I’m listening to this talk, The Miracle of the Atonement, on the internet as I write down my thoughts.
The speaker, Elder C. Scott Grow, is talking about a brother who fell into addiction. He was out of the Church for 12 years. After repenting, he came back to the Church, was married, and had two children. He recently passed away in his sleep.
The Atonement is accessible to all of us through repentance.
The Messiah came to redeem men from the Fall of Adam. The Atoning sacrifice had to be carried out by the sinless Son of God. Through His suffering and death, He atoned for the sins of all men and women.
Christ made His soul and offering for sin. He suffered even more than man can suffer. So great was His anguish for the wickedness and abominations of His people.
He did all this that He may know how to succor His people. He felt the anguish of sin and of sorrow. He heals not only the transgressor, but also heals the innocent who suffer from those transgressions. As the innocent strive to forgive, He will be there to help.
The Atonement is available to everyone all the time. Jesus Christ invites all of us to repent so we won’t have to suffer the full weight of our sins. “…that they might not suffer if they would repent.”
The Savior offers healing to those who are suffering from sin. He is the great healer of our souls. There is no sin or transgression that is outside the healing power of the Atonement (minus denying the Holy Ghost).
Immerse yourself in prayer and scripture study. “Sanctify yourselves…” The Savior is our advocate with the Father.
We all have the gift of moral agency. We’re free to choose eternal life through the Savior’s Atonement. Or we’re free to choose death, through sin, transgression, and addiction.
The miracle of the Atonement is real. It’s power is available to each of us always.
I feel the power of the Atonement in my own life as I strive to “immerse myself in prayer, scripture study” and in submitting my will to the will of the Father.
I feel that I’m doing what I need to be doing when I have the urge to turn to prayer right away when temptation is there.
I feel the power of the Atonement as I study about Christ’s life to help me answer questions from non-member friends.
I even feel the power of the Atonement with my work: when I’m striving to do what’s right and be a good husband and father, things just seem to come together – new opportunities, new clients, and an increase in income that I’m not even sure what I’ve done to deserve. I pray that I will ALWAYS recognize the hand of God in all my blessings.
Yesterday was a pretty good day. I feel I can be more patient with the kids. I feel I can love them more and thank them more when they do what’s right. Caleb had a soccer game in which I feel he didn’t do his best and I was a bit hard on him. I have to remember that he’s SIX YEARS OLD and this is a time to have fun, not to be overly competitive.
I’m grateful for this time I’ve made today to study, listen to the words of our Church leaders, and reflect on how I can use the Atonement in my life on a consistent basis.
Hasta manana!
Nate
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