Repentance
Daily Gems - 7 October 2009
Attain Eternal Life with Our Families
“It is . . . important that we be loving and kind to members of our own faith, regardless of their level of commitment or activity. The Savior has made it clear that we are not to judge each other (see Luke 6:37). This is especially true of members of our own families. Our obligation is to love and teach and never give up. The Lord has made salvation ‘free for all men’ but has ‘commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance’ (2 Nephi 26:27).”
Topics: Repentance, Plan of Salvation
Church History Gems - 7 August 2009
Blotting Out of Sins
"The image of a loving, forgiving God comes through clearly to those who read and understand the scriptures. Since he is our Father, he naturally desires to raise us up, not to push us down, to help us live, not to bring about our spiritual death. 'For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth,' he has said, '. . . wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.' (Ezek. 18:32.)
"As he fervently prayed at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in 1836, the Prophet Joseph Smith expressed his assurance that sins could be blotted out: 'O Jehovah, have mercy upon this people, and as all men sin forgive the transgressions of thy people, and let them be blotted out forever.' (D&C 109:34.) The thought of blotting out of sins during the process of forgiveness was also expressed by the Lord when he said: 'I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.' (Isa. 43:25.)"
Topics: Repentance
Church History Gems - 12 June 2009
Blotting Out of Sins
"The image of a loving, forgiving God comes through clearly to those who read and understand the scriptures. Since he is our Father, he naturally desires to raise us up, not to push us down, to help us live, not to bring about our spiritual death. 'For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth,' he has said, '. . . wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.' (Ezek. 18:32.)
"As he fervently prayed at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in 1836, the Prophet Joseph Smith expressed his assurance that sins could be blotted out: 'O Jehovah, have mercy upon this people, and as all men sin forgive the transgressions of thy people, and let them be blotted out forever.' (D&C 109:34.) The thought of blotting out of sins during the process of forgiveness was also expressed by the Lord when he said: 'I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.' (Isa. 43:25.)"
Topics: Repentance
Young Single Adult Gems - 8 May 2009
We Need Not Be Perfect
"Perhaps there are some of you who have slipped into patterns of behavior that you know in your heart are displeasing to the Lord. You feel unworthy and ashamed to approach your Father in Heaven. 'I'll repent first,' you say to yourselves, 'and then I'll begin saying my prayers again.' I tell you with all soberness that those thoughts are not from the Lord, but come from the evil one. Nephi said it very clearly: 'The evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray' (2 Nephi 32:8).
"It is when we are lost in the mists of darkness and cannot find our way that we most desperately need the influence of the Lord. Nowhere in all of the scriptural injunctions on prayer do we find the suggestion that we must first be perfect in order to communicate with God."
Topics: Repentance, Prayer
Young Single Adult Gems - 24 April 2009
The Foundation of Repentance
"Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation upon which sincere and meaningful repentance must be built. If we truly seek to put away sin, we must first look to Him who is the Author of our salvation."
Topics: Repentance, Faith
Daily Gems - 14 April 2009
A Future of Peace
"What kind of existence can we hope for? Those who come unto Christ, repent of their sins, and live in faith will reside forever in peace. Think of the worth of this eternal gift. Surrounded by those we love, we will know the meaning of ultimate joy as we progress in knowledge and in happiness. No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our grandest expectations. 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him' (1 Corinthians 2:9)."
Topics: Jesus Christ, Hope, Repentance
Young Single Adult Gems - 4 March 2009
The Consequence of Choice
"Unfortunately, some of our poor choices are irreversible, but many are not. Often we can change course and get back on the right track. Getting back on the right track may involve the principles of repentance: first, recognizing the error of our ways; second, forsaking the wrongful conduct; third, never repeating it; and, fourth, confessing and making restitution where possible. Learning by experience has value, but the 'school of hard knocks' is deserving of its name. Progression comes faster and easier by learning from our parents, those who love us, and our teachers. We can also learn from the mistakes of others, observing the consequences of their wrong choices."
Topics: Repentance
Daily Gems - 12 February 2009
Private Sanctuary of One's Conscience
"In the private sanctuary of one's own conscience lies that spirit, that determination to cast off the old person and to measure up to the stature of true potential. In this spirit, we again issue that heartfelt invitation: Come back. We reach out to you in the pure love of Christ and express our desire to assist you and to welcome you into full fellowship. To those who are wounded in spirit or who are struggling and fearful, we say, Let us lift you and cheer you and calm your fears. Take literally the Lord's invitation, 'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light' (Matthew 11:28, 30)."
Topics: Repentance, Fellowship
Youth Gems - 5 February 2009
Forgiveness
It remains only for you and me to both seek and tender that forgiveness—to both repent and to extend charity to others—which enables us to pass through the door the Savior holds open, thus to cross the threshold from this life into exaltation. Today is the day to forgive others their trespasses, secure in the knowledge that the Lord will thus forgive ours. As Luke significantly recorded, “Be ye therefore merciful” (Luke 6:36; emphasis added). Perfection may elude us here, but we can be merciful. And in the end, repenting and forgiving are among God’s chief requirements of us.
Topics: Forgiveness, Repentance
Daily Gems - 29 January 2009
Sweet and Satisfying Fruits of Fellowship
"Throughout the journey along the pathway of life, there are casualties. Some depart from the road markers which point toward life eternal, only to discover the detour chosen ultimately leads to a dead end. Indifference, carelessness, selfishness, and sin all take their costly toll in human lives.
"Change for the better can come to all. Over the years we have issued appeals to the less active, the offended, the critical, the transgressor to come back. 'Come back and feast at the table of the Lord, and taste again the sweet and satisfying fruits of fellowship with the Saints' (First Presidency statement, in Ensign, Mar. 1986, 88)."
Topics: Purpose of Mortality, Repentance
Young Single Adult Gems - 9 January 2009
Find Peace through the Atonement
"Every incorrect choice we make, every sin we commit is a violation of eternal law. That violation brings negative results we generally soon recognize. There are also other consequences of our acts of which we may not be conscious. They are nonetheless real. They can have a tremendous effect on the quality of our life here and most certainly will powerfully affect it hereafter. We can do nothing of ourselves to satisfy the demands of justice for a broken eternal law. Yet, unless the demands of justice are paid, each of us will suffer endless negative consequences.
"Only the life, teachings, and particularly the atonement of Jesus Christ can release us from this otherwise impossible predicament. Each of us has made mistakes, large or small, which if unresolved will keep us from the presence of God. For this reason, the atonement of Jesus Christ is the single most significant event that ever has or ever will occur. This selfless act of infinite consequence, performed by a single glorified personage, has eternal impact in the life of every son and daughter of our Father in Heaven—without exception. It shatters the bonds of death. It justifies our finally being judged by the Master. It can prevent an eternity under the control of the devil. It opens the gates to exaltation and eternal life for all who qualify for forgiveness through repentance and obedience."
Topics: Repentance, Atonement
Daily Gems - 2 January 2009
Being Merciful
"It remains . . . for you and me to both seek and tender [the Savior's] forgiveness—to both repent and to extend charity to others—which enables us to pass through the door the Savior holds open, thus to cross the threshold from this life into exaltation. Today is the day to forgive others their trespasses, secure in the knowledge that the Lord will thus forgive ours. As Luke significantly recorded, 'Be ye therefore merciful' (Luke 6:36; emphasis added). Perfection may elude us here, but we can be merciful. And in the end, repenting and forgiving are among God's chief requirements of us."
Topics: Repentance, Forgiveness, Exaltation
Daily Gems - 16 December 2008
Live Forever with God
"The person we are when we depart this life is the person we will be as we enter the next. Thankfully, we do have Today. . . . We really are immortal in the sense that Christ's Atonement conquers death, both physical and spiritual. And provided we have so lived Today that we have claim on the Atonement's cleansing grace, we will live forever with God. This life is not so much a time for getting and accumulating as it is a time for giving and becoming. Mortality is the battlefield upon which justice and mercy meet. But they need not meet as adversaries, for they are reconciled in the Atonement of Jesus Christ for all who wisely use Today."
Topics: Purpose of Mortality, Repentance, Justice
Youth Gems - 11 November 2008
Can Mercy Satisfy the Demands of Justice?
"The great prophet Amulek taught, 'And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption' (Alma 34:16)."
Topics: Repentance
Daily Gems - 10 October 2008
The Atonement Gives Us the Strength to Endure
"The Atonement of Jesus Christ and the healing it offers do much more than provide the opportunity for repentance from sins. The Atonement also gives us the strength to endure 'pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind,' because our Savior also took upon Him 'the pains and the sicknesses of his people' (Alma 7:11). Brothers and sisters, if your faith and prayers and the power of the priesthood do not heal you from an affliction, the power of the Atonement will surely give you the strength to bear the burden."
Topics: Atonement, Repentance
Youth Gems - 25 September 2008
Place for Imperfect People
"Some are lost because they have strayed. Except for the Lord, we have all made mistakes. The question is not whether we will trip and fall but, rather, how will we respond? Some, after making mistakes, stray from the fold. This is unfortunate. Do you not know that the Church is a place for imperfect people to gather together—even with all their mortal frailties—and become better? Every Sunday in every meetinghouse throughout the world, we find mortal, imperfect men, women, and children who meet together in brotherhood and charity, striving to become better people, to learn of the Spirit, and to lend encouragement and support to others. I am not aware of any sign on the door of our meetinghouses that reads 'Restricted Entrance—Perfect People Only.' "
Topics: Repentance, Unity
Daily Gems - 12 September 2008
Commitment and Repentance
"As members of the Church we have been baptized and have made a covenant to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ and keep God's commandments. If mistakes are made, the gospel allows us to sincerely repent and be forgiven. Your commitment can begin from where you are presently, whether young or old, including repenting and forsaking sin where mistakes have already been made."
Topics: Repentance
Daily Gems - 14 August 2008
Doing Things God's Way
"When we sin and desire forgiveness, a broken heart and a contrite spirit mean to experience 'godly sorrow [that] worketh repentance' (2 Corinthians 7:10). This comes when our desire to be cleansed from sin is so consuming that our hearts ache with sorrow and we yearn to feel at peace with our Father in Heaven. Those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit are willing to do anything and everything that God asks of them, without resistance or resentment. We cease doing things our way and learn to do them God's way instead. In such a condition of submissiveness, the Atonement can take effect and true repentance can occur. The penitent will then experience the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost, which will fill them with peace of conscience and the joy of reconciliation with God. In a wondrous union of divine attributes, the same God who teaches us to walk with a broken heart invites us to rejoice and to be of good cheer."
Topics: Forgiveness, Repentance
Youth Gems - 31 July 2008
If Necessary, Can I Be Clean Again?
"Through the infinite Atonement, God has provided a means whereby we can both overcome our sins and become completely clean again. This is made possible by the eternal law of mercy. Mercy satisfies the claims of justice through our repentance and the power of the Atonement. Without the power of the Atonement and our complete repentance, we are subject to the law of justice."
Topics: Atonement, Repentance
Daily Gems - 6 June 2008
His Atoning Sacrifice
"The first principle of the gospel is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This includes faith in His divine birth and heavenly heritage and faith that, under His Father's direction, He created the earth and all things that dwell therein (see John 1:10; Mosiah 3:8). At the very heart of our faith in Christ is the assurance that through His atoning sacrifice, though our sins may be as scarlet, they can become as white as snow (see Isaiah 1:18)."
Topics: Repentance, Jesus Christ, Faith
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