Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity. . . For thy loving kindness is before mine eyes; and I have walked in truth. . . Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honor dwelleth.
This reminds me of two other scriptures:
Moroni 7:48
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he has bestowed upon all who are true followers of his son, Jesus Christ: that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope, that we may be purified as he is pure. Amen
D&C 121:45
Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distill upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
I believe we are way too hard on ourselves. I look around me and see the goodness of people everywhere! Sometimes those of us who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sains get so focused on trying to "become like God" that we only see the ways we are different from Him! It is so overwhelming that we come away feeling so very imperfect! Then we add a discussion about the need to be obedient and repent and we are depressed and worried about our eternal destiny.
The temple provides a better model for us. We don't have to be perfect to get a temple recommend. In fact, some of the deeper issues of our lives are never addressed. We are not asked particulars at all. We are allowed to be "imperfectly worthy".
I like that phrase - imperfectly worthy.
The temple provides a better model for us. We don't have to be perfect to get a temple recommend. In fact, some of the deeper issues of our lives are never addressed. We are not asked particulars at all. We are allowed to be "imperfectly worthy".
I like that phrase - imperfectly worthy.
Likewise we are "imperfectly worthy" of all the blessings the Lord has in store for us. If I look at my life and all the wonderful blessings the Lord has bestowed on me already, I can guarantee that it was not because I was deserving. He bestows gift upon gift, hoping that His constant love and goodness toward me will at sometime help me begin to see what He see in me.
Psalm 26 reflects a confidence, a sense that "I have been doing my best". I know few people who are not in that category. Human life is so very complicated. Most of us are truly doing the best we can with what we have been given. You cannot ask for more than that. I don't see the Gospel's main goal as inviting us to do and be "better". Rather it gives us the tools to deal with the brokenness that is a part of each of us; charity and forgiveness being at the top of that list. As we embrace those tools, we are transformed. As we experience the Lord's "lovingkindness" toward us, we are transformed. Eventually, we become that which we love.
Moroni 7 reminds us that with the Lord's help we shall find ourselves "like him" - happy in His presence. I love how it says we just need to sincerely, "with all the energy of heart", ask for His help and He will bestow upon us the love we need in order to be like Him. The Lord does so much more for us than we recognize. We focus on obedience and repentance and what WE need to do. Moroni is showing us that we need to rely on mercy and grace and what the LORD will do for us.
And then Doctrine and Covenants 121:48 says "Let thy bowels also be full of . . ." To me that means let your DESIRES, your HEART'S WISHES, be full of charity, virtue, kindness, etc. If we are trying, sincerely trying, no matter how imperfect our efforts may be, we may have confidence in the presence of God.
As Latter-day Saints we should be filled with Faith and Hope and Confidence. We should add Joy to that formula. When we are doing our best, living the commandments albeit imperfectly, serving others, "walking in truth", "loving the habitation of thy house"; in other words loving the Lord, his Gospel, everything about it, we should be filled with joy!
Psalm 26 reflects a confidence, a sense that "I have been doing my best". I know few people who are not in that category. Human life is so very complicated. Most of us are truly doing the best we can with what we have been given. You cannot ask for more than that. I don't see the Gospel's main goal as inviting us to do and be "better". Rather it gives us the tools to deal with the brokenness that is a part of each of us; charity and forgiveness being at the top of that list. As we embrace those tools, we are transformed. As we experience the Lord's "lovingkindness" toward us, we are transformed. Eventually, we become that which we love.
Moroni 7 reminds us that with the Lord's help we shall find ourselves "like him" - happy in His presence. I love how it says we just need to sincerely, "with all the energy of heart", ask for His help and He will bestow upon us the love we need in order to be like Him. The Lord does so much more for us than we recognize. We focus on obedience and repentance and what WE need to do. Moroni is showing us that we need to rely on mercy and grace and what the LORD will do for us.
And then Doctrine and Covenants 121:48 says "Let thy bowels also be full of . . ." To me that means let your DESIRES, your HEART'S WISHES, be full of charity, virtue, kindness, etc. If we are trying, sincerely trying, no matter how imperfect our efforts may be, we may have confidence in the presence of God.
As Latter-day Saints we should be filled with Faith and Hope and Confidence. We should add Joy to that formula. When we are doing our best, living the commandments albeit imperfectly, serving others, "walking in truth", "loving the habitation of thy house"; in other words loving the Lord, his Gospel, everything about it, we should be filled with joy!
Faith
Hope
Confidence
Joy
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Hymn #128. When Faith Endures
I will not doubt, I will not fear
God's love and strength are always near.
His promised gift helps me to find
And inner strength and peace of mind.
I give the Father willingly
My trust, my prayers, humility.
His Spirit guides, His love assures
That fear departs when faith endures.
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