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.