by
H. Alan Smith
Mount Ayr, Iowa
The
Lord wants us to have a change of heart—not
a transplant but a change in the heart we already
have. He asks us to follow Him because we really
want to—not because we think we have to or
because we are afraid of what will happen to us
if we don't. It's only when we have the kind of
change of heart that makes us follow Him because
we want to that we can truly be obedient to His
will.
Through the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ has
tried to help us understand how important the change
of heart is. As He led His followers through a number
of commandments, He tried to get them to understand
that it wasn't just following the letter of the
law that was important. More important was making
a change in their hearts so they could look at the
commandments differently—so they weren't trying
to see just how close to the line they could get
without stepping over it, but they were trying to
do what God wanted them to do. Jesus talked about
people being actors; He called them hypocrites.
(According to the dictionary, the word hypocrite
comes from a Greek word meaning "actor.")
The
fifth and sixth chapters of Matthew contain commandments
that have to do with our relationship with each
other and our relationship with God—and how
important it is that we don't just act. We must
have proper motivations in our lives. Jesus doesn't
want us to do good works and help others so we receive
applause, the way an actor does for reading a line
well or for taking on somebody else"s part
well. We shouldn't do good works just so we can
have them on our r"sum" or so someone
will give us a scholarship because of something
nice we have done. The Lord wants the good works
that are an integral part of our lives and built
on a change of heart because we love Him so much
that it makes a difference in our lives.
He tells us not to do alms to be seen of men, or
we will receive no reward from our heavenly Father
(see Matthew 6:1-4). When we give alms, He says
not to sound a trumpet as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and the streets, that they may have glory
of men. "They have their reward" (Matthew
6:5). But when we do alms, let it be as if our left
hand does not know what our right hand is doing,
so our giving may be in secret. Our heavenly Father,
who sees in secret, will then reward us openly.
He doesn't want us to make a big production and
call attention to ourselves when we are trying to
do the things He asks us to do. If we do, we are
doing it more for the attention—more for what
other people will think about us—than for what
we really believe and what we are really trying
to do in our lives.
Jesus told us not to pray as the hypocrites, who
go out on the street corners so everyone will see
them and know that they are praying people. It is
not that we should not pray in public, but the purpose
is not so people will say, "What a good person
that is!" or "He was surely eloquent when
he prayed." Jesus asks us to communicate with
Him from the heart, and He promises to bless us
when we do.
Jesus told about fasting (see Matthew 6:17-18).
Some, He said, have sad countenances and disfigure
their faces so they appear unto men to be fasting.
"But when you fast," He said, "anoint
your head and wash your face, so you don't appear
to others to be fasting. Then your Father, who sees
in secret, will reward you openly." While fasting
should be a part of our spiritual life, it is not
to be done to show other people how good we are
or how much we are suffering. It is to bring us
to God and cause us to follow His commandments because
we love Him and want to—not because we have
to.
We must not lay up treasures upon the earth, where
moth and rust corrupt and thieves break through
and steal. But we should lay up treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust corrupt and where thieves
do not break through nor steal. "For where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also"
(Matthew 6:21).
Our response to the commandments of God is not so
other people will say, "How righteous that
person is!" Rather, they will know that we
are keeping the commandments and responding to the
things God wants us to do—and we are doing
it because we want to. The Scriptures tell
us over and over that what we do with our hearts
is very important. The Doctrine and Covenants defines
Zion as "the pure in heart" (Section 94:5c).
In Enoch's Zion the people were of one heart and
one mind, dwelling in righteousness, and having
no poor among them (Genesis 7:23 and Doctrine and
Covenants 36:2h-i). Both our intellect and our feelings
are important to God. When we truly become of one
heart and one mind together, we can qualify to be
a part of the Kingdom.
Paul told the Corinthians that some people glory
in appearance and not in the heart (see 2 Corinthians
5:12). They need help to find ways to do things
from the heart rather than just for the way they
appear. Paul tells us that the Word of God is the
discerner of the intents of our hearts (see Hebrews
4:12). We need to draw near to Him with our true
heart if we are going to serve and please Him (Hebrews
10:22).
"There is none else save God, that knowest
thy thoughts and the intents of thy heart"
(Doctrine and Covenants 6:7b).
Doctrine and Covenants 16:5 says that we should
take upon us the name of Christ with full purpose
of heart—not in word only, but in deed and
action as well. In other words, we need to have
a change of heart.
This change of heart can come in many ways. There
are many examples in the Scriptures of people having
a change of heart and the difference it made in
their lives. Esther needed to plead for the lives
of her family and her people before her husband,
the king. But if she went to him before he called
for her, she would be disobeying him—which
could mean her death. So Esther asked her people
to fast and pray with her for three days and three
nights. They were afraid of what the king would
do, but the king welcomed her—he had had a
change of heart. And when Esther told him the situation,
she saved the lives of her people.
Saul (Paul) was changed from an executioner of Christians
to someone who would die for Christ"s sake.
What a change of heart!
Jesus showed us that doing the right thing without
a change of heart can also be a problem. The rich
young man came to Jesus and wanted to know what
he lacked for eternal life. He said he had kept
all the commandments since he was a youth; he had
followed the letter of the law. In essence, Jesus
said, "You need a change of heart! Are you
willing to give up your riches to the poor and come
follow Me?" The young man went away sorrowful.
Even though he had done the right things, he had
not changed his heart. He didn't understand that
he needed to put his treasure in heaven and not
in the things he had on earth.
The Book of Mormon is a gold mine for teach ing
the concept of a change of heart. There is the story
of the Anti-Nephi-Lehis. Samuel the Lamanite prophesied
about a change of heart. Ammon also described the
change of heart in his experience with King Lamoni.
Alma told about the change of heart that came in
his life. King Benjamin talked about the change
of heart and the response needed from the people.
Alma, the son of Alma, is a wonderful example of
the change of heart that can come to our lives.
He had been struck down; and after the people fasted
for him two days and two nights, he came back to
consciousness. His first words were, "I have
repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the
Lord; behold, I am born of the Spirit" (Mosiah
11:186).
Alma reminded his people that their fathers had
been delivered from bondage. "Behold, he changed
their hearts; yea, he awaked them out of a deep
sleep, and they awoke unto God" (Alma 3:11).
Alma then told how Abinadi's words wrought a mighty
change in the heart of his father Alma. When Alma
preached the Word of God to the fathers, "a
mighty change was also wrought in their hearts;
and they humbled themselves, and put their trust
in the true and living God" (Alma 3:25). Then
Alma asked, "Have ye spiritually been born
of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances?
Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"
(Alma 3:27-29). We need to ask ourselves the same
questions.
After King Benjamin shared his testimony of the
message an angel had brought to him, he asked whether
the people believed his words. They responded, "We
know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit
of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty
change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no
more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually"
(Mosiah 3:3).
They testified that the Spirit had given them exceeding
great joy. "We are willing to enter into a
covenant with our God, to do his will, and to be
obedient to his commandments in all things that
he shall command us, all the remainder of our days"
(Mosiah 3:6). King Benjamin assured them that
because of the covenant they had made, they would
be called the children of Christ"for that day
Christ had spiritually begotten them, "For
ye say that your hearts are changed through faith
on his name; therefore, ye are born of him, and
have become his sons and his daughters" (Mosiah
3:9). "There is no other name given, whereby
salvation cometh" (Mosiah 3:11). For that reason
King Benjamin asked all who had made a covenant
with God to take the name of Christ and be obedient
unto the ends of their lives. He promised that whoever
would do this, would be found at the right hand
of God (see Mosiah 3:11-12).
Can any of us say that we are truly pure of heart?
that today"s Saints are of one heart and one
mind? That we are ready to have place in the Kingdom
of God? If we really want to be a part of the Kingdom,
we still have changes to make in our hearts. Let
us remember the covenant which we take upon us to
bear the name of Christ and to be obedient all the
days of our lives. If we are not already doing this
with full purpose of heart, let us begin today to
experience a change of heart that causes us to do
the will of God continually because we love Him
and want to serve Him.
"O ye that embark in the service of God, see
that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind,
and strength, that ye may stand blameless before
God at the last day" (Doctrine and Covenants
4:1b).
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