Day 14

This is the last day of the two week read. It's really been an enjoyable experience for me. I hope you enjoyed it too.

Day 14
How do I personalize the atonement to my weaknesses, trails and sins?

D&C 6:35-37
Either 12:27
Alma 37:37
Alma 34:26-27

*How does the Atonement turn my weaknesses into strengths?

Additional Resources For Further Study:
Bible Dictionary: Atonement
Hymns: atonement, resurrection, sacrament, esp. Hymn 185
Preach My Gospel

Day 13

Day 13
Can I be forgiven of my sins?

Isaiah 1:18-19
Mosiah 4:7-10
D&C 6:23

*What is excluded in the word infinite atonement (f?)or all mankind? Or perhaps who? Sheri Dew quote from life test talk.

Also I wanted to share this piece of music because I love it. Clair De Lune by Debussy

Day 12

Day 12
What does Jesus Christ teach me about the divine worth of every soul?

3 Nephi 11:15-16
Helaman 14:15-17

*What will you do with your personal witness of Jesus Christ today?

"It is possible to reclaim a life that through reckless abandon has become so strewn with garbage that it appears that the person is unforgivable Or what about the one who is making an honest effort but has fallen back into sin so many times that he feels that there is no possible way to break the seemingly endless pattern? Or what about the person who has changed his life but just cant forgive himself?...

"The Atonement of Jesus Christ is available to each of us. His Atonement is infinite. It applies to everyone, even you. It can clean, reclaim, and sanctify even you. That is what infinite means-total, complete, all, forever."

(Shayne M. Bowen, "The Atonement Can Clean, Reclaim, and Sanctify Our Lives," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 33-3)

Day 11

Day 11
What else does the atonement apply to besides sin and trials?

Isaiah 49:13-16
1 Cor. 15:22
Hebrew 2:18

*Who can I forgive today with the Lord's help?

The Atonement not only benefits the sinner but also benefits those sinned against - that is, the victims. By forgiving "those who trespass against us" (JST, Matt. 6:13) the Atonement brings a measure of peace and comfort to those who have been innocently victimized by the sins of others. The basic source for the healing of the soul is the Atonement of Jesus Christ....

A sister who had been through a painful divorce wrote of her experience in drawing from the Atonement. She said: "Our divorce ... did not release me from the obligation to forgive. I truly wanted to do it, but it was as if I had been commanded to do something of which I was simply incapable." Her bishop gave her some sound advice: "Keep a placed in your heart for forgiveness, and when it comes, welcome it in." Many months passed as this struggle to forgive continued. She recalled: "During those long, prayerful moments ... I tapped into a live-giving source of comfort from my loving Heavenly Father. I sense that he was not standing by glaring at me for not having accomplished forgiveness yet; rather he was sorrowing with me as I wept. ...

"In the final analysis, what happened in my heart is for me and amazing and miraculous evidence of the Atonement of Christ. I had always viewed the Atonement as a means of making repentance work for the sinner. I had not realized that it also makes it possible for the one sinned against to receive into his or her heart the sweet peace of forgiving."

James E. Faust, "The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope," Liahona, Jan 2002, 19-22

Day 10

Day 10
How can I notice the daily effects of the atonement?

2 Nephi 2:4
D&C 19:23

*Which commandment could I improve on and live more fully today?

Day 9

Day 9
How do I show my gratitude for the Atonement?

Alma 34:37 with emphasis on verse 38
Omni 1:26

*What things can I earnestly and honestly thank my Heavenly Father for today? D&C 78:19

President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876-1972) observed: "One of the greatest sins, both in magnitude and extent...is the sin of ingratitude...The punishment of physical pain coming from the nails driven in his hands and feet, was not the greatest of his suffering, excruciating as that surely was. The greater suffering was the spiritual and mental anguish coming from the load of our transgressions which he carried...As it is, whenever we sin, we show our ingratitude and disregard of the suffering of the Son of God by and through which we shall rise from the dead and live forever. If we really understood and could feel even to a small degree, the love and gracious willingness on the part of Jesus Christ to suffer for our sins we would be willing to repent of all our transgressions and serve him." The Restoration of All Things (1945), 199.

Old Testament: Isaiah 53 D&C: sections 19, 20, 29, 76, 88, 93 Pearl of Great Price: Moses

New Testament: 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Peter 1, 1 Timothy 2, Hebrews 2 & 4

Book of Mormon: Alma 5, 11, 34, 39-42, Mosiah 3 & 4, 3 Ne. 27, 2 Ne. 2 & 9, Mormon 8 & 9

Day 8

Day 8
How can I evaluate my current need for the atonement?

Romans 3:23

*What blessings can I claim from the Atonement?

Day 8: "We acknowledge that 'all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God', but we also declare with firmness that repentance and forgiveness can be as real as sin.

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." -Elder Uchtdorf

Day 7

Day 7
How can I know when I am forgiven?

3 Nephi 13:14

*Who can you extend forgiveness to today that will open your heart to receiving forgiveness from Heavenly Father?

"When you have done all within your power to overcome your mistakes, and have determined in your heart that you will never repeat them again, then... peace of conscience [can come to you] by which you will know that your sins have been forgiven" - President Harold B. Lee

"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 or forgiveness can be greater." -Elder Uctdorf (at the time he was still Elder Uctdorf)

"...extending forgiveness is a precondition to receiving forgiveness... This includes forgiving ourselves." -Elder Uchtdorf

Day 6

Day 6
What does the atonement teach me about my divine worth?

2 Nephi 26:24
Doctrine & Covenants 18:10-11
The Relief Society Declaration

*Who am I and what is my purpose

Additional Resources For Further Study:
Day 6: "There is a direct relationship between our personal experience with the Lord and with our Heavenly Father and how we see ourselves. The closer were grow to Him, the more clear and complete becomes our vision of who we are and what we can become." -Sheri Dew

Day 5

Day 5
What does Jesus Christ save me from?

Helaman 14:15-17
2 Nephi 1:15

*Why does it matter to you that you are saved from death and hell?
*What does the name Jesus Christ, Savior of the World mean to you?

Day Four

Day 4
How do I draw upon the power of the atonement in my daily life?

2 Nephi 32:9
1 Nephi 19:23
John 5:39

*What am I doing to receive the gift of the atonement in my life today?

Day Three

Day Three
What is my part in the atonement?

D&C 19:16-19
2 Nephi 31 footnote 20d
D&C 14:7 footnote 7c

*Am I doing my part? What more can I do?

Day Two

Day 2
How does the atonement make salvation and eternal life possible?

D&C 5:3-5 (I'm not sure this one is actually right, it's on the card but I didn't see the connection, if you see it please let me know!)
2 Nephi 2:26
D&C 19:16-19

*What must I do to gain eternal life? Am I doing it?

Pondering The Atonement of Jesus Christ: A Two Week Journey; also a pencil

A few summers ago the Relief Society in my ward gave us a little packet and challenged us to read the things assigned for two weeks in order to gain a better understanding of the atonement. I did it then and honestly I don't really recall what I thought of it but I kept the little packet and I found it the other day when looking for something else. Today I decided to do the two week reading challenge over again, and I decided to share it here for anyone else who might be interested in doing it.

The first card in the pack say: Pondering The Atonement of Jesus Christ: A Two Week Journey
The following card says: Faithfully read and carefully ponder the questions and scriptures on each card. Just one card each day for two weeks. As you take this journey you will find our Savior at your side, and you will more fully understand His matchless gift and come to know him better.

Today's card says:

Day 1
Why is the atonement necessary?

2 Nephi 2:6-8
Alma 12:25-34
Alma 11:42-44 (Resurrection/for all)
John 3:16-17 (Eternal life/ for some)

In other news, I'm pretty excited (in an art-geeky way) because I just got a replacement for a drawing pencil that I lost. I love my Farber Castell pencils.