By Eric Kotter, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormon“). Eric is a student at BYU-Idaho studying communications.
The Book of Mormon is an ancient record of holy scripture that gives an account of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the American continent. In Alma chapter 36 of the Book of Mormon, Alma, an ancient prophet, talks to his son about his conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. When Alma was younger, he was not a part of the Church of Jesus Christ in the land. In fact, he actively went about “seeking to destroy the church of God” and he led many people astray from the gospel. One day while he was out with some of the king’s sons, who were also disturbers of the church of God, an angel appeared to them. The angel told Alma and the king’s sons to stop persecuting the church. The angel said to Alma, “If thou wilt of thyself be destroyed, seek no more to destroy the church of God” (Alma 36:9).
When the angel said this to him, he fell to the earth unconscious and unable to move for three days. This is what Alma said happened to him after he was struck down:
Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments.
We might not necessarily go through a situation as extreme as Alma’s experience was, but we all have our own weaknesses, sins, or challenges to work through in our lives that require the help of the Savior. This next part tells us how Alma was freed from these awful pains, and it teaches us how we can all receive help through Jesus Christ.
And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
This chapter helps me because it helps me see that the true source of healing, comfort, and cleansing from our sins, comes from Jesus Christ. When I put my trust and faith in His power to redeem, and seek to follow His gospel, then I can feel my burdens lightened and lifted. A belief in Him leads to greater happiness in our lives. It allows an opportunity for us to feel His grace. It allows us to be freed from our sins as well as to receive grace and comfort during hard times. Alma continued by talking about the blessings he received through his belief and faith in Jesus Christ:
Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.
The Book of Mormon helps us come to know Christ better. It helps us better understand the things that He did for us. This understanding gives us a greater opportunity to exercise faith and believe in Him. I know that as we come to know Jesus Christ and follow His teachings, we can feel His love and be healed of sins and problems. When we believe in Christ and come to gain a greater understanding of what He did for us, it also leads us to care more about other people, and our desire to serve them increases.
Additional Resources:
Get a free copy of The Book of Mormon.
Learn more about the blessings of having faith in Jesus Christ at the official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called by friends of other faiths, the “Mormon Church”).
Have Faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ
bookofmormononline.com
He shouldn’t have turned all of that water into wine then.
I woke up today and it felt like I was having an out of body experience, like I was hallucinating, because I was so hungover.
It’s the satellite uplink code from The Running Man.
Why I remember this instead of, say, the grocery list is beyond me.
I woke up and vomited out of my bedroom window, then damn near shit my pants and vomited in the kitchen sink on my way through to the bathroom.
Life currently sucks so bad, I cannot imagine feeling good ever again. My liver physicially aches, I’d cry but there is no moisture left in my body, I’ve been reduced to foetal position in bed, browsing reddit on my phone while pure ethanol seeps from my pores and makes my skin burn. This is the hangover after I drank a lot of water when I got in, god damn, I’m gonna have to start drinking again soon before I hang myself to end the suffering.
I’m still trying to figure out your username
Oh, so this happens to other people? Good, because I almost called an ambulance. Also, it’s not the first time I’ve felt like that. It makes me want to never drink again! AHAHAHA… drink every night…
Being pregnant, that unmistakable hangover feeling is one of the few physical discomforts I’m not currently experiencing! Awesome.
You know there’s an actual delete button, so when you say something stupid you don’t keep getting downvoted. It’s right next to the edit button.
Paul should really also lay off of Jesus’ blood.
rebrn.com
QUESTION: Christian Singleness – How can Jesus Christ help me cope with Being Single?
ANSWER:
It’s not easy being single, considering the society we live in today. As we look around, we see our childhood friends showing off their engagement or wedding rings, and this leaves a constant reminder of our predicament and we are lonely. These maladies might even be stirred with constant questions from family members asking us when we’ll get around to marrying.
Jesus promised us quite a lot of things as singles and it is only appropriate for us to understand and draw hope from them.
- We can live life to the fullest. John 10:10 says, “. . .I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
- The Bible tells us to flee sexual relationship outside of marriage. In 1 Corinthians 6, we read, “Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, ‘The two will become one flesh.’ But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
- Stay active in serving the Lord. As Paul said, singles have the benefit of “undivided devotion to the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:35).
- The Bible encourages us to grow in our relationship and longing to know God more. This makes the negative influence and effect of the world around us to lose its grip on us.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
– We have all
sinned
and deserve God’s judgment.
God
, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him.
Jesus
, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He
died
for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was
buried
, and
rose from the dead
according to the
Bible
. If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your
Savior
, declaring, “
Jesus is Lord
,” you will be saved from
judgment
and spend eternity with God in heaven.
What is your response?
Yes, today I am deciding to follow JesusYes, I am already a follower of JesusI still have questions
www.allaboutlifechallenges.org
Faith, or a belief, in Jesus Christ gives purpose to our lives: “Our purpose in this life is to have joy and prepare to return to God’s presence.” (A Guide to Missionary Service – Preach My Gospel, pg. 50) We do this by following Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our great Exemplar. His words and actions teach us how to have happy, productive lives. As we learn and keep His commandments, we become more like Him and prepare to return to God’s presence and enjoy eternal happiness. “One cannot study about Jesus Christ and His teachings without being affected and changed for good. As you develop a testimony of the Savior, you want to become like Him and to follow Him.” (Ronald T. Halverson, Ensign, Nov. ’04, 33)
Other Related Articles:
The Living ChristThe Sons and Daughters of GodWhat Do Mormons Believe about the Atonement of Jesus Christ?Jesus the ChristWhat do Mormons Believe? — FaithIs Jesus the only son of God?The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus ChristHow Do You Pray?
www.whatdomormonsbelieve.com
