Some stains seem impossible to remove. Isaiah chose scarlet and crimson for a reason: they cling. Yet the Savior promises something that defies ordinary logic. What feels permanent to us is not permanent to Him. His grace does more than cover our stains. Through repentance, He makes us clean again.
Tag: the atonement of Jesus Christ
“The Power Thereof”
One of the first things Joseph Smith learned in the Restoration was that God had to restore something the world had lost: the power that comes from covenant relationship with Him. Without priesthood ordinances binding us to Christ, we have only a “form of godliness”—missing the transformative power that makes exaltation possible.
Fields to Plow
While growing up, I spent several summers on my grandparents’ farms. I have poignant memories that include riding in the combine with my namesake grandfather and my dad. I remember it being an adventure to ride in the combine. Humans have always sought to make work easier and more efficient. The combine did that on…
The Christmas Horn that Would Not Play
I used to play the French horn. I was an “okay” player, but I was no soloist. One year, for Christmas, my mom (the choir director) received permission from our bishop to have me play the French horn during the ward Christmas program (I wish she had gotten my permission first). I was to play…
Christmas Carol Theology: Sharing the Good News
Christ came for everyone–this is the message of the carol “Joy to the World”. Because of the fall of Adam and Eve, our physical bodies die and our spirits are separated from God through sin. When Christ came to earth, the blessings of resurrection and forgiveness were made to flow, removing the curses of spiritual and physical death that came from the fall of Adam and Eve.
Christmas Carol Theology: Fitting Us for Heaven
The focus of Christmas is most often the infant Christ who carried the promise to change the world as a man. That change absolutely occurred; however, the most important change He came to offer was individual–one person at a time. In the third verse of “Away in a Manger” this message is clear:
Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And fit us for heaven to live with thee there.
The plea to Him is a request to help us change. Help us become who God sent to earth to become–more like Him.
Christmas Carol Theology: Bought with a Price
I can’t pick a favorite Christmas hymn, but this one is definitely in the top three. Our hymn book does not include verse 6 of the First Noel, but to me it is the most powerful and profound:
Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made Heaven and earth of nought
And with his blood mankind has bought.
We have all been bought with a price.
All Your Heart, Might, Mind and Strength
A few months ago, a friend asked me some advice about missionary work ethic. In the context of Doctrine and Covenants 4, he asked me what I thought it meant to “serve Him with all your heart, might, mind, and strength.” I gave three points of advice based on my personal experiences… #1 Leave It…