Looking Inside: Savior’s Example of Completing His Atonement

• Think of the Savior and renew our covenants during the sacrament (see Mosiah 18:8–10; D&C 20:77, 79)

Mosiah 18:8-10

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

When we are baptized, we enter into a covenant with God that we will serve Him and keep His commandments. One way we serve God is by serving His children. Things we are willing to do when we are baptized are “mourn with those that mourn”, “comfort those that stand in need of comfort”, “stand as witnesses of god at all times and in all things, and in all places”.

Doctrine and Covenants 20:77, 79

77 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen. 

79 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

When we partake of the sacrament, we witness that we are willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, that we will always remember Him, and that we will keep His commandments.

We can show our willingness to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ include standing for what is right, telling others that we are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sharing our belief in Him, and participating in His work.

When we are faithful to the promises we make during the sacrament, we can always have the Spirit to be with us.

“You receive great blessings when you keep the baptismal covenant. As you renew it, the Lord renews the promised remission of your sins. Cleansed from sin, you are able to ‘always have his Spirit to be with [you]’ (D&C 20:77). The Spirit’s constant companionship is one of the greatest gifts you can receive in mortality. The Spirit will guide you in the paths of righteousness and peace, leading you to eternal life with your Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ” (True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference [2004], 148).

And now, in my work, the mess that I have to clear stands in front of me. We had a meeting with the client this afternoon. I could not defend our company because I know all this happened partly due to my mistakes. My boss asked me to go back to find the solution again to solve these issues because the earlier resolution seems not to work after this afternoon's meeting.

After driving back to the office, my mind was cluttered, and cannot think anything else. I was trying to pray, and still, I could not have peace. I picked up my phone and called E Chin. She shared with me her similar working experiences similar to mines. She encouraged me to face it and solve it. And, that is the way Heavenly Father probably wants me to learn. I did ask E Chin to pray for me to go through this time patiently and humbly.

After listening to what she was trying to say, suddenly everything is so deeply relevant and applicable to me right now, especially after this week's Institute lesson studying Savior's example of completing His Atonement or mission on earth.

For this week's Institute lesson, we are studying about The Sacrament and Jesus Christ's Atonement. We are required to identify something in our life that is difficult to endure or that we are fear we may not be able to endure. Also, to identify ways in which the Savior's example of completing His Atonement can help us endure to the end.

There are something I learn from how the Savior's example of completing His atonement:

Firstly, the Savior's unconditional love for Heavenly Father and devotion to Him. During His suffering in Gethsemane and the events after which would lead to His Crucifixion, He could have fled or defended Himself.

Instead of withdrawing from the painful events before Him, He went towards Judas and the multitude and took the disciples with Him. He could have destroyed His enemies but instead allowed them to arrest Him. He could confound His enemies verbally, but he supplied the evidence against Him they sought during the trials. He could have called upon legions of angels to defend Him, yet He chose not to do so.

Jesus Christ was willing to submit to His Father's will, and he willingly submitted to the betrayal, arrest, and trials leading to His Crucifixion. He knew that these events were part of Heavenly Father's plan for Him. Jesus Christ is humbly submissive to it.

Secondly, Jesus Christ endures well. He knew it was not easy at all for Him to go through His mission on earth. He is being obedient and still, served, healed, comforted to all during His ministry on earth with His Christlike Attributes - humility, diligence, obedience, patience, charity and love, virtue, knowledge, and hope. All these are Jesus Christ's characteristics, but I believe that He developed them throughout the years from young to adulthood. It is the same as I am. I can learn and grow to be more like Him.

Frankly, it is indeed challenging for me to go through this challenging time of mine. It is undoubtedly the most stupid, careless mistake that I have ever made in my working life. I have to face it and go through it. I will and need to pray to Heavenly Father to give me the strength and wisdom to turn this challenging time, hopefully not a painful learning experience for me and most seriously affect my company.

"Jesus chose not to be released from this world until He had endured to the end and completed the mission He had been sent to accomplish for mankind. Upon the cross of Calvary, Jesus commended His spirit to His Father with a simple statement, 'It is finished (John 19:30 (Links to an external site.)). Having endured to the end, He was released from mortality.

"We, too, must endure to the end" (Robert D. Hales, The Covenant of Baptism: To Be in the Kingdom and of the Kingdom (Links to an external site.), Ensign, Nov. 2000, 6).

And now I think this is that moment that it is so difficult for me to endure. Today I suddenly realized that ever since the start of the Christlike attribute journal project for the institute for this semester, I desired and wanted to learn more about humility.

For the past few weeks, the events that had happened seem to give me a real-life first-hand experience to learn to be humble. Especially for these mistakes which I made in my job, indeed requires me to learn to pray to Heavenly Father, be submissive to the Lord's will, and learn how to solve these issues and rely on His wisdom.

The Gospel Media credit to https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org.