Personal Online Journal

Thursday, August 09, 2007

"Integrity of Heart"

I listened to Russell M. Nelson yesterday and this morning. It reminded me of my post yesterday. He suggested some questions you can use to prompt introspection.
What do you do when you make a mistake? (If you don't make mistakes, you must have died long ago.) Do you admit your error and apologize? Or do you deny it? Or do you blame others?
Like the experienced fisherman we must promptly repair our nets of integrity or the "sequential stress" will cause more and more tears. "If you tolerate a little sin today, you tolerate a little more tomorrow, and before long, a cord of integrity is broken."
Now please don't be discouraged or depressed by your shortcomings. No one is without weakness. That's part of the divine plan--to determine if you will master that weakness or let that weakness master you. Proper diagnosis is essential to proper treatment. The Lord gave us this remarkable assurance: "Because thou hast seen thy weakness, thou shalt be made strong" (D&C 135:5). But wishing for strength won't make it so. It takes faith and work to shore up a weakened cord of integrity.
He quoted Orson Pratt, "when the Lord saw the integrity of my heart and the anxiety of my mind--when He saw that I was willing to travel hundreds of miles for the sake of learning the principles of the truth, He gave me a testimony for myself". The Lord blesses me based on the manifestations of my faith. By what I do. It proves to Him that He can trust me with what He blesses me with. What am I willing to do to get the blessings the Lord is waiting to give me?

What are the blessings of integrity? "Integrity safeguards family love, and love makes family life rich and zestful--now and forever".

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