Alma is in the land of Zarahemla where the people are becoming prideful (how often does this happen?). He asks the people several questions -- these questions can be used for us to evaluate "how we are doing". We can use these questions every year/month/day and rate ourselves with our progress (hopefully progress). At the end of chapter 5 Alma shares his testimony and how he obtained it. He received his testimony the same way we need to: the Holy Spirit, prayer and fasting -- much prayer and fasting.
Interesting tid-bit of information about Alma 7:10: Anti-Mormon literature has repeatedly used this scripture to try to show that the Book of Mormon was written by Joseph Smith, and that he was so ignorant he did not even know that Jesus was born in Bethelehem, not Jerusalem. President Joseph Fielding Smith said: "There is no conflict or contradiction in the Book of Mormon with any truth recorded in the Bible. A careful reading of what Alma said will show that he had no intention of declaring that Jesus would be born in Jerusalem. Alma knew better. So did Joseph Smith and those who were associated with him in the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon. Had Alma said, 'born IN Jerusalem, the CITY of our father,' it would have made all the difference in the world. Then we would have said he made an error. Alma made no mistake, and what he said is true." The preposition 'at' has several meanings. The Standard Dictionary lists the following: 'of a point in space; on; upon; cose to; by; near; within.' When we think merely of the local or geographical point, we use at; when we think of inclusive space, we use in. Alma was thinking of a geographical point, therefore he spoke properly according to the usage of language even in our own day when he said, 'at Jerusalem, the land of our forefather,' Jerusalem being the central point of the land of their fathers.
DINNER CONVERSATION:
Try to imagine standing before the judgment bar of God. It doesn't matter what it looks like, it matters how you will feel. Can you imagine it? How will you feel?
SCRIPTURE MASTERY
- **Alma 41:10** "Do not supppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness."
- **Alma 37:35** "O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God."
- **Alma 37:6-7** "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls."
- **Alma 34:32-34** "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of ife, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world."
- **Alma 32:21** "And now as I said concerning faith -- faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."
- **Mosiah 4:30** "But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not."
- **Mosiah 3:19** For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."
- **Mosiah 2:17** "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."
- **Jacob 2:18-19** "But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good--to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted."
- **2 Nephi 32:8-9** "And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform anything unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."
- **2 Nephi 32:3** "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."
- **2 Nephi 28:7-9** "Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us. And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God--he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark."
- **2 Nephi 9:28-29** "O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God."
- **2 Nephi 2:27** "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."
- ***2 Nephi 2:25*** "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."
- ***1 Nephi 19:23*** "And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning."
- ***1 Nephi 3:7*** "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."
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