Loyalty

Elder Holland said that "the crowning characteristic of love is always loyalty" (The First and Greatest Commandment).

Alma the Elder (not yet titled as Elder) and his people demonstrated a loyal love for the Lord. Here, read it.

Mosiah 24:15-16

15 ...they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.

To me, these verses show the external appearance of their internal prayers, remembering that Amulon had forbidden praying with the penalty of death.

To me, their internal prayers sound as such:

"Heavenly Father, these burdens are heavy and sore, both upon our bodies and our souls. But we will accept anything you inflict upon us with cheerfulness. We desire to be freed, but are content with what we have. We want you to know our desires, but more than that, desire what you want more. We will do what we can for what's right, but the blessing is yours to give, or yours to make available for our efforts.

"We will serve you throughout it all. We will be loving, understanding, submissive and humble. But no matter what comes our way, be it trial, infliction, suffering, or even death, we will be loyal to Thee, we will serve Thee, and we will love Thee forever."

This is the type of prayer that has saved me so many times in life.

Nephi said, "for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning" (1 Nephi 19:23). So I shall relate it to us.

In the prayer I suggested, instead of desiring freedom, we may desire a job, a true friend, help, improvement, talents, etc. All good things. Working for them is a worthy pursuit (under the guidance of the Spirit and counsel of our priesthood leaders, the foremost being the worthy patriarch of your home), yet, they are God's gifts, and His timing and His ways must be submitted to. Cheerfully. Like a trusting child, with trusting eyes and a trusting heart, accepting and submitting to a father saying "no."

I spoke of Alma the Elder. Brace yourself for a long quotation of verses about his son, Alma the Younger:

Alma 29
1 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!

2 Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

3 But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.

4 I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.

5 Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience.

6 Now, seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?

7 Why should I desire that I were an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?

8 For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.

For the practical purposes of learning from the above quotation, and about loyalty, we can take the definition of sin to be anything that separates us from God.

Alma said that he sins in his wish: "for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me."

Alma had a desire, but knew that he should not place that desire – even though it was such a great, grand and giving-to-God desire – he should not place that desire above the desires of God. And if it was the desire of God also, then great!

Alma stayed loyal to his Heavenly Father.