Internal Movitavtion

Alma 60:23

"...Now I would that ye should remember that God has said that the inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the outer vessel be cleansed also."

This is such a true principle that is so hard for me to adhere to.  My inward vessel, my heart and my inward maturity, is what I must focus on cleansing before I can hope to cleanse or purify the rest of my being.  I can't expect my outward actions and deeds to be truly Christlike until my true intentions are what drive those Christlike actions as opposed to simply "knowing what I should be doing, and doing that despite my instincts desiring otherwise."  I believe that is what Christ means when he says that he will look upon my heart, upon judgment.  He will look at the true desires of my heart.  When that day comes, will he find charity there?  Will he find good intentions but a lack of true desire?  A wise man once noticed that the path to Hell is paved with good intentions.  It is very important to remember that good intentions are not enough to truly become a good person, it is the intentions married to the desires that produce a truly good person.

In my studies of psychology I have come to understand that there are two classifications of people (at least there is one way of classifying people that leads to a dichotomy): Internally motivated and externally motivated.  I am currently externally motivated.  I can only bring myself to accomplish things that are outside of my comfort zone if there is an externally motivating force, like my wife or my family or some reward.  I desire, above all/most, to become an internally motivated person.  I started telling myself this (again) last night while I was driving and covenanted with myself right there and then that I will never drive above the posted speed limit (knowingly) again.  Why?  Because that is the law and I strive to be a law-abiding citizen, because that is what Christ would be if he were experiencing mortality right now (so long as the law did not conflict with eternal principles such as how to properly observe the sabbath day).

Basically, I need to figure out who I am, who I want to be, and then combine the two.  Finally, I need to stick to the desires of my heart as they become more like Christ's desires.

A Child's Demeanor

Alma 59:13

"And it came to pass that Moroni was angry with the government, because of their indifference concerning the freedom of their country."

As I think about little children and their varying demeanors, it makes so much sense that our demeanor carries over from the premortal life to this one.  I have nieces of all ages that demonstrate every type of personality, despite their similar circumstances in how they are raised and all other sorts of variables that could possibly be used to explain such behavior.  This is yet one more piece to the puzzle of building my testimony of the way that things truly are, the plan that I believe the Lord has set forth for us to follow towards salvation and exaltation.  

Because of when I was born, and the era in which I was born, as well as other more personal things, I know that I was valiant and a stalwart supporter of Christ and his plan for us.  I hope that I can be just as faithful and righteous in this mortal body and henceforth.

The Force

Alma 58:37

"But, behold, it mattereth not - we trust God will deliver us, notwithstanding the weakness of our armies, yea, and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies."

I love the example that the Nephites are (well, at this point in the time line at least) in terms of demonstrating faith in the power of God.  Facing nearly insurmountable odds, they still believe that if they possess enough faith and act on that faith and inspiration, that the Lord will provide a means for them to be successful in battle.  Oddly enough, this sounds very similar to that of the battle between the Dark and Light sides of the force.  OK, I admit, Abigail and I just finished watching the first three episodes of Star Wars over the past 4 days, but it does not seem to be too much of a stretch.  As the Jedi trust in their teaching and in their code - which calls for putting others first, trusting their intuition and inward feelings to guide them, and never questioning the direction of those who have come before them - they will be strengthened and they will overcome the trial at hand.  However, the dark side of the force relies on fear, anger, and hatred to fuel their power.  They believe that they can become so powerful in their own right that there is nothing that can stand in their way.

Satan likes to tempt us into thinking that we can accomplish great and powerful things through reliance on our own abilities and that things that "get in our way" are obstacles that must be done away with, with no thought or regard to anybody but ourselves.  God, on the alternative, tells us that putting others first in thought and deed is the true source of power.  Christ was the perfect example of this, living out his mortality in the service and supplication of all those he interacted with, right down to his words on the cross of "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

O Holy Night

Alma 57:21

"Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them."

I had a wonderful Christmas this past day, full of wonderful time spent mainly at my parents' house, with the day beginning in Hamilton.  It is always wonderful to see so much family around me at one time and to enjoy a huge Christmas feast followed by family games.  The gifts that Abigail and I received were truly inspired.  The Christmas songbook will bring us much joy musically.  The biography of the prophet Thomas S. Monson is a much anticipated read as he is a wonderful man and such an inspirational servant of God.  The money we received which helped Abigail get a new (and working) phone and myself some important software which will help me with my thesis and with research at the graduate school level.  We were also given other gifts that are much appreciated and will be cherished as they contribute to our happiness and spiritual growth.  

But none of these gifts compare to the gift that God gave us 2000+ years ago.  His son, our Lord and savior.  Whom without we would be forever lost and bound by the eternal justice that sin brings upon us.  Thank you, Father.  Christ's birth truly was a holy night.  And I will be forever, eternally, grateful.

Merry Charitable

Alma 56:47

"Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them."

To me, that is true maturity.  The ability and desire to think of others first at all times and in all things.  What is the best way to over come my own bad attitude?  To do something selflessly for another person.  What is the best way to feel the spirit?  To serve in whatever capacity I am able to.  What is the true love of Christ?  Charity.  Unselfish, putting-others-first charity.  I say this again because it is the season.  That is what Christmas is all about.  Christ was the truest and best example of charity, and in order to receive His image on my countenance, that is what I must become, charitable.  To be mature and to grow into who my Father wants me to be, I must first become charitable.  That is the driving force behind tithing, behind the law of consecration, behind fast offerings, behind the bishop's storehouse, and so forth.  What is the best and quickest way to build up Zion?  Charity.  Please Lord, help me be charitable in all of my thoughts and actions.  My life means nothing if the only person I do good things for, the only person I ever think of, the person who occupies the majority of my life is me. 

Poker

Alma 55:31

"But behold, the Nephites were not slow to remember the Lord their God in this their time of affliction.  They could not be taken in their snares; yea, they would not partake of their wine..."

Satan loves making me feel hopeless and helpless.  But I love the saying that 'when you don't feel like praying, that is when you most need to pray.'  In times of affliction, when it feels the world is against me and I feel like there is nothing I can do, Satan wants nothing more than to make me feel abandoned.  But so long as I remember that God is always ready and willing to listen to my pleas and the desires of my heart, there is nothing that Satan can do that I cannot overcome.  I hold all of the trump cards and Satan can only hope to bluff me out of my chips.  There are times that I believe his lies, more often than I would like to admit.  But I know that if I remember that all he can do is bluff, there is no reason I should ever let him beat me.

The Cause of Our God

Alma 54:10

"...and we will maintain our religion and the cause of our God."

As I truly understand that I am a Son of God first and foremost, then life comes into focus and has a clearer perspective.  Choices that I should make, choices that I should not make, habits that will uphold the values that I stand for, and so forth.  Every day, I stand poised to either maintain the cause of our God, or to work against it by my example and the choices I make.  The greatest disservice that I can do for my fellow man is to do things that don't exemplify what a true Christian would do, and the greatest service that I can give to anyone is to do as Christ would do in all opportunities that I have.

True At All Times

Alma 53:20

"And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all - they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever things they were entrusted."

I love that last line - "they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever things they were entrusted."  I often wonder what type of man I would be if that were able to be said about me.  To be true at all times means so much more than just never telling lies.  It means always living up to your personal standards, never taking the easy road, never giving up when you have committed to something, and so forth.  It means having an inward force that drives you to be who you want to be and never altering that course.  And there are so many things that we are entrusted with in this life.  We are trusted with our families, that we will be the best son/brother/father/daughter/sister/mother that we can be.  We are trusted with our church callings, that we will stand where we are and lift in building up the kingdom of God here on the earth.  We are trusted with our bodies, that we will treat them with respect and understand their sacred nature and great potential.  We are trusted with so much in this life, that to be true to all things therein is an incredibly difficult task.  But God would not ask these things of us, He would not entrust us with so many great and wonderful things if He did not think that we could manage it all and be true to it all, if He was not prepared and willing to help us whenever we feel that we need His help.  

That's where true strength lies, understanding that with the help of our Father, and with the resolution to be true in all situations and to all things, there is nothing we cannot accomplish in this life.

My Own Four Walls

Alma 52:25

"And thus they did, and slew all those who had been left to protect the city, yea, all those who would not yield up their weapons of war."

As Christmas approaches, I feel so thankful for my family and all of those who love me.  I look forward to these next three weeks in which I get to spend time with family and friends without the interruptions of work and school.  Abby and I may not spend another Christmas/New Year in Texas for a while to come, so we are making the most of it.  The prophets have advised that the most important work a priesthood holder can do is within his own family and home.  Building relationships and understanding true, not temporary, happiness is key to developing spirituality and godly power. 

Sufficient Strength

Alma 51:9 & 16

 9 "But behold, this was a critical time for such contentions to be among the people of Nephi...

 16 For it was his first care to put an end to such contentions and dissensions among the people; for behold, this had been hitherto a cause of all their destruction."

There is such a wonderful lesson to be learned from chapter 51, typically known as one of the "war chapters" in the Book of Mormon.  Moroni is up against a tricky situation in which the Lamanites are about to attack their city while at the same time a number of his own people are dissenting because they do not feel like the city is being run according to their desires politically and therefore will not help Moroni defend the city.  As verse 9 states, this was an awful time for there to be contentions among his people because it meant that they might not be sufficiently strong to fight off the Lamanites.

So what?  What does this have to do with me and with my spiritual development as I learn and grow more than 2000 years after this event?  It means that I need to make sure that my personal life is in order, spiritually as well as in all other ways, to ensure that when Satan comes tempting me, because he will, that I will have all of my faculties about me, and that I will be sufficiently strong to resist and stay clean and pure.  

I can think back to times in my life where I have been living my life mostly righteously, but then right before the Lord needed me to serve him I succumbed to a temptation that drove the spirit away and made me unworthy to perform the Lord's work.  If I am going to be able to be where the Lord needs me, when He needs me, and able to perform the labor that He has for me, I need to make sure that I am sufficiently strong.  I am my own worst enemy when I let my guard down and when I fail to live up to who I really am.

Happiness

Alma 50:23

"But behold there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni, yea, even at this time, in the twenty and first year of the reign of the judges."

When I view that statement that there never was a happier time, it makes me reflect about what exactly has led to that being able to be said.  As I understand from the preceding chapters, Moroni had gained the trust of his people because he was ensuring their safety and protection as well as providing a good example for them to follow by trusting in the Lord.  Truly, living life in such a manner that pleases the Lord will ensure my personal happiness and will ensure that I am always able to smile and to keep my head up.  These are not maybes, these are promises and sureties. 

People today often get happiness mixed up with satisfaction.  It is satisfying to see the newest blockbuster movie that has just come out.  It is satisfying to drive 100mph down the freeway.  It is satisfying to view pornography and lie, steal, and cheat.  But this satisfaction goes away just as quickly as it arrived, and sometimes faster - leaving nothing behind but wasted time, regret, and sorrow (to varying degrees depending on what it is).  What I need to focus on is the good, better, best principle.  There are good ways to spend my time, there are better ways to spend it, and there are the best ways I can spend it.  As I have previously reminded myself, we are accountable for our time spent here on earth.  How wonderful would it be to be able to look the Savior in the eyes during my judgment and be able to say that I spent my time on earth doing things that were the best options available to me.  That would surely be a very, very happy moment.

Preparation

Alma 49:5

"Now at this time the chief captains of the Lamanites were astonished exceedingly, because of the wisdom of the Nephites in preparing their places of security."

I enjoy the war-chapters of the Book of Mormon because they are so easily applied to our spiritual struggles and battles that we face today.  The Nephites were incredibly successful in this first battle with the Lamanites (first one since Amalickiah had obtained the Lamanite throne) because they were very well prepared.  They took their weakest cities, and converted them into fortresses.  They spared no cost in ensuring that it would be impossible for the Lamanites to take control of those cities and slaughter the inhabitants.  In so doing, the Lamanites lost more than a thousand warriors whilst the Nephites did not lose one soul.

Should we not do the same today?  Should we not be preparing our spirits and our spiritual strength as much as we possibly can so that when Satan comes with his forces to tempt us and tries to lead us toward spiritual death, we will be prepared and ready for his onslaughts?  Is this not a better method of combating the adversary than simply saying "OK Satan, take your best shot.  I'm not very well prepared, but I know that I am strong."  Would it not be much better to tell him that you are both strong AND well-prepared for his wiles?  

Daily scripture study, prayer, acts of charity, paying tithing, actively building up Zion, attending the temple, and so forth.  These are the methods of spiritual preparation that the Lord has set forth.  There is no better day-to-day activity that we can participate in other than those which better prepare us for the times when things won't be so easy, peaceful, and calm.

Captain Moroni

Alma 48:17

"Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."

I hope that one day, those same words can be written about me.  I'm a bit behind the curve at the moment, I must say, but this life is not a sprint... it is a journey.  A very wise man was once asked the question, "how do you become perfect?"  In response he said "you get a little bit better each day, and you have a lot of days."  I hope that I can manage to become even just a little bit better each day.  There are things that I need to work on in my personal, internal, life.  There are things about who I am deep down inside and I understand how those things affect the way that I view the world, view myself, view others, as well as their effect on the choices that I make and the choices that I inspire others to or to not make. 

My Loved Ones

Alma 47:36

"Now these dissenters, having the same instruction and the same information of the Nephites, yea, having been instructed in the same knowledge of the Lord, nevertheless, it is strange to relate, not long after their dissensions they became more hardened and impenitent, and more wild, wicked and ferocious than the Lamanites - drinking in with the traditions of the Lamanites; giving way to indolence, and all manner of lasciviousness; yea, entirely forgetting the Lord their God."

As I think about the future, I am so thankful for the blessings that the Lord has given me.  My wife, my family, my friends.  I know that no matter what lies in store for me, they will be there for me to support me and to see me through the hard times (as well as the occasional good times :)  ). 

Perspective

Alma 46:12

"And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it - In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children - and he fastened it upon the end of a pole."

My thoughts lately have been dominated by those of perspective.  Not only obtaining the "correct" perspective on things, but mainly on maintaining it.  There are a plethora of things that I have done in my life that I otherwise would not have if I had been successful at maintaining the perspective that I know to be true.  So many things happen throughout the course of an hour, a day, a week, that occupy your brain power that unless your life-perspective truly become a part of who you are so that you don't have to struggle to remember it and consciously apply it to every choice you make, then life will become a series of ups and downs, successes and failures.  

At least I have taken a step in the right direction and have finally rid myself of the grievous trap called apathy.

Study Habits

Alma 45:17

"And now, when Alma had said these words he blessed the church, yea, all those who should stand fast in the faith from that time henceforth."

I love the fact that the Lord cares about my gaining knowledge here upon the earth and that He will bless my efforts in school if I will but keep His commandments (thinking specifically about keeping the Sabbath day holy).  I have yet to study any topic related to school since being married, and so far throughout the four semesters of classes I have taken, I have earned a 4.0.  Hopefully that will continue as I have two very difficult finals to take tomorrow, one of which I feel very unprepared for.  I am thankful for the principle of faith, for I have full faith in the Lord's ability to bring things to my remembrance that I need, when I need it most - so long as I have taken the time to put the information into my brain. 

True Power

Alma 44:4

"Now ye see that this is the true faith of god; yes, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith."

I love the knowledge that the only person who can defeat me is myself.  Satan has now power over me if I do not give him the time and place to destroy me.  I need to do a better job of keeping my life so pure and clean that any attempt of Satan's to blemish my spirit is instantly noticable.  Being strong in the face of temptation is a wonderful thing, but how much more wonderful would it be to keep my life so pure that even temptation is a rare thing.  I believe that was part of Christ's strength while he was upon the earth.  He lived such a pure life that it was difficult for Satan to even find methods of tempting Christ that might reasonably have a chance of succeeding.  That's partly what it means to become like Christ, to become more than just this personage of flesh and bone that walks the earth.  To truly view myself as a son of God, Christ's brother, an heir to eternal glory and kingdoms.  With that knowledge, and the knowledge of what God wants me to do and how God wants me to act, what chance does Satan have?  Therein lies true power and true self-mastery.

Wordless Example

Alma 43:45

"Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church."

I often marvel at just how many forms the sin of pride can take.  I have recently been pondering on how I should interact with people from the stand point of who I am and what I represent, as well as the understanding that everything I do and say is an example of sorts, whether I intend for it to be or not (and this is the same for everybody).  For example, when someone does something that I find rude or untimely, should I react in such a manner that reprimands them for what they did and makes them feel bad in an effort to get them to not do it again?  Or would it be more Christ-like of me to simply wait for the interaction to end, and respond in a more light-hearted and jovial manner?  I suppose it depends on the circumstance, but what I am getting at is an issue of pride.

Who am I to be the one who "teaches" everyone how they should react and respond to everything positive and negative that comes their way?  I should simply just react the way that suits me, righteously, at that moment and let my "reacting" do the teaching, if they care to observe and learn.  I should not feel as though it is my place to tell someone how they should do things or to point out people's flaws every time I see something that seems awry.  I suppose that doing so every now and then, when it seems as though it is really important, would still be reasonable... but my first reaction to everything I see around me shouldn't be to "fix and teach," rather it should be to "love and show by wordless-example."  I think that is the key there, wordless-example.  Don't tell someone that you are teaching them, or showing them the proper way to react.  If you do something or react in a manner that catches someone by surprise, they will notice and they will remember.  If someone is around you long enough, and they see the way you act and react often enough, they will either do the same (if your reaction is the proper way to react) or they won't.

I should live my life as a "wordless example."  I like that.

Mercy and Justice

Alma 42:16-25 (I realize this is long, but there is no point at which it could be ended early and still capture the entire essence of its message.  This is my favorite chapter of all scripture, so I refuse to cut anything out.)

16 "Now, repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment, which also was eternal as the life of the soul should be, affixed opposite to the plan of happiness, which was as eternal also as the life of the soul.

17 Now, how could a man repent except he should sin? How could he sin if there was no law? How could there be a law save there was a punishment?

18 Now, there was a punishment affixed, and a just law given, which brought remorse of conscience unto man.

19 Now, if there was no law given - if a man murdered he should die - would he be afraid he would die if he should murder?

20 And also, if there was no law given against sin men would not be afraid to sin.

21 And if there was no law given, if men sinned what could justice do, or mercy either, for they would have no claim upon the creature?

22 But there is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the words of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God.

23 But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice.

24 For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved.

25 What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you Nay; not one whit.  If so, God would cease to be God."

As I mentioned above, this is my favorite passage of scripture.  Why?  Because it paints such a wonderful picture of the way things should be, and the way they truly are.  God truly loves me, and because of this he has laid forth a plan to accept back into his fold as many of his children as will come back to him.  He is ever-loving, ever-forgiving, ever-merciful, yet ever-just.  He wants me to come back to him, yet he cannot give me something that I do not deserve.  I say deserve hesitantly, for it is impossible for me to be exalted with out his help.  No unclean thing can dwell with God, but God has promised his kingdom to me if I do what God has asked me to do, and because of that promise (which not even God can break), I deserve (in a manner of speaking) to dwell with him if I keep my end of the bargain.  

My thoughts are all over the place right now when I think about what it takes to please God the most.  I recently watched a movie about the prophet Joseph Smith, and when it ended I felt the Spirit so strongly, I was so moved.  I suppose that is what it means to please God, to do what He wants you to do.  Joseph Smith was a man of faith, and because of that he dared not to do what the Lord commanded him not to do, and he did what the Lord commanded him to do.  There is no reason to question the Lord, because the Lord knows best, in all things and at all times.  Being obedient truly is the best way that we can please God.

He has asked me to live his commandments, to read the words of the living prophets, to read the words of the prophets from past dispensations, to search the words of Isaiah, to have charity towards all men, and other things as well.  None of these are menial tasks, none of these aren't worth the time and effort.  All of them build character and promote love and harmony.  Is it too much to listen to what the Lord asks of us to do?  Am I so prideful that I think I know what is a better use of my daily-time than the Lord does?

There is a law given and a punishment affixed.  The law is that I obey his commands.  Both the punishments and the rewards are lying in wait for me.  Can I ask the Lord to let mercy rob justice?  I need to live my life in such a way that the Lord is able to welcome me home, with open arms.

Verse 27: "Therefore, O my son, whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely..."

True Meaning of Restoration

Alma 41: 10,12&15.

10 "Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness.  Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.

12 And now behold, is the meaning of the word restoration to take a thing of a natural state and place it in an unnatural state, or to place it in a state opposite to its nature?

13 O, my son, this is not the case; but the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish - good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful.

14 Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again.

15 For that which we do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored; therefore, the word restoration more fully condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all."

I love this passage of scripture.  It hits home in all the right ways.  I love the plan that God has set forth in terms of how we should conduct our lives.  When Christ comes again, and after this earth-life is finished, we shall be resurrected and all things will be restored to their proper state.  Truly this restoration speaks concerning our hearts as well.  Our purpose in this life is to go through the refiner's fire and to show Christ and God who we really are.  To think that our hearts, the driving force behind our thoughts, choices, and actions, will change simply because Christ has come is a wonderful lie that Satan has spread among mankind.  If this were the case, then I would ask what the purpose of this life is?  We are not able to take any material possessions with us after we die, so what is it that we gain from this existence if we achieve a never-ending state of happiness and bliss regardless of what we do or who we become while we are mortal?

Should we not make every effort to ensure that everything we do is out of love? of charity? of improvement? If we do, then the results are made clear.  Those things which we do unto others will be reciprocated, or restored, unto us in the Lord's due time.

I look forward to the time when I can stand before my Lord, give an accounting of my choices made on earth and hear his loving words, "well done, thou good and faithful servant."  I pray that I will have the strength and focus-of-perspective to continue to make choices that lead me to that wonderful and joyous interaction.  I pray that when my actions and thoughts are restored unto me, that I will be able to smile and look my loved ones in the eyes with my head held high.

Mysteries

Alma 40:3&5

"...nevertheless, there are many mysteries which are kept, that no one knoweth them save God himself."

"...it mattereth not; for God knoweth all these things; and it sufficeth me to know that this is the case."

This chapter of Alma is packed with wonderful doctrine about the state of spirits after we die and before the resurrection, but I think that this snippet of the third and fifth verses is just as profound if not moreso.  Many people often get caught up in trying to know everything there is to know such as: Where precisely is Kolob? How old is the earth? and other questions of that nature.  What Alma is saying here is that, while he does reveal the answer to such a wonderful mystery in chapter 40, there are other mysteries about the true nature of things that man does not know, but God does. 

For a long time throughout the history of this world, there were even more mysteries that had not been revealed until recent times.  Mysteries that Alma, Nephi, Moses, and other prophets possibly did not fully understand (though, we do not know what the Lord revealed to them with the understanding that they would keep it sacred and private).  As the world needed answers and as His church grew, those answers were given through revelation to prophets (Amos 3:7).  Thankfully the Lord continues to give revelation to his followers (Hebrews 13:8) so that we can have the fullness of the gospel and that we can understand those things which we need to understand.

This brings me back to my original thought, that we understand only that which we need to understand.  We do not need to understand precisely how old the earth is in order to receive salvation and exaltation, so why should we worry about it?  The Lord has revealed unto man that which He has chosen to reveal, and we should be satisfied with that.  I personally am thankful for that which He has revealed unto us throughout the course of time, and especially over the past 180 years.  My faith has made me happier than I could have ever imagined, and I pray that I can prevent myself from worrying about trivial matters that have no bearing on my current existence.  I understand that God does know all things, that that is sufficient for me.

Examples

Alma 39:1&11

"...for behold, have ye not observed the steadiness of thy brother, his faithfulness, and his diligence in keeping the commandments of God? Behold, has he not set a good example for thee?"

"...Behold, O my son, how great iniquity ye brought upon the Zoramites; for when they saw your conduct they would not believe in my words."

As I read this chapter, it really puts the daily activities of life into perspective. Our Father has told us that we are accountable for the way in which we use our time in this life. Are we using that time to build up the kingdom of God? Or are we falling into the trap of apathy toward the impact our actions have on those we come into contact with?

There are two things in this chapter that jump out at me, which is why I selected portions from two verses. The first is that Alma rebuked Corianton for not seeing the example that his brother was setting for him in terms of how one should live. What impresses me about this statement from Alma is that he is essentially declaring that our actions set an example for those around us. If we are constantly surrounded by people who behave and act in a certain way, then we are influenced by the choices that our peers are making, for good or for bad. Whether or not our peers are intending to be an example unto us, they are.

Alma further drives the point home when he turns the conversation directly towards Corianton's actions amongst the Zoramites. Corianton represented something grander than himself during his ministry to the Zoramites, but as a result of his choices, the Zoramites were not able to believe in what was being taught because they were witnessing a contradiction to those teachings. Truly, actions do speak louder than words.

I often reflect upon my interactions with people and wonder if I truly am "practicing what I preach." I often wonder what example I am setting for those around me, realizing that whether I intend to or not, my actions do influence those who witness them, and whether they intend to be influenced by my actions or not, they are. Every interaction I have with those around me changes me and it changes them. That is such an awesome thought.

Am I doing my best to build up the kingdom of God in everything that I do and say? Am I living my life in such a way that I can tell my Father and my Savior that I used my time well while I had the opportunity to do so? Is my conscious at peace when I reflect upon the manner in which I interact with those whom I love as well as those with whom I simply coexist? Am I becoming who I want to be? Am I developing habits that I want to pass onto my children? If my children were to emulate my behaviors and choices, would I be proud of that or would I instruct them to "do as I say and not as I do?"