THE WORTH OF A SOUL

 

When God the Father showed Enoch His corrupted children that would be swept away in the flood, He wept at the loss (Moses 7:28). Enoch was beyond perplexed when he considered that God would sorrow over a ‘handful’ of His children compared to the immensity of His creations (v 29-31). The Father simply answered that these His children were ‘the workmanship” of His own hands (v 32). The dictionary defines ‘workmanship’ as ‘the product or result of labour and skill, or work executed’.

We are told the worth of a soul is great in the eyes of God (D&C 17:10). What does that exactly mean? Does it mean our worth is great simply because we are the offspring of Deity who loves us? Well, it would seem there is more to it than that. If ‘workmanship’ insinuates investment of labour and skill, the worth cannot be purely in the birth alone. To arrive at the estimate of the worth, consider all the ‘work’ that went into the making of YOU: 1. Your spiritual creation which depended on the Father’s rise to Godhood; 2. Your spiritual tutoring for eons of time; 3. The creation of the earth for your mortality; 4. Overseeing of your earthly tutoring; 5. Preparation of kingdoms for your eternal destination; 6. The redemption of your soul through sacrifice of another. Now think of the scale of guidance, protection, care, overseeing, anguish and sorrow of your Heavenly Parents, the Holy Ghost, your guardian angels, your ancestors, your departed loved ones and all the hosts of heaven who know you….and not just what others have put into you but what you have put into yourself….and not just in this life but before you even came here. Consider the following:

“During the ages in which we dwelt in the pre-mortal state we not only developed our various characteristics and showed our worthiness and ability, or the lack of it, but we were also where such progress could be observed…..The heavenly beings were living in a perfectly arranged society. Every person knew his place…..Ordinances pertaining to that pre-existence were required and the love of God prevailed. Under such conditions it was natural for our Father to discern and choose those who were most worthy and evaluate the talents of each individual. He knew not only what each of us COULD do, but also what each of us WOULD do when put to the test and when responsibility was given us” (Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, pp 50-51)

“In the prior life, we developed various capacities and talents. Some developed them in one field and some in another. The most important of all fields was the field of spirituality, the ability, the talent, the capacity to recognise truth” (Bruce R. McConkie, When Thou Art Converted, Strengthen Thy Brethren, A Study Guide for the Priesthood Quorums of the Church, 1974-75, pp 8-9). This spiritual development was not only important for our own salvation but for others. Abraham confirmed this when he spoke about all the great and noble intelligences that were organised before the world was (Abraham 3:22-23). Joseph F. Smith spoke of the many others besides the prophets who received their first lessons in the world of spirits to prepare them for the work of salvation in this life (D&C 138:55,56).

Obviously, we achieved a lot before we were even born into mortality. What price would you put to all the work that you put into you and the investment of others into you??? I know two things:  the price would be higher than we can possibly imagine; and I know who paid it.

Surely Christ’s supreme sacrifice for all mankind is the crescendo of all the work invested into each soul ever born on this earth, of every creed, of every colour, of every nation. The Atonement is the crowning glory of the work that has gone into you and me. All the prior work that had been put into us would be in vain if there was no Atonement, and even more importantly, there would be no future for any of us, and the future is what counts, because it ensures our rightful place in the eternal scheme of things. It completes the Plan, it ensures the success of the Plan, it validates the ‘workmanship’ and preserves its value. So with all the labour, material, and struggle that has gone into your creation and development, how much do you think your soul is worth?

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Worth Of A Soul by Liz Lemon Swindle)

HAPPINESS

 

 

I have posted of late a lot of pictures of Jesus smiling. The response to these pictures has been overwhelming with many of you loving to see Him happy. I agree these pictures are beautiful and very endearing. I guess, because we love Him, we don’t like to be reminded of His suffering. It is drummed into us repeatedly. What we are not regularly reminded of is His happiness ‘who for the JOY endured the cross (Hebrews 12:1-2). Of course He is happy, He suffered, He endured and He is now exalted.

One innocent comment I had to one of Christ’s smiling images was: “I wonder what He could be seeing to give Him such a happy smile. Probably a puppy or a kitty”. I could tell you what would really make the Saviour smile, our righteousness. I was very happy to see another comment confirming my belief: “I know that Jesus smiles every time we do good and keep our covenants with Him”.

I am very passionate about ‘trust’. I relish paying my bills because it confirms to me and to those who have provided me with a service, that I can be trusted. My value of trust has been one of the things that has kept me on the strait and narrow path. My reasoning is this: If I have made a covenant at baptism to obey the commandments and made higher covenants in the Temple and then walk away from these covenants, where is my integrity? The message I then send is that I cannot be trusted. It would kill me if God thought He could not trust me. So yes, every time we do good and keep our covenants we bring a smile to the Saviour’s face.

When John the Revelator wrote that Christ is ‘the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’ he was telling us that the Atonement was already in place in the premortal world and that the Atonement performed in mortality was just a formality. We could draw upon its blessings and power in pre-existence as if it had already happened. This is the power by which we overcame Satan in the great war in heaven (Revelation 13:8; 1 Peter 1:18-20; Mosiah 3:13; 4:7; D&C 93:38; see also Institute Manual comments for Revelation 12:11). I stand amazed at the man of integrity that the Saviour was from the very beginning. That we not only believed that He COULD carry out the Atonement but that He WOULD. That’s trust of the highest kind. That’s a gift to humanity beyond description. So yes, every time we keep our covenants, we affirm our faith and gratitude that He kept HIS covenant before the world began. The question is, can He trust US???

The Saviour’s happiness is very much intertwined with ours. The joy that was before Him when He hung on the cross was not only for His but also our eternal happiness. Of course He would be happy if He knew He did not suffer in vein. The Atoning power with which we overcame Satan I pre-existence is the power by which we can overcome him again. How happy that would make the Saviour if we overcame His enemy in this life and subdued the powers of hell with our righteousness! Perhaps we should be a bit more concerned about making HIM happy and less about ourselves. Smile, He is on our side…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jesus the Source of Joy by Ivan Guaderrama)

PROMISES

 

The most endearing story of Father Abraham is the one, according to Jewish tradition, of his death. He was 175 years old. It was the Feast of Weeks celebration and both Isaac and Ishmael had come to Hebron with their families to celebrate the Feast with their father. During the feast, Abraham praised his creator in thanksgiving and among other things asked that God’s mercy and peace be upon the posterity of his sons ‘that they may be a chosen nation and an inheritance from amongst all the nations of the earth’. This was no doubt in reference to the covenant which God had made with him (Genesis 13).

During the feast, Abraham called Jacob, ‘the chosen patriarch heir with the authority to establish Zion over all the earth’ and invoked the blessings of heaven upon him and his seed forever. And this is the tender part of Abraham’s death. Jacob and Abraham laid down together on one bed and ‘Jacob slept in the bosom of Abraham, who kissed him seven times and his heart rejoiced over him and he pronounced another blessing upon his head. He then ‘blessed the God of gods, and he covered his face, and stretched out his feet and slept the sleep of eternity, and was gathered to his fathers’ (Jubilees 22:26-30, Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, 2:47; as quoted in The Blessings of Abraham by E. Douglas Clerk, p 232, 233).

It touches me to tears that Abraham died with Jacob in his arms because Jacob would be the fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham that through him the blessings of the priesthood would be given to all the nations of the earth. Abraham waited 37 years for the promise of Isaac and he didn’t live to see his posterity as numerous as the dust of the earth, as promised (Abraham 2:8-14; Genesis 13:16), but he trusted that through his grandson Jacob this promise would be fulfilled. It’s an incredibly touching story of patience and faithfulness.

Abraham stands as an example of everything we stand to gain if we remain faithful at all odds. From his youth in the land of Chaldeans to his valiant death in Hebron, Abraham held fast to the promise the Lord gave him that through him will all the nations of the earth be blessed (Abraham 2:9-11). I cannot think of anyone that deserved more to be called The Father of The Faithful (D&C 139:41) and the Friend of God (James 2:23; Isaiah 41:8). What kind of a man would you have to be for God to make such a covenant with you? An exceedingly faithful one.

In his great discourse on faith, apostle Paul spoke of valiant saints, such as Abraham, who wandered the earth as strangers and pilgrims and died ‘not having received the promises’ (Hebrews 11:13, 38,39). Very often we want fulfilment of all our dreams and all the Lord has promised us, here and now, and we forget that this life is not a life for fulfilment. May we for now, do the works of Abraham (D&C 132:32) and be patient enough to abide this world of sorrow, disillusionment and imperfection that we, being the posterity of the Father of the Faithful, might one day ‘enter into our exaltation and sit upon our throne’, even as Abraham (D&C 132:29, 32).

The Saviour ALWAYS fulfils His promises. Mormon testified of this throughout the Book of Mormon with phrases such as 'all this was done that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled' and 'God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words' (Mosiah 21:4; Alma 37:16; 50:19; Mormon 1:19; Helaman 4:21; Ether 15:3; Words of Mormon 1:4; 3 Nephi 1:13,20; Mosiah 21:4; Alma). If a promise is not forthcoming, we need to reflect on our role in its’ fulfilment more than on a God who cannot lie. Sometimes it’s a matter of our worthiness or our fears (D&C 67:1-3), sometimes not in the way we expect, and oftentimes it is simply God’s timing and our necessary growth.

May we be faithful and believe in the God who fulfils all His promises……the Saviour Jesus Christ, the Rock of Our Salvation……

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Rock of Our Salvation by Jay Bryant Ward)

IN TRIBULATION AND CAPTIVITY

 

The winter of 1838-39 would have been the crucible of Joseph Smith’s life. It was the coldest winter on record in the state of Missouri and Joseph and four other Church leaders found themselves in a hell hole of Liberty Jail ‘surrounded with demons….where they were compelled to hear nothing but blasphemous oaths, and witness a scene of blasphemy, and drunkenness and hypocrisy, and debaucheries of every description’ (History of the Church 3:290). In his letter to Emma on 21 March 1839, Joseph told her that “pen, or tongue, or angels” could not adequately describe “the malice of hell” that he suffered there (Personal Writings, 463, 464).

Liberty Jail was an inescapable prison with four feet thick walls.  It was a two-storey establishment with a rope and a bucket as the only link between the dungeon and the upper floor. It was in this dungeon of rough bare stones for a floor, covered by a bit of loose, dirty straw that Joseph and four others spent the cruelest winter of their lives. It was also through this depth of despair that the Lord gave us three of the most valuable sections of the Doctrine and Covenants: 121, 122, 123. Out of his extreme aloneness, when he felt the furthest away from heaven’s door, Joseph received glorious answers to his most heart-wrenching petition. Into the pit of hell known as Liberty Jail, where he knew not how long he would languish, came the most loving voice of God, addressing him in the most tender manner, as someone who knew the very depths of his soul: “My son, peace be unto thy soul…..” (D&C 121:7-8).

I wonder if Joseph ever reflected on another servant of God with a similar experience of tribulation in captivity, the man whose very experience he translated from the gold plates. Alma, and his convert and missionary companion, Amulek, found themselves in captivity in the most wicked city where they sat in a dungeon naked, suffering hunger, thirst, and physical abuse by their captors (Alma 14:18-23)….and having witnessed the catastrophe of Ammonihah in which the wives and children of the newly fresh converts were consumed by fire (Alma 14:8). Being constrained by the Spirit to prevent this tragedy was excruciating to Amulek who would have known these people of his city well (v 10,11). Amulek had many friends and kindreds in Ammonihah and was a rich man (Alma 10:4). He had an extensive household with wives and children (10:11). It is not clear from the record whether these children were young or grown and whether his family also perished in the fire. One thing we do know is that Amulek was left without family and possessions. Following their prison break-out, Mormon recorded that Alma took him back to Zarahemla to live with him and his family and ‘administered unto him in his tribulations, and strengthened him in the Lord’ (Alma 15:18). Amulek had undergone the most traumatic  change in his life. The painful effects of such on body and mind would have been extreme.

In the extremity of his captivity, Alma also, like Joseph, offered the most heart-wrenching petition to God when he asked: “How long shall we suffer these great afflictions, O Lord?” (Alma 14:26). One would wonder why the Lord would allow his most chosen servants to suffer so unjustly. The same for us who are striving so hard to be righteous and who inevitably come to face a crucible of our own lives. We often feel that we do not deserve it…..except there is an explanation. If we would be followers of Jesus Christ we must follow where He leads. Salvation and especially exaltation, comes at a price, and that price invariably leads to Gethsemane. If Christ himself did not suffer there, our trials and tribulations would be ever so much worse. He suffered the blow so that we wouldn’t but has given us a glorious promise through Joseph, our beloved prophet: “thy God shall be with you forever and ever” (D&C 122:4,9) and then the ultimate: “All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ” (D&C 121:29).

-        CATHRYNE ALLEN

(I highly recommend the BYU talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland titled “Lessons from Liberty Jail” at speeches.byu.edu)

(ART: Replica of  Joseph Smith at Liberty Jail by Val Brinkerhoff)

BY THE WEAK

 

It is amazing to me that the Saviour relies on us, the weak things of the earth, to accomplish His purposes. This is His call: “Wherefore, I call upon the weak things of the world, those who are unlearned and despised, to thresh the nations by the power of my Spirit” (D&C 35:13). The greatest and first example of this latter-day mandate was Joseph Smith, as confirmed by the Lord who said: ".....for unto this end have I raised you up, that I might show forth my wisdom through the weak things of the earth" (D&C 124:1).

Why the unlearned and inexperienced and ordinary and those lacking in any esteem of their fellow men? So that the work which they achieve will be accredited to the right person, the Christ. Considering Joseph’s lack of education, experience and youth, nobody could ever claim that he achieved anything in relation to the gospel by his own merits. All credit goes to Him to whom this Church belongs. It is on this premise the authenticity of the Church is built.

I am amazed by the myriad of achievements the Saviour accomplished through the weakest and the most unlearned, the Prophet of the Restoration, Joseph Smith:

·        He taught the correct concepts about the nature of the Father and Son.

·        He translated and published the Book of Mormon by the power of God.

·        He was the means by which the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods were restored.

·        He organized the Church of Jesus Christ again on the earth under the direction of the Saviour.

·        He revealed the true meaning of Zion, its location in the last days, and the laws by which it shall be governed.

·        He received over a hundred revelations and published them in the Doctrine and Covenants.

·        He worked on the translation of the Bible, restoring lost scripture and correcting erroneous translations.

·        He established settlements of the Saints, teaching them principles of social order, city planning, economics and so on, in addition to teaching them spiritual principles.

·        He restored the keys and knowledge of temple ordinances for both the living and the dead.

·        He received keys of restoration from Moses, Elias and Elijah.

·        He started missionary program that has involved tens of thousands of missionaries and resulted in millions of converts in countries all over the world.

·        He translated by inspiration of God papyri from Egypt, containing some of the writings of Abraham.

·        The Lord revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith many principles and concepts of the gospel which had been lost or corrupted over the centuries. The Prophet Joseph Smith then:

·        Explained man’s relationship to God.

·        Explained the differences between the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods.

·        Explained the different offices of the priesthood, the duties of each, and the manner in which they are organized.

·        Set forth the proper organization, name and purpose of the Church of Jesus Christ.

·        Taught that our life on earth is a probation, a time to work out our individual salvation.

·        Received a revelation of the three degrees of glory and what we must do to prepare to live once again with God.

·        Explained the nature and order of the Resurrection.

·        Showed how saving ordinances can be performed vicariously for those who did not receive them in mortality.

·        Set forth the principles on which Zion will be built, the nature of the Millenium, and the kingdom of God and how it will eventually be established on earth.

·        Added to our knowledge of the Apostasy and why it came.

·        Pointed out the fulfilment of various prophecies.

·        Announced the coming of Elijah, and explained his mission.

·        Taught that marriage is intended to be eternal and that the family unit continues beyond the grave

·        Served as an example of the role of a living prophet.

·        Restored the principle of priesthood administration to the sick.

·        Built temples and revealed temple ordinances for the living and the dead.

·        Brought forth the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the writings in the Pearl of Great Price.

·        Set down the duties of Church members and the laws by which the Church is governed.

·        Taught the doctrine of common consent.

·        Explained the role of Satan in the gospel plan.

·        Gave the Saints the Lord’s principles by which we can avoid being deceived in this life.

·        Taught the true nature of the Atonement of Christ and its relationship to the principles of justice and mercy.

·        Explained the meaning of the sacrament.

·        Explained the nature of spiritual gifts and the role of the Holy Ghost.

·        Clarified the role of women in the kingdom of God.

·        Received the revelation of the oath and covenant of the priesthood.

·        Emphasized the necessity of missionary work in the Lord’s plan.

·        Received the Word of Wisdom.

·        Instituted the law of tithing, the law of consecration, and the law of sacrifice and obedience.

All of these accomplishments were done under the direction of Jesus Christ and ultimately the credit belongs to Him. But Joseph Smith was His chosen instrument in bringing all these things to pass. This is why we can rightly say that the Prophet did more for the salvation of humanity than anyone except the Saviour himself (D&C 135:3)

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, p 349-50)

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph by Simon Dewey)

THE POWER OF US

 

 

There is a huge lesson we can learn from the reason that Alma left the judgment seat at the beginning of the 9th year of the reign of the judges. It is astounding to me that in the eighth year of the reign of the judges, the Church became a ‘stumbling block’ to people outside the Church (Alma 4:10). By the commencement of the ninth year, the wickedness of the Church was so great that the example of the members began to lead the unbelievers to sin and iniquity (v 11). Imagine if we, collectively as the Church, started to became so corrupt and wicked that we were leading the people of the world astray……I can’t get my head around that.

 How did this strife in Alma’s reign begin? Mormon cites that pride and riches led the members to be scornful one towards another and even to persecute those who did not believe the same as they did (v 8). From there it was downhill: contentions, envy, strife, malice, persecutions, and pride, that even ‘exceeded the pride of those who did not belong to the Church of God’ (v 9). The state of the Church was so bad and heading to such destruction that Alma in his sorrow stepped down from the judgment seat that he might dedicate himself wholly to preaching and calling people to repentance (v 15-18). His strategy was simply to bear pure testimony (v 19)

This is the lesson. What was leading the Church to destruction the most, was the meanness of spirit that took possession of the well-to-do members which caused them to turn their backs on the poor and the needy, ‘and those who were hungry, and those who were athirst, and those who were sick and afflicted (Alma 4:12). Pride had robbed them of any feelings of charity. Contrast this with the city of Enoch who lived in such unity of brotherhood that there was no poor among them and ‘the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind’ (Moses 7:18).

 Hugh Nibley wrote about ‘the meanness of spirit’ at great length in his book “Approaching Zion” and how incredibly destructive it can be to us latter-day saints who live under the mandate to become a Zion people. He quoted a scripture given to the covenant people back in Moses’ day which promised us that we can look forward to the day when there shall be no poor among us if we ‘carefully hearken and strictly observe the commandments’ (Deuteronomy 28:12-14). This is how far back the mandate to become a Zion people goes. (see Hugh Nibley, Approaching Zion, p 197)

The citizens of Enoch's City of Holiness not only achieved the blessed state of being of one heart and one mind but they maintained this state of righteousness for 365 years before they were translated (Moses 7:18, 68). This was doable, this was possible, this was achievable, only because ‘Enoch and all his people walked with God’ (v 69). Enoch’s city was not only called The City of Holiness but also Zion, The Pure in Heart, the operative word here being ‘pure’. Since the people of this city ‘walked’ with God (Moses 7:69), they were ‘true’ followers of Jesus Christ and they became endowed with the ‘pure love of Christ’ (Moroni 7:48).

I have lived in wonderful wards in my 48 years of Church membership and have been the recipient of much kindness of spirit. From the time I joined the Church, my source of emotional, spiritual and even temporal support has come from the Church members. I cannot imagine a Church environment such as the one that Alma sorrowed over (Alma 4:15). My most favourite ward I have lived in was so good that my fellow member called it ‘Camelot’. Let us all walk with Christ and be endowed with His pure love that we might possess charity one toward another and not only be called Camelot, but Zion.

I knelt before the throne of God
And I asked of Him today:
Lord, when will I become like Thee?
To my feeble self He answered: When you start to walk with me. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Walk With Me by Del  Parson)

THE NOBILITY OF SACRIFICE

 

In finishing the book of Mosiah this year, I have come to take notice of something about the sons of Mosiah than I had noticed before. Their desire to preach and live with the Lamanites has always impressed me but this year I saw the anguish of their father with whom they pleaded for allowance of such a mission for many days (Mosiah 28:5). The anguish must have been great for Mosiah to approach the Lord for assurance that they would be spared and granted success, which was given (Mosiah 28:6-8). What is interesting is that Mormon mentions the sons’ departure in verse 9 and shortly thereafter he records Mosiah’s death (Mosiah 29:46) suggesting that he never saw his sons again. The nobility of sacrifice……

The sons of Mosiah spent 14 years with the Lamanites. Such sacrifice reminds me of the men of the early pioneers who left their families and travelled far and wide to spread the gospel and ensure the growth of the Church that we enjoy today. As with the sons of Mosiah, they had no mission home, no mission president, no companions even. Many of them travelled and preached alone…..relying on people they didn’t know to feed them and give them shelter to sleep. I stand in awe of such sacrifices as I sit in my air-conditioned chapel and padded seats of the temple enjoying the fruits of their labours. Such nobility of sacrifice…..

When I was waiting for my mission call in 1979, I hoped to go somewhere exotic, in fact, anywhere but Australia, where I lived. I am of Croatian descent and speak the language perfectly so I had hoped that Europe would be my destination. Imagine my disappointed when I was called to Western Australia…..where the only hardship I suffered was the heat! I had a loving Mission President who somehow understood my distress over losing my femininity on a bike in the rain….I had wonderful missionary companions, one of which is one of my dearest friends today. I was surrounded by members who liked me, I taught many people and had a good number of baptisms. Above all, my strict mission taught me the imperative importance of obedience. It was a time in my life I remember with fondness. A small sacrifice really of just 18 months of my life. Nevertheless, I was a new convert to the Church and would like to think there was some nobility in my sacrifice.

Not much of us is expected today in comparison to the people that have gone before us. We are asked to attend Church, fulfill callings, keep the commandments. All this requires ground work however. Sometimes even regular scripture study requires sacrifice. I understand the pressures of modern-day life. I see it in young families and feel grateful I am at the tail end of my life and not at the beginning. Our sacrifices are different and tailored for this day and age, nevertheless, they are needful. From the person who understands the most what sacrifice is: “A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things, never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation” (Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith, Lecture 6:7). And this is why:

“You are on the pathway to eternal fame and immortal glory” - Joseph Smith 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Gift by Annie Henrie Nader) 

-   

A MAN OF HOLINESS

 

The works that followed Alma’s miraculous conversion should leave all of us in awe. Amongst his accomplishments as a high priest, a military commander and the first chief judge of the land, none distinguished him more than his missionary labours. He could have easily sat on the cushy judgment seat for the rest of his life (Mosiah 29:44) but Alma longed to save people. 

After being a chief judge for nine years, Alma gave up the judgment seat (Alma 4:20) and dedicated himself to establishing and strengthening the Church in the land of Zarahemla. In the process, he baptised 3,500 people (Alma 4:4,5). After he put the Church in order in Zarahemla, his missionary labours took him to Gideon, Melek and to the hot-bed of iniquity and apostasy, Ammonihah, the city that became Alma's crucible.

Alma didn't go to Ammonihah once, but twice. The first time he was spit upon, reviled and rejected (Alma 8:13). Alma left and whilst journeying in dejection and sorrow, an angel appeared to him commending him for his obedience (Alma 8:15). As he lifted Alma's spirits, he made the Lord's mercy known in asking him to return to Ammonihah to give the people a second chance. Alma didn't dawdle, he returned to the den of disbelievers with speed (Alma 8:18), for more abuse. It reminds me of another repentant sinner, Paul, of whom the Saviour said: “For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake” (Acts 9:15,16)

Amulek, whom Alma acquired as a missionary companion on his return to Ammonihah, called Alma 'a holy man' (Alma 10:7, 9). And here is why: Alma fasted many days, he 'laboured much in the spirit', he 'wrestled with God in prayer' and he suffered, but in nothing did he excel more than in sorrowing for the people he sought to reclaim from their sins (Alma 8:10,14; 14:3,22). Alma, once a sinner, who laboured to turn people away from the truth, came to be Alma, who sorrowed for sinners. And here is why: experiencing ‘the darkest abyss’ and ‘nothing so bitter as were his pains’ (Mosiah 27:29; Alma 36:21) motivated Alma to want to rescue his fellowmen from such a fate and to bring them to the rewards of repentance which brought ‘exquisite and sweet joy’ (Alma 36:21). And then, I believe, the greatest reason: he saw God sitting upon his throne and his soul ‘longed to be there’ (Alma 36:22). This longing must have been as deep as was his sorrow for those he wished to save.

 
Alma’s call to repentance is legendary: "...have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye experienced a mighty change in your hearts? (Alma 5:14) Have you felt to sing ‘the song of redeeming love’? (Alma 5:26). I perceive, after such a marvellous conversion, this song was in his own heart. And his most famous question stands true today: Have ye received his image in your countenance? " (Alma 5:14). Because he did. And this made all the difference.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)

A LESSON IN SELF-FORGIVENESS

 

 

After Alma came out of his three days of torment he immediately began to preach of Christ's mercy and His power to save. Nowhere in the scriptures does it say that he moped around and agonised over his past sins and felt bad about himself.  When recounting the experience to his son Helaman, he informs him of an extremely important end result of forgiveness that He received from the Saviour when he called upon His mercy.  He said: "And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more" (Alma 36:19).

One of the definitions of the word 'harrow' in the dictionary, is 'distress of mind' or to 'disturb painfully'.  What Alma is saying when he speaks of his experience is not that he forgot his sins but that the memory of them no longer distressed him and that the Saviour took away the painful state of mind that sins are capable of producing.  And why did He do that?  Surely, Alma, having been one of the 'very vilest of sinners' (Mosiah 28:4) deserved to feel bad about what he did.  But Alma did feel bad.  He suffered the godly sorrow asked of every repentant sinner, an intense sorrow which lasted for three days and which cast him into the very 'gall of bitterness' (Alma 36:18).  Obviously, the Saviour didn't require more than that of Alma.  He did not require him to live in the past for the rest of his life beating himself up for what he did.  What He did require of Alma was for Alma to become a great man.  A man who would be an instrument in His hands to teach others of Christ’s power to save. 

The true sign of repentance is never just forsaking one's sins but allowing the purifying power of the Holy Ghost to create a new man in Christ within us and with this new man becoming a profitable servant of God.  This is true fruits of repentance. Alma and the sons of Mosiah understood this (Alma 26:22). 

When you look at Alma and his life, do you see a broken man with a past or do you see a powerful prophet of the Lord? Alma, who went about with the intent to destroy the Church became Alma who led the Nephite armies in battle, who sat naked with Amulek in dungeons, who was spat upon by the unrepentant, who dumbfounded an anti-christ, who baptised thousands of souls unto repentance (Alma 4:4,5), who the Lord in the end took up unto himself (Alma 45:19).  Alma certainly did become that great man that the Lord needed. 

If you are still 'harrowed' up by your past sins, you are missing the person that you could be.  If you believe you are no good, the Lord can make nothing of you.  In this state you are not good to anyone; not to yourself, not to God, not to your fellowman.  If you consider yourself a bad person because of your past and do not possess inner peace, you will eventually start seeking it elsewhere.  And some of the places you can end up in have the potential to distance you from God and they are usually not long lasting.

If you have repented of your sins but can't let go of them, you are giving them more power than you are giving God. The adversary wants nothing more than for your sins to continue to have power over you, even after you have forsaken them.  But that power is really yours and only you can decide how it will be used.  Your forgiveness is not complete until you allow the Saviour to take away your remorse. The power of the Atonement can complete this process.  Believe it, trust it, ask for it.  The Lord has work for you to do and He is waiting.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: My Peace I Give Unto You by B. Laura Wilson)

SNATCHED FROM EVERLASTING BURNING

 

One might wonder, why such a spectacular conversion for Alma, the son of Alma. Like Apostle Paul,  I see that Alma’s conversion had a two-fold purpose. The first was to save his soul and set him on the path that would turn him into an instrument in God’s hands and the second is the most powerful lesson of the effectiveness of the Atonement in all the works of scripture. Alma's conversion shows us that no matter how big the sin, the Atonement is bigger still. Not only was Alma exceedingly sinful, he possessed an ability to convince others to follow his course leading them “to do after the manner of his iniquities” (Mosiah 27:8-9). This power, would have, no doubt, filled him with enormous pride which would have hardened his heart to be in direct opposition to God, making repentance extremely difficult without God's intervention but Alma had a destiny to fulfil….

There is no doubt that Alma was in Satan’s clutches. For such a vile sinner, there had to be a spectacular conversion. A conversion that would show what the Lord can make of us even when we seem to be beyond the point of no return, a conversion that would highlight not only the Saviour's mercy but the scope of His care and incomprehensible love. The extent and seriousness of Alma's sins can be seen in the recounting of his experience where he says he waded 'through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death', being 'in the darkest abyss', with his soul being 'racked with eternal torment' (Mosiah 27:28,29). Amidst all that anguish, Alma describes his deliverance with an interesting word. He says he was snatched from eternal torment and everlasting burning (Mosiah 27:28). Imagine the Saviour's willingness to go to the fires of hell to deliver one of the vilest of sinners. Imagine the power to snatch someone from excruciating pain before they are consumed. What more powerful lesson can we learn from Alma's conversion than this?

 

The Saviour would wade into a raging fire to rescue any of us. Consider this story that illustrates the selflessness of such an act:

 

 "I remember reading about a fire fighter in the eastern United States who ran into a burning house to rescue several children from an arson-induced fire. While his colleagues battled the blaze to keep it from spreading to other structures in the neighbourhood, this man dashed into the building again and again, each time emerging with a child in his arms. After rescuing a fifth child, he started into the inferno once more. Neighbours shouted that there were no more children in the family. But he insisted that he had seen a baby in a cradle, and he dove into the intensifying heat.

 

Moments after he disappeared into the fire and smoke, a horrifying explosion shook the building and the entire structure collapsed. It was several hours before fire fighters were able to locate their colleague's body. They found him in the nursery near the crib, huddled protectively over a life-sized - and practically unscratched - doll.

 

I'm overwhelmed by that story. I'm touched by the fire fighter's courageous and selfless devotion to duty, and I'm thankful that there are men and women in the world who are willing to put their lives on the line for the sake of others.

 

As I think about such heroism, however, I'm reminded that the most heroic act of all time ever was performed in behalf of all mankind by the Son of God. In a very real sense, all of humanity - past, present, and future - was trapped behind a wall of flame that was fuelled and fanned by our own faithlessness. Sin separated mortals from God (see Romans 6:23), and would do so forever unless a way was found to put out the fires of sin and rescue us from ourselves" (Elder M. Russell Ballard, Our Search for Happiness, p 11).

 

He stood between you

And the gaping jaws of hell,

He cherished your soul

And snatched you from everlasting

Misery of the damned.

He planted the seed of faith

In your willing heart

But you, you tilled the ground

And nurtured the tree of faith

Growing the fruit, so exquisite and sweet.

So heavy in your overflowing arms

You sought to feed the spiritually maimed.

He who stood at the gates of Hell

Your soul to save

Gathered the fruit,

The path to His throne to pave.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Recruiting Alma by Jacob Z. Hess)

THIS MY SON

 

I have a soft spot for Alma the Elder. The heroism of leading a group of believers away from the murderous intents of King Noah is admirable to say the least. His repentance, however, from a sinful life (Mosiah 23:9) and the humility he gained which led him to be an instrument in God’s hands deserves every commendation (v 10, 11). It is with this humility that he refused his followers’ request to be their king (v 7-9, 13). He learnt well from his experience with King Noah.

Alma’s greatness began with the establishment of the Church in the city they called Helam (Mosiah 23:16,20) where for 20 years he watched over his people teaching them to live in harmony and love (23:15) and to depend on God for their deliverance after they fell into bondage to the Lamanites (23:27). Once they joined the people of Zarahemla, Alma the Elder established the Church there also and became the high priest over the whole land (25:19). He was loved and he was respected. Imagine his surprise and embarrassment when persecution arose among the rising generation and smack in the middle of it was his son Alma the Younger…..(26:1-4)

Imagine the grief and sorrow to have your own son working to discredit your life's work. Because he was a son and called The Younger, many readers of the Book of Mormon have presumed that Alma the Younger was a youth when rebelling against his father and against God. Mormon however, identifies him as 'a man' (Mosiah 27:8,9), a well-seasoned sinner, well-practiced in his ability to create trouble, an apostate who made it his life's work to discredit the Church. It is very unlikely that Alma the Younger was a reckless hot-headed youth when he was wreaking havoc. A hot-headed youth is more concerned with pursuing his own self-interests and rebellion than being involved in apostasy. Shortly after Alma the Younger is visited by an angel, his father Alma dies at the age of 82 (Mosiah 29:45). It would have been unlikely that Alma at this age had a son in his twenties. This would suggest that Alma was more likely to have been in his 40s at the height of his wickedness and ensuing repentance.

 

The question of Alma's age offers more insight into the severity of his sinful life. His sins were not trivial, but heinous and destructive, not only to himself but to others (Mosiah 27:9). His sins and the persecutions which he heaped upon the saints no doubt went on for years. These were not trivial sins easily washed away, but Alma had a good father….a father who prayed unceasingly for the saving grace of his son (27:14). And when that grace came, Alma the Elder gathered people around to pray and fast for his son that “the eyes of the people might be opened to see and know of the goodness and glory of God” (27:22). One can only imagine Alma’s joy to see the fruits of repentance in ‘this, his son’.

 

Alma the Elder died at the age of 82, “having lived to fulfil the commandments of God” (Mosiah 29:45). Repentance became a legacy in his family because some 20 years later Alma the Younger’s son Corinaton caused his father immense sorrow…..I wonder if Alma reflected at the time what he had done to his father.

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN 

( Art: This My Son by Elspeth C. Young)