A few thoughts this morning. We are taught that in the proportion to which we trust in God we will be freed from our tribulations and as we refrain from passions (or bridle all our passions) we will be full of love to others. We should also avoid slothfulness (or laziness, I was reading in Spanish so I am working out the translations in my head). I was listening to a Radio West program about the book "The Mormon Jesus", which I thought was pretty good and one thing they discussed that really stuck out to me was that we believe that prophets anciently, from the time of Adam, knew of  and worshiped Jesus Christ as the foreordained savior of the world. That has stuck with me, I have grown up with that understanding and didn't realize that it was considered different. Isaiah clearly speaks of a messiah, John spoke of  the Savior in preparation of his mission of Salvation and atonement. Today I read in Alma 39:17-19 and Alma's son had the same question or concern. He might have struggled with that among the Zoramites since they believed you can't know of those things, and they denied that a christ or savior would come. He explained it plainly, isn't is as easy for the Lord to send angels today as it is to our children? I am grateful that it is terribly consistent throughout all of our history that he has revealed the grand plan of salvation to every age, that men and women stood up so that we could worship according to our own conscience.

It came to the point that Alma would rather be destroyed than to be carried before the judgement seat to be judged of God. The thought of accounting for all those that he had lead astray. He felt tormented when he thought of those he had led away from the truth, but the fear to account for it, that struck me. The path to God's presence for Alma was bitter, it was the way of the adversary of all good. His mind caught hold of another way to enter God's presence, one with the Advocate. Instead of fear, confidence. What makes them so different? As I reflect on the situation he was in and read his account to his son, I consider the relationship I have felt I have with the Savior and with my Father in Heaven and I do not feel fear, but a longing, a longing to be home. Instead of fear, love. Alma learned he was loved, that he could be redeemed from any path through the power of the Savior's sacrifice, his understanding was made perfect of the true nature of our Heavenly Father. He ultimately understood he was a child of God who could return home through faith on the Son. What a wonderful message. That truly makes the meaning of both Lehi and Alma's vision of the angels and the throne of God more clear, it was an expression of the love they felt.

Considering that to be healed the desert bound Egyptian Israelite convoy needed to look upon the brazen serpent, and many wouldn't, it occurs to me that the ordinance of the Sacrament is analogous. It is a simple thing for many of us in the world to go to the alter, to partake and in essence look to the Savior. It does have the affect of healing, or in other words relief the the soul yoked with the effects of sin. It does require faith to approach the Savior in this way, to partake of a sacrament, perform something that may seem obscure or mysterious, but in both cases, a serpent or bread and water. It is an exercise of faith, but with the promise that [He] will pour [his] Spirit upon [you]. He does not dwell in unholy temples so this must lead us to hold to the belief that he provides forgiveness, a remission from the effects of sin, relief. There is something greater though, He promises that not only will we find respite, but that there is no permanence from the effects of sin.