Alma 22

A CHANGE OF HEART

When King Lamoni's father and Ammon were on the roadside, King Lamoni's father promised Ammon half of his kingdom if Ammon would only spare his life. Because Ammon was not interested in riches, but rather loved King Lamoni--King Lamoni's father began to have a change of heart. When Aaron taught King Lamoni's father the Gospel he said, "What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou has spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy." The king had had a change of heart. He was now willing to give up his entire kingdom for the joy of eternal life. 

This story has always intrigued me. I have often put myself in this king's shoes and asked myself if I was willing to give up all my riches? And then I think of my own life, and I wonder--what riches/things are holding me back from being completely committed to God? I think of the rich young lawyer in the Savior's time who asked a similar question; however, had a different response--he loved his riches more than he loved God. I have often evaluated my own heart and have determined within myself that I too--want eternal life beyond anything this world has to offer. However, I also understand that in order for my heart to continue with this desire, I must continue on God's pathway. Satan is conniving, and he is good at guiding our hearts to desire "things" rather than eternal life--especially when eternal life seems so far away. I can't desire eternal life, and then do nothing--if I do this, my heart will wander. 

And what if it was not just riches holding me back, but what if there was also sin?King Lamoni's father again teaches us a lesson about spiritual preparedness in verse 18 when he states, "I will give away all my sins to know thee". President Ezra Taft Benson notes that "each of us must surrender our sins if we are to really know Christ. For we do not know Him until we become like Him. There are some. like this king, who must pray until they, too, have 'a wicked spirit rooted' from them so they can find the same joy" (Conference Report, October 1983, 63). In a few chapters, these people will bury their weapons of war. This act of "burying" their weapons is symbolic of us "burying" our sins. Am I holding on to a sin? Is there something in my life that needs to be removed so that I may know Christ? This journey to eternal life is a continual process. I truly believe that as we keep our hearts aligned with the things that matter most--we will continue on the pathway to eternal life, our hearts will continue to change, and we will continue giving up the sins that are holding us back. Each and every one of us have sins that keep us from God--its what we do about it that makes the difference. Do we use Christ's atonement to cleanse ourselves daily? If not, our hearts aren't fully committed.