Moroni 10:3-4
¨Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.¨
So this is basically what we base our entire belief on, right? The fact that it´s not just that we feel good in the church, or that our parents taught us that it´s true, or that one time I read the Book of Mormon, so I think that it´s true, but that I prayed and asked God and He touched my heart in a way that I could never deny, no matter what anyone says, that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that Jesus is my Savior. But there is something a little more that is going on here. That is that someone will only recieve the answer if they have real intent.
What is real intent? A desire to know? I think that it´s a little more.
It´s the conviction to act according to the answer that we get. There is something that I´ve realized: that everything in the life that I do, should be done with real intent. None of this half-hearted, lazy anything. If I´m going to talk to somebody in the street, I´ve got to do it from the heart. If I´m going to study, I´ve got to do it from the heart. If I´m going to share my testimony, I´ve got to do it from the heart.
Could you imagine how the world would change if everyone did everything from the heart? With the full intention to complete to all the extent possible what should be done?
I think that´s the problem even with people who are baptized members of the church. We keep the commandments and go to church, but without real intent. It´s a half-hearted custom or tradition that keeps us from truely repenting and progression. Because that´s what it´s really all about. Changing. So do a self-evaluation, and think for a minute. Why do you go to church in the first place? To learn? If that´s the reason, are you learning? Why do you pray at night? To talk to God? Well, are you really talking to Him? Or just giving a list of blessings that you´re in need of? Why do you take the sacrement every week? To repent? So, are you repenting? Or just hitting your chest and saying, well, I´ve heard that no one is perfect, so that must mean that I´m not perfect either, so I should repent, I just don´t know what I should repent of...
This is what I´ve decided to do. To live from the heart and do things because it feels good, not because someone told me to do it.
God lives. I know it.
Love. Love. Love.
Hermana Cooper
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