Book of Mormon Study Gide 23

More Than One Witness

Alma 8:1
To rest himself from the labors which he had performed
Life can get so loud we forget to shut it down. Maybe thats why
God made such a big deal about rest in the Ten
Commandments! Of the ten, which one occupies the most space?
Murderadulterystealing? Youd think so. But curiously, these
commands are tributes to brevity. God needed only five English
words to condemn them all.
But when it came to the topic of rest, it took a paragraph in
Exodus 20: 8-11. But. . .but. . .whos going to run the store? We offer
up one reason after another, but God silences them all with one
poignant reminder. In six days the Lord made the heavens and the
earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.
Gods message is plain. If creation didnt crash when I rested, it
wont crash when you do!
Alma 8:15
Lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice;
for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God
Alma did not feel like he had any reason to rejoice. The people
rejected his message and his teachings outright. He made not a single
convert, not a single friend. But, the Lord tells Alma that his joy
should come not from outward measures of success but from
knowing that he had kept the commandments of God.
Success comes from trying, not from peoples reactions
Elder Ballard, It is impossible for us to fail when we do our best
when we are on the Lords errand
In the preach my Gospel manual the following are listed as criterion
for success. I have often read it substituting the world mother in
for missionary when I dont feel as if I am being a successful
mother.
You can know you have been a successful mother when you:

Feel the Spirit testify to people through you.

Love people and desire their salvation.
Obey with exactness.
Live so that you can receive and know how to follow
the Spirit, who will show you where to go, what to do, and what to say.
Develop Christ like attributes.
Work effectively every day, do your very best to bring
souls to Christ, and seek earnestly to learn and improve.
Help build up the Church (the ward) wherever you are assigned to work.
Warn people of the consequences of sin. Invite them
to make and keep commitments.
Teach and serve other missionaries.
Go about doing good and serving people at every
opportunity, whether or not they accept your message.
When you have done your very best, you may still
experience disappointments, but you will not be
disappointed in yourself. You can feel certain that the
Lord is pleased when you feel the Spirit working through you.
Notice, that my success has nothing to do with how my children turn out.
My success depends only on my behaviors and my attempts to serve the
Lord.
How did the rejection of his message make Alma feel?

How do we feel when our messages are not well received by our children
or those whom we are assigned to teach?

How can servants of the Lord influence those that they serve above and
beyond verbal teachings?

Alma 9:8-11
The first step for Saints in all dispensations is to pause to remember.
Remember what God has done. Record his accomplishments in your
journal. Keep a list of the miracles in your life. Satan has no recourse
to your testimony! He wants us to forget what God has done. Dont
forget a single blessing.
What is something that God has done for you lately that you have
not written down? Do it now.

Alma 9:12
My husband Dave is neat. Not just neat in the sense of a lot of fun
but neat in the sense of not sloppy. I on the other hand, tend to
be sloppy. Why make up a bed youre going to sleep in that night?
When we got married Dave was very gracious. Little by little he
helped me change. I learned the purpose of hangers. The reason
for toothpaste lids. On could say that our 25 years of marriage have
been 25 years of regular repentance on my part.
The same thing happens to the humble saint. As Christ moves in and
takes up residence in his life, the saint begins to recognize how
sloppy he is. Over time, The saint begins to change his languae. His
habits change. His demeanor changes. He lives a lifestyle of
repentance. The longer we hang out with Jesus, the more we see
what needs to change and repentance becomes a lifestyle!

Alma 9:14-:16
Each of us must overcome ignorance regardless of it being inherited by the
traditions of our fathers or self-afflicted by disboedience or indifference.
The Lord has stated, "Let him that is ignorant learn wisdom by humbling
himself and calling upon the Lord his God, that his eyes may be opened that
he may see, and his ears opened that he may hear; for my Spirit is sent
forth into the world to enlighten the humble and contrite, and to the
condemnation of the ungodly. (D&C 136:32-33)
Alma 9:18-25
Make a list of all the things that the people had been favored with. Hint:
Focus on the word having
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
Alma 9:23
Sinning against the greater light
Sister Sheri L. Dew, then a counselor in the Relief Society general
presidency, taught: Unto whom much is given much is required
(D&C 82:3), and at times the demands of discipleship are heavy.
But shouldnt we expect the journey towards eternal glory to
stretch us? We sometimes rationalize our preoccupation with this
world and our casual attempts to grow spiritually by trying to
console each other with the notion that living the gospel really
shouldnt require all that much of us. The Lords standard of
behavior will always be more demanding than the worlds, but then
the Lords rewards are infinitely more gloriousincluding true joy,
peace, and salvation (We Are Women of God, Ensign, Nov. 1999,
98).
Elder George Albert Smith said, We will not be judged as our
brothers and sisters of the world are judged, but according to the
greater opportunities placed in our keeping.

Alma 9:27-29
What kind of judgment can we expect from the Lord?

You come before the judgment seat of God full of rebellion and
mistakes. Because of his justice he cannot dismiss your sin, but
because of his love he cannot dismiss you. So, in an act which
stunned the heavens, he punished himself on the cross for your sins.
Gods justice and love are equally honored. And you, Gods creation,
are forgiven.
Alma 10:6
Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times
and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things,
yet I would not know
Dare we envision a God who follows us? Who pursues us? Who
chases us? Who tracks us down and wins us over? Who follows us
with "goodness and mercy" all the days of our lives?
Isn't this the kind of God described in the scriptures? A God who
follows us? Amulek tells us of his own experience with a God that
follows, a God that wouldnt give up. He called him, and then called
him again, and then called him again.
Moses can tell you about it. He was forty years in the desert when
he looked over his shoulder and saw a bush blazing. God had
followed him into the wilderness.
Jonah can tell you about it. He was a fugitive on a boat when he
looked over his shoulder and saw clouds brewing. God had followed
him onto the ocean.
The disciples of Jesus knew the feeling of being followed by God.
They were rain soaked and shivering when they looked over their
shoulders and saw Jesus walking toward them. God had followed
them into the storm.
John the Apostle was banished on Patmos when he looked over his
shoulder and saw the skies begin to open. God had followed him into
his exile.
Lazarus was three days dead in a sealed tomb when he heard a
voice, lifted his head, and looked over his shoulder and saw Jesus
standing. God had followed him into death.

Peter had denied his Lord and gone back to fishing when he heard his
name and looked over his shoulder and saw Jesus cooking breakfast. God
had followed him in spite of his failure.
God is the God who follows. I wonder... have you sensed him following
you?
Through the kindness of a stranger.
The majesty of a sunset.
The mystery of romance.
Through the question of a child
or the commitment of a spouse.
Through a word well spoken
or a touch well timed,
have you sensed his presence?
Surely His goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives until
one day we decide to hear.
Alma 11:34-37
The Lord Jehovah cannot save his people in their sins, but he can, as we
read in Helaman 5:10-11 redeem them from their sins. What do you think the
difference is?

Alma says in 12:13 that if we harden our heart against the word, isomuch
that it is not found in us, the our state will be awful. Is the word found
in you? What does this look like?