Alma 55
Alma 55
I loved this chapter! It was very entertaining and there were a bunch of great nuggets in it.
First- verse 2- Moroni refused to the terms that Ammoron had set. He said "I will not grant any more power that what he hath got." We should remember this in our battle with Satan. We should not exchange our values and standards on his terms. We should not exchange humility for pride, peace for revenge, love for hate, forgiveness for anger, obedience for rebellion. We need to not give him any more power that what he that got.
I also admire the courage of the Lamanite, Laman, to go to his people, now knowing what the outcome would be. I find so many stories of people, some who remain nameless, that are short and often overlooked. These people, like this Laman, had courage and faith the inspire me.
I found it interesting how in verses 9-11 Laman made the Lamanites think that drinking was their idea. If he would have been overzealous in offering it, the outcome might have been very different. Satan also uses this tactic with us. He tells us things are no big deal, then plants desires and temptations until we justify even the smallest of sins as reasonable and even a good idea.
In verses 19 &20 the Lamanite guards were completely out. Moroni was very upset with Ammoron, and could very well have killed them all in their sleep, but "this was not the desire of Mormon." He remained focused on his goal, and did not get distracted or tempted, and "..he had obtained his desires." That reminds me to stay focused on my eternal desires and not get sidetracked away from them by worldly things.
There are a few more things I loved in this chapter, but I am curious to see what you thought of it!
TOMORROW: Sabbath Day Rest
MONDAY: Alma 56
I loved this chapter! It was very entertaining and there were a bunch of great nuggets in it.
First- verse 2- Moroni refused to the terms that Ammoron had set. He said "I will not grant any more power that what he hath got." We should remember this in our battle with Satan. We should not exchange our values and standards on his terms. We should not exchange humility for pride, peace for revenge, love for hate, forgiveness for anger, obedience for rebellion. We need to not give him any more power that what he that got.
I also admire the courage of the Lamanite, Laman, to go to his people, now knowing what the outcome would be. I find so many stories of people, some who remain nameless, that are short and often overlooked. These people, like this Laman, had courage and faith the inspire me.
I found it interesting how in verses 9-11 Laman made the Lamanites think that drinking was their idea. If he would have been overzealous in offering it, the outcome might have been very different. Satan also uses this tactic with us. He tells us things are no big deal, then plants desires and temptations until we justify even the smallest of sins as reasonable and even a good idea.
In verses 19 &20 the Lamanite guards were completely out. Moroni was very upset with Ammoron, and could very well have killed them all in their sleep, but "this was not the desire of Mormon." He remained focused on his goal, and did not get distracted or tempted, and "..he had obtained his desires." That reminds me to stay focused on my eternal desires and not get sidetracked away from them by worldly things.
There are a few more things I loved in this chapter, but I am curious to see what you thought of it!
TOMORROW: Sabbath Day Rest
MONDAY: Alma 56
After the Lamanites were given wine and captured. They kept trying to do the same back to the Nephites. But the Nephites were diligent because they didn't want to fall into any of the "snares"set for them.
ReplyDeleteIt was the word "snare" that caught me this morning. Makes me think of those ropes you see in movies where you step in the middle and find yourself hanging upside down.
It can be easy to get caught in a snare and suddenly be upside down, thinking- why didn't I see that coming? We were talking at the fire station the other day about a couple of firefighters recently killed in the line of duty. The comment was made... didn't they see it coming? To which I replied... they should have but probably just weren't looking.
We have to watch. We have to pay attention. This is in every area of our life really. Or we will find ourselves hanging upside down wondering how we got there.
The other verse that really hit home was that Moroni did not delight in the shedding of blood. But that also refers to the fact that he would shed blood when it was necessary.
It is not always easy to do the right thing because sometimes the right things can definitely be hard. We may not delight in it. But if it is the right thing, for the right reason, we need to do it anyway.