My Come, Follow Me studies took me to Psalms 49-86. The book of Psalms is not my favorite book of scripture, but it has some good teachings. This lesson was introduced by the following information.
The writers of the Psalms shared deeply
personal feelings in their poetry. They wrote about feeling discouraged,
afraid, and remorseful. At times, they even seemed to feel abandoned by God,
and some psalms carry a tone of frustration or desperation. If you’ve ever had
feelings like these, reading the Psalms can help you know that you aren’t the
only one. But you’ll also find psalms that can encourage you when you’re having
such feelings, because the psalmists also praised the Lord for His goodness,
marveled at His power, and rejoiced in His mercy. They knew that the world is
burdened by evil and sin but that the Lord is “good, and ready to forgive”
(Psalm 86:5). They understood that having faith in the Lord doesn’t mean that
you’ll never struggle with anxiety, sin, or fear. It means that you know Who to
turn to when you do.
The lesson material and scriptures
contain several principles, but this discussion will consider only one: I can
be forgiven of my sins because of the Savior’s mercy (Psalms 51; 85-86). King
David was guilty of adultery and murder (see the story in 2 Samuel 11), and he
pleads for mercy for his sins in Psalm 51. You and I might not be guilty of
either adultery or murder, but we should be able to relate to King David’s need
for mercy as he expressed in this psalm.
Psalms 51; 85-86, teach us about the
attitude that me need for true repentance. They teach us about the effect of
the Atonement of Christ in one’s life as well as phrases that describe the Lord.
All of these help us to learn more about the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the April 2019 General Conference
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson
spoke on the topic of repentance. His address to the brethren of the Church of
Jesus Christ was titled “We Can Do Better and Be Better.” He said the following
in the opening minutes of his address.
The word for repentance in the
Greek New Testament is metanoeo. The prefix meta- means “change.”
The suffix -noeo is related to Greek words that mean “mind,” “knowledge,”
“spirit,” and “breath.”
Thus, when Jesus asks you and me to “repent,”
He is inviting us to change our mind, our knowledge, our spirit – even the way
we breathe. He is asking us to change the way we love, think, serve, spend our
time, treat our wives, teach our children, and even care for our bodies.
Nothing is more liberating, more ennobling,
or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular, daily focus on
repentance. Repentance is not an event; it is a process. It is the key to
happiness and peace of mind. When coupled with faith, repentance opens our
access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Whether you are diligently moving along
the covenant path, have slipped or stepped from the covenant path, or can’t
even see the path from where you are now, I plead with you to repent.
Experience the strengthening power of daily repentance – of doing and being a
little better each day.
When we choose to repent, we choose to
change! We allow the Savior to transform us into the best version of ourselves.
We choose to grow spiritually and receive joy – the joy of redemption in Him.
When we choose to repent, we choose to become more like Jesus Christ!
I have written about agency many
times in past posts. Heavenly Father gave agency to each of His spirit children,
while we lived with Him in the pre-earth world. We brought agency with us when
we were born into mortal life. Agency means the right or freedom to
choose – what we say, where we go, and what we do. The Constitution of the
United States protects agency because no one can be truly free without agency.
The Book of Mormon – Another Testament
of Jesus Christ contains part of the history of an ancient American prophet by
the name of Lehi and his posterity. Shortly before his death, Lehi taught his
children and grandchildren about the principle of agency. As part of those teachings,
he taught the following:
Wherefore, men are free according to the
flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are
free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men,
or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the
devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself (2 Nephi 2:27).
Agency is a free gift to each of us
from God, and He expects each of us to use our agency to make righteous
decisions. However, He knows that none of us will choose the right every single
time, so He prepared a way to make corrections in our life. He sent His Son, even
Jesus Christ, to be our Savior. Through His death and resurrection, He overcame
death and sin, and He made it possible for each of us to overcome death and
sin.
All mortals will eventually be resurrected
because of the Atonement of Christ. However, we “are free choose liberty and
eternal life … or the captivity and power of the devil” (2 Nephi 2:27). Our
decisions will determine our destiny, or where we spend eternity. The choice is
ours. If we want eternal joy, we choose to repent, change, and become like the
Savior.
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