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.

Right to Vote

Mosiah 23: 6-8

 6 And the people were desirous that Alma should be their king, for he was beloved by his people.

 7 But he said unto them: Behold, it is not expedient that we should have a king; for thus saith the Lord: Ye shall not esteem one flesh above another, or one man shall not think himself above another; therefore I say unto you it is not expedient that ye should have a king.

 8 Nevertheless, if it were possible that ye could always have just men to be your kings it would be well for you to have a king.

I thought this scriptural passage was extremely fitting, seeing that tomorrow is Election Day. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to vote for my governmental leaders. It is a freedom that I often take for granted. I love that we have an example of a democratic society in the Book of Mormon. Our Heavenly Father wants his people to lead themselves in righteousness and does not one flesh esteemed above another because we are all his children, and he loves us equally.

Preparations

8 And now Limhi had discovered them from the tower, even all their preparations for war did he discover; therefore he gathered his people together, and laid wait for them in the fields and in the forests.

King Limhi is a great example of being prepared. He watched the Lamanites preparing to come to war against how people. If he had not been watching and preparing, chance are his people would have been completely destroyed.

We can follow Limhi's example and be prepared. Being prepared can mean several things like:
1. Food storage: The prophets have counseled us to have a year supply of food ready in case of financial emergencies or natural disasters. In the wake of hurricane Sandy, I can say that I am so grateful for the counsel of prophets to be prepared.
2. Spiritual preparedness: In the parable of the ten virgins, five were not prepared with oil when the groom came. However, five were prepared and had the opportunity to join in the festivities. Likewise, we need to have our spiritual lamps full of oil for not only the coming of The Lord but for times when we need to draw from our spiritual reservoirs.

I know that if we choose to prepare now for things in the future that we will be blessed. I know The Lord is looking out for us and warning our prophets on the towers of trials ahead. I know that if we heed the words of our prophets, we will be safe.

Pay it Forward

Mosiah 18:1-3
 1 And now, it came to pass that Alma, who had fled from the servants of king Noah, repented of his sins and iniquities, and went about privately among the people, and began to teach the words of Abinadi—

 2 Yea, concerning that which was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the redemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and death of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven.

 3 And as many as would hear his word he did teach. And he taught them privately, that it might not come to the knowledge of the king. And many did believe his words.

I've always wondered if I would be one to be converted...would I believe Abinadi? How is it that only Alma believed? But without Abinadi and Alma, thousands upon thousands of people wouldn't have been converted unto the gospel of the Lord. Chain reactions are all around us in ways that we would never expect. When I think about how much my actions can affect others, I want to be a better person. Who knows whose life I can change if I choose to be Christlike, or otherwise?

There is a boy named Silas here at BYU. He is such a an example of "pay it forward. He is always giving. When he gives, he makes those around us want to give. He is really good friends with two of my roommates, and one day he brought over some chocolate milk for us all. It seriously made my day! I started looking for ways to do things like that.

The Light of the World

Mosiah 16:9 "He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death."