Spiritually Filled

As I prepared my lesson Sunday I had no clue my day was going to be like it was. I have never given "the Easter lesson" at church before, nor have I ever taught or given a talk on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. When I saw the topic of my lesson I immediately became overwhelmed with the subject of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I have always had faith in the Atonement and knew I had to do my part for it to work. I haven't really studied the Atonement and all the implications of it. It wasn't until just a few years ago that I was able to look at experiences that I have had in my life and was able to recognize that the Atonement was part of those experiences. Recognizing this strengthened my testimony of the Atonement and has helped me to use the Atonement more. Knowing that Christ Atoned for our sins and will help "carry" us through our burdens helps me endure everyday.

So, back to the lesson. I read it through a couple times and got the basic idea for it, but I had several questions of my own that I needed answered before I could teach this lesson. I have a great source to go to when I have questions. Jim is always so willing to help me with my lessons and answers any questions I have. I love discussing the scriptures with him because he has such a great understanding of them. As we discussed the Atonement of Christ and the events that took place, so many things were made clear to me about the Atonement. There is so much more I can learn about the Atonement, but during our discussion, my testimony of the Atonement and why it happened and how it helps us has been greatly strengthened.

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Article of Faith #3

We believe that through the Atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

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As I taught my lesson more things were made clear. I have a wonderful class that is willing to make comments that help me understand even more. The best part about teaching is everything that I learn for myself.

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As my Sunday went on I was able to continue my learning. After church Jim shared the video of Bruce R. McKonkie's last talk. (To view his talk, search on YouTube for Bruce R. McKonkie's last talk. There were 3 parts we viewed.) Such a powerful message and testimony. Later in the evening we were able to go to an Easter choir fireside that Brindley was singing in. The messages in the songs and the spirit were so strong. A wonderful way to end the day. My learning went on though. The scriptures we read Monday morning were about Christ and the Atonement. The kids thought it was cool that the spot we are in in The Book of Mormon was about the Atonement and that Easter is this Sunday. For family night we did a lesson that Brindley made in Achievement days last year. There were 9 Easter eggs. Each egg contained something different that represented Christ's Atonement, starting with a piece of bread and ending with a picture of Jesus appearing to Mary after he rose from the tomb. As each egg was opened Jim would share what the item inside represented. The kids actually paid attention. And once again, the spirit testified to me of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

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The following was taken from the lesson I taught....Gospel Principles Manual Lesson # 12

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How Jesus loves us, to suffer such spiritual and physical agony for our sake! How great the love of Heavenly Father that He would send His Only Begotten Son to suffer and die for the rest of His children. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
We accept Christ’s Atonement by placing our faith in Him. Through this faith, we repent of our sins, are baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and obey His commandments. We become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. We are forgiven and cleansed from sin and prepared to return and live forever with our Heavenly Father.

The Savior tells us, “For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer … even as I” (D&C 19:16–17). Christ did His part to atone for our sins. To make His Atonement fully effective in our lives, we must strive to obey Him and repent of our sins.

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I love the Gospel. I love Jesus Christ. I can't deny the feelings I have felt over the last couple days about the Atonement. How lucky we are to have Christ with us and carry us through those rough times. I know he suffered and died for us so we can, if we chose to do our part, live with Him and Heavenly Father again.