The last two weeks
entries have been me being extremely honest, open, and showing you how hard I
am to myself. The reason why is because I have had the impression that in order
to ever truly become successful in my own business or career, I would need to
open up about these feelings and conquer them. However I have always had a hard
time attempting to do that on my own, thankfully there is the Atonement of the
Savior which not only cleanses me from sin, but helps me heal mentally and spiritually
and I cannot express how thankful I am for that.
This past week I
was reminded of how cherished of a blessing this needs to be in my life as well
as a simple and yet profound truth:
No matter my effort, it will be Christ who has made it possible
for my efforts to accomplish anything I need it to do.
This is the talk that helped remind me of this:
For the remainder of this
entry I want to share something else I wrote on another one of my blogs
centered around my spiritual views:
There is no greater moment in my life then
when the Atonement of Jesus Christ “clicked” for me. For those of you who may
not have ever heard or understand the term Atonement, it is a commonly used by
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to refer to the suffering and
death of the Savior. For us we believe that the crucifixion was just a portion
of what Jesus went through during those last few days for us. I think our bible
dictionary would better to explain it then I can. Here is a portion of it:
“The word describes the setting “at one”
of those who have been estranged and denotes the reconciliation of man to God.
Sin is the cause of the estrangement, and therefore the purpose of atonement is
to correct or overcome the consequences of sin…
His [Jesus Christ] divine Sonship, His
sinless life, the shedding of His blood in the garden of Gethsemane, His death
on the cross and subsequent bodily resurrection from the grave, He made a
perfect atonement for all mankind.”
If any of us have any knowledge of Jesus Christ then we know that He died so
that we may be forgiven of our sins. However it goes on to be so much deeper
than just forgiveness of our sins. The Atonement as a whole included Christ
suffering in the garden of Gethsemane. “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…”
You might be asking to yourself “what
suffering was this”? Well look at your life, it is all that you have suffered,
we have suffered. It was the combined weight of all mankind’s suffering, pain,
and heartbreak. This very intimate detail of the suffering in the garden shows
us that when we suffer, we may never be alone, we can call upon our Savior who
has felt firsthand just what we are feeling.
Here are some quotes I
wanted to share:
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The gospel of Jesus Christ opens the path to what we may become. Through the
Atonement of Jesus Christ and His grace, our failures to live the celestial law
perfectly and consistently in mortality can be erased and we are enabled to
develop a Christlike character. Justice demands, however, that none of this
happen without our willing agreement and participation. It has ever been so.
Our very presence on earth as physical beings is the consequence of a choice
each of us made to participate in our Father’s plan.9 Thus, salvation is
certainly not the result of divine whim, but neither does it happen by divine
will alone.10
Free
Forever, to Act for Themselves, By Elder D. Todd Christofferson, General
Conference, 10/2014
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If we are not aware of what the Savior’s sacrifice can do for us, we may go
through life carrying regrets that we have done something that was not right or
offended someone. The guilt that accompanies mistakes can be washed away. If we
seek to understand His Atonement, we will come to a deep reverence for the Lord
Jesus Christ, His earthly ministry, and His divine mission as our Savior.
The
Reason for Our Hope, By President Boyd K. Packer, General Conference, 10/2014
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We often speak of the Savior’s Atonement—and rightly so! In Jacob’s words, “Why
not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of
him?”4 But as “we talk of Christ, … rejoice in Christ, … preach of Christ,
[and] prophesy of Christ”5 at every opportunity, we must never lose our sense of
awe and profound gratitude for the eternal sacrifice of the Son of God. The
Savior’s Atonement cannot become commonplace in our teaching, in our
conversation, or in our hearts. It is sacred and holy, for it was through this
“great and last sacrifice” that Jesus the Christ brought “salvation to all
those who shall believe on his name.”6
The Gift
of Grace, By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, General Conference, 4/2015
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That first Easter sequence of Atonement and Resurrection constitutes the most
consequential moment, the most generous gift, the most excruciating pain, and
the most majestic manifestation of pure love ever to be demonstrated in the
history of this world. Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, suffered,
died, and rose from death in order that He could, like lightning in a summer
storm, grasp us as we fall, hold us with His might, and through our obedience
to His commandments, lift us to eternal life.
Where
Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet, By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, General Conference,
4/2015
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If the grim realities you are facing at this time seem dark and heavy and
almost unbearable, remember that in the soul-wrenching darkness of Gethsemane
and the incomprehensible torture and pain of Calvary, the Savior accomplished
the Atonement, which resolves the most terrible burdens that can occur in this
life. He did it for you, and He did it for me. He did it because He loves us
and because He obeys and loves His Father. We will be rescued from death—even
from the depths of the sea.
The Lord
Is My Light, By Elder Quentin L. Cook, General Conference, 4/2015
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...Son of God, Jesus Christ, suffered and died to atone for Adam and Eve’s
transgression, thereby providing resurrection and immortality for all. And
since none of us will have been perfectly and consistently obedient to the
gospel law, His Atonement also redeems us from our own sins on condition of repentance.
With the Savior’s atoning grace providing forgiveness of sins and
sanctification of the soul, we can spiritually be born again and reconciled to
God. Our spiritual death—our separation from God—will end.15
Why
Marriage, Why Family, By Elder D. Todd Christofferson, General Conference,
4/2015
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Highlight
- Blue - Jun 04, 2015:
...of the Atonement makes repentance possible and quells the despair caused by
sin; it also strengthens us to see, do, and become good in ways that we could
never recognize or accomplish with our limited mortal capacity. Truly, one of
the great blessings of devoted discipleship is “the peace of God, which passeth
all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).
Therefore
They Hushed Their Fears, By Elder David A. Bednar, General Conference, 4/2015
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...which can reclaim each one of us, bears no scars. That means that no matter
what we have done or where we have been or how something happened, if we truly
repent, He has promised that He would atone. And when He atoned, that settled
that. There are so many of us who are thrashing around, as it were, with
feelings of guilt, not knowing quite how to escape. You escape by accepting the
Atonement of Christ, and all that was heartache can turn to beauty and love and
eternity. I am so grateful for the blessings of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the
power of procreation, for the power of redemption, for the Atonement—the
Atonement which can wash clean every stain no matter how difficult or how long
or how many times repeated. The Atonement can put you free again to move
forward, cleanly and worthily, to pursue that path that you have chosen in
life. I bear witness that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that the
Atonement is not a general thing that is for the whole Church. The Atonement is
individual, and if you have something that is bothering you—sometimes so long
ago you can hardly remember it—put the Atonement to work. It will clean it up,
and you, as does He, will remember your sins no more. In the name of Jesus
Christ, amen.
The Plan
of Happiness, By President Boyd K. Packer, General Conference, 4/2015
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...Our
spirits are damaged when we make mistakes and commit sins. But unlike the case
of our mortal bodies, when the repentance process is complete, no scars remain
because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The promise is: “Behold, he who has
repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no
more” (D&C 58:42).
The Plan
of Happiness, By President Boyd K. Packer, General Conference, 4/2015
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On Easter Sunday we celebrate the most long-awaited and glorious event in the
history of the world. It is the day that changed everything. On that day, my
life changed. Your life changed. The destiny of all God’s children changed. On
that blessed day, the Savior of mankind, who had taken upon Himself the chains
of sin and death that held us captive, burst those chains and set us free.
Because of the sacrifice of our beloved Redeemer, death has no sting, the grave
has no victory,1 Satan has no lasting power, and we are “begotten … again unto
a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”2
The Gift
of Grace, By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, General Conference, 4/2015
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