Book of Mormon [MOSIAH 18-24] Insights with Maria Eckersley

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Welcome back, everybody.

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This is week 21 of Our Mothers Knew It, and this week we

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have a lot of ground to cover.

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We're going to go from Mosiah 18 all the way through Mosiah 24.

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And the reason we have such a big block of scripture is because

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we're covering two deliverance stories that happen side by side.

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both over the course of about 25 years or so.

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You're going to study the story of Alma and his people.

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Remember we left off last week and Alma's testimony was just beginning to

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be ignited by Abinadi and he takes off.

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You're going to find out that that fire of testimony that Abinadi lit becomes

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this bonfire that draws people in and you're going to see what happens when

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those people gather and become one.

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And we'll follow them all the way through This period of the waters of

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Mormon where they have some joy and then periods of bondage where they

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struggle and then ultimately deliverance back up to the land of Zarahemla.

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Then side by side with that story, we study the people of Limhi.

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Limhi is Noah's son who's left behind by his dad to sort of Manage things.

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He becomes the king according to the people's choice and he's

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not a king by normal standards.

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Remember, we studied him a few weeks ago.

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He's somebody who is running his part of the kingdom, but he's under

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the thumb of the Lamanites and his people are paying heavy taxes and

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dealing with heavy burdens due to this bondage that they're stuck under, but

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ultimately they also get delivered.

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We saw that a few weeks ago when we read about the story of Ammon

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and the 16 men who are coming down.

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This is where you get the backstory in the middle and more depth and understanding

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about the process of deliverance.

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To me, the coolest part about both of these stories is I think they

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actually teach you about both sides of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

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I think we often think about the atonement being something that, you know, offers

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us a remission of sins and offers to help us in these desperate times of need.

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regarding repentance.

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I think the Atonement also covers enabling power.

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It is something that gives us access to strength and power

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that we didn't have otherwise.

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And I like that you see that with both groups of people.

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You see Lim Hai's people who need one side of the Atonement desperately, and

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then you see Elma's people who use the other side of the Atonement, and both

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of them rely on this gift in order to get delivered and get back to life.

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to Zarahemla.

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Get back home.

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There's this great quote from Elder Bednar.

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You can find the full one in the notes, but this is what he said.

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Most of us know that when we do things wrong and need help to overcome the

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effects of sin in our lives, the Savior has made it possible for us to become

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clean through his redeeming power.

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But do we also understand that the Atonement is for faithful men and

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women who are obedient, worthy, and conscientious, and who are striving to

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become better and serve more faithfully?

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I wonder if we fail to fully acknowledge this strengthening

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aspect of the Atonement in our lives.

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and mistakenly believe that we must carry the load all on our, all alone, through

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sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities.

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It's one thing to know that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for us, but we need

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also appreciate that the Lord desires, through his atonement and by the power

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of the Holy Ghost, to enliven us.

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Not only to guide, but also to strengthen and to heal us.

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God's goal for these people, I think, is not just to get them home, but to

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help them become the kind of people that we'll feel at home when they get there.

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Who will feel that they're a part of this people in Zarahemla, and they belong.

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And I think it's the same thing He hopes for us as well.

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No matter what kind of journey we're on, or what sort of rocky path we are

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headed towards, He can find a way to get us home, if we will follow His

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And by watching these two groups of people, you'll get ideas from the spirit

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on how you can be delivered as well.

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It's just a fantastic section of scripture.

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So grab your scriptures, grab your notes.

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It's time to get started.

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For those of you who are new here, let me tell you how we run things.

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Basically, we have three, three, and three.

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We're going to do three sparks.

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Three things that caught my eye on this reading that maybe I'd never

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seen before or just got me intrigued to dig deeper into my scriptures.

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I'm going to share three of those sparks here.

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Then I'll also share three really good questions to help

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you have good conversations with your families or your classes.

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And then we'll do a second video of three object lessons so that you can

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take some other parts that are in these.

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chapters and find ways to get your kids excited about them the same way you are.

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So you're gonna see all of that in two separate videos.

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Before we jump into the sparks though, I thought it would be helpful

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to just break down these chapters.

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We've got a lot of them this week, so I thought I would just help you

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know where you are in the story so that that way when we jump into the

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sparks, you'll have your bearings.

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So let's kick off in chapter 18.

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This is where you're going to see this really beautiful Zion building phase.

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So remember, we're seeing two stories that happen sort of simultaneously.

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In 18, you're following Alma and those who will go with

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him into the waters of Mormon.

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It's this incredible chapter that teaches you what it means

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to be a child of the covenant.

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What it means to bear one another's burdens and to reach out and be knit.

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I think it's what we all hope for when it comes to building Zion today.

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And you'll have some beautiful instruction from Alma in that chapter.

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Nineteen things shift when you go back in to find out what's happening with Noah.

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So almost going back to find out where things have gone

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with that group of people.

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This is when you see Noah abandon his family.

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Those wives and concubines that we learned about last week, they get abandoned.

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This is where he directs his guards to take him into the wilderness and protect

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him and leave their families behind.

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And then it goes pretty, pretty bad.

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Poorly for Noah.

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This is, you see him executed by his own guards as they realize

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the kind of king he really is.

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Um, you see Limhi's compromise in this chapter.

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Limhi, who was left behind by his own dad and now has to figure out how to make

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peace with the Lamanites to some degree.

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So he finds a way to accept their rules about bondage and,

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and deal with consequences.

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All of that happens in 19.

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You see, That kingdom passed from father to son, but not in the way we

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saw it with Benjamin and Mosiah where there was this clear line of, you

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know, the king passing the crown to his son and letting the people know.

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Noah's method is much, much different and much harder for his son to pick

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up the pieces that are left behind.

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20, that's that interesting chapter where you find out that the wicked

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priests who have escaped the guards and those who wanted to take them down have

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ventured into the wilderness and they happen upon those Lamanite daughters and

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this is when they abduct the daughters.

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I think you get a feel for the kind of hard cold hearts they have that they

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left their own families behind in the land of Nephi and now just grab new ones

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like just it's kind of staggering to see it happen because of their choice

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to abduct these daughters from the Lamanites it's Limhi's people who will

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suffer because the Lamanites think that Limhi's people must have been the ones

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who abducted their daughters and so they attack and it causes all of this

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confusion so you'll see that happen in 20.

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Chapter 21 is what I would call Limhi's liberty jail.

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This is the low point for Limhi and his people.

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They are under a weight of bondage that has pushed them to the dust.

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And the only good part about that is that there's nowhere to go but up.

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As they finally turn to the Lord and seek deliverance, you see their story at

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least start to take a turn in chapter 21.

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22 is where the deliverance sequence happens.

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It almost reminds me of like a prison break movie.

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You know, like you can see them plotting how they're gonna escape and

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they want all the voices of all the people to chime in to get the best

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strategy and then they Get to work.

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We know from the chapters that most of these people are women and children

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who've been left behind because there's been a series of wars and a lot of the

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men have left and they scrap together and with the help of Gideon and Limhi

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and then Ammon, this epic rescuer, and his other 15 guys, they find a way

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with the help of the Lord to escape.

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And it's this, you know, awesome story about getting guards drunk and

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working their way past them in the

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23 is a little different.

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Now we're going to shift gears and go back to Alma.

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So Alma and his people have set up camp in Helam.

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They're starting to build a thriving city, and it's doing great.

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And by some really serious misfortune, those wicked priests who've been

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wandering out in the wilderness and have now attached themselves to the

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Lamanites, they're going to be killed.

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They stumble upon the people of Alma who are thriving and, of

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course, subject them to bondage.

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This is where you're introduced to Amulon, that other wicked priest who

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takes advantage of Alma and makes his life just miserable, along with all the

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other Nephites who are seeking for help.

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So that all happens in chapter 23.

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24 is when their deliverance finally comes.

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Remember, both these groups of people are in bondage for at least

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two decades, maybe more, 20 25 years or so, but by the time you get to

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chapter 24, there is deliverance.

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Alma's people get their burdens lifted, you know, they feel the weight of their

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shoulders, can't feel the heaviness of their burdens thanks to the help

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of the Lord, and they eventually make their way back to Zarahemla and join

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the people of King Mosiah as well.

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So by the end of these chapters, all of these groups of people

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have made their way home.

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They just take very different roads to get there.

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So now let's get into how that happens in the Sparks.

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Spark number one, I call Heart Knitting 101, because I think Alma and Joseph

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Smith are expert heart knitters.

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They know how to create a Zion society where people are of

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one heart and of one mind.

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But they have to begin at the 101 level.

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Neither Alma nor Joseph Smith knew how to do this at the beginning.

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They get really Revelation upon revelation and, you know, light upon

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light and they slowly understand what the Lord wants them to do.

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It must have happened that way for Alma because he's in that

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same spot where he doesn't have anyone he can turn to for guidance.

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There's no one he can ask when he wonders, like, how many people

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should be in a congregation?

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How many leaders should I have over this group of 50 or 100?

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He doesn't have anyone to turn to, so he has to turn to the Lord.

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And you, it must have happened that way from the very beginning.

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Because what Alma received from Abinadi is just this ignition, right?

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This ignition of a spark in him and some understanding of the doctrines

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so that he could go and write it all down and share it with those people.

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But I think, much like Joseph, As he chose to share what he knew so far, you know,

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what he had come to an understanding of so far, then the Spirit pours in and he

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gets added light and added knowledge.

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It's one of my favorite parts of studying the story of the Restoration,

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because you can see Joseph wrestling with these puzzle pieces.

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You know, he gets these ideas from Moroni and from the Lord and from others, and

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he doesn't exactly know how they're all gonna, you know, fit together.

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He just keeps turning those puzzle pieces until he can find a way to make them fit.

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And sometimes that takes You know decades before he figures things out, and I just

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think you see that in Alma as well He is he is determined to teach truth And

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he's gonna teach it simply so that he can grow in wisdom and knowledge and I

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really loved seeing their stories side by side It's possible that these came to my

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mind simply because I'm in the middle of teaching foundations of the Restoration

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So I'm right in that Kirtland and Nauvoo period and I saw so many cool parallels

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with the waters of Mormon and Helam You story and the Kirtland and Nauvoo story.

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But let me just share a few of the ones that jumped out at

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me for this particular spark.

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First off, I love that both Joseph Smith and Alma seem to

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seek for direct revelation.

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You know, I think Joseph had his sacred grove experience and

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I think Alma has his thicket.

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If you go in the verses you can see That he has to go and hide

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at the waters of Mormon when he's hiding from Noah's guards.

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He finds this little thicket of woods that he can go to to

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cover himself from the guards.

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This is in verse five of Mosiah 18.

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Now there was in Mormon a fountain of pure water and Alma resorted to there there

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being near the water a thicket of small trees where he did hide himself in the

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daytime from the searches of the king.

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This is his Place of revelation, I imagine.

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I'm not pretending it's the same as the sacred grove.

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I just think this must be a place where he's got time on his hands.

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He doesn't have to be afraid because nobody's gonna find him in here

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and he can simply study and pray.

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This is where I imagine he writes all those words of Abinadi and he

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gets inspiration on how things are supposed to go and what it's supposed

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to look like and And as he starts to understand and as he starts to teach

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and testify in those little homes in the city, you know, under the cover of

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darkness, it starts to click for him.

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Those puzzle pieces click together and he knows what he's supposed to do next.

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And then more people come and more testimonies go out.

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I just think there's so many cool parallels between Alma

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and Joseph, especially in those early stages of the church.

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I also love that both Alma and Joseph have this focus on helping people create

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covenant connections with the Lord.

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That's what Alma urges his people to do.

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So if you look in verse 10 and 11, this is where you see that massive baptism,

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you know, string of baptisms occur, because he knows where their hearts are.

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These are changed people.

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They don't want the life they had in King Noah's court or in his city.

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They want to be new creatures.

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And so they're going through that repentance process.

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Alma's already gone through it.

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And so he's guiding them through it.

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And so he invites them to to receive baptism so that they can have the

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Spirit more abundantly upon them.

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And I love that piece.

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I think that's what Joseph was really careful about as well.

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He was constantly trying to urge people to covenants so that the

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Spirit could fill them up and they could get, you know, solidly

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planted as he felt solidly planted.

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He was never trying to put himself on this you know, this pillar, so

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that everybody would look up to him.

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He was constantly saying, like, I want you to know what I know.

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I want you to understand how I know what I know.

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And I think you see that with Alma and with Joseph.

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I also love that they both invite all to come unto them.

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So if you look in verse 17, And they were called the church of God and the

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church of Christ from that time forward.

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And it came to pass that whosoever was baptized by the power and authority

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of God was added to his church.

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There were no boundaries.

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There were no limits.

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There were, if you were willing to repent and keep the commandments of God, and

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be worthy of baptism, and then come into those waters, you were welcome.

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And I think you see that all over the story of the Restoration.

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People came from all kinds of different backgrounds, and they gravitated to that.

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The gospel message that was taught in such purity and such simplicity,

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they were pulled in and they belonged.

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I also love that both of them were so focused on creating Zion.

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And that one of the cool ways they did that is by empowering others to teach.

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You're going to see Alma in these verses talk about Setting up leadership and then

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telling those leaders what they can teach.

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They're just going to focus on those fundamentals of the gospel

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and let people build from there.

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I don't know what that means.

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Alma knew a whole bunch more than that and he just wanted

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them to begin at that level.

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Early level or if Alma himself is still figuring out deeper understandings

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I just think he's saying like this is where conversion happens.

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We need them deeply converted to Jesus Christ So we're gonna focus

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in on those core fundamentals.

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So you'll see some of that that direction for others to preach I think it's not just

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so much about the conversions that will happen in the hearts But I think it's also

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for those who are teaching and preaching, that they then will be filled up.

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You know, as you testify and teach and preach to others, your own heart gets

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filled with the spirit and you get this witness that what you're teaching is true.

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So I think it's this really dynamic way to connect.

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Bring converted hearts together.

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They, the teachers and the students grow in strength together.

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I also think Alma is really good at keeping the commandments with purpose.

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You'll hear a few of them in the verses.

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He directs them to keep the Sabbath day holy and to gather together

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for good reasons and you hear those same messages from Joseph.

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It's, it's not the version of the commandments that

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the wicked priests taught.

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It's purified true doctrine.

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He has stripped away all the distortions that the wicked priests put on these

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Law of Moses type commandments, and he is teaching them in purity and truth.

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And I see that effort in Joseph as well.

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He is someone who hoped to find the light and truth that was in the gospel and

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to let it shine again by removing all the things that men had attached to it.

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And so you see that heart in both of these men.

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I also love that the Law of Consecration is a big piece of both of their stories.

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Because I think it's their way of increasing dignity.

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I taught a YSA lesson all about the Law of Consecration recently,

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and for me, I really think that's a fundamental purpose behind it.

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Because you have all these people coming from all different places.

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Many of them, especially those early saints in Joseph Smith's time

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who were traveling to Kirtland, or traveling to Nauvoo, they

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had to leave everything behind.

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Their professions, their families, their wealth, everything had to be left behind.

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So they came.

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with nothing.

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And I imagine there were people who came to the waters of Mormon like that

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too, who had to leave family behind and had to leave all of their possessions

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and their father's inheritance and everything else behind so that they could

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come and join this waters of Mormon.

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And that means their hands are empty.

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And so the consecrated hearts of the people there who are willing

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to just give creates dignity.

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It creates a unity and a dignity among them.

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You can see it in verse 27.

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And again Alma commanded that the people of the church should

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impart of their substance everyone according to that which he had.

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If he had more abundantly, he should impart more abundantly.

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And of him that had but little, but little should be required.

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And to him that had not should be given.

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And thus they should impart of their substance of their own free will

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and good desires toward God, and to those priests that stood in need,

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yea, to every needy naked soul.

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That's what I feel when I study the Law of Consecration, especially in

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Joseph Smith's day, that Kirtland era.

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I just think that's where their hearts were.

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It wasn't compulsory.

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There were no negative emotions behind it.

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It was simply to help others have dignity and then to come and be knit together.

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So you see that.

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I also love the last connection point I see is that they teach you how

Maria: 00:18:14

you can have this kind of covenant heart, and it comes through service.

Maria: 00:18:18

There's this really interesting way it's phrased, especially

Maria: 00:18:20

when it comes to Alma's people.

Maria: 00:18:22

It's this invitation, I think, to lose yourself so that you can find yourself.

Maria: 00:18:27

It's in verse 26.

Maria: 00:18:28

It says, And the priests were not to depend on the people for their

Maria: 00:18:30

support, but they were to labor, for their labor they were to receive

Maria: 00:18:34

the grace of God, that they might wax strong in the spirit, having

Maria: 00:18:37

knowledge God, that they might teach with the power and authority from God.

Maria: 00:18:41

This I just love.

Maria: 00:18:42

This is basically God's payment plan.

Maria: 00:18:45

When you choose to serve in his work, no matter where you're called to

Maria: 00:18:49

serve, his promise is that you will still need to work in the real world.

Maria: 00:18:54

He's not going to provide for all of your material needs, but as you serve and

Maria: 00:18:57

do good, he will abundantly bless you.

Maria: 00:19:00

I mean, look at that gift, especially these new, young converts who are

Maria: 00:19:04

trying to change their ways and not ever retreat back, this promise that

Maria: 00:19:09

they'll wax strong in the spirit, that they'll have a knowledge of God, that

Maria: 00:19:12

they'll be able to teach with the power and authority of God, is a huge promise.

Maria: 00:19:17

And that is a weighty payment for the amount of sacrifice it takes to diligently

Maria: 00:19:22

teach or diligently serve in your calling.

Maria: 00:19:24

So I love all of those comparisons between Joseph and Alma, but

Maria: 00:19:27

there's probably many more.

Maria: 00:19:30

Spark number two I call beasts and beauty because you see this really cool

Maria: 00:19:34

transition about the waters of Mormon in the verses We tend to picture the waters

Maria: 00:19:39

of Mormon as this like lush Tropical, you know with this gorgeous waterfall.

Maria: 00:19:44

It's in the printables.

Maria: 00:19:45

I made last week you guys like that's How I've painted the Waters

Maria: 00:19:49

of Mormon in my mind all the time.

Maria: 00:19:51

But I think what's interesting is, that's not what the verses say.

Maria: 00:19:54

If you look in verse 4 of chapter 18, you see what the

Maria: 00:19:57

Waters of Mormon are known for.

Maria: 00:19:58

It says, And it came to pass that as many as did believe him did go forth to a place

Maria: 00:20:02

that was called Mormon, having received its name from the king, being in the

Maria: 00:20:05

borders of the land, having been infested by times or at seasons by wild beasts.

Maria: 00:20:10

This is not a place that's generally lived in, right?

Maria: 00:20:15

This is a place that it's risky to live in because there are wild beasts there.

Maria: 00:20:20

I don't know what this place looks like, but the very fact that it's kind of

Maria: 00:20:24

close to the city, but nobody wants to live there, should tell us something.

Maria: 00:20:27

It may not be this lush oasis that we've always pictured.

Maria: 00:20:31

It might be, uh, This dusty, barren part of the landscape that has a thicket of

Maria: 00:20:35

trees and a spring of water, who knows?

Maria: 00:20:38

What I do know is that over the course of this one chapter, where we learn about

Maria: 00:20:42

hearts being knit, and, you know, lifting up the hands that hang down, and bearing

Maria: 00:20:46

each other's burdens, and taking care of the needy, naked souls, that beautiful

Maria: 00:20:50

chapter of what a Zion society looks like, Changes how they see this land.

Maria: 00:20:56

So by verse 30 of the same chapter, they start describing

Maria: 00:20:59

the waters of Mormon again.

Maria: 00:21:00

This is that verse that has like the forests of Mormon, the waters

Maria: 00:21:02

of Mormon, the lands of Mormon.

Maria: 00:21:03

But this is how it ends.

Maria: 00:21:05

How beautiful are they to the eyes of them who came, who there came

Maria: 00:21:09

to a knowledge of their Redeemer.

Maria: 00:21:11

Yea, how blessed are they, for they shall sing his praise forever.

Maria: 00:21:15

It's the transition that sparked for me.

Maria: 00:21:17

There's something so sweet about seeing a place that is at first known

Maria: 00:21:22

by others as being infested by wild beasts, meaning you, when you first

Maria: 00:21:25

go there, you're scared and you don't know how things are going to shake out.

Maria: 00:21:29

And then by the time you've finished becoming a disciple of

Maria: 00:21:31

Christ, things look different.

Maria: 00:21:33

And something that used to be frightening to you has become beautiful.

Maria: 00:21:38

And I think there's places like this in all of our lives.

Maria: 00:21:42

I think there are places that we could call our personal waters of Mormon.

Maria: 00:21:46

They're a place that's set apart from the world, a place where covenant connections

Maria: 00:21:51

happen, a place where All are alike.

Maria: 00:21:55

They share things, they take care of each other, so all are alike and they

Maria: 00:21:59

serve each other in love and peace.

Maria: 00:22:02

A place where you're nourished and you're taught truth that's undiluted.

Maria: 00:22:06

In fact, as I started stacking up all of these things that create Waters of Mormon,

Maria: 00:22:10

for me, Waters of Mormon is the temple.

Maria: 00:22:13

I think the temple is our place where we have this secluded break from the world.

Maria: 00:22:19

It's not permanent.

Maria: 00:22:20

It's a temporary spot to be nourished and strengthened.

Maria: 00:22:24

A place where when you walk in the doors, you are all alike unto God.

Maria: 00:22:28

You even dress the same.

Maria: 00:22:29

You, you, there are no distinctions between you, and

Maria: 00:22:32

you all have a common purpose.

Maria: 00:22:34

And that is to serve and to learn.

Maria: 00:22:36

To serve those around you and to learn in the house of God.

Maria: 00:22:39

To learn from the Spirit of Revelation and no other sources.

Maria: 00:22:43

It is a place of learning.

Maria: 00:22:45

I found myself picturing a temple like setting for these people.

Maria: 00:22:51

Whether or not that those kind of covenants happen doesn't matter to me.

Maria: 00:22:54

It's, it's what the Lord is creating for them.

Maria: 00:22:56

This little haven that they can enjoy for a season.

Maria: 00:23:00

I like it because I've seen that same transition that's from beast to beast.

Maria: 00:23:04

to beauty happened for me with the temple.

Maria: 00:23:07

When I first went to the temple, yeah, I went pretty young.

Maria: 00:23:11

I was right before Jason and I got married and I didn't know a whole lot

Maria: 00:23:14

and it was a bit jarring, to be honest.

Maria: 00:23:16

It was just different than I anticipated and then we kind of lived

Maria: 00:23:19

away from the temple for a while and so I couldn't go very frequently

Maria: 00:23:23

and I never really craved it.

Maria: 00:23:26

It sounds terrible now, but like, I went through a period where I

Maria: 00:23:30

almost resisted going to the temple because I didn't feel at home there.

Maria: 00:23:34

I felt great at church and I felt great in other, in my scriptures

Maria: 00:23:38

and in other places, but the temple didn't feel like home to me.

Maria: 00:23:41

It was a place that was, you know, Infested with doubts.

Maria: 00:23:45

I found myself the same way they described this land that's infested by wild beasts.

Maria: 00:23:49

To me, at first, the temple caused doubts in me.

Maria: 00:23:52

It caused worries.

Maria: 00:23:53

It caused insecurity in me.

Maria: 00:23:55

I thought things were supposed to be happening spiritually that weren't, and

Maria: 00:23:58

it kind of troubled me for a season.

Maria: 00:24:01

And what I found is the only way that place could transition to a place

Maria: 00:24:05

of beauty is for me to get there.

Maria: 00:24:06

Get there more often to study the scriptures so that I can understand the

Maria: 00:24:10

temple better and then just to show up.

Maria: 00:24:13

The same way these people, when they stepped away from their old life and they

Maria: 00:24:17

stayed in the waters of Mormon and they became this group of people and were all

Maria: 00:24:22

in, then things started to shift for them.

Maria: 00:24:24

And then they could start to see the beauty that was there all along.

Maria: 00:24:28

It just Didn't look that way at the beginning.

Maria: 00:24:31

This is why I love this phrase about coming to a knowledge of your Redeemer

Maria: 00:24:35

I think that's what happened for me at the temple It's not so much that I

Maria: 00:24:38

know the routines and the you know, the layout of the temple that makes me more

Maria: 00:24:41

comfortable It makes me feel at home.

Maria: 00:24:43

It's that I feel like I've started to come to a knowledge of my Redeemer

Maria: 00:24:46

right there I've started to understand who he is in a deeper way I started

Maria: 00:24:50

to trust him more profoundly as I attend the temple more regularly.

Maria: 00:24:54

I it's changed for me You What used to feel like a place of insecurity

Maria: 00:25:00

has become a place of peace.

Maria: 00:25:01

Tethering myself to God and it's, it's been a powerful transition.

Maria: 00:25:05

That's why I love what President Nelson said in his,

Maria: 00:25:08

just his least this last talk.

Maria: 00:25:09

He said, this list of attributes is much more than a description of a temple.

Maria: 00:25:13

It's a promise about what will happen to those who serve and

Maria: 00:25:16

worship in the house of the Lord.

Maria: 00:25:17

They can expect to receive answers to prayer, personal revelation.

Maria: 00:25:20

greater faith, strength, comfort, increased knowledge, and increased power.

Maria: 00:25:25

Time in the temple will help you think, help you to think celestial and

Maria: 00:25:27

to catch a vision of who you really are and who you can become and the

Maria: 00:25:31

kind of life you can have forever.

Maria: 00:25:33

Regular temple worship will enhance the way you see yourself and how

Maria: 00:25:36

you fit into God's magnificent plan.

Maria: 00:25:38

I promise you that.

Maria: 00:25:40

I think you can almost hear those same words coming from someone like Alma.

Maria: 00:25:45

As they choose to be all in and be a part of this covenant connection and

Maria: 00:25:49

part of this hearts knit community, they have these experiences to come

Maria: 00:25:53

to a knowledge of their Redeemer.

Maria: 00:25:55

As they get a chance to serve Him and testify of Him and learn of Him

Maria: 00:25:58

in this sacred little setting, they, they come to know for themselves

Maria: 00:26:03

who He is and how they are a part of this great, great plan of God.

Maria: 00:26:09

The other thing I love about the Waters of Mormon being almost a temple like

Maria: 00:26:13

experience is they can't stay here.

Maria: 00:26:15

As wonderful as the Waters of Mormon are, you sit in chapter 18 and

Maria: 00:26:19

you could stay there for a minute.

Maria: 00:26:20

It sounds idyllic, but I think the Lord's gospel is designed to enrich

Maria: 00:26:25

you and strengthen you and nourish you so that you can then go out

Maria: 00:26:29

and do good things in the world.

Maria: 00:26:31

And you see that with Alma's people too.

Maria: 00:26:32

They have enough time in this little place.

Maria: 00:26:35

to have peace and to be strengthened and then they're directed to go out.

Maria: 00:26:39

King Noah's men are going to come in soon and so Alma gets

Maria: 00:26:42

a warning and they head out.

Maria: 00:26:44

And they're going to head to an even more beautiful land called Helam,

Maria: 00:26:47

but they can't stay in this one.

Maria: 00:26:49

Which reminds me of how Elder Bednar talked about the temple as being a

Maria: 00:26:52

place that you get this flow of the power of God coming into you so that you

Maria: 00:26:57

can go out into the world and do good.

Maria: 00:27:00

He says this, do not come to the temple to hide from or

Maria: 00:27:03

escape the evils of the world.

Maria: 00:27:04

Rather, we come to the temple to conquer the world of evil.

Maria: 00:27:08

As we invite into our lives the power of godliness by receiving priesthood

Maria: 00:27:11

ordinances and making and keeping sacred covenants, we are blessed with

Maria: 00:27:14

the strength beyond our own to overcome the temptations and challenges of

Maria: 00:27:17

mortality and to do and become good.

Maria: 00:27:21

I think this is why when they get to Helam, the Lord puts them to the test.

Maria: 00:27:26

They don't get to stay in their little bubble.

Maria: 00:27:29

It's as wonderful as that bubble is.

Maria: 00:27:31

They don't get to stay there.

Maria: 00:27:32

They're going to be put to the test because that's how you're

Maria: 00:27:35

going to grow and strengthen.

Maria: 00:27:37

We can't stay in the temple where everybody gets along with us so there's

Maria: 00:27:40

no contention and everybody looks the same and you don't ever have insecurities.

Maria: 00:27:44

You got to go out into the world and put those, that strengthening power

Maria: 00:27:48

to the test to see what you will do.

Maria: 00:27:50

It's the same way I'm talking to you.

Maria: 00:27:51

Like if you If you have a young woman's lesson on charity, it's great to have

Maria: 00:27:55

that lesson in a classroom on charity.

Maria: 00:27:57

It's even better than to take your girls to girls camp and see if they

Maria: 00:28:01

will live those lessons about charity.

Maria: 00:28:03

If they'll let that cute little 12 year old sleep in their tent, or if they'll

Maria: 00:28:06

help that, you know, 13 year old that's younger than them learn the camp songs.

Maria: 00:28:10

That's when you see if the lessons on charity actually did something.

Maria: 00:28:14

And that's what we see happen with Alma's people as well.

Maria: 00:28:16

They go to Helam.

Maria: 00:28:17

They start to set up this beautiful city.

Maria: 00:28:19

It's thriving.

Maria: 00:28:20

And then the Lamanites swoop in, and they get stuck in bondage.

Maria: 00:28:25

So this is what you see in the verses.

Maria: 00:28:26

So this is 23 verses 20 and 21.

Maria: 00:28:29

And it came to pass that they did multiply and prosper exceedingly in the

Maria: 00:28:32

land of Helam, and they built a city, which they called the city of Helam.

Maria: 00:28:35

Nevertheless, the Lord did seeth fit to chasten his people.

Maria: 00:28:39

He trieth their patience and their faith.

Maria: 00:28:42

It's almost like Job, right?

Maria: 00:28:44

Job was doing great, and he had no reason to be tried and

Maria: 00:28:47

tested as severely as he was.

Maria: 00:28:50

Except for in the story, It's his chance to prove his integrity, that

Maria: 00:28:54

he will never deviate from God.

Maria: 00:28:56

No matter if his friends leave him and he loses all his property, he believes

Maria: 00:29:01

he has this testimony that is riveted to his heart and he will stand by it.

Maria: 00:29:06

That's what I think happens with Alma and his people.

Maria: 00:29:09

They are tested and tried, not because the Lord wants to toy

Maria: 00:29:12

with them, but because the Lord knows exactly how strong they are.

Maria: 00:29:16

The same way as a coach, sometimes you would sign up your kids to go

Maria: 00:29:19

against a really hard opponent.

Maria: 00:29:21

Not because you want to punish them by any stretch, but because you know how

Maria: 00:29:24

good they are and how prepared they are.

Maria: 00:29:27

And so you're excited to put them in a place where they will get pushed to

Maria: 00:29:30

those limits and see what they can do.

Maria: 00:29:32

Even if they fail, they'll get pushed enough that they'll see how far they've

Maria: 00:29:37

come and they'll yearn to get better.

Maria: 00:29:39

I think that's what happens.

Maria: 00:29:41

in Alma's story, especially that part in Helam when Amulon comes

Maria: 00:29:45

and he's this puppet king and he makes their lives miserable.

Maria: 00:29:48

When they turn to the Lord and they pray for help and he lifts the

Maria: 00:29:52

burdens off their backs so that they can't feel them anymore, this is

Maria: 00:29:55

God's way of saying like, great job.

Maria: 00:29:57

You know, they're, he's, they've done, they don't just believe

Maria: 00:30:01

the gospel, they will live it.

Maria: 00:30:03

And that's powerful.

Maria: 00:30:04

And so you see the promise.

Maria: 00:30:06

in those same verses of how, how they did in this test.

Maria: 00:30:10

This is in 22, 23, and 24.

Maria: 00:30:13

Nevertheless, whoso putteth his trust in him, the same shall

Maria: 00:30:15

be lifted up at the last day.

Maria: 00:30:17

Yea, and thus it was with this people.

Maria: 00:30:20

For behold, I will show unto you that they were brought into bondage, and none

Maria: 00:30:23

could deliver them but the Lord their God.

Maria: 00:30:25

Yea, even the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob.

Maria: 00:30:28

And it came to pass that he did deliver them, and he did show

Maria: 00:30:31

forth his mighty power unto them, and great were their rejoicings.

Maria: 00:30:35

that's the result of being pushed to those limits and stretching and increasing

Maria: 00:30:40

and coming closer to God in the process.

Maria: 00:30:42

You have great rejoicing.

Maria: 00:30:46

Okay, after two sparks with Alma's people, we've got to give at least one to Limhi's

Maria: 00:30:50

people because I love their story too.

Maria: 00:30:52

It's a different kind of story of deliverance.

Maria: 00:30:54

It's more of a repentant story and I love seeing this spark, this light

Maria: 00:30:59

of Christ start to build in them.

Maria: 00:31:01

I think there's a slower build.

Maria: 00:31:03

It, it takes longer for them, but You do see it build, especially in Limhi himself.

Maria: 00:31:09

So remember, Limhi is that son of the king.

Maria: 00:31:11

We don't know if he's the oldest or not.

Maria: 00:31:12

He just is the one that is chosen by the people to be the next king.

Maria: 00:31:16

And he's not a king by any normal stretch.

Maria: 00:31:18

He's a king underneath the power of the Lamanites.

Maria: 00:31:21

So he's the one that's supposed to gather all the taxes and pay

Maria: 00:31:24

the tribute to the Lamanites.

Maria: 00:31:25

And they are struggling under the weight of it.

Maria: 00:31:28

In fact, in my brain, I started thinking of that movie A Bug's Life.

Maria: 00:31:31

Like it kind of feels like that first season where they just are

Maria: 00:31:35

pushed down by these oppressors and they can't find a way out.

Maria: 00:31:40

And then there's this really interesting exchange that happens.

Maria: 00:31:43

So basically this is after those 24 girls were abducted and the Lamanites

Maria: 00:31:47

come and attack Limhi's people.

Maria: 00:31:49

So Limhi's people try to fight back against the This unwarranted attack

Maria: 00:31:53

and in the process, the king of the Lamanites gets wounded and is

Maria: 00:31:57

kind of left behind among the dead.

Maria: 00:31:58

I think people thought he was dead and the Lamanites leave him behind

Maria: 00:32:01

and limb high's guards find that king.

Maria: 00:32:05

They bandage up his wounds and they bring him to limb high.

Maria: 00:32:07

Almost like Limhi now has this really powerful bargaining chip, right?

Maria: 00:32:12

He could execute the king.

Maria: 00:32:14

He could, he could take out his frustration and aggression on this

Maria: 00:32:17

king who just unfairly attacked him.

Maria: 00:32:20

But in this moment of intense differences, Limhi chooses to be

Maria: 00:32:26

what I would call a peacemaker.

Maria: 00:32:27

I don't know.

Maria: 00:32:29

I don't know what's happening in Limhi's heart, but I feel like you can see the

Maria: 00:32:33

light of Christ just starting to flare up in him, because he chooses this very

Maria: 00:32:38

brave course, which is, I don't want you to kill him, I want you to ask him why.

Maria: 00:32:43

Why did they attack us?

Maria: 00:32:44

Why did they break their oath not to hurt us?

Maria: 00:32:47

What has happened here?

Maria: 00:32:48

He's trying to bridge this gap, and that to me is just

Maria: 00:32:52

this remarkable, um, Diplomacy.

Maria: 00:32:55

It is Christ like diplomacy that is staggering to me.

Maria: 00:32:58

So this is in Mosiah 20, 13 and 14.

Maria: 00:33:02

13 is when the guards bring him and say, we want to kill him, or at

Maria: 00:33:04

least have you kill him, basically.

Maria: 00:33:06

And 14, you see Limhi's response.

Maria: 00:33:08

But Limhi said unto them, Ye shall not slay him, but bring

Maria: 00:33:11

him hither that I may see him.

Maria: 00:33:12

And they brought him.

Maria: 00:33:14

And Limhi said unto him, What cause have ye to come to war against my people?

Maria: 00:33:18

Behold, my people have not broken the oath that I made unto you.

Maria: 00:33:20

Therefore, why should you break the oath that ye made unto my people?

Maria: 00:33:24

He in this moment lets his anger be swallowed up.

Maria: 00:33:28

In this desire for understanding and a desire for peace.

Maria: 00:33:31

That's one of the things I really like about Limb Heights.

Maria: 00:33:33

The same reason I think it's so cool that he loves those 24 plates that

Maria: 00:33:36

they found in the Jaredite lands.

Maria: 00:33:37

He really wants to know what's on those records.

Maria: 00:33:40

He really wants to know what happened to that land of people that are now bones.

Maria: 00:33:44

He has this inquisitive mind and he wants to know and understand things.

Maria: 00:33:49

I think that's what makes him such a good king for this group of people.

Maria: 00:33:53

And in this moment, I feel like his people are almost like Jonah.

Maria: 00:33:58

on the boat.

Maria: 00:33:59

Like they are getting to that point when, remember in Jonah's story, he's, he's

Maria: 00:34:04

supposed to go to Nineveh, instead he goes to Tarshish, and on the boat ride

Maria: 00:34:08

things get so stormy and scary that they realize the men on the ship are wondering

Maria: 00:34:14

what God is angry at, and Jonah finally kind of announces that it's his fault

Maria: 00:34:20

and that they should throw him overboard.

Maria: 00:34:21

I feel like that's Limhi's people are.

Maria: 00:34:24

Because Limhi and Gideon, who's this awesome guard that you see play into

Maria: 00:34:29

this story, they have this exchange, this conversation where you can see

Maria: 00:34:33

them kind of saying like, Oh, I think I know why there's such a storm, and I

Maria: 00:34:37

think he needs to throw us overboard.

Maria: 00:34:39

And you see it in chapter 20, verse 21 and 22.

Maria: 00:34:43

This is Gideon speaking to Limhi.

Maria: 00:34:46

For are not the words of Abinadi fulfilled, which he prophesied against us?

Maria: 00:34:49

And all this because we would not hearken unto the words of the

Maria: 00:34:52

Lord and turn from our iniquities.

Maria: 00:34:54

And then 22.

Maria: 00:34:56

And now let us pacify the king, that we fulfill the oath which we have made unto

Maria: 00:34:59

him, for it is better that we should be in bondage than we should lose our lives.

Maria: 00:35:03

Therefore let us put a stop to the shedding of so much blood.

Maria: 00:35:07

These are two, uh, warriors, right?

Maria: 00:35:10

And for them to choose this course of peace and say, it's better for me to

Maria: 00:35:15

be in bondage than it is to continue this never ending trail of blood

Maria: 00:35:21

where we just exchange blow for blow.

Maria: 00:35:23

It is better for this to stop.

Maria: 00:35:26

And I feel like this is their moment when they say, throw me overboard.

Maria: 00:35:29

You know, when Jonah says to the men on the ship, You'll have peace

Maria: 00:35:33

in the storm if you just let me go.

Maria: 00:35:35

And Jonah doesn't know what's going to happen to him.

Maria: 00:35:37

And I don't think Limhi or Gideon know what's going to happen to them

Maria: 00:35:40

in the Lamanite bondage either.

Maria: 00:35:42

But they know that the prophecies of Abinadi are coming true.

Maria: 00:35:45

And those commandments that Abinadi taught about not killing, those also can tie them

Maria: 00:35:51

back to where they have some sort of hope.

Maria: 00:35:54

And so they voluntarily get thrown overboard.

Maria: 00:35:57

They get into the bondage of the Lamanites.

Maria: 00:35:59

And I just think this wail of bondage holds them for a season,

Maria: 00:36:04

the same way it did with Jonah.

Maria: 00:36:06

Because Jonah needs some time to process, to repent, and to change.

Maria: 00:36:11

And I think that's what's happening with Lim High's people too.

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It takes time.

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Time for their hearts to soften and to change.

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They choose in this moment to bury their weapons of war Theoretically

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and they choose to become peacemakers This is what President Nelson said

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in his peacemakers needed talk.

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The Savior made this clear in his sermons to followers in both

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hemispheres Blessed are the peacemakers.

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He said whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek shall

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turn to him the other also.

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And then of course, he gave the admonition that challenges each of

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us, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that

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hate you, and pray for them, which despitefully use you and persecute you.

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Before his death, the Savior commanded his 12 apostles to love

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one another as he had loved them.

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And then he added, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,

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if ye have love one to another.

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The Savior's message is clear.

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His true disciples build, lift, encourage, persuade, and inspire.

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No matter how difficult the situation, true disciples of

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Jesus Christ are peacemakers.

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I think these two men, Gideon and Limhi, and all the people that will follow them

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in this course are trying to be this.

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They're trying to set down their old selves and pick up this invitation

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to be something better from Abinadi.

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They don't have a prophet with them anymore, they don't know

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exactly how this is supposed to look, but they are gonna try.

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And I think the Lord rejoices when they try.

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What's interesting is they don't do it perfectly.

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You know, in the next couple chapters, you're gonna see that

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they try to get deliverance from their own hands for a season.

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Like, I think they're just like the rest of us.

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Their repentance process is not this perfect trajectory back up

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to where they were supposed to be.

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It's undulating, you know?

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Like, they make mistakes, they figure things out.

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They tried to save themselves from the Lamanites with battle a few times.

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They almost recede back into their old habits.

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and then have to go, oh wait, we know that wouldn't work.

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You remember they're, they're like stuck in that whale and they haven't

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quite figured out how to get free yet, but over the course of time they do.

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After three defeats against the Lamanites, where they have heavy losses

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each time, they get to this point, low, low point where they need deliverance.

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And they've realized that there's nothing that can save them from

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this whale but the hand of God.

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So this is Messiah 21.

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This is verse 14.

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And they did humble themselves.

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Even in the depths of humility.

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They did cry mightily to God.

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They even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would

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deliver them outta their afflictions.

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And now the Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities.

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Nevertheless, the Lord did hear their cries and began to soften their heart.

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Lamanites, that they began to ease their burdens, yet the Lord did not

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see fit to deliver them out of bondage.

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And it came to pass that they began to prosper by degrees in the

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land, and began to raise grain more abundantly, and flocks, and herds,

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and did not suffer with hunger.

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I love this exchange.

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I feel like this is the Lord saying, like, I'm gonna let you out slowly.

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this whale of bondage that you're stuck in.

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I'm going to bless you in every way I can, but I'm not going to deliver you just yet.

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I need you to come to trust me.

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I need you to understand our connection.

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And I like that they aren't perfect at it.

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There's this great talk from Brother Wilcox where he talked about how

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we have to take a better view of this when it comes to repentance.

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That sometimes we assume that once you start the repentance path, you're

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just going to zoom and it'll be perfect and everything will go great.

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And that's not always the case.

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This is what he said.

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It's in his 2021 October talk.

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Considering how long he was talking about a boy named Damon, who had struggled for

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a long time and was now coming around.

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It was unhelpful and unrealistic for parents and leaders assisting him to

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say never again, to quit too quickly or arbitrarily set some standard of

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abstinence to be considered worthy.

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Instead, they started with small, reachable goals.

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They got rid of the all or nothing expectations and focused on incremental

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growth, which allowed Damon to build on a series of successes instead of failures.

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He, like the enslaved people of Limhi, learned that he could prosper by degrees.

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Some mistakenly receive the message that God is waiting

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to help until after we repent.

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God's message is that he will help us as we repent.

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Can't you see him doing that with the people of Limhi?

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He's helping their crops grow so that they can have food.

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He's helping soften the Lamanites hearts towards them.

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He's helping them in these small incremental ways so

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that they come to trust him.

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This is back to Elder Wilcox.

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He said this, His grace is available to us no matter where

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we are on the path of obedience.

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Elder Uchtdorfer said, God does not need people who are flawless.

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He seeks those who will offer their heart and a willing mind, and He

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will make them perfect in Christ.

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We, I think, have all prospered by degrees as we've gone through the repentance

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process, as we continue in the repentance process, day after day, and we make

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some strides forward and then we make some strides back, and we, the promise

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is that as long as our hearts are in the right place, He is right there.

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We can be delivered from our wails of bondage, whatever they are, as we take

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one step at a time and do our best to keep those steps going forward.

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When we're ready to accept his deliverance in his way, the same way once these

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people were ready to accept God's deliverance in his way, Ammon swoops in

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for them and deliverance comes in for us.

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That's his promise.

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All right, now that we've had some sparks to think about, let's get into

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the questions so that you can have some good conversations and just dig into

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your scriptures and see what you find.

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My first question is kind of all over the chapters this week.

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One of the areas is in Mosiah 19, verses 16 and 17.

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I think it's really interesting that women are mentioned so

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many times in this week's study.

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Not necessarily in a good way.

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Like, for example, the women are abandoned by their husbands.

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There's this part where the guards are directed to follow King Noah

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into the wilderness and to leave their women and children behind.

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And they do.

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Not all of them.

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Some stay, but the guards leave their wives and their children

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and head out to protect King Noah.

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That eventually comes back to bite King Noah and he is

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executed by those same guards.

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But that's one of the times women are mentioned.

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Another time is another chapter or two later when you learn about those

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24 young girls of the Lamanites who are stolen from their families, right?

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They're out dancing in some sort of, I don't know what they're doing out

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there, some sort of ceremony perhaps, and the wicked priests are watching them

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and then they swoop in and they abduct them and they become their wives and

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it's just this I don't know, just it gives you this heaviness in your heart

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that this is a part of their story.

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Another part happens when those who stay behind, those who don't abandon the women

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and children and stay with their wives and families, they send their daughters out in

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order to appease the Lamanites, at least to try and get them to slow down their

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attack, that they'll be charmed by their daughters and then stop, which it works.

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These daughters essentially save the Lamanites.

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There are people, but it's in this really hard way.

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And I guess my question is, sorry that was a big lead up, but I wonder if

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there's a link between the way these women are treated in these various verses.

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And what had been happening in the city, especially those breaches of

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commandments regarding the law of chastity, having many wives and concubines

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and treating people as commodities.

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I just think there's some sort of connection between that sort of disrespect

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of the commandments and then the way it trickles into how women are treated.

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The thing I guess I would point out, though, is I think Limhi

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seeks to break that cycle.

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The way he cares for the widows who are left behind, some of them might be, you

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know, the widows of the Those who went out to protect his dad in the forest or

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others, like, he cares for these widows and he directs others to care for them.

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So, I'm wondering, as you get into the verses, where do you think the connections

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are between the commandments and this?

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Treatment of women.

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And how do you see Limhi seeking to break that cycle?

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Okay, question number two.

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This is from Mosiah 24.

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This is verses 8 and 9.

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This is when you're introduced to Amulon.

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So you find out he's one of the wicked priests of King Noah, who has made

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an alliance with the Lamanites, and then eventually is placed in power

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over that land of Helam, where Alma and his people have built up a city.

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So he kind of, uh, Forms an alliance.

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He turns his back on being a Nephite altogether and chooses to become a

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Lamanite and then by By default he is put in power probably because he speaks

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their language But he's put in power over them and then it's kind of interesting

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to see his decline What I thought was really interesting is to read Amulon's

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story and to compare it with what we get from Doctrine and Covenants So if you go

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to DNC 121 if you go This is that part that talks about many are called and

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fewer chosen You Except for it's the one that talks about unrighteous dominion.

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I want you to go and read those verses, like 37 to 39, but you could stretch it

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on either end there and get a little more.

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And tell me what connections you see between what Joseph taught in those

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verses and what you see in Amulon's story.

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how that slippery slope of unrighteous dominion applies to someone like Amulot.

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Okay, third question.

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This comes from Mosiah 26, or sorry, 23 verse 6, and then also 23 verse 13.

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This is a really cool part of the story.

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It's a small one, but when they get to the waters of Mormon, the people

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of Alma want him to be their king.

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He's a good man, he's righteous, and they want a leader like that.

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And so they Plead to him to be their king and he says no, you know, he's

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seen kings and he knows what can happen and In my mind, I think Alma almost has

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buried those weapons of his past and he is not going back there again but he

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He refuses their You know, persuasion, and says, no, we won't have a king.

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And then he teaches them that he wants them to stand fast in

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this liberty, this deliverance that they've received from God.

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He wants them to grab hold of it.

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And then he says they should trust no man to be a king over them.

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What's fascinating to me is, by the time they get to Zarahemla, many years later,

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They are encouraged, I imagine, by Alma to become subject to King Mosiah the Second.

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They all become one people under King Mosiah, which is interesting.

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I wonder, my question is, why does Alma change his perspective when they finally

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do get to Zarahemla after 25 years and 20 plus of them being in bondage?

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Why is it then good for them to be under a king?

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And do you see seeds being planted in these verses for what will come next?

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Because remember, it's King Mosiah the second and Alma who will change

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the government of the Nephites.

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They will start the reign of the judges where there is no more king.

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You can almost see these little sprouts shooting up.

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So I'm hoping you go on the verses and look for connection points

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and tell me what you can find.

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Before we head into the object lessons, let me wrap up with

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one last little thought.

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I really love that so much of this week's story is a deliberate story.

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Because I think All of us can imagine what it must have felt like for both of these

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groups of people to finally step inside the safety of those walls of Zarahemla.

Maria: 00:47:08

You know, like, after so many years of bondage and so much loss and

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being separated and scattered, to finally be back with their people

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must have been such a relief.

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You can almost picture them just like, Setting down their bags.

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It's the same way I picture the Brother of Jared's people when they finally

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emerged from those barges after a year of being on stormy waters, to just almost

Maria: 00:47:31

fall to your knees in gratitude for being on a place that is safe and solid.

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And there's these beautiful applications when it comes to us returning home.

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But I think since all of us have had those little deliverance moments.

Maria: 00:47:44

You know, the miracles that we've all experienced, when our sorrows

Maria: 00:47:47

are lifted, or our pains are lifted, or we find relief, I think our job

Maria: 00:47:53

is to pass that relief on to others.

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to be that channel for relief to come.

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I love the way it's phrased by President Johnson.

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So she said it this way, Our covenantal blessing is to partner with Jesus Christ

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in providing relief, both temporal and spiritual, to all of God's children.

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We are a conduit through which he provides relief.

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And so, like the friends of men with palsy, we succor the weak,

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lift up the hands which hang down, strengthen the feeble knees.

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We bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Maria: 00:48:25

As we do, We come to know him, become like him, and find his relief.

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That's the promise.

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As we study these stories of deliverance and seek to be that conduit for

Maria: 00:48:36

others, we feel our burdens lifted.

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We feel that light of Christ that swells up in us and that eases

Maria: 00:48:43

our burdens and lightens our load.

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That's the promise.