ALMA 32:8-10   

“I behold that ye are lowly in heart; and if so, blessed are ye.

Behold thy brother hath said, What shall we do?—for we are cast out of our synagogues, that we cannot worship our God. Behold I say unto you, do ye suppose that ye cannot worship God save it be in your synagogues only?”

I really love these scriptures because it teaches me a great lesson about being devoted to the Lord no matter your location. Being a member of this church does not require us to be faithful just during church hours, it requires us to be faithful to the Lord no matter where we are or what time of day it is. I love this teaching because I think it is something a lot of us can work on.

I think the most obvious principle that this scripture teaches is obedience. Obedience to do what is right when no one is watching. It is really easy to live how you are supposed to be living when you’re in a church building or by the temple but it is equally important that you act that same way while at school or a party.

This scripture and the principle it teaches can be very applicable to everyone. I think we could all work a little more on being a little more obedient and faithful to the Lord. We could all be a little better at continually remaining faithful to the gospel.

Helaman 5:12

“And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”

Like the majority of you, I have read this verse a number of times. It is a verse of scripture that has always been one of my favorites. One thing that I really love about the verse is its overall focus on Christ and the strength that comes from building our foundation on him. Having a strong foundation of Christ is essential because that is what everything else relies. If that is weak, things are sure to fall when things get rough.

The principle that this scripture teaches has a lot to do with faith and the importance of a strong testimony. We must have faith that if we choose to build our foundation on Christ he will not fail us. A huge part of having enough faith to build our foundation on Christ has to do with the strength of our testimony. Having a strong testimony makes it much easier to face the problems that Satan will continually throw at us. Having a strong testimony paired with great faith in Christ will make it so that our foundations will be immovable. The many tactics that Satan uses in hopes of effecting us will have no success.

This principle is definitely applicable to all of us. Satan is constantly threatening us so having great faith and a strong testimony is essential to our survival against the adversary. When times get hard and life seems more difficult than usual, we can rely on our foundation to keep us grounded and standing upright.

Alma 36:21

“Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so better as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, me son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.”

What this scripture means to me is that we will all face pains in life but they are nothing compared to the joy that we will feel. They joy we have in life will make the pains seem like they never happened. It also makes me think of the source of this joy. I think the only way to experience such great joy is through living how you should and having a good relationship with Christ and our Father in Heaven.

The principle that this scripture teaches has to do with change and repentance. In class, Brother Griffin talked about how we often think that change takes weeks, months, or even years, but that is not the case. Change is something that happens quickly, it is the temptations and pains of the sin that can last much longer. What this lesson taught me was to make a decision to change but to be prepared to deal with the temptations that last much longer.

This principle and lesson changes my overall view of change and what it takes. Making the choice to change is simple, but we must be willing to deal with the temptations that will follow that decision. Something that will most definitely not be easy but will be worth it I the end. The joy that comes from dealing with and overcoming the temptations and pains that are felt from the decision to change will be very much worth it in the end. Feeling the joy that the gospel and repentance can bring into your life is far greater than the feelings of pain that come from making that initial decision to change.