Set Aside Self-Centered Pursuits

 

Aligning Our Will with His

By Elder Ulisses Soares

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

On a certain occasion, the Savior spoke of a merchant man who was searching for “goodly pearls.” During the merchant man’s search, he found one “of great price.” However, in order to acquire the magnificent pearl, this man had to sell all his possessions, which he promptly and joyfully did.

Through this short and thoughtful parable, the Savior beautifully taught that the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a priceless pearl, truly the most precious treasure that should be desired over all else. The fact that the merchant instantly sold all his possessions to obtain that valuable pearl clearly indicates that we should align our mind and desires with the will of the Lord and willingly do everything we can during our mortal journey to attain the eternal blessings of God’s kingdom.

To be worthy of this great reward, we certainly need, among other things, to give our best effort to set aside all self-centered pursuits and abandon any entanglement that holds us back from full commitment to the Lord and His higher and holier ways. The Apostle Paul refers to these sanctifying pursuits as “hav[ing] the mind of Christ.” As exemplified by Jesus Christ, this means “[doing] always those things that please [the Lord]” in our lives, or as some people say nowadays, this is “doing what works for the Lord.”...

My dear friends, when we choose to let God be the most powerful influence in our life over our self-serving pursuits, we can make progress in our discipleship and increase our capacity to unite our mind and heart with the Savior. On the other hand, when we don’t allow God’s way to prevail in our life, we are left to ourselves, and without the Lord’s inspiring guidance, we can justify almost anything we do or don’t do. We can also make excuses for ourselves by doing things our own way, saying in effect, “I am just doing things my way.”...

One of the most glorious moments of mortality occurs when we discover the joy that comes when doing always those things that “work for and please the Lord” and “what works for us” become one and the same! To decisively and unquestioningly make the Lord’s will our own requires majestic and heroic discipleship! At that sublime moment, we become consecrated to the Lord, and we totally yield our wills to Him. Such spiritual submissiveness, so to speak, is beautiful, powerful, and transformational.