August 17, 2010

Tonight I read the chapter on the Atonement in the Gospel Principles manual (chapter 12). I so appreciate the simplicity of this teaching: "We accept Christ's Atonement by placing our faith in Him. Through this faith, we repent of our sins, are baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and obey His commandments." His offer extended to us is His paying the price of suffering for all of our sins. What our part is to receive that offer is to repent and keep His commandments. It is that simple. Not necessarily always easy, but certainly simple. I am really grateful for the gift of the Atonement. It is two-fold. One, I will be resurrected and my body and spirit will be together in an immortal state. I am so excited for that because I really love my body. I love all that I can do and feel with this amazing body. And two, if we choose to place our faith in Him, He has also given us the gift of eternal life, but we have to choose it. That gift is conditioned on our faithfulness. I am so thankful for the plan that provided a Savior, and so grateful to Christ for fulfilling His great mission. What faith He must have had to accomplish what He did. His example provides me with a road map for my own life. I am so grateful for my Savior.