3
Nephi 3:16
The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness
“Often the most
difficult part of repentance is to forgive yourself. Discouragement
is part of that test. Do not give up. That brilliant morning will
come.”—President Boyd K. Packer, “The
Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness”
What
16 And
so great and marvelous were the words and prophecies of Lachoneus
that they did cause fear to come upon all the people; and they did
exert themselves in their might to do according to the words of
Lachoneus.
Why
Because
they knew that Lachoneus spoke the truth, that if they did not repent
that the Gadianton robbers would destroy them.
Pattern
Mosiah, Son of Benjamin — The Guide to the Scriptures
A
book in the Book of Mormon. Chapters 1–6 contain King Benjamin’s
forceful sermon to his people. The Spirit of the Lord touched their
hearts and the people were converted and felt no more desire to do
evil. Chapters 7–8 tell of a group of Nephites ...
Benjamin—Nephite prophet-king [c. 120 B.C.]
Lehi, Jonah, 3 So
Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of
the Lord.
Now Nineveh was an aexceeding
great city of
three days’ bjourney.
4 And
Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried,
and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
5 ¶aSo the
people of bNineveh believed
God, and proclaimed a cfast,
and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of
them.
Isaiah Chapter 1
The
people of Israel are apostate, rebellious, and corrupt; only a few
remain faithful—The people’s sacrifices and feasts are
rejected—They are called upon to repent and work righteousness—Zion
will be redeemed in the day of restoration.
Christ
He
called all people to repentance and offers salvation to our souls.
Conference
APRIL
2007 | Point
of Safe Return
Dieter
F. Uchtdorf Of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
The
Atonement of Jesus Christ causes each person to be accountable for
his or her individual sins. We will overcome the consequences of
individual sin by claiming the blessings and benefits of the
Atonement.
President
David O. McKay said, “Every principle and ordinance of the gospel
of Jesus Christ is significant and important …, but there is none
more essential to the salvation of the human family than the divine
and eternally operative principle [of] repentance” (Gospel
Ideals [1953],
13).
“For
salvation cometh to none … except it be through repentance and
faith on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Mosiah
3:12).
It
is not repentance per se that saves man. It is the blood of Jesus
Christ that saves us. It is not by our sincere and honest change of
behavior alone that we are saved, but “by grace that we are saved,
after all we can do” (2
Nephi 25:23).
True repentance, however, is the condition required so that God’s
forgiveness can come into our lives. True repentance makes “a
brilliant day [out] of the darkest night” (Spencer W. Kimball, The
Miracle of Forgiveness [1969],
362).
President
Spencer W. Kimball taught: “The essence of the miracle of
forgiveness is that it brings peace to the previously anxious,
restless, frustrated, perhaps tormented soul. … God will wipe away
… the tears of anguish, and remorse, … and fear, and guilt”
(The Miracle
of Forgiveness, 363,
368).
Jesus
promised, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: …
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John
14:27).
The
prophet Alma, who was reclaimed from sin to happiness by God’s
forgiveness, declared, “Wickedness never was happiness” (Alma
41:10).
He had witnessed the bitter pains of sin, but he also spoke with
excitement about the happiness that accompanies true repentance and
forgiveness: “Yea, I say unto you, … there can be nothing so
exquisite and sweet as was my joy” (Alma
36:21).
Alma concluded with powerful and wise counsel to all who seek
forgiveness: “And now, … I desire that ye should let these things
trouble you no more, and only let your sins trouble you, with that
trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance” (Alma
42:29).
Once
we have truly repented, Christ will take away the burden of guilt for
our sins. We can know for ourselves that we have been forgiven and
made clean. The Holy Ghost will verify this to us; He is the
Sanctifier. No other testimony of forgiveness can be greater.
The
Lord said, “He that repents and does
the commandments of
the Lord shall be forgiven” (D&C
1:32;
emphasis added). And He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew
11:28).
“Be faithful and diligent … and I will encircle thee in the arms
of my love” (D&C
6:20).
And
He declared, “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is
forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more” (D&C
58:42).
My
dear brothers and sisters, my dear young friends, when the captain of
a long-range jet passes the point of safe return, and the headwinds
are too strong or the cruising altitudes too low, he might be forced
to divert to an airport other than his planned destination. This is
not so in our journey through life back to our heavenly home.
Wherever you find yourselves on this journey through life, whatever
trials you may face, there is always a
point of safe return; there is always hope. You are the captain of
your life, and God has prepared a plan to bring you safely back to
Him, to your divine destination.
The
gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ provides us at all times and at
all places with the blessings of repentance and forgiveness. Because
of this gift, the opportunity to make a safe return from the
disastrous course of sin is available to all of us.
For
this I give thanks to our Heavenly Father, and of this I bear
testimony with all my heart and soul in the name of Jesus Christ,
amen.
Apply
From
Elder Uchtdorf
For
our own good, we need the moral courage to forgive and to ask for
forgiveness. Never is the soul nobler and more courageous than when
we forgive. This includes forgiving ourselves.
Each
of us is under a divinely spoken obligation to reach out with pardon
and mercy and to forgive one another. There is a great need for this
Christlike attribute in our families, in our marriages, in our wards
and stakes, in our communities, and in our nations.
We
will receive the joy of forgiveness in our own lives when we are
willing to extend that joy freely to others. Lip service is not
enough. We need to purge our hearts and minds of feelings and
thoughts of bitterness and let the light and the love of Christ enter
in. As a result, the Spirit of the Lord will fill our souls with the
joy accompanying divine peace of conscience (see Mosiah
4:2–3).
Music
Hymns
Children
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