December 23, 2015 – Jan. 4, 2016
Personal Progress Virtue 3 Value Experience
Read Alma chapter 5. Make a list of the questions Alma asks. Answer the questions for yourself, and make a
list of the things you can and will do to prepare yourself to be pure and
worthy to enter the temple and receive all the blessings our Heavenly Father
has promised His beloved daughters.
- And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? I can do better at that.
- Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? I can do better at that.
- And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell? I can do better at that.
- And now I ask of you, my brethren, were they destroyed? No
- And again I ask, were the bands of death broken, and the chains of hell which encircled them about, were they loosed? yes
- And now I ask of you on what conditions are they saved? Faith and Repentance
- Yea, what grounds had they to hope for salvation? Because of Jesus Christ
- What is the cause of their being loosed from the bands of death, yea, and also the chains of hell? Because of Jesus Christ
- Behold, I can tell you—did not my father Alma believe in the words which were delivered by the mouth of Abinadi? yes
- And was he not a holy prophet? yes
- Did he not speak the words of God, and my father Alma believe them? yes
- And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? yes
- Have ye received his image in your countenances? I hope so.
- Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? yes
- Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? yes
- Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body? yes
- I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth? yes
- Or do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say—Lord, our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth—and that he will save you? No
- Or otherwise, can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a remembrance of all your guilt, yea, a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness, yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God? I hope that my repentance will be sufficient so that I don’t have guilt and remorse. I hope that I will know that I have been cleansed by the power of the atonement.
- I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I hope so. I am striving for that.
- I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances? I hope so. I am striving for that.
- I say unto you, can ye think of being saved when you have yielded yourselves to become subjects to the devil? No
- And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness? I would feel ashamed.
- Behold, what will these things testify against you? They would testify that I am not worthy.
- Behold will they not testify that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness? yes
- Behold, my brethren, do ye suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed and are spotless, pure and white? No
- And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now? Yes I can feel that. I try to stay worthy of that at all times.
- Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? I can do better at that.
- Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? I can do better at that.
- That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins? I can do better at that.
- Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I can do better at that.
- Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I can do better at that.
- And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions? I can do better at not mocking. I don’t think I heap persecutions on anyone.
- And now if ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd, of what fold are ye? I do my best to be a sheep of the good shepherd because I know if I am not in his fold then I am in the fold of the devil.
- Behold, I say unto you, that the devil is your shepherd, and ye are of his fold; and now, who can deny this? I don’t deny it.
- Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? I believe that he had his testimony from above.
- And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety? By revelation.
- And now my beloved brethren, I say unto you, can ye withstand these sayings; yea, can ye lay aside these things, and trample the Holy One under your feet; yea, can ye be puffed up in the pride of your hearts; yea, will ye still persist in the wearing of costly apparel and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches? No
- 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— No
- Yea, and will you persist in turning your backs upon the poor, and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them? No
- For the names of the righteous shall be written in the book of life, and unto them will I grant an inheritance at my right hand. And now, my brethren, what have ye to say against this? Nothing to say against it.
- For what shepherd is there among you having many sheep doth not watch over them, that the wolves enter not and devour his flock? I know that the Lord places shepherds to watch over me. They are my local and general church leaders. I will listen to their counsel so that wolves will not destroy me.
- And behold, if a wolf enter his flock doth he not drive him out? I will do my best not to allow a wolf to enter my life and if I notice that one has entered, I will drive it out.
List of things I can and will
do to prepare myself to be pure and worthy to enter the temple and receive all
the blessing our Heavenly Father has promised His beloved daughters.
- Fast
- Pray every day, at least twice a day
- Keep my testimony bright.
- Be worthy of the Holy Ghost and keep the spirit of revelation in me.
- Repent every day
- Don’t take offense
- Forgive quickly
- Assume the best in others
- Look for the good in others
- Bring forth good fruit
- Be humble
- Don’t set my heart upon riches
- Come out from the wicked and be separate. Touch not their unclean things.
- Hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd and allow myself to be brought into his fold.
- Do not allow a ravenous wolf to enter into my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment