The Pure In Heart

ZION!!
Its all about the heart
Definition of a Zion people are those who are pure in heart
Enoch’s people all changed through obedience and became a righteous people and then were part of Zion.

Zion is a state of being in us individually

Become of one heart and one mind with the Lord.

Hearts purified, justified and sanctified

D&C 97:21
Therefore, verily, thus saith the Lord, let Zion rejoice, for this is Zion—the pure in heart; therefore, let Zion rejoice, while all the wicked shall mourn.

Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Doctrine and Covenants 64:34
Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.

By President Spencer W. Kimball
Spencer W. Kimball, "Becoming the Pure in Heart", Ensign, Mar. 1985, 3

In the fifty-eighth section of the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord shares with us a glimpse of this Latter-day Zion:
“Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.
“For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand. …
“Behold, verily I say unto you, for this cause I have sent you—that you might be obedient, and that your hearts might be prepared to bear testimony of the things which are to come;
“And also that you might be honored in laying the foundation, and in bearing record of the land upon which the Zion of God shall stand; …
“And after that cometh the day of my power; then shall the poor, the lame, and the blind, and the deaf, come in unto the marriage of the Lamb, and partake of the supper of the Lord, prepared for the great day to come.
“Behold, I, the Lord, have spoken it.” (D&C 58:3–12.)

This day will come; it is our destiny to help bring it about! Doesn’t it motivate you to lengthen your stride and quicken your pace as you do your part in the great sanctifying work of the kingdom? It does me. It causes me to rejoice over the many opportunities for service and sacrifice afforded me and my family as we seek to do our part in establishing Zion.
In the earliest years of this dispensation the people faltered in attempting to live the full plan of Zion. Because of their transgressions, the Lord chastened them in these words:
“Behold, they have not learned to be obedient to the things which I required at their hands, but are full of all manner of evil, and do not impart of their substance, as becometh saints, to the poor and afflicted among them;
“And are not united according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom;
“And Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself.” (D&C 105:3–5.)
The Lord further counsels that we must learn obedience and be developed in character before he can redeem Zion. (See D&C 105:9–10.)
Creating Zion “commences in the heart of each person.” (Journal of Discourses, 9:283.)
Zion can be built up only among those who are the pure in heart—not a people torn by covetousness or greed, but a pure and selfless people, not a people who are pure in appearance, rather a people who are pure in heart. Zion is to be in the world and not of the world, not dulled by a sense of carnal security, nor paralyzed by materialism. No, Zion is not things of the lower, but of the higher order, things that exalt the mind and sanctify the heart.
Zion is “every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God.” (D&C 82:19.) As I understand these matters, Zion can be established only by those who are pure in heart, and who labor for Zion, for “the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish.” (2 Ne. 26:31.)


3 things to start changing in ourselves

First, we must eliminate the individual tendency to selfishness that snares the soul, shrinks the heart, and darkens the mind. President Marion G. Romney has referred to the tragic cycle of civilization, a cycle propelled by anyone who seeks for power and gain. Was it not this that led Cain to commit the first murder “for the sake of getting gain”? (Moses 5:50.) Is not this the spirit of the anti-Christ in which “every man prospered according to his genius, and … every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime”? (Alma 30:17.) Did not Nephi single this out as the spirit which led his generation to destruction?

Second, we must cooperate completely and work in harmony one with the other. There must be unanimity in our decisions and unity in our actions. After pleading with the Saints to “let every man esteem his brother as himself” (D&C 38:24), the Lord concludes his instructions on cooperation to a conference of the membership in these powerful words:
“Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.” (D&C 38:27.)


Third, we must sacrifice whatever is required by the Lord. We begin by offering a “broken heart and a contrite spirit.” We follow this by giving our best effort in our assigned fields of labor and in our callings. We learn our duty and execute it fully. Finally we consecrate our time, talents, and means as called upon by our file leaders and as prompted by the whisperings of the Spirit. In the Church, we can give expression to every ability, every righteous desire, every thoughtful impulse. Whether a volunteer, father, home teacher, bishop, or neighbor, whether a visiting teacher, mother, homemaker, or friend—there is ample opportunity to give our all. And as we give, we find that “sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven!” (Hymns, no. 147.) And in the end, we learn it was no sacrifice at all.

No one can change another’s heart. Debating, arguing, nagging for some one to make a better choice or see something different, never will produce a change that will last. It might only do something temporarily. To make that complete change of heart in another is a job that is only for the Lord. He is the only one who knows how they would learn the lessons they need to learn in the way they need to learn them, the words that need to be used. When we turn our family, our loved ones and those in this world over to the Lord, and put them in His hands, praying that they will have the experience they need to learn the lessons they need to learn, then hearts will begin to change.
What the focus first needs to be on, is changing our own hearts with the Lord. To give Him permission to make you into a new creature. Surrender to Him, and feel you heart change and fall into its proper place, where He intended it to be, and become the person He sees in you.
Give Him your weaknesses and work with Him to overcome them. When we allow this process to happen in our lives, when we give our lives to Him- those negative thoughts about others, the burden of judgment, the annoyance with others, and the pushing for others to be the way you think they should be, will be replaced with patience and love. You will see the world through different eyes. People are just people, inherently good, you will see the light and good that is in everyone- the highest form of discernment. People are not bad or good, they are just people. You will see that everything in your life is just either and opportunity or an experience to grow. You will not function from a reaction of the body but from a spiritual, in every situation, with patience. Surrender, repent daily and be humble, see your weaknesses and take them to the Lord. Become a new person in Him.