Book of Mormon: Day 285: Believe Christ

Today’s Reading: 3 Nephi 14: 15- 27 

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them: I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Elder Bednar eloquently pointed out that the phrase, “I never knew you,” was changed in the Joseph Smith Translation to say, “Ye never knew me.”  The question remains then, how do we actually believe Christ?

I hate that I sin.  I dislike disappointing my God so severely that I cringe at the thought.

Yet daily I do.

Daily I fall short of perfection, and feel like Nephi crying, “O wretched (woman) that I am!” (i)

There’s a problem with over doing this though.  Focusing on my faults (which I sometimes remind myself are plentiful) is only helpful to motivate repentance.  For, when I repeatedly berate myself of repented past times, I forget that I know the Savior.  I forget that I am on a path to perfection, and have yet to arrive.  When temporary memory loss takes over, I forget who my Savior is, and the jaw dropping price that He has paid for me.  These instances cause me to forget to believe Christ.  In such times I don’t seem to remember my worth, my stature in the eyes of God, nor the power that I do have to do good.

In Elder Bednar’s words,

I am acquainted with Church members who accept as true the doctrine and principles contained in the scriptures and proclaimed from this pulpit.  And yet they have a hard time believing those gospel truths apply specifically in their lives and to their circumstances.  They seem to have faith in the Savior, but do not believe His promised blessings are available to them or can operate in their lives…

Believing Him is trusting that His bounteous blessings are available and applicable in our individual lives and families. Believing Him with our whole soul comes as we press forward along the covenant pathway, surrender our will to His, and submit to His priorities and timing for us. Believing Him—accepting as true His power and promises—invites perspective, peace, and joy into our lives. (ii)

Believe Christ

Let’s ask ourselves then, “Do I believe Christ?”  Do I believe that His atonement is sufficient for me?  Is His sacrifice truly so complete that it can make my sins as “white as snow”? (iii)  Oh yes, it is easy to believe and testify that His atonement can erase everyone else’s sins, but ours are somehow different.  Yet they aren’t.

His sacrifice is enough.  We are not excluded from His generosity, love, and certainly not His magnificent atoning sacrifice.  We don’t somehow evade this great gift because we believe that we are somehow worse than everyone else.  It is His great gift.  With complete confidence, we can believe Christ.

Next time I unearth a memory of my wretchedness, may I not bask myself in it.  Instead, I hope to speedily remind myself that His sacrifice did indeed cover me.  In short, I hope to believe Christ.  My repented sins are truly made white as snow Because. Of. Him.

Jeni Brockbank

Jeni Brockbank and her husband Bart are parents to 6 amazing children. She finds great joy in being a wife and mother and feels that both callings are sacred privileges. Jeni is a continual student of the scriptures and loves to share her testimony with anyone who will listen. She teaches choir, is crafty and is grateful on a daily basis to live a few blocks from the Brigham City, UT temple.