Friday, March 26, 2010

Full Purpose of Heart, and Real Intent

Elder DallinH. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve:

“If a person performs a seemingly righteous act but does so for the wrong reasons, such as to achieve a selfish purpose, his hands may be clean but his heart is not ‘pure.’ His act will not be counted for righteousness....

“We must not only do what is right. We must act for the right reasons. The modern term is good motive. The scriptures often signify this appropriate mental attitude with the words full purpose of heart or real intent.

“The scriptures make clear that God understands our motives and will judge our actions accordingly” ( Pure in Heart [1988], 13, 15).

Matthew 6:1

"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven."


Bishop RobertD. Hales, who was then Presiding Bishop of the Church:

“We must examine our motives. A good check and balance in decision making is to look at our motives for making our decisions. We should ask ourselves, ‘Are my motives selfish, or is there charity in the decision I am about to make? Is this decision in keeping with the commandments, both in the spirit and the letter of the law? Is my decision basically right, honorable, and compatible with the golden rule? Have I considered the impact of my decision on others?’

“‘Let all your [decisions] be done with charity’ ( 1Corinthians 16:14 ).

“Beware of fear and greed. Be aware of your true motives” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1988, 12; or Ensign, Nov. 1988, 11 ).




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