Have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers?
Alma the younger is preaching to the people in and around Zarahemla. The first thing he feels the need to tell them is that he has been given the authority to stand in front of them from his father, Alma who built up the church they are now a part of. He reminds them of the days of his father's ministry when their father's were in bondage to king Noah, and then again to the "Lamanites in the wilderness." He reminds them that it is only because of miracles that God performed in delivering their father's from bondage that they have anything now. I think this is a very interesting point for Alma to begin his discourse with these people. Whether they have truly grown apathetic to the fight of their fathers or whether Alma just wants to bring these things to their memory, it is a unique way to start a sermon.
Why would it be important to remember the captivity of your fathers? Obviously, we owe a lot to those who come before us. They pave the way to the lives we lead. We often forget the sacrifices of the pioneers and what they went through to bring the gospel to a land where we could worship freely. Or the immigrants before them who bravely ventured from comfortable homes and goods in Europe to seek religious freedom and new adventure. So much was lost by each of them in material and life. Who gained the most?
I remember a text one of my new converts, Estela sent me one day on the mission. She found a quote by Nelson Henderson who said, "The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."
I think this kind of shadows what Alma was trying to bring to the attention of the people in Zarahemla. He wants them to remember what their fathers did for them and to realize how great the blessings they enjoy truly are. I imagine he also wants them to think about the proverbial trees they are planting (or failing to plant) as well. What kind of world would we have if we had only reapers and never sewers? This week in science, my kids and I were talking about producers and consumers in food chains and the balance they must have in ecosystems. I think we should try to be the plants of the world. :)
What things or events or people should I be working harder to retain in my remembrance? How have I neglected to recognize or show gratitude?
Alma the younger is preaching to the people in and around Zarahemla. The first thing he feels the need to tell them is that he has been given the authority to stand in front of them from his father, Alma who built up the church they are now a part of. He reminds them of the days of his father's ministry when their father's were in bondage to king Noah, and then again to the "Lamanites in the wilderness." He reminds them that it is only because of miracles that God performed in delivering their father's from bondage that they have anything now. I think this is a very interesting point for Alma to begin his discourse with these people. Whether they have truly grown apathetic to the fight of their fathers or whether Alma just wants to bring these things to their memory, it is a unique way to start a sermon.
Why would it be important to remember the captivity of your fathers? Obviously, we owe a lot to those who come before us. They pave the way to the lives we lead. We often forget the sacrifices of the pioneers and what they went through to bring the gospel to a land where we could worship freely. Or the immigrants before them who bravely ventured from comfortable homes and goods in Europe to seek religious freedom and new adventure. So much was lost by each of them in material and life. Who gained the most?
I remember a text one of my new converts, Estela sent me one day on the mission. She found a quote by Nelson Henderson who said, "The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."
I think this kind of shadows what Alma was trying to bring to the attention of the people in Zarahemla. He wants them to remember what their fathers did for them and to realize how great the blessings they enjoy truly are. I imagine he also wants them to think about the proverbial trees they are planting (or failing to plant) as well. What kind of world would we have if we had only reapers and never sewers? This week in science, my kids and I were talking about producers and consumers in food chains and the balance they must have in ecosystems. I think we should try to be the plants of the world. :)
What things or events or people should I be working harder to retain in my remembrance? How have I neglected to recognize or show gratitude?
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