"And according to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you that this is all true."
Alma 5:12
This whole chapter is amazing, but today I wanted to call out this verse just because the whole idea of a mighty change in our hearts is huge. ... And I think it is exactly opposite from what the world says, and we sometimes believe.
When our own desires clash with outside forces, we often hear "follow your heart" and "love conquers all" and even quotations of scripture about "the truth will make you free" ... and we can all see merit in these statements, but too often the way they are used is twisted out of true alignment with God and his purposes.
If we have the Holy Ghost whispering to our hearts, then we should follow that guidance, but in general, he absolutely does not want us to value our own desires over his will. His love might conquer all, but our love, sometimes badly chosen and inappropriate, does not conquer all, especially the consequences of broken relationships and lost faith. And the truth will make us free, but it isn't the "fake news" of valuing our own desires over God's will rather than learning to bridle our passions and overcome our own unrighteous desires.
Instead, God asks us to not only change our actions, but also our hearts. Instead of just following the rules because we fear consequences or punishment, God wants us to truly understand, believe, and even love the idea of doing the right thing. ... And that takes a lot of work, because the natural man isn't aligned with God... none of us are to begin with. So we work at it, changing behavior, changing thoughts, changing hearts... until we start to get it, and we think, and feel, and behave as people in a Zion community would... as heavenly people would. As saints would. :)
Today, let's commit not only to behavioral changes as we accept God into our lives, but also to changes deeper within as well. God is leading us to everything good, but it takes more than shallow dedication to follow him. The Lord "requireth the heart" (D&C 64:34).
Alma 5:12
This whole chapter is amazing, but today I wanted to call out this verse just because the whole idea of a mighty change in our hearts is huge. ... And I think it is exactly opposite from what the world says, and we sometimes believe.
When our own desires clash with outside forces, we often hear "follow your heart" and "love conquers all" and even quotations of scripture about "the truth will make you free" ... and we can all see merit in these statements, but too often the way they are used is twisted out of true alignment with God and his purposes.
If we have the Holy Ghost whispering to our hearts, then we should follow that guidance, but in general, he absolutely does not want us to value our own desires over his will. His love might conquer all, but our love, sometimes badly chosen and inappropriate, does not conquer all, especially the consequences of broken relationships and lost faith. And the truth will make us free, but it isn't the "fake news" of valuing our own desires over God's will rather than learning to bridle our passions and overcome our own unrighteous desires.
Instead, God asks us to not only change our actions, but also our hearts. Instead of just following the rules because we fear consequences or punishment, God wants us to truly understand, believe, and even love the idea of doing the right thing. ... And that takes a lot of work, because the natural man isn't aligned with God... none of us are to begin with. So we work at it, changing behavior, changing thoughts, changing hearts... until we start to get it, and we think, and feel, and behave as people in a Zion community would... as heavenly people would. As saints would. :)
Today, let's commit not only to behavioral changes as we accept God into our lives, but also to changes deeper within as well. God is leading us to everything good, but it takes more than shallow dedication to follow him. The Lord "requireth the heart" (D&C 64:34).
No comments:
Post a Comment