Lesson 24: Alma Counsels his son Corianton


Who did Alma say could give Corianton good advice in making choices? (Alma. 39:10.) • How have your parents and family helped you make right decisio...

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Dare to do right! Dare to be true! Yo u h a v e a w o r k t h a t n o o t h e r c a n d o ; D o i t s o b r a v e l y, s o k i n d l y, s o w e l l , Angels will hasten the story to tell. Dare, dare, dare to do right; Dare, dare, dare to be true, Dare to be true, dare to be true.

Dare to do right! Dare to be true! O t h e r m e n ’s f a i l u r e s c a n n e v e r s a v e y o u . S t a n d b y y o u r c o n s c i e n c e , y o u r h o n o r, y o u r f a i t h ; S t a n d l i ke a h e r o a n d b a t t l e t i l l d e a t h . Words: George L. Taylor, b. 1835 Music: Arr. by A. C. Smyth, 1840–1909

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Imagine that you are alone on a raft in the middle of the ocean.



You discover that you must lighten your load because the raft is riding low in the water.



You must throw overboard all but two items of your supplies.



From the following list, choose the two items you will keep:

• • • • • • • •

Life jacket First aid kit Chest filled with gold

Fishing pole, fishing tackle, and bait Case of one dozen bottles of fresh water Two-way radio

Box of emergency flares Large can of shark repellent

• • •

Why did you pick those two items?

Your choices pose a dilemma. Making a choice would be difficult because you would not know what would happen in the future:

• • • • • • •



You may sink and need the life jacket You may become thirsty and need the water to drink

You may become hungry and need the fishing pole You may encounter sharks and need the repellent You may need the radio to seek help You may get hurt and need the firstaid kit You may need the flares for a nighttime rescue Or you may even get rescued in the next few hours and wish you had kept the treasure.

• •

In Life we have many difficult choices to make. Heavenly Father has given us commandments to help us.

This lesson is about making choices.

*

*Alma’s son Corianton had not kept

the commandments, and he had not been a faithful missionary while teaching the Zoramites. Alma 39:1– 3

*The

Zoramites would not believe Alma’s teachings because of the things Corianton did. Alma 39:11

*Alma told

Corianton that no one can hide his sins from God, that Corianton needed to repent. Alma 39:8–9

*Alma taught his son that everyone will be resurrected. The righteous will live with God, but the wicked will be cast out. Alma 40:1, 9–10, 25–26

*Now is the

time for people to repent and to serve God, Alma said. Alma 42:4

*Reminding Corianton that he had

been called to be a missionary, Alma told him to return to the Zoramites and preach repentance. Alma 42:31

*Alma and his sons continued to

teach the gospel to the people. They preached by the power of the priesthood. Alma 43:1–2

Discussion time



What kind of example had Corianton’s brother set for him? (Alma 39:1.)



Whom do you look to for a righteous example?



What righteous choices have they made?



Why did Alma say he was unhappy with Corianton? (Alma 39:2.)



What does it mean that Corianton did not give heed to his father’s words?



Corianton did not obey Alma.



Why do we need to obey our parents?



What does it mean to boast?

• •

To brag or put ourselves above others.

Why is it wrong to boast?

• •



Why did Alma say he was reminding Corianton of his sins? (Alma 39:7–9)



To “cross yourself in all these things” [verse 9] means to turn away from these evils.

Who knows of all our sins? (Alma 39:8.) How can feelings of guilt lead a person to repent?



Who did Alma say could give Corianton good advice in making choices? (Alma 39:10.)



How have your parents and family helped you make right decisions?



From what other sources can you receive righteous counsel?



How did Corianton’s unrighteous actions affect the Zoramites? (Alma 39:11)



What ways may our choices affect others?

• •

What are some of the choices you have to make?



How might the Holy Ghost help you know you have made a good decision?



Would any of you like to share experiences when the Holy Ghost has helped you make decisions?

How might the Holy Ghost help you know when you are doing something wrong?



What did Alma teach Corianton about repentance? (Alma 39:13.)



What do you think it means to “turn to the Lord with all your mind, might, and strength”?



Why should we apologize to those whom we have hurt by our wrong choices?



What was Alma’s counsel about seeking riches? (Alma 39:14.)



What happens to people when riches become the most important things in their lives?



What did Alma teach Corianton about the mission of Jesus Christ? (Alma 39:15.)



What was Corianton supposed to teach about? (Alma 39:16.)



What can we do to share the gospel with those around us?

* *The Second Article of Faith:

*"We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression." mp3

Enr. Act. 1

• •

We all have choices to make in Life. The consequences of our choices can affect other people.

Enr. Act. 2



What kind of choice do you think Jesus would want you to make with the following, and consider the consequences for the choices you make: • The language you use • Keeping the Sabbath day holy • The clothes you wear • Obeying your parents • The music you listen to • Stealing • The movies, videos, and television shows you watch • Telling the truth • The books and magazines you read Enr. Act. 2



mp3 Enr. Act. 4

President Spencer W. Kimball had a decision to make in this story. “I made up my mind while still a little boy that I would never break the Word of Wisdom. … I knew that when the Lord said it, it was pleasing unto him for men to abstain from all these destructive elements and that the thing I wanted to do was to please my Heavenly Father. And so I made up my mind firmly and solidly that I would never touch those harmful things. Having made up my mind fully and unequivocally, I found it not too difficult to keep the promise to myself and to my Heavenly Father” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1974, p. 127; or Ensign, May 1974, p. 88).



What choice did President Spencer W. Kimball make when he was young?



Once he made up his mind, do you think it was hard for him to follow the Word of Wisdom?



Do you obey the Word of Wisdom?



Is it hard for you?

Enr. Act. 4

* *We claim the privilege of

worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. mp3 Enr. Act. 6

*In that article of faith we see that each person is responsible for his or her choices.

*Why should we not try to force someone to believe the gospel?

*Why should we expect others to let us worship God as we desire?

Enr. Act. 6

• I want to testify to you,

that deciding to follow Jesus Christ will lead to making righteous choices and that this is the only way to find true happiness.

• By obeying the

commandments your lives will be happy and blessed.

THE END



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• •

The lesson and scripture story are from lds.org.



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