Day 143-Atonement Insights

Perhaps the most important thing we must emphasize in our attempt to “grow up” spiritually and come unto Christ is His infinite Atonement. President Howard W. Hunter explained that spiritual maturity is a direct result of understanding and applying the Atonement: “Spiritual maturity comes when we understand the Atonement. . . . When we come to the point where we understand the atoning sacrifice of the Master, we are approaching a spiritual maturity. I don’t think spiritual maturity ever comes to us until we understand the true significance of the atoning sacrifice of the Master by which he gave his life that we might have life everlasting. When we understand the principle, we realize this is the greatest of love—that the Master laid down his life for us, that the grave will not be the end, but that we will live again.” When we realize the priceless gift of love that the Savior offered through His Atonement, we experience a “mighty change” of heart (see Alma 5:12).

Day 142-Atonement Insights

President Kimball’s famous statement on scripture study emphasizes this important truth: “I find that when I get casual in my relationships with divinity and when it seems that no divine ear is listening and no divine voice is speaking, that I am far, far away. If I immerse myself in the scriptures the distance narrows and the spirituality returns.”

Day 141-Atonement Insights

As Elder Oaks mentioned, the ultimate motivation leading to righteousness is a pure love of Christ. Though we clearly must continue to emphasize righteous behavior, the best way to achieve our true potential is by developing a pure love for and faith in God. By focusing on God’s word and the Atonement of Jesus Christ, each of us will develop this pure love for and faith in God.

Day 140-Atonement Insights

Elder David A. Bednar has taught: “The issue is not going to church; rather, the issue is worshipping and renewing covenants as we attend church. The issue is not going to or through the temple; rather, the issue is having in our hearts the spirit, the covenants, and the ordinances of the Lord’s house. The issue is not going on a mission; rather, the issue is becoming a missionary and serving throughout our entire life with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength.”

Obedience to the laws of the gospel for the right reason will help us effectively apply the atonement in our lives and increase our spiritual capacity.

Day 139-Atonement Insights

Elder Richard G. Scott taught: “We are here on earth to gain experience we can obtain in no other way. We are given the opportunity to grow, to develop, and to gain spiritual maturity. To do that, we must learn to apply truth.”

As we apply the atonement on a daily basis, we can gain spiritual maturity as we apply this doctrine in our lives.

Day 138-Atonement Insights

Doctrine Changes Behavior Boyd K. Packer

True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the Gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. Preoccupation with unworthy behavior can lead to unworthy behavior. That is why we stress so forcefully the study of the doctrines of the Gospel. (Boyd K. Packer, CR, Oct. 1986, p. 20)

Day 137-Atonement Insights

Michael Goodman discussed how Laman and Lemuel had a difficult time with their relationship to God and understanding the atonement. He stated "according to the scriptural record, Laman and Lemuel never denied the reality of God. Unlike most mortals, they actually had angelic evidence of His existence. However, “they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them” (1 Nephi 2:12). They failed to understand the nature of their relationship with God and the nature of this probationary state. So even though God was a reality to Laman and Lemuel, he was largely irrelevant to them. They never drew upon His power to help them overcome their fallen state. They never progressed from a basic knowledge that God exists to having living faith in Him."

Day 136-Atonement Insights

Hugh Nibley wrote: “We cannot enjoy optional obedience to the law of God, or place our own limits on the law of sacrifice, or mitigate the charges of righteous conduct connected with the law of the gospel. We cannot be willing to sacrifice only that which is convenient to part with, and then expect a reward. The Atonement is everything; it is not to be had ‘on the cheap."

We must sacrifice to obtain the rewards of the atonement. We cannot maintain a relationship with God without sacrifice even if at times it is not convenient or comfortable. We must work ardently to achieve the blessings that God has for us.

Day 135-Atonement Insights

Deliverance: Only in God

“Are you struggling with some sin or weakness? It can be something as simple as not having the willpower to rise in the morning early enough to have time for scripture study and prayer. It can be something so powerful, such as Internet pornography or lack of moral self-control, that you feel you have been pulled down into an abyss and there is no hope for you. Do you find yourself hating what you are doing but not able to find the willpower to turn away from it? Then reach out and humble yourself. The Lord’s enabling power is sufficient to change your heart, to turn your life, to purge your soul. But you must make the first move, which is to humble yourself and realize that only in God can you find deliverance.”

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Be Strong in the Lord,” Ensign, July 2004, 12.