FAIR's Rising Generation

Posts Tagged ‘righteous desire’

“[T]here was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people” (4 Nephi 1:15). This verse highlights what I think is one of the best kept secrets on becoming Christlike.

Love is obviously important. Staying away from sin is important. We know if we love someone we would never want to hurt them, but when we think of the best ways to avoid sin, does love jump out as the first solution?

Sitting at lunch one day, a few missionaries and I thought of all the ways we could become better people. Our sins and weaknesses were blared at us, and we desperately wanted to change. Despite our best efforts, none of us felt like we were getting anywhere.

One of the Elders found a talk in an old Ensign which revealed to us our solution. It said, “…Christ’s ultimate defense was not his supreme will-power but simply that, nurtured by the Spirit, he had no desire for Satan’s grimy alternatives. He loves the things his Father loves. Thus, as his desires became deeds, those deeds reflected a spontaneous righteousness that came from the very depths of his being.”

That was the answer. If we change our desires to “love the things God loves” then our desire to sin vanishes. The author goes on to say how making this change is possible, taking advice from the prophet Mormon:

What I wanted was charity, which was “the pure love of Christ.” And I could receive it if I would “pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ.” And Mormon also included the promise I needed–”that ye may become the sons of God … that we may be purified even as he is pure” (Moro. 7:47–48; italics added).

We can’t overcome temptation through love on our own. We have to pray for it. Elder Bednar promises that with this intent in our prayers we will notice a difference in how we act. “[T]here are occasions where normally we would have a tendency to speak harshly, and we do not; or we might be inclined to anger, but we are not. We discern heavenly help and strength and humbly recognize answers to our prayer. Even in that moment of recognition, we offer a silent prayer of gratitude.” We will notice the change of our very natures to be more Christlike.

And as the final part of the process, Elder Bednar tells us:

At the end of our day, we kneel again and report back to our Father. We review the events of the day and express heartfelt thanks for the blessings and the help we received. We repent and, with the assistance of the Spirit of the Lord, identify ways we can do and become better tomorrow. Thus our evening prayer builds upon and is a continuation of our morning prayer. And our evening prayer also is a preparation for meaningful morning prayer.

Praying with “all the energy of heart” is a cycle of morning and night prayers with conscious actions to improve in between them. When we follow the cycle asking our hearts to be turned toward Christ, our prayers will be answered. I know this is true. I love being in control of my life, with no desire to follow temptations I used to have, because now I view them the way Christ views them and love the things God loves.

-references-
The talk mentioned in this blog was Dennis R. Peterson, “To Love the Things God Loves,” Tambuli, Mar 1981, 17 which can be accessed on the lds.org website here

Elder Bednar’s article comes from David A. Bednar, “Pray Always,” Ensign, Nov 2008, 41–44 found here

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