What blessing am I receiving as I do my part to receive the blessings of Jesus Christ's perfect Atonement for me?
"10 Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;
11 For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.
12 And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance.
13 And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth!" (Doctrine and Covenants 18: 10-13)
"16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;
17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;
18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—
19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men." (Doctrine and Covenants 19: 16-19)
"3 Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—
4 Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;
5 Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life." (Doctrine and Covenants 45: 3-5)
"69 These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood.
70 These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical." (Doctrine and Covenants 76: 69-70)
"39 ¶ And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.
40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." (Luke 22: 39-44)
"7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1: 7)
"6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.
7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.
8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.
9 Wherefore, he is the firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved." (2 Nephi 2: 6-9)
"5 For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.
6 And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.
7 And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.
8 And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.
9 And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him.
10 And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men.
11 For behold, and also his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned.
12 But wo, wo unto him who knoweth that he rebelleth against God! For salvation cometh to none such except it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.
13 And the Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy, even as though he had already come among them.
17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.
18 For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent." (Mosiah 3: 5-13, 17-18)
"32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot." (Moroni 10: 32-33)
And here's the commentary entitled: "Jesus Christ accomplished a “perfect atonement” for me." :
"One way to focus on the Savior at Easter time is to study revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants that teach about His atoning sacrifice. Some can be found in Doctrine and Covenants 18:10–13; 19:16–19; 45:3–5; 76:69–70. Consider making a list of truths that you find in these verses. To deepen your study, you could add to your list by searching Luke 22:39–44; 1 John 1:7; 2 Nephi 2:6–9; Mosiah 3:5–13, 17–18; Moroni 10:32–33.
Here are some questions that could guide your study:
What is the Atonement of Jesus Christ?
Why did Jesus Christ choose to suffer and die for us?
What must I do to receive the blessings of His sacrifice?
How do I feel about Jesus Christ after reading these verses?
See also Guide to the Scriptures, “Atonement,” Gospel Library; “The Savior Suffers in Gethsemane” (video), Gospel Library."
The Atonement of Jesus Christ is His suffering and ultimately sacrificing His life for us, once and for all. It is infinite and eternal.
Jesus Christ chose to suffer and die for us because He loves us. Because of His love for us, He did what He did so that we don't have to suffer even as He did if we repent.
To receive the blessings of His sacrifice, I must continue to place my faith in Him, repent of my sins, keep my part of the covenants I have entered with Him, keep striving to do His will, and become more like Him. It's a lifelong pursuit, an ongoing process of transformation.
After reading the verses in today's reading assignment, I feel the love of my Savior for me, my family members, my friends, and everyone. I'm so grateful for His love. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to grow and become my better version as I strive to become more like my Savior. I'm so grateful for the peace and joy that I feel when I am aligned with His will. I'm so grateful for His perfect example. He pointed every step of the way so when I look unto Him I can know exactly what to do to be able to rise above the situations I would find myself in.
I'm so grateful for my growing love for others, as I feel the love of my Savior for me more than ever before. I'm so grateful to know that He is our ultimate Judge. I don't have to judge others. My job is to love them. It's the Lord who will judge them. He is perfect. A righteous judgment is definitely coming upon all of His children. So I am leaving it all up to Him to judge others. I'm focusing on getting better with the job I am left to do--loving others as Jesus loves me.
While reading the verses for today, I'm reminded how the Lord showed His love to some individuals. His words to the woman taken in adultery were gentle and caring: "Has no man condemned thee?...Neither do I condemn thee. Go, and sin no more." He showed love not just to the woman, but to those people who were condemning her. Instead of criticising those people..., He simply made them think and directed them on what action to take: "If there is anyone one of you has not committed a sin, cast the first stone at this woman."
He opened a conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well even though His own people (the Jews) wouldn't normally talk with the Samaritans. He gently led a meaningful discussion with the woman until she realized who she was talking to. He simply told the facts about what the woman had been involved in. No criticism. And through His interaction with this Samaritan woman, she discovered the truth herself and became so inspired that she forgot her initial purpose for coming to the well and eagerly went straight away, sharing to people the truth she had just discovered.
When I can love people as they are, and criticize and condemn less, I feel more peace and joy. I'm grateful for the training that I went through to become an Expert Coach. It's been helping me grow my love for people as I'm able to hold no judgment of others more now than ever before. Coaching business is the way to go for me indeed, because doing this business is making me more Christlike. The more I become Christlike, the more peaceful and joyful I feel.
The Lord is perfectly patient. He is the Judge, and yet Judgment Day is when He will judge us. And it makes sense because we all need time to learn, repent, and grow to become our better versions, reach our full potential as children of God. Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know this. Our Heavenly Father's plan is perfect indeed. It's perfectly organized. It shows how God loves His children perfectly. Our Savior's love reflected our Heavenly Father's love for each one of us. When we turn to Him more, we are filled with God's love more than ever before. And we feel peace and joy in this life, whatever circumstance we may find ourselves in.
No comments:
Post a Comment