To Have Claim on Mercy

Alma teaches the people more about the plan of salvation, or as he calls it, the plan of redemption. He tells them that from the beginning when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit, God gave them commandments and explained to them the plan of redemption. As part of this, God said "...If ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son;" (Alma 12:33)

Alma then says:

"Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest." (Alma 12:34)

The phrase that really jumped out at me was "have claim on mercy". That phrase, to me, evokes the idea of having a right to mercy, really stating that it's a sure thing. I believe this is the exact sentiment that Alma was trying to convey here. He's just saying that in just the previous verse, that's what God said. If you repent and don't harden your heart, I will have mercy upon you. God is perfect. He can't lie. I think if we're going to be able to count on anyone's promises, it would be a promise from God.

I know that certainly I can be doing better at these things. Repenting of specific things as they happen, as well as almost taking stock at the end of the day to review my actions and repent of those things that I realize looking bad that I haven't repented of yet. As for not hardening my heart, I think that really happens in 2 ways. First would be an outright decision to not allow things to affect my heart. This seems like a more conscious decision. The other kind of hardening of my heart kind of seems like a hardening caused by a lack of use, or something like that. If we don't constantly work to receive revelation from our Heavenly Father, and feel of His Spirit, and constantly work at making ourselves teachable and malleable, it becomes hardened. This kind of hardening happens due to complacency and/or neglect rather than an active decision. But the results are the same: a hard heart.

My final thoughts in this post echo Alma's final thoughts of the same chapter:

"And now, my brethren, seeing we know these things, and they are true, let us repent, and harden not our hearts, that we provoke not the Lord our God to pull down his wrath upon us in these his second commandments which he has given unto us; but let us enter into the rest of God, which is prepared according to his word." (Alma 12:37)