto death, but all through life.

"...and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands."

The Ammonites were not only converted so much that they were willing to die for the truth, but they were willing to LIVE the gospel, something that is in ways harder to do.

I will give thanks unto my God forever.

Alma 26:37: "Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen."

I've got a lot to be thankful for. He is a list of a few things.

1. I am so thankful for my family and that they are mine for eternity. I am so blessed to have parents who chose to be married in the temple so that I can be with them and my sisters forever.

2. I am so thankful for the opportunity to attend the incredible Brigham Young University. It is such a blessing to rub shoulders with the world's best students, professors, and faculty. 

3. I am so thankful for Blake. I don't know what I did to deserve to be blessed enough to have this incredible man in my life. I don't know what I would do without him, and I am so thankful for his example of missionary work that I will soon be following.

4. I am so thankful for my roommates. They are incredible and some of the best people I've ever met. I can't remember what my life was like without them.

5. I am so thankful for my extended family on both sides. They love me and support me in everything I do.

6. I am so thankful for my high school friends. Some of them may have moved onto different paths than me, but they made me who I am today and I am so grateful for their examples, support, and love.

7. I am so thankful for my health. Of course I have my issues, who doesn't, but I am able to live a happy and prosperous life with an incredible body that my Heavenly Father gave to me.

8. I am so thankful for the beautiful state of Utah in which I live. Utah has been the ideal place for me to be raised--I love its beautiful mountains, lakes, streams, deserts, and valleys.

9. I am so thankful that I will have the opportunity to serve a mission soon.

10. Lastly and most importantly, I am so thankful for the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so thankful to have a Savior who willingly came and suffered for me so that I can return to live with my Father in Heaven.

Problems.

These are my notes from my Book of Mormon class today:

o   Alma has a problem (Mosiah 26:6)

o   What does he do? (Mosiah 26:9-13)

o   What happened next? (Mosiah 26:14-32)

o   Then Alma…(Mosiah 26:33-38)

o   If you have a problem:

·         Study it out and inquire of the Lord

·          Listen for the response

·         Write down revelation you feel and act on it

Something else that my professor brought up that I really want to talk about is asking of the Lord: "What would Thou have me do?" When we study our problem out and inquire of the Lord, we have to have enough humility to ask him what His will is, and give up our own. I'm pretty sure I've posted about this like five times, but it is obviously something I need to learn. 

The Power of Deliverance

13 And they did humble themselves even to the dust, subjecting themselves to the yoke of bondage, submitting themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened, according to the desires of their enemies.

 14 And they did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions.

There are things that bind us, things that keep us from happiness and blessings from the Lord. Limhi's people suffered at the hand of the Lamanites because of their previous sins and lack of attention to the prophet Abinadi. Thus, the Lord was slow to hear their cries when they were in bondage. But, they humbled themselves and cried mightily to God, and were blessed to be taught by Ammon and his brethren. What is bondage to us today?

Like Limhi's people, my bondage is often self imposed. When I was little, I would often put myself on time-out. I would get frustrated with my parents and storm off to my room. I would later come out and ask if I could be done with time-out. Likewise, we often put ourselves on "time-out" through sin. We make the choice to do wrong. And when we do so, we need help from our Lord to be delivered.

L. Tom Perry in April 2012 gave a talk called "The Power of Deliverance." He discusses the ways that we can be delivered from our sin: "We can be delivered from the ways of evil and wickedness by turning to the teachings of the holy scriptures. The Savior is the Great Deliverer, for He delivers us from death and from sin."

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/the-power-of-deliverance?lang=eng&query=tom+april+(name%3a%22L.+Tom+Perry%22)

I testify that we can only be delivered from bondage through our Lord Jesus Christ. I testify that repentance is a true principle, and I am so thankful for that miraculous gift.