Moroni 6:8

"But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven."
Moroni 6:8


Sincerity counts for a lot it seems.  I was talking with a friend from work the other day at lunch, and he was asking me all about the church and how it differs from Catholicism, which he has studied.  One of the things that came up is whether we had to go to confession or not, and I explained to him some of the things that you had to confess to a bishop, etc.  He asked whether someone could just confess something and then go back and confess the same thing, week after week... And so we talked about church courts and how they work.  And I mentioned sincerity... that if a person was sincere, and really wanted to change, that that made a huge difference... basically what it is saying right here... that no matter how often we make mistakes... if we get to the point where we really are sorry for what we did, and we really do want to change, then it doesn't matter to God how often you have asked in the past... he will listen, and forgive.  Of course, on our side... probably the more you do something the harder it is to give up... the harder it is to be sincere.  That's why our individual conversion is so important.  We need to know, without a doubt, that the church is really where God wants us to be, that God knows what he is doing, that the scriptures contain God's instructions for us... and if we don't know that yet, then we need to find out.  How else can we be sincere?  About the church or any other option... unless we find out?  And of course... sincerity counts there too. :)  We have to ask God, with real intent, whether this is the right church... whether the Book of Mormon contains his word... and then listen and be prepared for the answer.  Sometimes the answers don't come until the sincerity comes... So, our task for today is to think about what we sincerely believe, and what we sincerely want... whether it is forgiveness or knowledge... and then ask for it. :)