Uchtdorf - Learn from Alma and Amulek - October 2016

President Uchtdorf talks about Alma and Amulek and were each one journeyed from to get to the point that they were able to preach the gospel together.  He reminds us that Alma was rebellious and fought to cause harm to the church until an angel appeared to him and he remembered the words of his father that repentance comes through Jesus Christ.  He later gave his life to the full time ministry.

When Alma went to preach in Ammonihah, Alma found Amulek and asked him for some food and support.  Almulek was not a committed follower of Christ and had let his testimony fade over time.  He spent time learning from Alma as the spirit returned to his life.

• For whatever reason, sometimes we as leaders are reluctant to find and ask our Amuleks. Perhaps we think that we can do the work better by ourselves, or we are reluctant to inconvenience others, or we assume that others would not want to participate. Too often we hesitate to invite people to use their God-given talents and engage in the great work of salvation.

President Uchtdorf tells us that we need to find those in our ward that are Amuleks and ask them to serve with us.

• In whatever position you currently serve—whether you are a deacons quorum president, a stake president, or an Area President—to be successful, you must find your Amuleks.
• It may be someone who is unassuming or even invisible within your congregations. It may be someone who seems unwilling or unable to serve. Your Amuleks may be young or old, men or women, inexperienced, tired, or not active in the Church. But what may not be seen at first sight is that they are hoping to hear from you the words “The Lord needs you! I need you!”
• Deep down, many want to serve their God. They want to be an instrument in His hands. They want to thrust in their sickle and strive with their might to prepare the earth for the return of our Savior. They want to build His Church. But they are reluctant to begin. Often they wait to be asked.

President Uchtdorf challenges us to reach out to our Amuleks and invite them to join us in the service of others.

• I invite you to think of those in your branches and wards, in your missions and stakes, who need to hear a call to action. The Lord has been working with them—preparing them, softening their hearts. Find them by seeing with your heart.

He then turns the question around and asks us how we might be like Amulek.  How are we people we have let our testimony fade and what we do we need to do to reverse that in our lives.

• While some of us should be looking for an Amulek, for others the question might be “How am I like Amulek?”
• Perhaps you have, over the years, become less committed in your discipleship. Perhaps the fire of your testimony has dimmed. Perhaps you have distanced yourself from the body of Christ. Perhaps you have become disillusioned or even angry. Like some of the ancient Church of Ephesus, you may have left your “first love”—the sublime, eternal truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Perhaps, like Amulek, you know in your heart that the Lord has “called [you] many times,” but you “would not hear.”
• Nevertheless, the Lord sees in you what He saw in Amulek—the potential of a valiant servant with an important work to do and with a testimony to share. There is service that no one else can give in quite the same way. The Lord has trusted you with His holy priesthood, which holds the divine potential to bless and lift others. Listen with your heart and follow the promptings of the Spirit.

He encourages us to seek out those that are like Amulek because there are many around us.

• My dear brothers, my dear friends, let us seek out, find, inspire, and rely upon the Amuleks in our wards and stakes. There are many Amuleks in the Church today.

He concludes with an invitation to come back to the path of discipleship and follow the Savior.

• Our beloved Savior knows where you are. He knows your heart. He wants to rescue you. He will reach out to you. Just open your heart to Him. It is my hope that those who have strayed from the path of discipleship—even by only a few degrees—will contemplate the goodness and grace of God, see with their hearts, learn from Alma and Amulek, and hear the life-changing words of the Savior: “Come, follow me.”

What a great talk about reaching out to people.  We all have issues in our lives that we have to deal with, but we don't have to deal with them alone.  Sometimes in our lives we are like Alma and sometimes we are like Amulek.  Wherever we are in life, we need to reach out to others for help and support.  How grateful I am to a bishop nearly 20 years ago that encouraged me to make my discipleship personal.  He encouraged me to not worry about the way others lived the gospel but to dedicate my life to making my pursuit of the Savior a personal one.  I tested if happiness can really come from the "restrictive" rules of the church and I not only found that they do, but I found that true happiness is only found in living a life that the Savior wants us to live.  I need to bring others to that knowledge.  I need to help others find the blessings of the Savior in their life and invite them to join me in lifting and service others along their journey of discipleship.  I am going to invite someone to join me this week that has expressed a desire to help others.  I am going to reach out to him and bring him along with me as we try to touch peoples lives for the better.  I will let you know how it goes.