BYU Speeches, ‘Disciples of Jesus Christ—Defenders of Marriage’, August 14, 2014 “The noblest yearning of the human heart is for a marriage that will endure beyond death.” — Russell Nelson
Ezra 7:10 “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.”
Psalm 42:1-2 “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”
1 Peter 2:1-2 “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby”.
In the heart of a true believer is the desire to live forever in the presence of God, that being Jesus Christ. As the hymn goes, our heart is fixed on nothing less than Jesus ——
My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.Refrain:
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.
If we’re not hoping to see Jesus, why would one hope to go to heaven? Wouldn’t the most noble hope one could have is to be with God?
In order for us to see Him, we must live for Him while here on earth. Ezra’s life is a good example to follow – he sought to teach others about God, and His ways. The life of a Christian is to focus outward, not inward.
Pray for Jesus to intervene in the thought life of LDS members, and for members to think about where Jesus will be in heaven!
With Love in Christ;
Michelle
Pres Nelson saying that marriage is the number one noble thing that a person should have in their heart, totally goes against all biblical scripture. The number one thing a person should desire in their heart, is a relationship with God. Once you have the Holy Spirit abiding in you, God will direct the paths of your life (Read Psalm 138). Also, in regard to marriage, the Lord tells us in 1 Corinthians 7:27,32,33,34), that unmarried people have more time for the things of the Lord. A married person has less time for the things of the Lord , because they are taking care of their families. The Lord said in 1 Corinthians 7:38), that the married person doeth well, but the unmarried person, doeth even better.
The churches emphasis on marriage is, I believe, simply a way of bringing more Mormon kids into the world. More members, more tithe money, more temples, shopping malls and game preserves.