Bind My Wandering Heart To Thee

Throughout this semester of school I have been working on a "Becoming Project", which has essentially allowed me to choose three attributes of Christ that I would like to develop. I chose the attributes of gratitude, service, and charity (the pure love of Christ.) Because of this project I learned that the only way I can truly become more like my Savior is to center my life around Him, through daily personal prayer and scripture study. It takes real effort and half-hearted attempts at developing Christ-like qualities will not be fruitful. I learned that when I strive with a sincere heart and real intent to become more like Him, I will be given opportunities and I will feel impressions from the Spirit that invite me to change. I learned that if I follow those impressions and accept the invitations to change, then little by little, baby step after baby step, I will begin to recognize subtle changes and the desire to be more like Him will become stronger. Although the “Sunday School answers” of go to church, say your prayers, and read your scriptures often seem cliché or commonplace, they are in actuality, the very keys and principles that will help us develop into more Christ-like disciples.

Reading the scriptures daily, or almost daily if I'm being honest, has really helped me to keep Christ centered in my mind and in my daily life. Without consistent scripture study, I seem to slip into a pattern of putting into focus worldly things that are of no importance. The scriptures help me to stay on the straight and narrow path; they help me to remember my covenants; they help me to have a stronger desire to avoid evil; they help me recognize the temptations of the devil that are inevitable in my daily life; they help me to have the courage to resist evil and to stand up for good. Because of the work I have done with this project, I have a greater desire to serve the Lord, I have a stronger testimony of His love for me, and I have gained more awareness of my weaknesses and my reliance on my Savior for strength. I need Him to bind my wandering heart.

I think parts 2 and 3 of this project were the most successful for me because they were the areas that I needed the greatest improvement. Having a good attitude about service and having more charity towards my fellow man are areas that I have struggled with, and are qualities that I desire to develop. This project allowed me to focus daily on these things, and begin to feel real changes in becoming more cheerful in service and more charitable in my thoughts. During part 3 of this project, I was working on having more charity, especially to have more kind and generous thoughts about and towards a few key people in my life. This has been a subtle but powerful change for me and I am grateful that many of the once negative thoughts I have had towards these individuals, have now shifted to kinder, more patient thoughts. I still have more work to do, and I will continue to strive to be like the Savior who astounds me when I think of His ability to forgive and treat kindly those who hurt him, mocked him, even crucified him.

A 12-week project to develop these Christ-like attributes is not sufficient to overcome my natural man, my wandering heart. I know that I will constantly need to be striving to be more grateful, to serve more, and to have more charity. I will need a life full of gratitude, service, and charity and even then I will fall short. However, I know that the promise in Moroni 10:32 is real; if I will love God with all my might, mind and strength, then His grace will be sufficient enough to perfect even me. I believe this with all my heart.

One of my favorite hymns, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing", has the most powerful lyrics that are like a bullet straight to my heart. As an imperfect human, phrases like "wandering from the fold of God" and "how great a debtor I'm constrained to be!" illustrate so poignantly how in need I am of a Savior. Please watch and listen to this powerful video of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing this hymn. The choir member singing through his tears at 3:18 represents perfectly how I feel when I hear this song, and how I feel about my Savior's perfect love.♥

"Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood

O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee
Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above."

All Things Denote There is a God

This week we have been studying Alma 30-35 and of course, the highlight of this passage is the interaction between Alma and Korihor, the anti-Christ. I have loved reading, studying, and pondering Alma's responses to Korihor's stubborn beliefs that there is no Savior. There are two points in particular that have impressed me this week:

1. When Alma testifies of God and of Jesus Christ in verse 39, he teaches us how to respond to objectors in a way that invites the Spirit. "For behold, I say unto you, I know there is a God, and also that Christ shall come." Alma exemplifies sincere faith in the Savior and patterns for us the way in which we should testify. Our personal testimonies are a powerful way for us to share our beliefs without engaging in arguments or contention, and testimony invites the Spirit into the discussion. 
2. After Korihor asks Alma for a sign to convince him that there is a God, Alma speaks pure wisdom: "The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God, yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." Alma responds to Korihor's request with strong evidence, whereas Korihor cannot prove that there is no God. 

From the Book of Mormon Institute manual I found the following quote from Elder Gerald N. Lund: "When questioned, Korihor categorically denies that he believes there is a God. Alma then asks, 'What evidence have ye that there is no God , or that Christ cometh not? I say unto you that ye have none save it be your word only.' (Alma 30:40) "It is an inspired insight on Alma's part. Korihor is not consistent in his own thinking. If we truly can know only those things for which we have empirical evidence, then we cannot teach there is no God unless we have evidence for that belief. And Korihor has no evidence." Lund goes on to explain how Korihor would need to be a God himself in order to prove that God does not exist. He says "Therefore, in declaring there is no God, he is acting on 'faith', the very thing for which he so sharply derides the religious leaders!"

I love this video that teaches us the powerful lesson of faith and what happens when we ignore the warnings of our leaders.