Alma 8:18

Tomorrow in Seminary we will be talking about Alma chapter 8. I will introduce a new player to them in the story - Amulek. Hopefully we will have time to focus on Alma 8:18...

Alma has gone into the city of Ammonihah and tried to help the people understand their need for repentance. The people are angry with Alma ~ they reviled him, spit upon him and caused that he should be cast out of their city. As he was journeying towards the city of Aaron he is visited by an angel. The angel tells him... in verse 15...

"Blessed art thou, Alma, therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been fathful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him..."

The angel then tells Alma to return to the city of Ammonihah and again preach repentance to them. The angel tells Alma to say to the people "except they repent the Lord God will destroy them".

Those are pretty hard words. I'm not sure I would have the courage to say that to an entire city. Especially when they were angry already!

But here is the verse that I love...verse 18:

"Now it came to pass that after Alma had received his message from the angel of the Lord he returned speedily to the land of Ammonihah..."

Would I have had the courage to RETURN SPEEDILY? When the Lord asks something of me do I do it speedily?

President Henry B. Eyring taught that prompt obedience to the Lord is necessary to our spiritual well-being:

"However much faith to obey God we now have, we will need to strengthen it continually and keep it refreshed constantly. We can do that by deciding now to be more quick to obey and more determined to endure. Learning to start early and to be steady are the keys to spiritual preparation...

"A loving Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son have given us all the help They can to pass the test of life set before us. But we must decide to obey and then do it. We build the faith to pass the tests of obedience over time and through our daily choices. We can decide now to do quickly whatever God asks of us". (Ensign Nov. 2005, 38, 40)

Maybe, just maybe, my struggles wouldn't seem to last so long if I were better at prompt obedience and determined endurance. I truly do rejoice when I have "been faithful in keeping the commandments of God". As I ponder this I believe that "returning speedily" as quoted in Alma 8:18 is a commandment - speedy obedience!