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Alma 9-10

Another, day another blog post....today's block is Alma 9-10.  As I studied these two chapters my focus was really on Amulek.  I don't know what it is but I really focus on his experience with conversion.



Today, I wanted to share a few things that Amulek shares about himself.  In Alma 10:1-6 Amulek gives his genealogy.  His is a descendant of Nephi, the son of Lehi (vs. 3), he is a man of no small reputation meaning he was well known and probably liked (vs.4), he has also done very well financially (vs. 4), and he admits to seeing so many marvelous things during his lifetime where he knew the Lord was real and had preserved this people but he chose to harden his heart, do his own thing, and not worry about the religious stuff (vs.5-6).  He then has an angel appear until him and tell him to return home and be ready to receive a prophet of God.  So Amulek went and did what the angel commanded (Alma 10:7-8).  This experience in being obedient led to his deep conversion to the gospel, his willingness to stand and preach in front of everyone, and then ultimately serve an incredible mission traveling with Alma. A decision that would eventually lead him to witness one of the saddest events in all of The Book of Mormon (Alma 14:8) but we will get to that next week.

Amulek was like may of us.  As a descendant of Nephi he was probably born and raised in the church, familiar with the doctrine, teachings, and beliefs but he chose to harden his heart and not come to know for himself.  He probably leaned on other people's testimonies and went through the motions of "active" membership in the church. He didn't have a bad life but something wasn't right.  All of this however is not enough to get us to where we want to go, or get Amulek where he needed to go.  Amulek was given an invitation by an angel to act in faith, to trust God, and go and do.  Each day whether it is reading scriptures for personal study, kneeling in prayer morning and night, studying "Come Follow Me", keeping the sabbath holy and unique even in these quarantine times, or responding to invitations and teachings of our prophet and the apostles we are asked to act.  To go and do something to bring us closer to knowing for ourselves that this is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and it is through the Savior only that we can be saved.  

After meeting Amulek in the scriptures I always find myself asking: what am I being asked to go and do right now? What ways can I better act in faith like Amulek? and what blessings come as I act?

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