What Can I Learn About Ministering from Alma?

After Alma baptized about 200 people at the waters of Mormon, he organized them into a church and gave them instructions about to serve one another. Here are some of the principles I’ve learned from Alma’s instructions:

1. “Preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people” (Mosiah 18:20). Keep it simple. Don’t overcomplicate the gospel. You can apply the basic principles of faith and repentance to a variety of complex situations.
2. “There should be no contention one with another, but…they should look forward with one eye,…having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another” (Mosiah 18:21). Seek to bring people together: to reduce contention and increase unity.
3. “As often as it was in their power [they should] assemble themselves together” (Mosiah 18:25). Good friends want to be together more often, to communicate frequently. Think often about the people you care about. Reach out to them regularly. Find opportunities to be with them.
4. “The priests were not to depend upon the people for their support; but for their labor they were to receive the grace of God” (Mosiah 18:26). This passage may refer to monetary support, but I am thinking of it today in broader terms. When I minister to someone else, I ought to have unselfish motives. I’m not serving them because I hope to receive something in return. They may have nothing to give me right now. Instead, in return for my service, I will receive the grace of God.
5. “The people of the church should impart of their substance, every one according to that which he had” (Mosiah 18:27). Instead of comparing myself (usually unfavorably) to other people, I need to recognize that I have unique talents, skills, and resources that I can share with other people. My goal is to find out what I have to give that other people need.

Today, I will apply the ministering principles I have learned from Alma. I will keep my ministering simple, cultivate unity, reach out to others frequently, be unselfish, and recognize what I uniquely have to offer.