Alma's Recipe

To my daughter, 

                Recently you and your brother have really been into cooking. Usually that means taking ingredients at random (eggs seem to be your favorite) and mixing them up in bowls. Unfortunately, when you don’t follow a recipe, it does not always turn out to be very tasty. A recipe gives instructions on how to make something by listing the ingredients and how to combine them and cook them to come up with something good to eat. This week in the Come, Follow Me lesson we read the words of Alma to the people of Zarahemla and Gideon, and the lesson asks us to relate one of his teachings to making a recipe. It says this: “In Alma 5, when Alma explained how he gained his testimony of the Savior, he did not mention his experience seeing an angel (see Mosiah 27:10–17). How did Alma come to know the truth for himself? Perhaps you could use what you find in Alma 5:44–51 to write a ‘recipe’ for obtaining a testimony of Jesus Christ and His teachings. What ‘ingredients’ (truths of the gospel) and ‘instructions’ (things we can do to seek for truth) did Alma include? What ‘ingredients’ and ‘instructions’ could you add to your recipe from your own experiences or other experiences in the scriptures?” So, let’s see if we can find out what this recipe for gaining a testimony of the gospel might look like from the teachings of Alma. Here are the truths of the gospel that he declared, “And moreover, I say unto you that it has thus been revealed unto me, that the words which have been spoken by our fathers are true, even so according to the spirit of prophecy which is in me, which is also by the manifestation of the Spirit of God. I say unto you, that I know of myself that whatsoever I shall say unto you, concerning that which is to come, is true; and I say unto you, that I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. And behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name” (v47-48). He knew that the words of the scriptures and the prophecies of the prophets were true. He also knew that Jesus Christ would come and that He would be the Son of God and take away the sins of the world. He also knew that we need to repent and be born of God: “Yea, thus saith the Spirit: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand; yea, the Son of God cometh in his glory, in his might, majesty, power, and dominion” (v50). Those are some of the key parts of our testimony: a witness that the scriptures and words of the prophets are true, a knowledge of Jesus Christ and His atonement, and an understanding that we need to repent and prepare to meet Him.     

                So how did Alma gain a testimony of these things? He had at one point seen an angel, but that was not the key to his testimony. He said this to the people: “Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety? Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me” (v45-46). In other words, he fasted, prayed, and felt the Holy Spirit touch his heart. That was more powerful to him than even an angel coming and speaking to him. So, our recipe might look something like this: take a good helping of the words of the scriptures and modern-day prophets, including their witness of Jesus Christ and His atonement, and then study those with prayer and fasting and the Holy Ghost to help us understand. Include in that repentance—meaning that we try to follow His commandments—and with enough time to “bake” we will gain a witness like Alma that these things are true. I know that as you try to do these things you can indeed come to know for yourself that Heavenly Father is real, that Jesus Christ is His Son, and that one day we will see Him again.  

Love,

Dad