Humble yourselves before God – Alma 13:13 – Come, Follow Me Ponderize and Commentary
And now, my brethren, I would that ye should humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit meet for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest.
This whole chapter of Alma 13 is simply amazing. There is just so much goodness and deep doctrine contained in these verses, that we could write chapters on it. Today, we will only scratch the surface, but ultimately I believe that this verse contains some of the biggest key factors to unlocking the whole chapter.
The first key, is to “humble yourselves before God.” This is the first key because everything else hinges from this. Humility or being humble, is the opposite of pride.
Ezra Taft Benson said, “Essentially, pride is a “my will” rather than “thy will” approach to life. The opposite of pride is humbleness, meekness, submissiveness (see Alma 13:28) or teachableness.”
Oxford Dictionary defines humble as:
- having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance.
- (of an action or thought) offered with or affected by a modest estimate of one’s own importance.
- of low social, administrative, or political rank.
- (of a thing) of modest pretensions or dimensions.
Humility is not just lip service, merely saying one thing, while feeling differently in our hearts. For example, one may act respectful and obedient in front of their manager, and yet feel differently in their heart and even act differently when their manager is not present. This is not humility, for one to be humble, the same respectful and obedient heart and actions would prevail regardless of whether their manager was around or not. Humility is a state of being.
Likewise pride is pride, regardless of how one might package it or dress it up. We must be very careful not to justify our beliefs and actions based on the wisdom of the world, ignorantly confining God into parameters that are set forth by man. Luckily, the great Abraham of old, was humble and did not confine God into any worldly parameters when he was commanded to sacrifice his son, Isaac. He understood and lived these teachings from the Lord:
Isaiah 55:8–9
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
This type of humility leads us to the next key which is to “bring forth fruit meet for repentance.”
The wording is just amazing. Our fruit is the consequence, result, or product of our thoughts, desires, and actions. “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). I also found it interesting to compare fruit to meekness. In plants and humans, fruit is something that is produced and given to others for their benefit and enjoyment. Similarly, meekness is our attitude towards others, while humility is our state of being or attitude toward ourself. Both fruit and meekness are an outward representation of what is inside and is intended for the benefit and enjoyment of others. So, we first humble ourselves before God, then we start to produce the fruit of meekness. This meekness is vital to our repentance because as we repent we will have to be meek towards all those we have hurt or offended, and most importantly toward God. With humility and meekness working together, they initially provide the breeding ground for godly sorrow, and then they allow us to be shaped and molded into so much more.
Bruce R. McConkie wrote this:
“Few virtues have such inherent worth as meekness, for the meek are the godfearing and the righteous. They are the ones who willingly conform to the gospel standards, thus submitting their wills to the will of the Lord. They are not the fearful, the spiritless, the timid. Rather, the most forceful, dynamic personality who ever lived – He who drove the money changers from the temple, and with violence threw down their merchandising equipment (Matt. 21:12-13) – said of Himself, “I am meek and lowly in heart.” (Matt. 11:29.)
“Meekness is a fruit of the Spirit. (Gal. 5:23.) The Lord has said that his grace is sufficient for the meek in this life (Ether 12:26), and that in eternity they shall have an inheritance in the celestial kingdom. (Ps. 149:4.)”
As we strive to be humble, meek, and repent fully, God in turn shapes, molds, and begins to prepare us for the final key, “that [we] may also enter into that rest.”
What is this rest that is spoken of? It is having an inheritance in the celestial kingdom. This can be given to us in the next life or if we do not delay, but are obedient and diligent, we can receive it here in this life. This is called having one’s calling and election made sure and receiving the Second Comforter.
Joseph Smith explains this process so well, in these words:
The other Comforter spoken of is a subject of great interest, and perhaps understood by few of this generation. After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John, in the 14th chapter, from the 12th to the 27th verses.
If we will but order our lives to qualify for this rest, here and now, oh, what a glorious testimony we will bare. Oh, what great peace we will bring into countless lives. Oh, what miracles we will perform in His name. And oh, what power we will yield as we are instruments in His hands as we bring His children unto Him with power and glory.
Craig
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