Day 89-Atonement Insights

Matthew 13:33¶Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto ^aleaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

As I was preparing bread this morning, I was thinking about this parable. It is amazing what yeast does and expands a small amount of dough to three times the size. The leavening reminded me of when we exercise our faith that we can be enlarged depending on our faith. Also, I am amazed of the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ and how it has spread to almost every nation, kindred, and tongue. The growth started with a young farm boy who had an enormous amount of faith who restored God's Kingdom on Earth.

Day 88-Atonement Insights

The parable of the sower (Luke 8:4-15) relates to how we receive the word of God. First, people who don't understand the word and throw it to the wayside (Luke 8:5). Second, people hear the word and don't allow to take root (Luke 8:6 stony places). Third, people hear the word but are distracted by the cares of the world (Luke 8:7 thorny places). Fourth, people hear the word, have faith, and do works of righteousness. (Luke 8:8 fertile ground). Most people probably have experienced a few of these obstacles with receiving the word of God. The amazing miracle is we can apply the atonement and repent if we fall in the first three categories, and we can eventually experience the fourth of sowing the seed on fertile ground. We can receive the word and produce works of rightousness according to our faith and talents.

Day 87-Atonement Insights

Matthew 9:17Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

I was thinking how this parable related to the atonement. It may relate to change and repentance. I thought of the quotes form Albert Einstein, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." If we want to change, we need to try new things and the old bottles may break and produce harmful results if we haven't completely accepted the new. When we accept the new, we repent and come unto Christ and are cleansed from our sins. We are preserved and renewed in Him. If we are still leaning towards our old ways but haven't completely accepted the new, the new and old may clash and the bottle can possible break. The new wine may represent Christ's Atonement and the bottle may represent us.

Day 86-Atonement Insights

D&C 10:67-69

67Behold, this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and ^acomethunto me, the same is my ^bchurch.

68Whosoever ^adeclareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is ^bagainst me; therefore he is not of my church.

69And now, behold, whosoever is of my church, and ^aendureth of my church to the end, him will I establish upon my ^brock, and the^cgates of hell shall not prevail against them.

We are not only saved through baptism alone, but it is through repentance and enduring to the end by taking the name of Christ. The scripture is not only talking to the LDS members, but all the good people of the earth. All of those people who are doing their best to follow Jesus Christ and repenting according to their knowledge.

Day 85-Atonement Insights

Brigham Young taught " The moment the atonement of the Savior is done away, that moment, at one sweep, the hopes of salvation entertained by the Christian world are destroyed, the foundation of their faith is taken away, and there is nothing left for them to stand upon." Without the atonement, there would be no hope for eternal salvation and we would be a lost and fallen people. It is only through the atonement of Jesus Christ that we may inherit the Kingdom of God.

Day 84-Atonement Insights

Joseph Smith said, “The Atonement is the most important single thing that has ever occurred in the entire history of created things; it is the rock [solid] foundation upon which the gospel and all other things rest. Indeed, all ‘things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it’ ” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976], p. 121; see also Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966], p. 60).

Day 83-Atonement Insights

"An attempt to master this doctrine requires an immersion of all our senses, all our feelings, and all our intellect...It must be felt, not just 'figured'; internalized, not just analyzed...The atonement of Jesus Christ is the most supernal, mind-expanding, passionate doctrine this world will ever know."

Tad Callister, The Infinite Atonement

I just started reading "The Infinite Atonement" by Tad Callister. Tad Callister has served as an Area of the Seventy. The book is excellent, and I highly suggest reading it. I have only read the first chapter and realize I have a long way to go to understanding the Atonement. I also am intellectualizing it more than feeling it. I decide to blog about the Atonement because I had a minimal understanding of this topic. Now, I realize that I not only have a minimal understanding, but I have minimal sense or feeling about the atonement. My goal is to start internalizing the atonement not merely just trying to understand it.

Day 82-Atonement Insights

"The gospel of the Savior is not simply about avoiding bad in our lives; it also is essentially about doing and becoming good. And the Atonement provides help for us to overcome and avoid bad and to do and become good. There is help from the Savior for the entire journey of life - from bad to good to better and to change our very nature."
- Elder David A. Bednar

The atonement is about being obedient to the commandments of God. It isn't only about repentance, but walking on the straight and narrow. We sometimes focus on the repentance aspect, but I think it is just as important to rejoice in the good such as resisting evil and choosing good. It is following principles of Jesus Christ on a daily basis such as scripture study, prayer, kindness, rendering service, etc.... This is also applying the atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Day 81-Atonement Insights

Elder Russell stated, "Scriptures teach us more about the word atonement. The Old Testament has many references to atonement, which called for animal sacrifice. Not any animal would do. Special considerations included:

• •

  the selection of a firstling of the flock, without blemish, ²²

• •

  the sacrifice of the animal’s life by the shedding of its blood, ²³

• •

  death of the animal without breaking a bone, and ²⁴

• •

  one animal could be sacrificed as a vicarious act for another. ²⁵

The Atonement of Christ fulfilled these prototypes of the Old Testament. He was the firstborn Lamb of God, without blemish. His sacrifice occurred by the shedding of blood. No bones of His body were broken—noteworthy in that both malefactors crucified with the Lord had their legs broken. ²⁶ And His was a vicarious sacrifice for others."

Russell M. Nelson, "The Atonement", Ensign, Nov. 1996, 33

Day 80-Atonement Insights

Alma 41:10Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, ^awickedness never was ^bhappiness.

As I was memorizing this scripture, I was reflecting on the happiness that I receive when I apply the atonement to my life and through Jesus Christ we can be restored from sin to our happy state. The scriptures mention, "blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God."(Mosiah 2:41)

Day 79-Atonement Insights

Jared W. Ludlow is an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University and compares electrical power to the power of the Atonement. He states, "the original source of the atoning power, comparable to the mighty water, is God. The powerhouse that transforms and transmits the electrical power is Jesus Christ, who was given the mission and ability from God to bring redemptive power to mankind. While it might not be as easy as flipping a switch, we can have access to this power in our homes or lives by paying the price of repentance and wisely using our agency to come unto Christ and be His disciples. Just as electrical power can do many things within our homes such as running appliances and machines, lighting up rooms, washing clothes, and giving heat, the power of the Atonement can perform many necessary functions within our lives". I like this analogy of electricity and flipping a switch. It is amazing of the power that as we flip the switch and we are filled with light. The scripture below comes to mind as we treat lightly things we have received such as the atonement and the scriptures, our minds and hearts will become darkened. I know moments in life when I have wrested the scriptures and prayer, my mind slowly darkens and it is only through the power of the atonement that I can feel the eminent light flow through my soul.

D&C 84:54-59

54And your ^aminds in times past have been ^bdarkened because of^cunbelief, and because you have treated ^dlightly the things you have received—

55Which ^avanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.

56And this condemnation resteth upon the children of ^aZion, even all.

57And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new ^acovenant, even the ^bBook of Mormon and the ^cformer commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to ^ddo according to that which I have written—

Day 78-Atonement Insights

In the Book of Mormon, Alma taught Zeezrom that “if thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed” (Alma 15:8). We likewise can be healed of tragedy, wounded hearts, misunderstanding, hatred, sins, frailties, prejudices—whatever afflicts us—if we believe and look to our Savior and His Atonement.

It is “the pleasing word of God . . . which healeth the wounded soul” (Jacob 2:8), and it is “with his stripes [that] we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5; Mosiah 14:5). This miraculous heavenly healing, Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi of the Seventy explains, is magnificent, profound, and beautiful.

Read “The Healer’s Art,” by Elder Kikuchi, in the March 2011 Ensign or Liahona.

As I read this article, I thought of the importance of faith in relation to the atonement. We can be healed through the atonement if we have faith. The healing only occurs through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. To have faith is to have confidence in something or someone or to hope for things which are not seen. Faith is a principle of action. It is interesting that both faith and the atonement require work. "Faith is dead without works"(James 2:20) and you can also state the atonement without works is dead. The doctrines of faith and atonement work hand in hand and one is not without the other.