The Lord's Matchless Power

Helaman 4:25 ". . Therefore the Lord did cease to preserve them by his miraculous and matchless power, for they had fallen into a state of unbelief and awful wickedness; . . and except they should cleave unto the Lord their God they must unavoidably perish."

The blessings of Heaven are contingent upon obedience to God's commandments.

To Go No More Out

Helaman 3:29-30 ". . whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, . . and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked;
And land . . their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out."

I want to be there with my family.

Flattery

Helaman 2:5 "Therefore he did flatter them . . that if they would place him in the judgment-seat he would grant unto those who belonged to his band that they should be placed in power and authority among the people;"

Beware the tool of flattery.

Anger

Helaman 1:17 "Therefore he did stir them up to anger . ."

How many wars could be averted if participants could avoid anger instead of escalating it?

Moroni Died Also

Alma 63:3 "And it came to pass that Moroni died also."

When a champion of liberty dies, his legacy lives on in the hearts of his followers.

Prayers of the Righteous

Alma 62:40 ". . because of the prayers of the righteous, they were spared."

Prayers are powerful when accompanied with faith.

Joy in Afflictions of Others?

Alma 61:3 ". . there are those who do joy in your afflictions . ."

Destructive people often enjoy observing, even causing, the afflictions of others . . it's sad.

Be Up and Doing

Alma 60:24 ". . except ye do repent . . and begin to be up and doing . . (and) contend no more with the Lamanites (enemies) until we have first cleansed our inward vessel, yea, even the great head of our government."

Citizens must be "up and doing" if freedoms lost to iniquitous governments are to be regained.

He Began to Doubt

Alma 59:11 ". . when Moroni saw that the city of Nephihah was lost he was exceedingly sorrowful, and began to doubt, because of the wickedness of the people, whether they should not fall into the hands of their brethren."

Righteous leaders realize that when citizens persist in ignoring the laws of God and country, their future is bleak.

Stand Fast to Liberty's Cause

Alma 58:40 "But behold, they have received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free; and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come."

Liberty is contingent upon faith in and obedience to God's laws.

Are We There Yet?

Alma 57:9 ". . we did sleep upon our swords . ."

When an enemy is at the door and raging to destroy, round-the-clock vigilance is crucial.

The Strength of God

Alma 56:56 ". . to my great joy, there had not one soul fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God . ."

Faith can move mountains . . also men and women.

Rights and Privileges

Alma 55:28 " And it came to pass that the Nephites began again to be victorious, and to reclaim their rights and their privileges."

The United States of America was founded on the Christian principles of love, freedom, and justice for all, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and The US Constitution.
Rights and privileges of citizens are contingent on respect for laws reflected in these two documents.

Freedom

Alma 54:10 ". . we will retain our cities and our lands; yea, and we will maintain our religion and the cause of our God."

Freedom, safety, and peace trump political correctness.

True At All Times

Alma 53:20 ". . they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all -- they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted."

There are such men and women in the today's world. I am proud to know a few of them.

Make a Plan!

Alma 52:21 " And it came to pass that Moroni, having no hopes of meeting them upon fair grounds, therefore, he resolved upon a plan that he might decoy the Lamanites out of their strongholds."

Americans are frustrated with talk about ISIS ideology, but no apparent plan to eradicate it!

Support the Cause of Liberty

Alma 51:17 "And it came to pass that Moroni commanded that his army should go against the king-men, to pull down their pride and their nobility and level them with the earth, or they should take up arms and support the cause of liberty."

The cause of liberty must be waged in every generation.

We Own Our Choices

Alma 50:22 "And those who were faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord were delivered at all times, whilst thousands of their wicked brethren have been consigned to bondage, or to perish by the sword, or to dwindle in unbelief, and mingle with the Lamanites."

We own our choices and their consequences.

Does This Leader Care?

Alma 49:10 ". . he (king Amalickiah) did not care for the blood of his people."

An effective leader "cares for the blood of all his people," not just those he favors.

Leadership

Alma 48:12 "Yea, (Moroni was) a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; and a man who did labor accordingly for the welfare and safety of his people."

The heart of an effective leader is riveted on the welfare and safety of others, not himself.

Drinking in the Traditions

Alma 47:36 "Now these dissenters, having the same instruction and the same information of the Nephites, yea, having been instructed in the same knowledge of the Lord, nevertheless, it is strange to relate, not long after their dissensions they became more hardened and impenitent, and more wild, wicked and ferocious than the Lamanites--drinking in with the traditions of the Lamanites; giving way to indolence, and all manner of lasciviousness; yea, entirely forgetting the Lord their God."

We choose the traditions we accept and follow.

How Quickly We Forget

Alma 46:8 "Thus we see how quick the children of men do forget the Lord their God, yea, how quick to do iniquity, and to be led away by the evil one."

The answer to this world of woes is found in Jesus Christ's words: "Love one another."

Is America "Fully Ripe"?

Alma 45:16 "Cursed be the land, yea, this land, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, unto destruction, which do wickedly, when they are fully ripe; . ."

This week has been one of pain in America. Is our country "fully ripe" for destruction?

If You're Happy

Alma 44:5 ". . by the maintenance of the sacred word of God, to which we owe all our happiness;"

Joy in life can be traced to God and his word.

Preserving Liberty

Alma 43:9-10 "And now the design of the Nephites was to support their lands and their houses, and their wives, and their children, that they might preserve them from the hands of their enemies; and also that they might preserve their rights and their privileges, yea, and also their liberty, that they might worship God according to their desires.
For they knew that if they should fall into the hands of the Lamanites, that whosoever should worship God in spirit and in truth, the true and the living God, the Lamanites would destroy."

The war between good and evil, between liberty and chains, continues to rage.

The Plan of Mercy

Alma 42:15 ". . the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also."

Without the Atonement of Christ, the demands of justice and mercy could not be met.

The Desires of Their Hearts

Alma 41:3 "And it is requisite with the justice of God that men should be judged according to their works; and if their works were good in this life, and the desires of their hearts were good, that they should also, at the last day, be restored unto that which is good."

Change of desires = change of outcomes.

Time

Alma 40:8 ". . all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men."

Mike and I attended two funerals this week. Actually, Mike attended three.
Funerals are instructive. Their purpose is to comfort the survivors, not those who have passed.
For me, time is a measurement that helps keep one thing after another.
I don't understand God's concept of "no beginning and no end."
But I do have a start on understanding God's love for his children.
I said it's a start.
And I received that start through the gift of time.
Some are given a few seconds of life on earth and some a hundred years plus.
I want more time.
But I don't control that.
Maybe what I really want is to make today a day of love and happiness that I can offer to God.
If I get a tomorrow, I want the same.
And one day, that will be time . . enough.

Vanity

Alma 39:11 "Suffer not yourself to be led away by any vain or foolish thing;"

If anyone has a right to think highly of himself, it would be Jesus.
Because he is perfect, and he knows it.
I think that he does think highly of himself.
But his motivation for thinking highly of himself is not about himself.
It's about his Father -- and about following through on his offer to purchase every sin of every one with his blood, giving us the opportunity to remove the stain of our sins through our repentance.

*Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Broken Record?

Alma 38:5 "And now my son, Shiblon, I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day."

If a person is writing messages on metal plates, there's a good reason for repeating the same message.
And that reason isn't Alzheimer's.