He is teaching me again... Always Remember Him

I am still trying to catch up on Elder Packham's blog and hopefully today will be the day I do that!  A while back I decided that a good way to get my questions answered from Jake would be to list them all out instead of putting them in the email and that has worked out pretty well.  A couple weeks ago I asked him if he could share a scripture with me that had impacted him that week. This was his answer:

Alma 5. The whole chapter. I love Alma 5 because it has a lot of questions and it really makes you think. Alma 5 is about repentance and the atonement. It made me think a lot about Christ and his life. I love how bold the questions in Alma 5 are. 

So I am re-reading the Book of Mormon and haven't made it to Alma and quite frankly could not remember the questions that Alma asked so I took the opportunity to review Alma.  Jake is correct - the questions are bold and my personal opinion is that this chapter is an excellent self-evaluation interview.

In Alma 5:6 it asks us repeatedly if we remember.  Did you know that the word remember is used 240 times in the Book of Mormon?  If you think about the sacrament prayers and how we covenant to 'Always Remember Him' then you will realize that the word remember is much more than recalling a memory.  It's definitely something to think about.  Just for a cross reference for those who are reading this and not familiar with the Book of Mormon, go to 2 Peter 3:1-2.  Remembering is good. It does us good to ponder on the things that Jesus Christ did for us and His example.

Alma asks 42 questions and those give us a formula for how to be born again.  I am going to be spending more time reflecting on this because it is always good to do a self-reflection.

Since Jake is serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints I know that vs. 12 in Alma 5 is something he strives for those he is teaching to have....

 12 And according to his faith there was a mighty ^achange wrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you that this is all true.

So let's talk for a minute about that 'change' or in other words conversion.  I am a convert to the church.  What does it mean to me?  For me, conversion is when you have a spiritual or moral change of belief with conviction or a witness. Being converted and having a change of heart is so much more than a mental acceptance of Jesus Christ and his teachings... it is a motivating faith in Him and His gospel - a faith which can work a transformation or an actual change in one's understanding of life's meaning.

I guess I could go on and on about Alma 5 but I am going to leave you with one more scripture and a thought about it and then share other things.

 14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye ^aspiritually been ^bborn of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty ^cchange in your hearts?

Conversion is a continuous process.  We need to keep our witness of the truth and our experiences with the Spirit current and up to date.  Since last Sunday was testimony meeting, this quote seems fitting:

"Testimony isn't something you have today and you are going to have always.  A testimony is fragile.  It is as hard to hold as a moon-beam.  It is something you have to recapture every day of your life." Harold B. Lee

As always... I am extremely grateful to Jacob because I know that as he serves the Lord and gets closer to Him, that I am getting closer to Him as well.

Want to find out more?