Alma 10:21

"Yea, well doth he cry, by the voice of his angels that: I will come down among my people, with equity and justice in my hands."
Alma 10:21


I wonder whether we are ready for equity and justice.   I might be overly cynical, but it doesn't seem to happen often... and I think we want equity and justice in some things, but not all.  We want the police to give a ticket to the driver that just cut us off, but we want them to let us slide if we commit an infraction.  I think it is similar with more spiritual things as well.   We know our intentions (usually), and so we want mercy when we do something wrong and then repent (however big or small the offense).  On the other hand, it seems a lot harder to want mercy for someone who has committed an offense against us, no matter how small or large.  If we are getting paid less than other people doing the same job, we are annoyed and claim that it isn't fair... but if we are getting paid more than our fellows, it doesn't seem like such a big deal.  When God comes with equity and justice, I wonder if we will be able to accept equality rather than preferential treatment. :)  It's all part of building a Zion people... we have to change our minds and our hearts in order to enjoy living there. :)

Alma 8:18-20

"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. And he entered the city by another way, yea, by the way which is on the south of the city of Ammonihah.
And as he entered the city he was an hungered, and he said to a man: Will ye give to an humble servant of God something to eat?
And the man said unto him: I am a Nephite, and I know that thou art a holy prophet of God, for thou art the man whom an angel said in a vision: Thou shalt receive. Therefore, go with me into my house and I will impart unto thee of my food; and I know that thou wilt be a blessing unto me and my house."
Alma 8:18-20


This is interesting to me… Alma was walking away from the city, putting it behind him, and Amulek was in the city, just going about his day, and an angel came to both of them and basically arranged a meeting.  I don’t know if coincidence actually exists, but THIS was not coincidence. … I don’t think that our lives are either.   We meet people, form friendships, go to school, get and lose jobs, move to different places.  None of it is without a reason, and I think that we can all see that if we look back.  All of these things prepare us for something else.  They build possibilities in the future, and they build lessons in our lives that teach us ways of growing and being that will prepare us for things to come.  Ultimately returning to God, but things here and now as well.  Let’s remember to give thanks today for all of the “coincidences” that God sets up for us in our lives.

Alma 9:6

"And they said: Who is God, that sendeth no more authority than one man among this people, to declare unto them the truth of such great and marvelous things?"
Alma 9:6


Scary question… definitely tempting fate.   However, I think that this is a question that we often have, at least in the backs of our minds.  Why does God seem so hidden sometimes?  If he wants us to be good, then why doesn’t he show up more often, or fix problems in the world (or in our lives)?   It’s like Donne’s Holy Sonnet 14: “Batter my heart, three-person’d God” …  Donne wants God to be more aggressive in the relationship.  Instead of persuasion to be good, he wants some force applied, because he feels himself slipping away.   I think I understand that desire at times.  However, the real question here isn’t who is God, but who are we?   God isn’t going to teach us anything by appearing in a bolt of lightning and wiping out our enemies (except maybe that he is powerful… but I think we get that from other sources). :)   He teaches us patience and faith in the only ways those things can be taught… and he ALWAYS steps in when it gets to be too much, although of course, he knows our limits a lot better than we do. :)   Today I’m trying to remember that God knows what he is doing, and his way always turns out better than my way.

Philippians 2:3

"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves."
Philippians 2:3


In a scripture of the day earlier this week, I was talking about Alma 5:54 which says, in part, "will ye persist in supposing that ye are better one than another." ... So, this kind of struck me when I read it today, because it tells us that we should, in fact, be doing the exact opposite.  We should be valuing others more than we value ourselves... not to say that we should become doormats or something, but instead of being prideful and selfish, worrying all the time about how we're going to pull our lives out of our current tailspin, we could be helping other people out of *their* tailspins. :)  Not only would it be following God's commandments (see above), which is always a good thing, but it would also be so much more fun than wallowing in our own problems. We have so much more perspective when we aren't looking at ourselves. :)

Alma 7:23

"And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive."
Alma 7:23


Sometimes it is hard to relax and not try to be in control of everything. We try to work everything out in our minds, see the perfect solution (finding a gift-wrapped zillion dollars on my front porch is mine), and then pray for that. :)  Unfortunately, if I got a gift-wrapped zillion dollars, I probably wouldn't learn the things I am supposed to be learning right now... and that is true for many more realistic solutions as well.  Humility isn't something we can snap our fingers and learn, nor submissiveness, nor gentleness. Usually, to really learn those things, we have to have situations where it is really, really tough to be humble, to be submissive, to be gentle.  We might be those things readily in easier circumstances, but life is about learning things thoroughly, and we will *definitely* have situations where those things are hard, to see how deep the lesson goes.
I like the easy to be entreated part... it's a nicer way of telling us not to be stubborn... to be generous. We need to be patient and let the Lord do things according to his timetable, not ours... and giving thanks for what we do receive, even if it isn't what we had in mind. :)

Alma 5:54

"Yea, will ye persist in supposing that ye are better one than another; yea, will ye persist in the persecution of your brethren, who humble themselves and do walk after the holy order of God, wherewith they have been brought into this church, having been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and they do bring forth works which are meet for repentance—"
Alma 5:54


This morning what struck me in this verse was "supposing that ye are better one than another."  I think that is pretty rampant... and perhaps really hard to not do.  I know that I have a tendency to think that I am cooler or smarter or more amazing than other people for a variety of reasons.  Maybe I am older than they are, so I assume that I know more of the world, and they are just too young to understand.  Or I am younger, and they are just too far past my age to understand what I am feeling.  Or maybe they are poor, and obviously my success is due to my better-ness. :)  Maybe they are rich, and if *I* had money then *I* would do such-and-such, rather than just wallowing in it.  Maybe I have a title, and that makes me better than someone who hasn't earned it the way I have.  Maybe they have a title in an area I don't... which only shows that they have corrupted themselves in order to reach that level, which I would never do... and maybe they are righteous, which just means that they are pretending... or sinful, which obviously means that I am better, and farther into the light. :)
The point of all of this is that it is false.  We don't need a "valid" reason to claim better-ness, because no matter what someone else is like, we can find something to criticize.  Every time we compare ourselves and think that we are better, maybe we are trying to boost our self-esteem, but the plain truth is that we *aren't* better.  God says, right here, that we aren't... and that he wants us to stop believing it.  How to stop is another question.  I think the way I am going to try is to stop comparing.  It is hard sometimes when you feel intimidated... you almost feel a need to compare, so that you can go back to being better. :)  "Well, she might be a perfect, gorgeous, and brilliant zillionaire... but at least *I* don't listen to elevator music!" :)  Perhaps if I stop comparing, maybe I'll learn some other ways to boost my confidence. :)  And unlearning that comparison trick will definitely be worth it... it is really hard to make friends of your competitors, especially when they are EVERYWHERE. :)