Throughout eternity, the prophets have encouraged us to not procrastinate the day of our repentance. We ought not put off such an important thing; we ought not decide to wait until tomorrow when we could more easily accomplish our task today.
As I studied Alma 34:30-41, as referenced in the lesson from President Kimball, I came again to recognize the importance of changing and improving our lives now, rather than later.
You most likely remember this section. Alma and his brethren have come to preach to the Zoramites, who have broken off from the Nephites and perverted the ways of the Lord. The worship God only on their holy day, by standing on a stand in the tabernacle and issuing identical prayers of gratitude that they are not led away like the Nephites to believe in the vain and foolish traditions of their fathers. Alma and several others come to persuade them to return to the fold. Only a few chapters earlier, Alma has preached about faith. And now it is Amulek’s turn.
When Amulek concludes his preaching, he urges them to not procrastinate their repentance. They have had several witnesses – including the scriptures – of the divinity of Christ and the truth of the words of the missionaries. Amulek then proceeds to discuss the need to repent now, rather than tomorrow.
“For behold,” he says, “this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of his life is the day for men to perform their labors.” (Alma 34:32) We are here, now, to prepare ourselves to come home. We are not here for physical pleasures or worldly concerns. Is it okay to have fun and enjoy ourselves? Yes! But we must be sure that we are not damaging or neglecting our spiritual growth in the process.
As I nosed about through several references, I came across a Conference talk by Henry B. Eyring (next on my list of talks to summarize, don’t fear!). He raised a number of wonderful points, but the one that most intrigued me was this: “our faith is weakened by delay.” That is, when we put off the process of repentance, the need for change, we slowly chisel away at our faith.
As we obey the Lord, our faith increases. But when we turn away from Him, even slightly, that faith not only ceases growing, it slowly decreases. We might have the greatest testimony of our Savior that ever was born – but if we neglect our prayer and scripture study, if we avoid our church meetings, if we turn away from opportunities to serve, that testimony will gradually give way under the strain of the world.
Not only that, but in not being ‘quick to observe’, we are actually losing opportunities to strengthen our testimonies. As we act as the Lord’s hands, as we keep the commandments He has given us, our spiritual oil is replenished. When we turn away from those opportunities, not only do we lose ground, we lose the chance to increase it. The spiritual power we feel in our lives is half of what it could have been if we but followed the teachings of the prophets.
Remember again that this does not just include ‘serious’ sins. Our sins may not require us to counsel with the bishop, but they are still sins, and justifying them in any way is a danger. We must constantly take stock of what we are doing wrong, or are not doing right, and what changes we need to be making. If none of us is perfect, then all of us have an opportunity to improve, and in so doing, grow closer to Christ.
The spirit we cultivate in our body today is the spirit we will take with us into eternity tomorrow. Ask yourself if this is the way you want to live and respond a few million years after your death, when you know of a surety of what your blessings ‘could have been’. Will the little things that keep you from changing be so important then?
Related Articles:
RS/EQ: Ye Ought ‘Not Procrastinate the Day of Your Repentance’
RS/EQ: Casually But Not Devoutly