THE SACRED HEART

 

Jesus Christ With the Crown of Thorns by Edit Voros

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:31,32)

The original covenant of the Melchizedek Priesthood that ancient Israel rejected was replaced by the Aaronic Priesthood of the ‘preparatory gospel’ (see Exodus 19:5-24; D&C 84:23-27).  Having rejected the higher priesthood, the Lord caused ‘the law of carnal commandments’ to continue with the house of Aaron which included the Mosaic law’s outward performances and animal sacrifice (v 27). This Mosaic law was to point them to Christ who was to come in fulfillment of that covenant. It would seem that ancient Israel broke even that covenant with their idolatry which turned them away from preparation to meet their God.

I wondered what would make the new covenant more efficacious until I read the promise and noticed a word that intrigued me: “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel…..and I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their HEARTS….” The law of Moses was written on tablets of stone. The new covenant will be written in people’s hearts….and this will make all the difference.

Ancient Israel missed the spirit of the law when they followed the ‘carnal’ commandments written on the tablets of stone. The dictionary defines the word ‘carnal’ as: not spiritual, merely human, temporal, worldly.

It seems that when something resides in your heart, it becomes difficult to ignore because it becomes spiritual.  It is no more a commandment that needs to be followed by the letter of the law but rather the spirit of the law and the spirit makes all the difference. If you study the 630 Mosaic laws that the Jewish nation spun out of the Law of Moses and ended up following you will see what I mean. All those laws were of a physical nature.

Consider the function of the heart that does more than pump blood. I researched and found interesting definitions of it. Spiritually, the heart is the deep inner centre of your being where your true identity, emotions, and moral choices live. It represents the hidden part of you that goes deeper than surface thoughts or logic. It is where you decide your values, commitments, and the direction of your life. It acts as a bridge for empathy, compassion, and a higher power.

In the Christian view the heart is the dwelling place of God. It is the secret room where a person meets the divine. Jesus taught that both good intentions and evil actions spring from the heart. It includes your thoughts, your deep desires, and your everyday choices.

A heart set on the things of this temporal world will cause a man to act in ways detrimental to spiritual growth. Someone who lives by ‘carnal’ dictates covers his sins, gratifies his pride and vain ambitions and exercises unrighteous dominion over others (see D&C 121). Now consider how the state of the ‘heart’ influences people when it is set on the things of God: 

That person will act in ways beneficial to spiritual growth, including –

1.      Repenting of their sins;

2.      Humbling themselves;

3.      Seeking the kingdom of God first;

4.      Exercising love and charity toward others.

These actions cause-

1.      The heavens to draw near;

2.      The Spirit of the Lord to be near;

3.      An increase in power and authority.

The ‘new covenant’ is the gospel covenant that the Lord will renew with the gathered Israel through faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost and the Temple covenants. It is a renewal of His relationship with Israel through an inward change. As He puts His law in their minds and writes it in their hearts, they truly come to know Him and He forgives and remembers their sins no more. In reference to the new covenant, Paul called Jesus Christ “the mediator of a better covenant” (see Hebrews 8:6-13).

And it will all start with the ‘heart’……

It is also interesting to me that the Saviour died spilling crimson drops of blood that was pumped by His heart….a connection of sorts? Just food for thought….

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

YEARNING

 

Appreciate Each Moment by Greg Collins

My desire to bring Thee honour

Is as wide and deep as the river;

My wish to be holy,

As the waves of the sea.

 

My longing for Thy presence

Is like the thorn of a bloody rose;

Aching, I yearn

To be gathered home to Thee.

 

My quest for righteous deeds to be

As the shore’s innumerable sand;

To see Thee holding the affections of my heart

In the hollow of Thy hand.

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN 

THE HEIGHTS OF MERCY

 

I Would Gather Thee by Liz Lemon Swindle

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem...how often would I have gathered thy

children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens

under her wings, and ye would not!

(Matthew 23:37)

No other book of scripture highlights the mercy of Christ as does the Old Testament. Most people will challenge this thought saying that honour belongs to the New Testament due to the account of the Saviour’s Atonement.

The Old Testament is my book. It is the root of the covenant of God with His people. A covenant He has sworn He will never break (see Deuteronomy 4:31; Leviticus 26:44,46; Isaiah 49:15,16; 2 Kings 13:23). Over and over Jehovah worked with His prophets to preserve His people, to declare His undying love, and to make promises of restitution no matter how far they stray.

And stray they did and earned themselves the name of ‘backsliding Israel’ (Jeremiah 3:6,8,11,12,14,22; 31:22; 49:4; Hosea 4:16; 11:7; 14:4). Using the imagery of marriage, Israel became a ‘harlot’ who had betrayed her love for her husband, ‘upon every high mountain and under every green tree’….. (Jeremiah 3:6). For this unfaithfulness Israel paid a high price of bondage but even then only the promised mercy of her God will bring her back to His fold:

“For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.” ( Jeremiah 30:11).

And herein lies the lesson of futile idolatry for which Israel rejected the Holy One: “All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have [caused thee to be wounded] with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity…..” (Jeremiah 30:14b)

And then the sting of payment for their sin with a hope of healing : “…thy bruise is not incurable, although thy wounds are grievous. Is there none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up? Hast thou no healing medicine?.... Is thy sorrow incurable?” (JST Jeremiah 30:12,13,15)

 “….because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee….but all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity…For I WILL restore health unto thee, and I WILL heal thee of thy wounds…the whirlwind of the Lord shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked…..And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God” (Jeremiah 30:16,17,22,23)

When will this healing and restoration happen? Over two millennia after the promise….when the lessons have been learnt, the price for disobedience paid and a willingness to repent born…’when He has performed the intents of his heart….in the latter days when they shall fully understand this’ (v 23,24; see also 2 Nephi 25:8-11).

And this is the lesson that they need to understand….every disobedience carries with it consequences. Yes the mercy and deliverance will come but after many wars, captivity and sorrow…..the experience of consequences crucial towards repentance, a broken heart and a contrite spirit for the restorative power of mercy is only offered to the penitent (Alma 42:24,25). It’s something all of us need to remember.

There is a prevalent belief in Christendom today that Christ is all about love and mercy and that is true but this love and mercy is not freely given because no man can be saved in his sins. He can only be saved from them. If he was saved prematurely in them, without repentance, he would continue to sin and the mercy would be of no benefit.

The Kingdom of Judah proved that they were not ready for the Saviour’s mercy to deliver them from the dominance of their enemies. When he manifested himself to them in the flesh, they rejected him “because of their iniquities, and the hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness of their necks” and they crucified Him instead (2 Nephi 25:12,13). The  salvation was offered but the repentance was still in embryo, unborn…the lesson of bondage and the loss of freedom not yet fully learnt and so it continues to this day with the price of hatred, killing and wars.

Because they despised the Holy One of Israel they have wandered in the flesh and perished, and become a hiss and a byword and been hated among all nations…but He will remember His covenants which he made to their fathers when they no more turn their hearts against him (1 Nephi 19:14,15)

As Israel, we have trodden worldly paths

That have left us battered, scarred,

And parched in search of love.

Our lovers were many but

Our hearts were empty.

At long last

We embrace the love that lasts,

We prepare for the wedding feast

And abandon our treacherous past.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

A MORNING REFLECTION

 

His Light Saves Me On the Brink by Greg Olsen

As I awoke this morning, a question came into my awareness: what would I like to wake up to every morning? Immediately a barrage of rosy answers came to mind: a body without pain, no difficulties that need to be addressed, something nice to eat without guilt, something pleasant to look forward to, no retrospection, no self-judgment, no regrets, in short, a much better life than what I have. I knew deep down, what I wanted was peace and that peace could be obtained in a much shorter way – compliance to this world of opposites.

And this world of opposites is what I battle with each day. I have done so for most of my life. The tragedy lies in the difference of time. When I was in my young adult years, I could balance the down moments with single pleasures like the pages of the latest book I adored or an uplifting movie within my sights or a visit with a friend. I was full of idealism then. I knew that one day I would ride off into the sunset on a white steed with a man of my dreams. Today I re-assess my life a lot and wonder why I made the choices I made which have brought me to the difficulties I face each day. The idealism has evaporated into realism I struggle with.

A glimmer of delight amidst the gloom: when I awoke this morning, I was greeted with “Good morning” in the recesses of my mind. You will think I am crazy but I know that God spoke to me this morning. A simple hullo to greet the day I know is going to be far from perfection I would like. This hullo, however, is a reminder to me that I have earned the attention of Him who understands me like no one else does. I often feel judged and misunderstood by my peers. It’s part of my personality. It has made me recede into myself in this last part of my journey.  My greatest critic is myself….but God deems me worthy of a ‘good morning’ so today I am grateful for that…..

 

As the sun bursts through the morning light

It reveals You in the depths of my heart.

Gratitude overwhelms me

For Thy enduring patience

Of my inconsistent delight;

My erratic trust,

My feeble faith in Thy might.

I marvel You wait

In the shadow of my stubborn heart

And reach out to me in mercy

to fulfil Thy part.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

THE LONG SUFFERING OF GOD

 

Jesus Christ in the Light by Edit Voros

Perhaps equal to Jeremiah’s personal suffering at the hands of his enemies and tormentors was his burden of living amongst continual wickedness which was indescribable but people prospered and there was peace, until Jehovah saw fit to send Babylon....and the kingdom of Judah was devoured before Jeremiah’s eyes in 587 B.C.

What caught my eye one day as I was studying Jeremiah was this: Jeremiah became so oppressed by wickedness around him that he complained to the Lord and asked how much longer will he allow this wickedness to persist and the unrighteous to prosper (Jeremiah 12:1-4). It reminded me of Jonah who attempted to escape his calling to preach to wicked Nineveh. So incensed was he at their wickedness which surpassed any of the ancient world, that he felt they did not deserve a second chance, which he knew God’s mercy would afford them should they repent (Jonah 4:2).

In short, the wicked Nineveh did repent and was given almost 100 years more to prove their repentance. That repentance didn’t last. What it proved instead is that God is a God of long-suffering but long-suffering does not mean ‘never’. The destruction of Nineveh was colossal. We will visit that chapter when we study the book of Nahum. Nineveh and the destruction of the Assyrian empire is also a lesson in God’s justice. A huge lesson…..

Our world is getting insanely wicked. Many of us have wondered how much worse it has to get before the Saviour comes and puts an end to the madness. Like to Jeremiah, to some of us our present world seems unbearable. And here is where the similarity between Jeremiah's world and ours lies....the Lord replied to Jeremiah's impatience by asking him if he can't bear it whilst there was relative peace, how will he ever survive when things got worse (Jeremiah 12:1-4)? Like Jeremiah's world, our world will get worse....until He comes. And when He comes, it will not be pretty:

1.       Mountains will flow down at His presence (D&C 133:40; Micah 1:4)

2.       The waters on the earth will boil (D&C 133:41)

3.       All nations will tremble at His presence (D&C 133:42)

4.       The sun will hide, the moon will withhold its light, and the stars will be hurled from their places (D&C 133:49)

5.       The wicked will be burned by the brightness of fire of the glory of the Lord (Malachi 4:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 2:8)

It is now time to become people of valour so that we can endure whatever more is to come....and more will come until the Saviour deems we are ripe for destruction. Now more than ever we need to strengthen our faith in God to be able to endure the oppression, the persecution, the lack of freedoms, increased wickedness and injustice, all of which is coming our way.

In answer to Jeremiah's lament about the situation of his day, the Lord clearly shows how long-suffering He is in the midst of human corruption. It would seem He allows us to get to the utmost worst until the day of reckoning to give as many as possible the chance to repent and turn to Him. May we recognise and acknowledge His mercy, His patience, His love, His tolerance, His long-suffering and most importantly, His saving power trailing from the cross of Calvary, sealed with His hour of agony….

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

CHOICES

 

Wounded for our Transgressions #2 by Greg Collins

My life is a bag of choices I dare to make,

A dream of perfection eluding me still.

I grope in darkness

Hoping my choices are pleasing to Thee;

And when I leave this weak and mortal shell

And kneel on hallowed ground at Thy feet,

I will cry to Thee, my Lord and my God,

Forgive my reckless sins a thousand tears deep.

 

-      Cathryne Allen 

THE GATHERING

 

The Good Shepherd by Eva Koleva Timothy

The tragic dispersion of the House of Israel is also a message of love. It stands as a monument of God's infinite mercy towards His children and his undying love for even the vilest sinner who He longs to see return to Him. Even though the Kingdom of Judah got what it deserved, they are not forever abandoned for the Lord made them a promise through Jeremiah that He will visit them after seventy years of bondage and cause them to return to Jerusalem (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

This promise was fulfilled by Cyrus, the Great….the King of Persia, who conquered Babylon in 539 B.C., and inherited the exiled Jews. He was raised for such a purpose by Jehovah himself, who called him ‘my shepherd’ and ‘my anointed’ (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1-4).

The God of Israel worked with this man to ensure he fulfilled his purpose and this was it….not to free the captive Israel for the sake of freedom but to send them back to Jerusalem to build His temple (Isaiah 44:28).  Jehovah was calling His people to return to Him….it is in the temple that they would once again raise their right hand to the covenant they had forsaken and would receive a second chance (Isaiah 44:20).

That second chance didn’t last. The second temple was built and lasted until 70 A.D. when Titus, the Roman Emperor, sacked Jerusalem and dispersed Judah into all the nations of the earth. But before that tragedy, the Messiah himself appeared and prophesied of this fall in his Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:20-21). Yet another chance for salvation in vain. But Messiah’s mercy endures forever….

On 22 February 1879, Elder Wilford Woodruff, issued an epistle to the world and addressed himself to the dispersed of Judah in this dispensation:

“For the fulness of the Gentiles has come in, and the Lord has decreed that the Jews should be gathered from all the Gentile nations where they have been driven, into their own land, in fulfilment of the words of Moses their lawgiver. And this is the will of our great Eloheim, O house of Judah, and whenever you shall be called upon to perform this work, the God of Israel will help you.

“You have a great future and destiny before you and you cannot avoid fulfilling it; you are the royal chosen seed, and the God of your father’s house has kept you distinct as a nation for eighteen hundred years, under all the oppression of the whole Gentile world. You may not wait until you believe on Jesus of Nazareth, but when you meet with Shiloh your king, you will know him; your destiny is marked out, you cannot avoid it.

“It is true that after you return and gather your nation home, and rebuild your City and Temple, that the Gentiles may gather together their armies to go against you to battle, to take you a prey and to take you as a spoil, which they will do, for the words of your prophets must be fulfilled, but when this affliction comes, the living God, that led Moses through the wilderness, will deliver you, and your Shiloh will come and stand in your midst and will fight your battles; and you will know him, and the afflictions of the Jews will be at an end…..and all will be fulfilled, according to the sayings of Ezekiel, Zechariah, and other prophets. Though the heavens and the earth pass away, not one jot or tittle will fall unfulfilled.”  (in Matthias F. Cowley, Wilford Woodruff, pp 509-10)

The gathering of Israel has begun in earnest and the mighty promise by Ezekiel is being fulfilled. The fulfilment of this promise began when the Saviour saw His people with compassion ‘because they were as sheep not having a shepherd’ and He fed them with loaves and fishes in symbolism of their return to the mountains of Israel where they will be fed forevermore:

“For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

“And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

“I will feel them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel…..I will seek that which was lost and bring again that which was driven away….” (Ezekiel 34:11-16)

 

Compassion rent His godly heart

When He saw His scattered sheep,

Upon the high mountains of Israel

Running to His shelter,

His promise for Him to keep.

 

A promise He would honour

That His lost sheep He would find,

Upon the high mountains of Israel

That heartless shepherds left behind.

 

So His promise He valiantly fulfilled

As His sheep sat hungry on Bethsaida’s hill,

And fed upon the loaves and fishes

That multiplied upon His will.

 

(Mark 6:33-44)

 

-       CATHRYNE ALLEN