8 And
it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of
Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses
of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be
in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered
with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
Through the beautiful restoration of the gospel, we are put under these same requirements through our baptism. So let's think about that for a sec; when we are baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we promised to BE WITNESSES OF GOD, even unto death. I mean, that's kind of intense! I didn't know that when I was baptized at age 8. Or ya know, maybe that's not the best way to put it. This is one thing that I love about the church...we are all taught at the pace we need when we need it. Perhaps at age eight, I heard stand as witnesses
of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be
in, even until death more like play nice with the other kids or if the Savior stood beside you, would you do the things you do?
Sorry, I went off on a tangent.
Let's think a little more about that...witnesses of God at all times, and in all things, and in all places. That means standing up for what's right and for what you believe in, even when you stand alone. President Monson has said "May we have the COURAGE to stand for what we believe." I like that extra word in there...courage. In spanish, the word for courage is valentia. When I look at that, I think of the word valiant. Valentia also means bold, which you all know, is MY word.
So let's look at it...we promised to be bold :) we promised to be bold and to share the gospel and to stand up for what we know is right and true and good. I know that God is our Heavenly Father and has sent his spirit to every one of us at one point or another, because He WANTS us to feel loved. He WANTS us to feel His existence and His presence. One of my favorite things to teach as a missionary was the role of the Holy Ghost in our own personal conversion. What we found was that many times, people have felt this beautiful, testifying spirit, but they simply didn't recognize what- or who- it was. Let's go to Galatians for just a sec.
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Have you ever felt love? Love for someone as you listen to them tell you of their cares and their worries? Joy? Joy at seeing your good deed put a smile on someone's face? Peace? Peace in knowing that you stood up for what's right, even if they jeered with scorn? We have big, memorable moments of feeling the spirit, of course. When we get baptized, maybe at EFY or some other church youth program, maybe even in the midst of a trial and we get a pang of love from our Heavenly Father...we all have those unforgettable spiritual moments. But sometimes we look over without acknowledging the small moments of simple, love, joy, peace and so on. And those are the moments that sustain us in the fulfillment of our baptismal covenants! Because those are the moments that strengthen our testimonies and drive us to share it with others.
Alma 4:19-20:
19 And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance
of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the
pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his
people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing
down in pure testimony against them.
20 And
thus in the commencement of the ninth year of the reign of the judges
over the people of Nephi, Alma delivered up the judgment-seat to Nephihah, and confined himself wholly to the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to the testimony of the word, according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy.
In this scripture, Alma the younger is preaching to a
wayward people. A people that he loves very much. It says that he was
trying to "stir them up in remembrance of their duty" by "bearing pure
testimony." I know that our pure testimonies, when born with a
Christ-like love, have power to "stir" people up in remembrance:
remembrance of the love of God for them, to stir them up in the
remembrance of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
All
we have to do is open our mouths! All we have to do is express our love
for others and for the gospel, and God will do the rest. He will send
His spirit. I just know it. I love this gospel and I love seeing how it
changes people. It is a beautiful transformation. And we have the
responsibility and blessing to share our testimonies of it's beautiful,
transforming power.
