After leading the mission to the Zoramites, Alma returned to his home in Zarahemla. He was troubled about the spiritual health of his people, and he wanted his three sons to continue the work of the ministry. So, he met with each of them individually to give them a personal “charge” (Alma 35:15-16).
These individual meetings could be called “interviews,” “sermons,” or “lessons.” Mormon referred to them as “commandments.” He provided the following title for each: “The commandments of Alma to his son ______.”
This week, we will study the first two of these meetings. Next week we will study the third. Here are my summaries of the first two:
Here are some blog posts about these chapters:
What can we learn from Alma’s example in teaching his children?
- Talk to your children, listen to your children, share spiritual experiences, and testify: How Can I Teach the Gospel More Effectively in My Home?
- Express confidence in your children and praise their positive attributes: I Trust that I Shall Have Great Joy in You – Alma 38:2
- Take the long view; don’t expect instant results: I Remembered Also to Have Heard My Father – Alma 36:17-19
What did Alma teach Helaman?
- You’ll make better decisions if you are aware of the consequences of your actions: If Thou Wilt of Thyself Be Destroyed – Alma 36:8-11
- Remember that Jesus calms storms—external and internal: My Soul Was Filled with Joy – Alma 36:18-21
- God will support us in our trials; He won’t always take away our trials: Alma 36:3 Whosoever Shall Put Their Trust in God
- It’s important to learn how to follow the Holy Ghost: What Is the Liahona?
- Governed by reason, not by emotion: What Does It Mean to Be Sober?
- A pattern for personal prayer: What Does It Mean to “Counsel with the Lord?”
- Three functions of the scriptures: They Have Enlarged the Memory of This People – Alma 37:8-10
What did Alma teach Shiblon?
- Avoid senseless busyness: What Does It Mean to “Refrain from Idleness?”
- You earn people’s trust through reliable behavior: Why Is Steadiness Important?
- Exercise restraint and self-discipline: What Does It Mean to Be “Temperate in All Things?”
- Be both assertive and collaborative: How Can I Be Bold Without Being Overbearing?
- Channel and govern your emotions: What Does It Mean to “Bridle All Your Passions?”
Blog Posts: July 21-26
Harrowed
After an angel called Alma to repentance, he “fell to the earth, and…did hear no more” (Alma 36:11). For three days, he was “racked, even with the pains of a damned soul” (Alma 36:16). During that time, he was “tormented with the pains of hell” (Alma 36:13). It was only when he remembered that his…
“A Wise Purpose” – Alma 37:2, 12, 14, 18
An important element of faith is trusting that God has good reasons for what He does, even when we don’t understand those reasons. Nephi tells us that the Lord commanded him to create a record of his ministry “for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not” (1 Nephi 9:5). Later, he learned…
Alma’s Advice to Shiblon
I love the passages in the epistles of Paul where he offers rapid-fire advice: a series of pithy statements, any one of which would be worth a sermon, but which, taken together, describe the character of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Two examples of these passages are Romans 12:9-21 and 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22. Alma’s charge to his…
Gazelem – Alma 37:23
The record of the Jaredite people was engraved on twenty-four plates (Ether 1:2). The Lord gave the brother of Jared two stones to store with the plates. He explained that those stones would enable future readers to understand the words he would write. For behold, the language which ye shall write I have confounded; wherefore…
“Numberless Concourses of Angels” – Alma 36:22
A large number of people united in a common cause is an inspiring sight. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a single angel appeared to a group of shepherds to announce the good news. But immediately after, “there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God” (Luke 2:13). The large number…
“They Must Retain Their Brightness” – Alma 37:5
When Nephi and his brothers returned to the camp of their family in the wilderness, their father, Lehi, examined the sacred writings contained on brass plates which they had retrieved. After searching the record and learning about its contents, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord and began to prophesy: That these plates…
I have found a new place to enrich my study of the scriptures . Thanks
I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog. Thank you for letting me know!