"Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you."
Alma 5:33
The "he" here is of course God, and I really liked the idea of an invitation. I wonder what it would be like to go to the mailbox one day and have an engraved invitation from the Lord. :) And symbolically, we do... that's exactly what he is talking about. We're invited, individually and specifically, to join the Lord in heaven, to learn things that we can't even imagine now, to be happier than we've ever been... eternally. But instead of having to dress up for this party, or instead of having to donate to charity for a ticket, or bring something to the pot luck, or whatever other requirements different kinds of celebrations have, this invitation depends on repentance. Repent, and he'll be there at the door, waiting to let us in with a big grin on his face, so glad that we could make it.
Repentance isn't something horrible, like being forced to jump through these nine hoops and then walk on hot coals just so someone will let us in. It's not an arbitrary requirement. It's more like washing our clothes, or dressing appropriately. If we get to the front door and everyone else is dressed up, but we just came straight from digging a ditch and didn't even wash our hands, that doorkeeper might ask us to go wash up and change and then come back. Repentance cleans up our souls, makes them bright and shiny, and it helps us to feel more comfortable talking with God.
Today, let's work on repenting. Let's get those sins under control, and washed off of our souls. The longer we leave them there, the worse it gets, and the easier and more tempting it is going to be to walk away from God entirely. Let's stop ourselves now, while there is still time, and never abandon what we know to be right. It's hard, but infinitely worthwhile to repent. The reward is worth all of it. To get to hang out with God. To feel clean, free of guilt and pain. To know that we will get to learn and grow and live in a perfect society. :) Awesome stuff.
Alma 5:33
The "he" here is of course God, and I really liked the idea of an invitation. I wonder what it would be like to go to the mailbox one day and have an engraved invitation from the Lord. :) And symbolically, we do... that's exactly what he is talking about. We're invited, individually and specifically, to join the Lord in heaven, to learn things that we can't even imagine now, to be happier than we've ever been... eternally. But instead of having to dress up for this party, or instead of having to donate to charity for a ticket, or bring something to the pot luck, or whatever other requirements different kinds of celebrations have, this invitation depends on repentance. Repent, and he'll be there at the door, waiting to let us in with a big grin on his face, so glad that we could make it.
Repentance isn't something horrible, like being forced to jump through these nine hoops and then walk on hot coals just so someone will let us in. It's not an arbitrary requirement. It's more like washing our clothes, or dressing appropriately. If we get to the front door and everyone else is dressed up, but we just came straight from digging a ditch and didn't even wash our hands, that doorkeeper might ask us to go wash up and change and then come back. Repentance cleans up our souls, makes them bright and shiny, and it helps us to feel more comfortable talking with God.
Today, let's work on repenting. Let's get those sins under control, and washed off of our souls. The longer we leave them there, the worse it gets, and the easier and more tempting it is going to be to walk away from God entirely. Let's stop ourselves now, while there is still time, and never abandon what we know to be right. It's hard, but infinitely worthwhile to repent. The reward is worth all of it. To get to hang out with God. To feel clean, free of guilt and pain. To know that we will get to learn and grow and live in a perfect society. :) Awesome stuff.
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