A CALL TO RISE

 

Many of us are wondering how much more wicked does the world have to become before the Saviour makes His appearance. The thing is, it's not the state of the world that will determine that but the state of us, His people. Not until Zion can be established among us will the Saviour be able to come. And since the Lord works through us and He honours our free agency, our wickedness or righteousness can impede or accelerate His work (Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, p 258).

Section 105 of Doctrine and Covenants tells us that the early Saints failed to establish Zion and were driven from their inheritances in Missouri because they failed to comply with the order of consecration. In other words, their hearts were not right to live the principles of the Celestial Kingdom. Since Zion is THE PURE IN HEART, there is no Zion where there is no purity of heart. What does being pure in heart mean? Elder McConkie taught that living by the principles of the Celestial Kingdom means living by the law of the gospel because through it men are sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, thus becoming clean, pure, and spotless (Mormon Doctrine, p 117). But there is more....being pure in heart means having the pure love of Christ within you.

This is the pure love of Christ: It means having no motive for self-advancement. Think for a moment of the Saviour and what He volunteered to do. There was no self-advancement in His sacrifice, He didn't need it, He was already a God. We were the only ones who received advancement through His sacrifice. Until we come to the point where we can be selfless like He is and care about others as much as we care about ourselves, we will not be fit enough to live a Zion life in the Millenium. Zion cannot be redeemed, meaning we cannot expect to live there, until such a time as this and until this can happen, the Saviour cannot come. So you see it is up to us to make this happen.

It is time for us to stop worrying about the state of the world and start focusing on our state of being and on our worthiness. Now is the time for us, the House of Israel, to walk the path the Saviour has paved; to become as He is; to seek the purity of heart that He has; to become a Zion people. It is time for us to RISE.

I gave you my all;

My heart, my body, my soul,

Your salvation to ensure.

I paved the way and opened the gate,

Come and take my hand;

Eat and do not hunger,

Drink and do not thirst.

I am in your midst;

I am the only,

I am the last,

And I am the first.

• Cathryne Allen

(Art: Dr. Ashraf Fekry)