Today’s Reading: Alma 31:1-10
5 And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.
I hope that you will forgive me if there are errors in this post. I am writing it to help out one of my STF sisters who is under the weather and stressed today. That means that I am (a) writing this quickly so that it can get posted and (b) will not have time for my editing partner to look it over. I will do my best to share some quick, yet hopefully inspirational thoughts on this block of scriptures.
As I read through verses 1-10, I noticed right away that I already had a portion of verse 5 marked. Thankfully at another time and place, the spirit taught me something about this scripture so that I could be prepared to write about it today.
“…the preaching of the word has a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just–yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else…”
The gospel of Jesus Christ changes people. I have not had the opportunity to serve as a full-time missionary (yet), but I have heard stories from many returned missionaries in which they have expressed the great change that they have seen in the people they have taught. From very small changes to entire lifestyle and habit changes, the choice to follow the Savior brings blessings and strength into your life. It brings about changes that cannot be brought about by any other means. As President Uchtdorf expressed in his October 2015 conference talk,
“As you exercise a little faith and begin your walk as a peaceable follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, your heart will change. Your whole being will be filled with light.”
What a wonderful promise from one of the Lord’s chosen Apostles in our day.
As I kept reading in verse 5, another part caught my eye. I did not have it marked, but it is marked now.
“…Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.”
Try the virtue of the word of God. Virtue. A “behavior showing high moral standards.” [i] Virtue is something that this world is in great need of. My heart has been hurting and my spirit has felt depressed as I have listened to the news reports of events that have happened around the globe in recent days. What if the people of the world tried the virtue of the word of God? What if everyone chose to follow the Savior, Jesus Christ, and his example of love and service? There will come a day when that will happen. It is called the millenium, and I cannot wait until that day. But for now, we have the challenge of living in a world where virtue is laughed at and the word of God is twisted and trampled upon. So how do we continue to press forward and try the virtue of God for ourselves? We do as instructed by a prophet of God, President Ezra Taft Benson.
“We cannot do this work alone. This is His work. This is His gospel. We must have His help. Plead for it, live for it, pour out your soul to the Lord to receive it.” [ii]
I agree with President Benson. We cannot do this work, or any other work alone. We must rely on the Savior for help. We cannot return to live with God without Him. I encourage you to “try the virtue of the word of God.” If you are struggling with your testimony, take a step back. Approach the problem with faith and not fear. “Plead for it, live for it, pour out your soul to the Lord to receive it.” The answers will not come all at once, but I promise you that as long as you are trying to learn more and as you do your very best to be obedient to the Lord’s teachings, then you will have His help.
“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”
I grew up the oldest of 5 children in the blazing heat of Southern Utah. After high school and some college experience I met and married Mark Ogden and we are the parents of four children. I have owned and operated my own home-based preschool for more than a dozen years, and I consider myself an accidental author as well. When I am not in my minivan transporting children from one activity to the next, I enjoy playing the piano, blogging, speaking about my life’s experiences, and feeding my insatiable crafting disease.