"Behold, I, Amaleki, was born in the days of Mosiah; and I have lived to see his death; and Benjamin, his son, reigneth in his stead.
And behold, I have seen, in the days of king Benjamin, a serious war and much bloodshed between the Nephites and the Lamanites. But behold, the Nephites did obtain much advantage over them; yea, insomuch that king Benjamin did drive them out of the land of Zarahemla.
And it came to pass that I began to be old; and, having no seed, and knowing king Benjamin to be a just man before the Lord, wherefore, I shall deliver up these plates unto him, exhorting all men to come unto God, the Holy One of Israel, and believe in prophesying, and in revelations, and in the ministering of angels, and in the gift of speaking with tongues, and in the gift of interpreting languages, and in all things which are good; for there is nothing which is good save it comes from the Lord: and that which is evil cometh from the devil.
And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved."
Omni 1:23-26
This is another selection from someone we don't know a lot about in the scriptures. After this Amaleki adds that his brother is missing because he went with a group to go settle in some land controlled by the Lamanites, which is interesting later on when we learn about their history, but these verses are all we know about Amaleki himself.
I like the introduction to King Benjamin, who is one of my faves. We get to know up front that he is trustworthy and righteous before we launch into his story. I also love what we get to know about Amaleki himself, from only a few verses. He cares about God, and he cares about us... the people he is writing to. He gives us advice, and a way to tell what is from God and what is not. He advises us to pray and endure. :)
My favorite part is "offer your whole souls as an offering." It's a huge thing to say, symbolically, and yet it is also perfect for his short message to us, because it helps us to understand how serious and thorough our commitment to God needs to be. It isn't enough to just glance up at the sky one day and say, okay, God, I admit that you exist. If we want to learn and participate in all that God is offering us, it requires an all-in commitment. We have to actually get to know God, and work at understanding why he does what he does, and how we are a part of it.
It's also scary, given. Sometimes we think that committing to God means that we will lose ourselves, or that God wants us to become Stepford Wives. And yet, as Matthew tells us, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 16:25). It's exactly in that risk of full commitment and faith that we discover our true selves, and finally understand that God can make more of us than we could make of ourselves. We find our that yes, we might lose part of ourselves, but that the good part always stays, and grows, once we are able to let go of the bad part.
Today, let's listen to Amaleki's words and offer our whole souls to God. Let's take the scary step and fully commit to God, because as we draw nearer to him, he will draw nearer to us (D&C 88:63), and we'll feel more of the spirit and have more guidance in our daily lives than we've ever experienced before.
And behold, I have seen, in the days of king Benjamin, a serious war and much bloodshed between the Nephites and the Lamanites. But behold, the Nephites did obtain much advantage over them; yea, insomuch that king Benjamin did drive them out of the land of Zarahemla.
And it came to pass that I began to be old; and, having no seed, and knowing king Benjamin to be a just man before the Lord, wherefore, I shall deliver up these plates unto him, exhorting all men to come unto God, the Holy One of Israel, and believe in prophesying, and in revelations, and in the ministering of angels, and in the gift of speaking with tongues, and in the gift of interpreting languages, and in all things which are good; for there is nothing which is good save it comes from the Lord: and that which is evil cometh from the devil.
And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved."
Omni 1:23-26
This is another selection from someone we don't know a lot about in the scriptures. After this Amaleki adds that his brother is missing because he went with a group to go settle in some land controlled by the Lamanites, which is interesting later on when we learn about their history, but these verses are all we know about Amaleki himself.
I like the introduction to King Benjamin, who is one of my faves. We get to know up front that he is trustworthy and righteous before we launch into his story. I also love what we get to know about Amaleki himself, from only a few verses. He cares about God, and he cares about us... the people he is writing to. He gives us advice, and a way to tell what is from God and what is not. He advises us to pray and endure. :)
My favorite part is "offer your whole souls as an offering." It's a huge thing to say, symbolically, and yet it is also perfect for his short message to us, because it helps us to understand how serious and thorough our commitment to God needs to be. It isn't enough to just glance up at the sky one day and say, okay, God, I admit that you exist. If we want to learn and participate in all that God is offering us, it requires an all-in commitment. We have to actually get to know God, and work at understanding why he does what he does, and how we are a part of it.
It's also scary, given. Sometimes we think that committing to God means that we will lose ourselves, or that God wants us to become Stepford Wives. And yet, as Matthew tells us, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 16:25). It's exactly in that risk of full commitment and faith that we discover our true selves, and finally understand that God can make more of us than we could make of ourselves. We find our that yes, we might lose part of ourselves, but that the good part always stays, and grows, once we are able to let go of the bad part.
Today, let's listen to Amaleki's words and offer our whole souls to God. Let's take the scary step and fully commit to God, because as we draw nearer to him, he will draw nearer to us (D&C 88:63), and we'll feel more of the spirit and have more guidance in our daily lives than we've ever experienced before.
Greetings, my old and dear friend!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't resist commenting on this... one of my all-time favorite scriptures! Actually, verse 26 is the exact scripture that brought me back to church after a few years of inactivity. I will forever love and appreciate Amaleki for writing such a powerful invitation to come to Christ and wholeheartedly commit to Him and His work. As you often remind us through your "inspired babblings," such a commitment to Christ requires us to let go of those parts of ourselves which hinder us from drawing nearer to Him. The promise is the He will give us so much more in return, gifts and blessings beyond our ability to imagine or perhaps even comprehend at present.
Or put another way, "So it is that real, personal sacrifice never was placing an animal on the altar. Instead, it is a willingness to put the animal in us upon the altar and letting it be consumed! Such is the “sacrifice unto the Lord … of a broken heart and a contrite spirit,” (D&C 59:8), a prerequisite to taking up the cross, while giving “away all [our] sins” in order to “know God” (Alma 22:18). Neal A. Maxwell, April 1995.
Thank you for your daily reminders of these vital gospel truths and eternal principles. Thank you for ever pointing us back to our Savior, so we can look to God and truly live!
Mmmm. Thanks for the delicious Neal A. Maxwell quotation. I don't know if he will ever stop being my favorite. :) And quoting Lamoni's father, no less. Good stuff. ... Thanks. And thanks for reading.
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