Day 36 - Alma 22-24

Spiritual Thought:
Ezra Taft Benson: “Each of us must surrender our sins if we are to really know Christ.  We do not know Him until we become like Him. There are some, like this king, (King Lamoni's  Father) who must pray until they, too, have ‘a wicked spirit rooted’ from them so they can find the same joy.” (Come Unto Christ, p.51) 

Daily Focus Scriptures to mark and ponder:
Alma 22:18 - "O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God...I will give away all my sins to know thee..."

Alma 24:16 - "...behold, we will hide away our swords, yea even we will bury them deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony that we have never used them, at the last day; and if our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall go to our God and shall be saved.

Daily Questions: 

Do I hunger after the word of God?  Am I truly converted?  What sins am I willing to give up to "know" God?  Do I have a favorite sin I am holding on to?  Am I only hiding my sins or am I willing to bury them?  What is keeping me from burying them deep in the earth like the lamanites did?

For Kids:

Click here to watch video of "Aaron teaches King Lamoni's Father"

Food for Thought: 

 Neal A. Maxwell: “[speaking of the process of coming to know God] We also come to have sufficient ‘faith unto repentance,’ thereby becoming willing ‘to give away all [our] sins to know [God]’.  These may include activities and endeavors that distract and deflect us. Getting used to giving away such onerous things is a necessary first step to prepare us for the giving that constitutes eventual consecration.

 “…Among some Church members there is, sad to say, a lack of real faith in the living God and in His plan of salvation. This includes the universal need for repentance and remodeling; failure to pay a full tithing; failure to wear the holy temple garments; refusal to work meekly at making a marriage more successful or helping a family to become happier; inordinate resentment of personal trials; trying to serve the Lord without offending the devil or the world; being willing to serve the Lord but only in an advisory capacity; failing to sustain the Brethren; neglecting prayer; neglecting holy scriptures; neglecting parents; neglecting neighbors; neglecting sacrament meetings; neglecting temple attendance; and so on. "

BOMING Picture:  Twenty month old Hayden, shows his true "hunger" for the scriptures!