Day 189 From Enlightenment to Hardened Hearts

In Matthew 5.13, Jesus tells his followers that they are the salt of the earth, and in the same sentence offers a warning that savorless salt is good for nothing. Join me in an attempt to be savory salt as I share each day one verse of scripture and one small thought. Perhaps this small daily emphasis can lead to greater savor in your life and ultimately you and I can be savory salt.

Hello, my friends and family, wherever you're listening from. Thank you for joining me and know that I'm cheering for your every success. Could there be a more direct example of 180 degree change than that between yesterday and today's reading?

That is something we're going to take a look at. Welcome to day 189 on our 365 day journey. Welcome to the Book of Mormon.

If you didn't read or listen to yesterday's podcast episode, I'd encourage you to do so as it talks about those Lamanites that are converted in a way that their hearts are completely changed. Today, in our reading, we're going to find former Nephites that let that light go. And we're going to take a look at what happened in their lives.

You going to be reading Alma chapter 24 verses 18 to 30 You finish that chapter and then begin Alma chapter 25 verses 1 through 3 Our verse for today comes up right on the tail end of Alma 24 We have quite a brutal experience here as Lamanites and Amalekites and Amulonites come upon those that have repented and they refuse to pick up their weapons and fight back. And there's a great slaughter that occurs and at this stage those that are The Bible says that the people who were doing the slaughtering get very affected, at least some of them do, and repent immediately watching those that died praying to the Lord. However, we learn about this group where none were affected by it.

The Amalekites and the Amulonites. And they were of the order of Nehor. If you remember Nehor, all the way back to the beginning of this story.

And then we get to our verse for today, verse 30. We see what happened with these people that turned away. This is the 180 from yesterday's example with the Lamanites.

Verse 30 says, And thus we can plainly discern that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, God bless yoursized soul. Theeli 2020 A local cave here Tipanogos Cave If you never been to Tipanogos Cave there a pretty good hike to get up to it It down in Utah County in the area in which I live And you can go into this cave and take I think it about 45 minutes maybe an hour tour back into the mountain And it is quite spectacular And there a moment inside of the cave where you really in the deep heart of the cave kind of where the dwarves would have lived Bed, ministry When they shut the lights off, first of all, it is absolutely pitch black. There is no light inside of the cave here.

But have you ever had that moment anytime lights are turned off and your eyes are adjusting anyway and it seems to be even darker than dark? I think the warning that comes here as we learn about the Amalekites and the Amulonites is a warning for each of us. If you feel any sort of turning of your heart away from the Lord, away from the Spirit, if you have any moment where that light has been turned off and you're in that pitch black for a moment, It's a sign for you to consider in your life what you need to do to get the Spirit back into your life.

Because if you continue down that path we see an example here of a people that had been enlightened by the Spirit of God great knowledge pertaining to the things of righteousness and yet they were so hardened that in the moment of experiencing a slaughter and a massacre they had no feeling for those that had been massacred and had no desire to change and repent in their lives Absolutely a 180 from the Lamanites that had felt the love of God and put their very weapons of war away, vowing to never again shed the blood of another man or woman. My friends, stay with the Spirit of the Lord. If you want to spend some time in this, go to the footnote in 30D under Fallen and see some of the descriptors of what it sounds like and looks like For those that fall away from the Spirit of the Lord and don't walk that path.

That's all for today my friends. Remember that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. Keep it small, keep it simple, and always seek to be savory salt. I'll be here tomorrow and I hope you are too.