God will dwell in peaceful hearts

each must make a safe place of his heart,
before so strange and wild a guest
as God approaches.
- Li-Young Lee

I really like this poem. It makes me picture God as if He were a wild, yet peaceful and curious, animal. With an animal like that we must first show it that we mean it no harm before it will approach us. Similarly, with God, we must make our heart a peaceful place where He can dwell. If we do that then He will come to us.

Source: Li-Young Lee's Nativity

Covenants bring strength

Turn with me to Mosiah 24:13. In this chapter we find that Amulon is persecuting Alma and his people. Verse 13, “And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.”

Please note that in verse 13, deliverance is focused in covenants. The beginning is covenants. Covenants and the associated ordinances properly performed in the authority of the priesthood, [please listen], open the door to the fullest possible range of the blessings of the atonement of Jesus Christ. In other words, you can’t have access to all of the blessings of the atonement of Christ unless we receive the ordinances of salvation and make the associated covenants. In the Doctrine and Covenants it says that in the ordinances of the priesthood, specifically the Melchizedek Priesthood, the power of godliness is made manifest. And without the ordinances of the priesthood the power of Godliness is not made manifest unto men in the flesh (D&C 84:20-21).

Well, what is the power of godliness? It is the full range of the blessings that come through the atonement of Jesus Christ. And without priesthood ordinances we cannot have access to those blessings. That’s why we find in verse 13 a focus on covenants. Verse 14, “And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders.” You’re not going to like the way this happens, because when we read that first line, Oh, good, the Lord is going to take it away from me, make things easy. No. “And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.”

Now watch this in verse 15, “And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.” Did the burden change? No. Did the people change? Yes. How did the people change? They were strengthened. And stronger people bearing the same burden felt the burden to be lighter. “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:30) It is necessary to pack a load, to bear a burden, in order to be strengthened. The atonement of Jesus Christ not only enables us to be cleansed from sin, but it can strengthen us to do hard things that in our own capacity we could never do. Some of you [may be thinking] "I don’t know if I can do this." Of course you can’t - alone. But in the strength of the Lord, with the help that He will bless you to receive, you can do anything in His strength. Great missionaries in the Book of Mormon said, I will not boast in my own strength, for I know that I am nothing. But I will boast of my God, for in His strength I can do all things (Alma 26:11-12).

Source: Elder Bednar, The Answer is the Doctrine

The answer is always the doctrine

These are notes from a devotional Elder Bednar gave at the MTC in Nov 2010.

Summary
Doctrine is truth, salvational truth, revealed from our Heavenly Father about our eternal progress. A principle is a guideline based on doctrine. And it is specifically intended so that we can righteously exercise our moral agency. Doctrine answers "why?", principle answers "what?", applications answer the question of "how?".

Doctrine
A doctrine almost always answers the question why?

A gospel doctrine is a truth. It is a truth revealed by Heavenly Father to His children here upon the earth. And that revealed truth pertains to our eternal progression. Doctrine is simple, doctrine is foundational, and doctrine is fundamental.

Doctrines are found in the scriptures. They are found in the teachings of the living apostles and prophets. You’ll hear it in General Conference. You find doctrines in the authorized proclamations and declarations that come from the First Presidency and the Twelve. And only the First Presidency and the President of the Church have the authority to definitively determine and declare the doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Principle
A principle almost always answers the question what?

A principle is a guideline based on doctrine for the righteous exercise of moral agency.

Application
Applications answer the question of how?

Applications are the actions and things that we do. We focus on applications because we like to think we’re in control. "I’m going to manage this; I’m going to make it happen." ... there is no lasting spiritual impact from simply manipulating applications.

Conclusion
So how do you improve behavior? In a yourself, an investigator, or a child?

The answer is always the doctrine. Not in gimmicky applications, but in the simple pure doctrine and principles of the doctrine of Jesus Christ. A statement from President Packer, “true doctrine understood changes attitudes and behavior.”

Understanding, in the scriptures, is linked to the heart. For example, in Mosiah 12:27, note the relationship between heart and understanding. This is Abinadi teaching, “ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise.” Wouldn’t you think that you would apply your mind to understanding? Certainly, but applying your mind to understanding is not enough. It’s a beginning, but it’s not enough. How does revelation come? Thoughts to the mind and feelings to the heart. Apply your heart to understanding. What is understanding? It’s the revealed result. When what we know in our head moves to our heart by the power of revelation, that’s the beginning of understanding. Understanding is what comes by the power of the Holy Ghost not because of the clarity of your explanation. You have to work to explain as clearly as you can, but the best explanation you ever give will never produce understanding in the mind of an investigator. Only the Holy Ghost can do that, and it will be in the heart and not in the mind.

Focusing on actions and behaviors will never change action and behavior in you, in me or in anybody else. The answer is the doctrine. The answer is always the doctrine.

Source: Elder Bednar, The Answer is the Doctrine