Alma 31 ~ The Rameumptom

Tomorrow in Seminary we are going to talk about Alma 31. This is the chapter with the Rameumptom ~ the Holy Stand. As I was studying for this lesson ~ and thinking I would plan something fun for the Rameumptom, I came to understand just what this chapter is all about. I knew the story of "The Holy Stand" and how the Zoramites used it to stand upon and pray. But what I learned studying it was that the Zoramites were in a state of apostasy. They were an apostate sect of the Nephites who left Zarahemla and settled in Antionum. Alma got word that Zoram, their leader, was leading the hearts of the people to bow down to dumb idols. The Nephites feared that the Zoramites would join with the Lamanites and see them to destroy them.

So Alma took with him a great missionary force; Ammon, Aaron, Omner, Amulek, Zeezrom, and two of his sons, Shiblon and Corianton. When they arrived in Antionum they were astonished at what they found. "The Zoramites had built synagogues and they did gather themselves together on one day of the week, which day they did call the day of the Lord; and they did worship after a manner which Alma and his brethren had never beheld." (Alma 31:12)

"For they had a place built up in the center of their synagogue, a place for standing, which was high above the head; and the top thereof would only admit one person" (Alma 31:13). ~ The Rameumptom ~

Now this is what I learned… (taken from the Book of Mormon Institute Manual, p 220)

In Antionum, the missionary force of Alma and his companions came across a group of Nephite dissenters known as the Zoramites. Mormon not only recorded that the Zoramites had previously had the word of God preached unto them, but he further identified the cause of their apostasy:

• they would not keep the commandments,
  
• they no longer petitioned the Lord daily in prayer,
  
• they perverted the ways of the Lord,
  
• and what prayers they did offer to the Lord were vain and meaningless.
  

They ignored the basics, such as having a daily habit of meaningful prayer and scripture study.

 

Today there are those who have also fallen into similar false practices. Unless we are careful to guard against it, we too could fall into some of the same traps of

• routine prayers,
  
• worshipping only weekly during the three-hour block and
  
• not thinking of God again during the week,
  
• only praying in a set place,
  
• or becoming materialistic and prideful.
  

Elder Donald L. Staheli of the Seventy emphasized the importance of daily consistency in the basics of the gospel:

"Daily fervent prayers seeking forgiveness and special help and direction are essential to our lives and the nourishment of our testimonies. When we become hurried, repetitive, casual, or forgetful in our prayers, we tend to lose the closeness of the Spirit, which is so essential in the continual direction we need to successfully manage the challenges of our everyday lives. Family prayer every morning and night adds additional blessings and power to our individual prayers and to our testimonies.

"Personal, sincere involvement in the scriptures produces faith, hope, and solutions to our daily challenges. Frequently reading, pondering, and applying the lessons of the scriptures, combined with prayer, become an irreplaceable part of gaining and sustaining a strong, vibrant testimony" (Ensign, Nov. 2004, 39).

I got to thinking about that and about how often I fall into the cycle of my personal prayers being somewhat repetitive, casual or forgetful. It got me thinking about the "basics". Some refer to them as the "Sunday School" answers. But they are the basic principles of the gospel, the simple way to stay close to Heavenly Father. I am and will be eternally grateful for this calling to teach Seminary and for my new found love for the scriptures and my knowledge that if I'm having a bad day or feeling a little far away from my Heavenly Father – then I've probably not spent enough time in prayer and scripture study. I love the Book of Mormon!

 

Now, back to the lesson for tomorrow…

After we talk about the Rameumptom and prayer and apostasy, I think we will talk about being SOM's.

Are you a SOM?

What is a SOM you might ask??

A Sunday Only Mormon.

Are you like the Zoramites who gather on one day of the week, recite a prayer, endure the 3 hour block of meetings and then return home not to think about God again until the next week when you go back and repeat the drill?

And then for fun I think we will draw a latter-day Rameumptom and come up with a teenage prayer…We'll see how it goes…I might post pictures of their pictures

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!

Come Unto Christ

I have felt, since my call to teach Seminary, that no matter what the subject matter was that I was teaching, my greatest assignment was to help these youth learn and understand how to "Come Unto Christ". It weighs heavy on my mind as I prepare my lessons and try and relate what the subject matter is to coming unto Christ. I feel heavily the stewardship. My testimony of Jesus Christ and the principle of obedience and discipleship burns in my heart and my desire for these precious youth to feel the same is overwhelming. The desire for my own children and grandchildren to understand and embrace these principles is just as powerful.

The personal struggles I have had since moving to Montana have been great. But I have come to know that it is through these struggles, through the crucible of my life that I have come to know the Savior in a way that never would have happened if I had stayed in Idaho. I have come to understand more fully the principle of obedience to the commandments as taught in the scriptures. I have come to more fully understand the calling of a disciple of Christ. I am coming to an understanding of the principle of submitting my will to His will and letting Him make of me what He needs me to be. I have a long way to go with this submitting thing but I know of the patience of the Lord and His continual loving push to get me to submit.

I my studies this morning for Seminary next week – we will be talking about Alma and Amulek – I found this article. I was drawn to it because of the title ~ "Come Unto Christ". Then I read this…

"In our quiet moments of reflection, we can search our thoughts for the way to Christ. President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, said: "Hold your soul very still, and listen to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. Follow the noble, intuitive feelings planted deep within your souls by Deity." (go here to find the talk by President Faust)

I started to think about life in general and how I need the guidance of the Lord in all aspects of my life – not just in preparing a Seminary lesson.

I need that guidance as I…

• continue to mother children who are parents themselves
  
• am a wife and companion to a very busy husband and disciple
  
• am a friend and a visiting teacher
  
• have frequent times of loneliness
  
• have the desire to control aspects of the lives of my children and forget that they are having experiences that are helping them to grow and come to know the Savior
  
• am the daughter to a recently widowed mother
  
• and the list goes on an on…
  

What is it that touches my heart this morning as I read that article? The fact that I need to remember to "Hold my soul very still" so the Lord can speak to me. I must block out the things of this world that threaten to destroy my peaceful soul and listen to the noble, intuitive feelings planted deep within my soul by a loving Heavenly Father who knows me and knows my children and my Seminary kids.

I just need to listen to the whisperings of the Spirit as I am guided as to what to teach and how to guide "my flock" to Christ. I pray that I will always be worthy to be a disciple of Christ and to be an instrument in His hands here upon the earth.

Mosiah 24

A few years ago while still in Blackfoot, Elder Bednar attended our Stake Conference. At the time he was still an area authority and president of BYU-Idaho. He spoke in this stake conference about Mosiah 24:13-15 and gave a really powerful sermon on the enabling power of the Lord in our lives.

So when we came to this chapter in our lessons I felt so impressed to discuss these verses in more detail. I knew of some struggles going on with a couple of the kids in my class and felt so impressed that the Lord wanted them to know this principle. In this chapter Alma's people are in bondage and being persecuted but because of their faith, obedience and patience the Lord strengthens them so that they can "bear up their burdens with ease and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."

We talked about how this strengthening happens and the "Enabling Power" that the Lord grants unto us as we are faithful, obedience and patient.

Then I read them this thought by Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as he encourages us to cheerfully rely on the Lord when we face the challenges of mortality:

"Problems or trials in our lives need to be viewed in the perspective of scriptural doctrine. Otherwise they can easily overtake our vision, absorb our energy, and deprive us of the joy and beauty the Lord intends us to receive here on earth. Some people are like rocks thrown into a sea of problems. They are drowned by them. Be a cork. When submerged in a problem, fight to be free to bob up to serve again with happiness...

"The Lord is intent on your personal growth and development. That progress is accelerated when you willingly allow Him to lead you through every growth experience you encounter, whether initially it be to your individual liking or not. When you trust in the Lord, when you are willing to let your heart and your mind be centered in His will, when you ask to be led by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of the greatest happiness along the way and the most fulfilling attainment from this mortal experience. If you question everything you are asked to do, or dig in your heels at every unpleasant challenge, you make it harder for the Lord to bless you." (Ensign, May 1996, 24-25)

My object lesson was a jar of water. I first dropped a rock into it and of course it sunk. Then I dropped in a cork and of course it floated. We talked about the choice being ours whether we will be the rock or the cork. If we are the cork then the Lord can bless us and give us the enabling power spoken of in Mosiah 24. If we are the cork then we BECOME what the Lord needs us to become.

This poster hangs in our room...

I LOVE TO SEE THE TEMPLE!!!!!

Our lesson today was on 2 Nephi 12:2-3. We talked about the temple and how Isaiah says it is the Mountain of the Lords house. We talked about how the Lord walks the halls of the temple. I bore my testimony to them of how I know the Lord does in fact walk the halls of the temple. Have I seen him? No but I have felt Him and know that He is there - in His house! I bore testimony of the incredible revelations I have received in the temple. One of those I draw back on monthly, sometimes even daily, and it speaks peace to my soul over and over and over again. We talked about how everything you need to know to make it back into God's presence you learn in the temple.

I told them the story of the day that all 3 of my children and their eternal companions were in the temple together. With tears streaming down my face I relived that day and was grateful all over again that my children are worthy to be in the temple with me. I am grateful for my temple marriage, for my eternal companion who walks this life with me and keeps me grounded. We will celebrate our 28th anniversary next week. Oh how I love him, how I treasure the day that we were sealed in the Idaho Falls temple, how I treasure the times we return together to the temple. I LOVE THE TEMPLE!!!!

Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: "We expect to see the day when temples will dot the earth, each one a house of the Lord; each one a sacred sanctuary to which Israel and the Gentiles shall gather to receive the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Perhaps they will number in the hundreds, or even in the thousands, before the Lord returns."

President Brigham Young said, "To accomplish this work there will have to be not only one temple but thousands of them..."

Now some temple trivia for you...

*83% of all members of the church live within 200 miles of a temple

*130 temples in operation

*21 announced and in some stage of development or construction

*For 101 years there were only 17 operating temples ~ (from the dedication of the St. George temple in 1877 until I graduated from high school in 1978)

*There were 26 temples dedicated in the 80's
*25 in the 90's
*62 in the past 9 years ~ from 2000 to present

Now some questions to see if you know the answer to:

1. In what year was the greatest number of temples dedicated?
2. How many?
3. Which temple is the 100th and when was it dedicated?
4. Which number was the Nauvoo temple? (on it's second dedication)
5. When was it dedicated?
6. The very first temple was?
7. Which was the 1st temple dedicated? (not counting Kirtland and Nauvoo)
8. Which one was the Salt Lake Temple?
9. Which is the 130th?
10. Which is the first one dedicated by President Monson?

Do you want the answers? Okay, guess I'll give them to you!

1. 2000
2. 34
3. Boston Massachusetts ~ October 1, 2000
4. 113
5. June 27, 2002 (April 30, 1846 the first time)
6. Kirtland
7. St. George ~ April 6, 1977
8. 4th ~ dedicated May 21, 1888
9. Oquirrh Mountain Utah ~ August 21, 2009
10. Rexburg Idaho ~ February 10, 2008 ~ which was the 125th temple. Therefore he has dedicated 5 in the 18 months he has been the prophet!

Then my challenge to my kids ~ if you don't have a recommend (limited use for baptisms) ~ get worthy ~ see your bishop ~ get one ~ carry it with you ~ and use it whenever you visit a temple!!!!

2 Neph 2 ~ Act for Themselves

For the past two days we have been talking about 2 Nephi 2 and trying to understand that Heavenly Father has prvided all things necessary for us to choose freedom and eternal life or captivity and death.

We talked about the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement - how they all fit together, they cannot be separated. There cannot be one without the other. Then we watched a video about the power to choose, laws, knowledge of good and evil, and opposition.

Today we discussed these questions: (I'm not going to give you the answers - search for yourself then you tell me)

1. Why must there be an opposition in all things? (2Nephi 2:10-11, 15)
2. How do laws help us gain eternal life? (2Nephi 2:13)
3. What part does Satan play in our agency? (2Nephi 2:16-18)
4. Why is it important that we know good from evil? (2Nephi 2:5, 18, 26)
5. How did we get the power to choose our own destiny? (2Nephi 2:16, 26)
6. How can making correct choices bring freedom and making incorrect choices bring captivity? (2Nephi 2:26-30)

After we discussed the questions I reminded them of the continual lesson being taught in the Book of Mormon - OBEDIENCE.

Then came the challenge - prompted by the spirit - BE 100% OBEDIENT TO YOUR PARENTS AND YOUR TEACHERS FOR 1 WEEK! The parents they didn't bauk at but when I said teachers - there was murmuring!!! So tomorrow I will add to the challenge - they must be obedient WITHOUT MURMURING!!

I challenge you as well - Be 100% obedient - in whatever stage of life you find yourself right now - 100%. I'll check in with you in a week to see if you were successful :) Good luck friends!

2 Nephi 5:5-9

In these verses in Chapter 5 the Lord warns Nephi to take all those that would follow him and flee into the wilderness. They were to flee from the wickedness and evil of his brothers Laman and Lemuel.

There are times when it is necessary to physically flee from evil. Then there are times when we are not physically able to flee from wickedness. Here is a quote from Elder Richard G. Scott on how to protect ourselves:

"God has provided a way to live in this world and not be contaminated by the degrading pressures evil agents spread throughout it. You can live a virtuous, productive, righteous life by following the plan of protection created by your Father in Heaven: His plan of happiness. It is contained in the scriptures and in the inspired declarations of His prophets…

"Avoid worldly wickedness. Know that God is in control. In time, Satan will completely fail and be punished for his perverse evil. God has a specific plan for your life. He will reveal parts of that plan to you as you look for it with faith and consistent obedience. His Son has made you free – not from the consequences of your acts, but free to make choices. God's eternal purpose is for you to be successful in this mortal life. No matter how wicked the world becomes, you can earn that blessing. Seek and be attentive to the personal guidance given to you through the Holy Spirit. Continue to be worthy to receive it. Reach out to others who stumble and are perplexed, not certain of what path to follow" (Ensign, May, 2004, 100, 102).

I love how he says that the Lord created a plan of protection for us! Might I suggest that it could be summed up into one word: OBEDIENCE.
Over and over again in the scriptures we learn that those who are obedient are blessed and prospered, those who are disobedient are cut off from the Lord – they cut themselves off through their disobedience.

That is the lesson I'm striving to teach my students this year – Obedience brings freedom and blessings – Disobedience brings captivity and heartache. This is the lesson I'm striving to teach my children and my grandchildren through my example. I pray the Lord will bless me and strengthen me as I strive to be obedient!