Friday, July 16, 2010

Alma 36 continued

Alma starts out by having Helaman remember how Israel was in bondage to Egypt and how the Lord the freed Israel from the slavery they were in. Then Alma relates how he was a slave and in bondage to his sins and how he was living, and how the Lord freed him from it. We need to remember that Alma and the sons of Mosiah considered themselves to be the "vilest of sinners" because they had destroyed so many lives. Once Alma realized the reality of what he had been doing, and realized what could have been, he suffered greatly. Over and over, Alma says he was tormented and racked with pain for what he had done. His experience was like Paul's in the New Testament and both of these are quite miraculous. Through divine intervention, Alma was freed, but only after great suffering.

Our experiences, though not so earth shaking, can be similar in that all of us become slaves to our own habits and ways of living. We come to think that this is the way it's always going to be and it will never change. Life is pretty routine and ordinary, but we have to be careful that we're not settling for less, especially when it comes to realizing our potential. Most of life is good unless we are living unrighteously. Whatever our level of righteousness is, we can have a freer and more fulfilling life and realize more of our dreams, if we trust the Lord. He won't free us from some of the hard things of life, just the unnecessary ones. Alma tells us that some things are unavoidable, but "whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles..." Later he says, I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind. God has delivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in him, and he will still deliver me." And notice what the the first and last thing he says; that whoever keeps the commandments will be prospered. I believe the Lord wants us to be free of the things that hold us down. He wants us to be prosperous, happy and fulfilled. That can come if we have trust in him.

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