Today, I was going to bear my testimony of the Atonement in church. However, I have lungs full of a sticky cold and I am having troubles breathing. This, writing it down, might be better anyway as I can review it myself if needs be.
There are a few basic principles I have come to believe most ardently. The first, all things testify of the Christ. The second, by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. Third, God, our Heavenly Father, loves all of us... so very, very much. And fourth, it is better to obey then to sacrifice.
I have come to believe that we must know something in four ways to understand it. Those ways are physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. There is nothing in this world that we do that doesn't have these four parts. When these parts are not all presented in an activity we will not develop the root understanding or appreciation to train our subconscious mind. Our conscious mind is but a fraction of who we are. Our subconscious mind is who we are. As we train it so are we.
I have found that there are four ways to affect an atom: photonically, kinetically, magnetically, and with the Priesthood. The funny thing is that all but one influences the atom form the outside. Only one acts from the inside out.
In the grand council before the worlds were, our Heavenly Father presented a plan of salvation that if we accepted and lived would add us to the tree of life. During the last general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I learned a new word for something I take for granted... ponder-ization. It means to reflect on a topic or scripture until a more complete understanding develops with all its tendrils into even, sometimes, seemingly disassociated understanding is incorporated.
Even now I see many of my friends wondering about the term "add us to the tree of life". Yes, I have come to believe that from a sea of free floating intelligence a tree of order has developed. This order resembles a tree not unlike the family tree, since it is one and the same, that is manifest by doing our genealogy and propagated by obeying Eternal Law.
The pure love of God is to see us freely accepting the responsibility to broaden our shoulders and strengthen our backs as He "brings to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" by being able to add us to the tree as He is.
I have come to look upon the Atonement not as one gift from God but as a whole box full of gifts. As the Pre-world General Conference of Our Heavenly Father concluded, Jehovah accepted the role of Savior. This act made it possible to entrust Him with the Father's priesthood to grant us the following gifts. Time and space to perfect our decision to follow our Father's desires. A beautiful world full of plants and animals. Physical bodies to aid our understanding. An opportunity to practice agency without immediate judgment. Examples of the Gospel and the way God would like us to follow. The ability to repent and show it by commitment through Baptism. He gave us the Gift of The Holy Ghost as a source of direction. He gave us the Priesthoods so we could start practicing eternal principles. He gave us marriage so that we might be complete in our understanding of responsibility.
Jehovah received His body and became Jesus; who fulfilled the office of The Christ. So that we could become through Him worthy, educated, and strong in our God and receive all that He has. I can not down play nor do I wish to lessen the extent of His love for me by not reflecting on the price paid for me. I can't but imagine the pain and anguish suffered for me so that I may learn to eternally live.
The worst this world has to offer is found in the Atonement and the price paid. If not for the Atonement we would know no pain, sickness, or temporal death. Micheal would not have become Adam and we would not be... save our Brother obeyed our Father. The order now found in the world and manifest through the simplest things... as the edge of a rock, a fresh breeze, or the dampness of water all manifest of Christ for our intelligence would have been stifled without His act of love.
I know my Heavenly Father lives. I know my Brother paid my price in full if I accept His offer and find myself obedient to His will.
I so claim in the name of my Lord,
Amen
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