"For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God."
Hebrews 7:19
Even though "practice makes perfect" is way more well known, I like the idea here that hope makes us perfect. In Moroni 10:22 we're told that "despair cometh because of iniquity," which makes sense, but it also seems like kind of a death spiral, because despair makes us think that nothing matters and that we'll never be okay again. It's the hope that Christ gives us that encourages us to push forward and to change. The hope that with his help we can overcome all things, that things are indeed eventually going to be okay. Thus we could also say "we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair" (2 Corinthians 4:8).
Now, of course just because the law doesn't make things perfect doesn't mean that it is worthless, or that we shouldn't be obedient. That is also important, but it's sort of the letter vs spirit idea again. Obedience is the method... the way that God helps us to avoid temptation and to get to where we want to be... but we want that in the first place because of hope... because God makes it possible for us to get where we want to be. :)
Today, let's walk God's path and trust in his word, not because obedience and faith are the ultimate goals of our lives, but because they help us become who we want to be and lead us to God, who gives us that hope we need to move forward towards the happy ending. :)
Hebrews 7:19
Even though "practice makes perfect" is way more well known, I like the idea here that hope makes us perfect. In Moroni 10:22 we're told that "despair cometh because of iniquity," which makes sense, but it also seems like kind of a death spiral, because despair makes us think that nothing matters and that we'll never be okay again. It's the hope that Christ gives us that encourages us to push forward and to change. The hope that with his help we can overcome all things, that things are indeed eventually going to be okay. Thus we could also say "we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair" (2 Corinthians 4:8).
Now, of course just because the law doesn't make things perfect doesn't mean that it is worthless, or that we shouldn't be obedient. That is also important, but it's sort of the letter vs spirit idea again. Obedience is the method... the way that God helps us to avoid temptation and to get to where we want to be... but we want that in the first place because of hope... because God makes it possible for us to get where we want to be. :)
Today, let's walk God's path and trust in his word, not because obedience and faith are the ultimate goals of our lives, but because they help us become who we want to be and lead us to God, who gives us that hope we need to move forward towards the happy ending. :)
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