Alma 32

Alma taught a large group of poor people on the hill Onidah. One of the people asked him: We are hated because we are poor. Our priests have thrown us out of our churches which we built with our own hands. We have no place to worship our God. What will we do?

When Alma heard this, he was glad. He knew their hardship had humbled them and prepared them to hear God’s word. He said to them: You can worship God in other places, too. You should worship every day of the week.

Blessed are you because you have been made humble. Sometimes, if a person is made humble, he will want to repent. Whoever repents will find mercy.

People who become humble and repent because they hear God’s word are more blessed than they who are humble only because they are poor.

There are many who say: If you show me a sign from heaven, then we will believe. I ask you, is this faith? No. If a person knows something, he knows it and there is no purpose in believing.

Having faith is not to have a complete knowledge. Faith is hope in things that are true but not yet known. God wants you to believe first, then he will send more of his word to you.

Test my words. Use just a little faith. If you can only want to believe, let this feeling stay until you can believe a little more. Compare God’s word to a seed. Make room in your mind and heart for the seed. Do not throw it out by doubting. Give God’s Spirit a chance.

If the seed is true, it will begin to grow in your chest. When you feel it beginning to grow, you will say to yourself: This must be a good seed. God’s word is good, because it makes my soul grow. My understanding is beginning to grow and be sweet.

Would this increase your faith? I say to you: Yes. But the seed is still small. As the seed begins to grow, you must say: Let us feed it with great care, so it gets roots to grow.

If you neglect the seed, it will not grow roots. When the heat of the sun comes, the seed will shrink away and you will pluck it up and toss it out. This is not because the seed is bad; it is because your ground is dry. You did not feed the seed.

If you will feed God’s word by faith and patience, it will grow roots. It will grow into fruit that is sweet above all that is sweet and pure above all that is pure.

Then you will have the rewards of your faith and patience. You will be fed forever.