Gifts We Can Give To The Savior

How would this world be if we could never repent? If we could never forget the wrongs we did—intentional or unintended? What about never having the guilt or pain of conscience taken away for our wrongs or misdeeds? If we could never receive forgiveness for past mistakes or errors we would be in an awful, miserable state. A state from which one, who is eternally miserable, can never escape (see 2 Nephi 2:27). But thanks be to God for the gift of His Son!

During this Christmas season, many of us make time to remember the birth of our Savior. For One who has given us more than we can ever repay (see Mosiah 2:21) what can we offer in return? I've thought of a few gifts that we can offer Him. I realize this is an incomplete list, but it's something we can start with.

The Gift of Repenting

King Benjamin taught, 

“[B]elieve that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you” (Mosiah 4:10).

We can choose to repent. 

Merriam-Webster defines repent as “to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life” (link to definition). Tad R. Callister defines true repentance as, “a melting, softening, refining process that brings about a mighty change of heart….It is a burning resolve to make amends with God at any cost”. He later states that those who are "repentant [are] those who have given of their spiritual best" (Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, p178, 311) In Acts we read, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). 

As we look within ourselves we will find things that we can change; if we see nothing wrong within, we can pray to understand where we fall short. As we repent, we are in a position for the arm of forgiveness to be extended by the hand of the Lord. As we reach out and accept His forgiveness, through the power of the Atonement in our lives, we can be healed; wrongs can be righted; our sins can be blotted out; and we can have a renewed hope in life. Tad R. Callister explained,

“His spirit heals; it refines; it comforts; it breathes new life into hopeless hearts. It has the power to transform all that is ugly and vicious and worthless in life to something of supreme and glorious splendor. He has the power to convert the ashes of mortality to the beauties of eternity” (Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, p206).

Let us choose to trust in the Lord’s atoning sacrifice, and the power it has to change us. Let us choose to give the gift of a repentant heart.

The Gift of Using Our Agency

In the Book of Mormon, Amaleki's short remarks include these words, “[C]ome unto Christ…and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him” (Omni 1:26, emphasis added)—our soul, comprised of both body and spirit. Offering our whole souls would require a commitment of heart, mind and strength; demanding physical and spiritual effort. It isn't something that can be done over the weekend, or even within a year's time. It is the quest of a lifetime.

In the scriptures we can read examples of people who have had dramatic experiences in which they turned their whole souls over to the Lord, and never looked back (Alma the Younger and the Apostle Paul come to mind). There are also others who were already being obedient and line upon line, precept upon precept, they continued in righteousness (Nephi and Joseph Smith, for example). Whether dramatically or little-by-little, all of these individuals (and many more) had numerous trials and tribulations in their mortal lives—but all of them made the choices that would bless them in the eternities. We can choose to do the same. In his direct way, Elder Maxwell admonishes us to choose to follow the Savior now:

“Joshua didn’t say choose you next year whom you will serve; he spoke of ‘this day,’ while there is still daylight and before the darkness becomes more and more normal. 

“When Jesus called his first disciples, the scriptures record that they left their ships and nets ‘straightway.’ They didn’t ask to join Jesus after the fishing season; they didn’t even delay their response in order to make just one more catch. They left ‘straightway’! 

“Act, my brothers and sisters, for once the soul is tilted toward belief, and once there is even a desire to believe, then marvelous things begin to happen!” (link to talk).

As we use our agency to act and turn our lives over to the Lord, instead of being acted upon—the natural result of inaction—amazing things can happen. President James E. Faust taught,

“If we will turn to the Lord and believe on His name, we can change. He will give us the power to change our lives, the power to put away bad thoughts and feelings from our hearts. We can be taken from ‘the darkest abyss’ to ‘behold the marvelous light of God’. We can be forgiven. We can find peace” (link to talk).

Everyone has a past that cannot be remade. The only thing we can do is to move forward. By accessing the power of the Atonement in our lives the guilt and frustration of past mistakes can be swept away, and we can begin anew. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can be made better. President Faust also taught,

“Each one of us has been given the power to change his or her life. As part of the Lord’s great plan of happiness, we have individual agency to make decisions. We can decide to do better and to be better. In some ways all of us need to change; that is, some of us need to be more kind at home, less selfish, better listeners, and more considerate in the way we treat others. Some of us have habits that need to be changed, habits that harm us and others around us. Sometimes we may need a jolt to propel us into changing” (link to talk).

We may have a shady past, or may have been faithful throughout our lives, or may still be deciding which way we want to go. No matter our state, one thing to remember is that the Lord is not as concerned with where we have been, as He is with the direction that we are heading. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland counseled, 

“My beloved brothers and sisters, to those of you who have been blessed by the gospel for many years because you were fortunate enough to find it early, to those of you who have come to the gospel by stages and phases later, and to those of you—members and not yet members—who may still be hanging back, to each of you, one and all, I testify of the renewing power of God’s love and the miracle of His grace. His concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there.

“So if you have made covenants, keep them. If you haven’t made them, make them. If you have made them and broken them, repent and repair them. It is never too late so long as the Master of the vineyard says there is time.…Don’t delay. It’s getting late” (link to talk).

The Gift of Sacrifice 
In the scriptures we read of the Savior being approached by a wealthy young man who asks Him what he can do to have eternal life. Jesus replied,

"Thou knowest the commandments...

"And [the wealthy young man] answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.

"Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

"And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions" (Mark 10:19-22).

In our own lives we may be asked to do something hard, something that will test our commitment to the Lord. Many times the hardest things to give up are those things that we don't want to change within ourselves.

The Lord has commanded, “Thou shalt offer a sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in righteousness, even that of a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (Doctrine & Covenants 59:8). To be contrite means to show sincere sorrow or remorse. The Apostle Paul taught of having our hearts softened (perhaps broken) insomuch that they can be penetrated. The law of the Lord is not something we just need to have memorized, or have written in stone, “but  [written] in [the] fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3). 

In order to truly sacrifice, we must humble ourselves enough to recognize our weakness and errors, and want to change. This willingness to change will allow our hearts to be softened, and become open to the whisperings of the Spirit, which will teach us "all things what [we] should do" (2 Nephi 32:5).

During His mortal ministry the Savior invited, 

“Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:34-36).

To some it may be a great sacrifice to get out of comfort zones, letting go of pride, putting aside our own desires, or trusting in the Lord when we don't fully understand. Still to others it may be the act of selfless serving that is hard. Whatever challenges we are faced with in this life, we will be tried to see if we will put the Lord first above everything and everyone else in our lives. Just as we are "immediately" blessed (Mosiah 2:24) by doing everything the Lord asks of us, putting Him first is not without benefit. President Ezra Taft Benson counseled, 

"When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities" (link to talk).

The end result of all that we do on this earth is not to gain the glory or riches of the world, but to live in such a manner that we may return to live eternally with our Father in Heaven again. What truly matters in life is our willingness to trust in Him, and do what He asks. By so doing we will be blessed in this world, but more so in the world to come.

Occasionally we can ask ourselves is if we are looking forward, as Alma asked, “with an eye of faith…to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?” (Alma 5: 15). Or, as Elder Neal A. Maxwell asked, if our hearts are “so set [upon the things of the world that] they must first be broken” (link to talk)?

To sacrifice means giving up something we want now for something better later. Elder Maxwell also said, “the submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar” (link to talk). Sacrifice isn’t intended to be easy—it is meant to stretch and refine us. Elder Richard G. Scott explained, “We were taught in the premortal world that our purpose in coming here is to be tested, tried, and stretched” (link to talk). David, in the Book of Psalms, teaches, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart” (Psalms 51:17). And, Tad R. Callister reminded us that, “sacrifices in and of themselves are meaningless. They are not an end. They become purposeful only if they serve to focus the mind and heart of the giver upon the Savior’s atoning sacrifice” (Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, p280).

When we have our hearts in the right place—focusing our mind and heart on the Savior's sacrifice—is when we can truly offer a worthy sacrifice. May we take the first step by giving Him the gift of our trust; trust enough to sacrifice. 

Our Gift of Time

Throughout the scriptures we can find examples of those who have diligently spent their time and become so converted unto the Lord that they are confident in their standing with Him. One story that stands out in my mind is the story of Ammon. Ammon and his brothers had been converted unto the Lord and went to teach a ferocious and blood thirsty people—the Lamanites.

Ammon ends up as a servant to King Lamoni and is helping the king’s servants tend sheep. Other Lamanites come and scatter the sheep of the king. Apparently this has happened before and the servants are scared because they know they will be killed. Ammon “flattered them by his words, saying: My brethren, be of good cheer and let us go in search of the flocks” (Alma 17:31). They gathered the flocks and the Lamanites came again to scatter them. 

“[B]ut Ammon said unto his brethren: Encircle the flocks round about that they flee not; and I go and contend with these men who do scatter our flocks.

“Therefore, they did as Ammon commanded them, and he went forth and stood to contend with those who stood by the waters of Sebus; and they were in number not a few” (Alma 17:33-34). 

Ammon’s father had been given a promise, by the Lord, that none of his sons would die while teaching the Lamanites (see Mosiah 28:7). Ammon had such confidence in the Lord, and His promise, that he was not at all daunted by the number of opposing—and not a few—Lamanites: he killed “a certain number of them” with his sling, killed their leader with his sword, “and he smote off as many of their arms as were lifted against him, and they were not a few”. After killing several of the Lamanites there were also others that “began to flee before [Ammon]; yea, and they were not few in number” (see Alma 17:36-38). 

How did he gain such confidence in the Lord? We read that Ammon and his brothers, 

“had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.

“But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God” (Alma 17:2-3).

They searched the scriptures diligently, and had prayed and fasted much, then they did their best to act on those things they believed. It was through devoting their time to the seemingly small and simple things (that all of us have been asked to do) that they gained confidence in the Lord; and their standing before Him. We can gain that same trust and confidence by following their example. Then, when the challenges come into our lives, we will be able to move forward, acting in confidence. Elder David A. Bednar taught,

“In many of the uncertainties and challenges we encounter in our lives, God requires us to do our best, to act and not be acted upon, and to trust in Him. We may not see angels, hear heavenly voices, or receive overwhelming spiritual impressions. We frequently may press forward hoping and praying—but without absolute assurance—that we are acting in accordance with God’s will. But as we honor our covenants and keep the commandments, as we strive ever more consistently to do good and to become better, we can walk with the confidence that God will guide our steps. And we can speak with the assurance that God will inspire our utterances. This is in part the meaning of the scripture that declares, ‘Then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God’” (link to talk).

We don’t know very much about the early years of our Savior’s life on this earth, but we do know that He “grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom” (Luke 2:40). His wisdom came from applying the teachings He learned in such a perfect way that He gained  understanding (see Mosiah 12:27). James E. Talmage gave this insight,

“[T]he Boy was well taught in the law and the scriptures…He garnered knowledge by study, and gained wisdom by prayer, thought, and effort” (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p106).

May we strive to do the same, by offering the gift of our time—time to learn of His ways, time to ponder, time to become the best we can be. May we choose to act now in bettering our ways and becoming more converted unto the Lord. None of us know when the Savior will come again, and none of us know when the end of our probationary state will be. May we decide today to be ready for when our probationary state ends. Elder Maxwell advised,

“There are reasons for your commitment to be made now, for as the rush of hours, days, and months grows stronger, the will to commit grows weaker….

“Act now, so that a thousand years from now, when you look back at this moment, you can say this was a moment that mattered—this was a day of determination….

“[F]or it will never be easier to do than it is now” (link to talk).

Ours is the challenge to overcome the natural man. It will be a daily struggle, even (and sometimes especially) after we  choose to follow the Savior. As we learn to rely on the power of His Atonement we truly can become like Him. Elder Russell M. Nelson taught, 

“God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, but we are not. Each day, ours is the challenge to access the power of the Atonement so that we can truly change, become more Christlike, and qualify for the gift of exaltation and live eternally with God, Jesus Christ, and our families” (link to talk).

Our Gift of Accepting His Sacrifice

The last gift I thought of is the gift of accepting His offering to us—shown through our willingness to repent and to follow Him. Each week as we partake of the sacrament we covenant to remember Him, and to stand as His witness. As we keep this covenant we are showing our willingness to accept His Atonement in our behalf. Tad R. Callister taught,

“The atoning sacrifice of Christ, and our full acceptance of it, is the spiritual antidote that heals the wounded soul. It is such an antidote that replaces despair with hope, darkness with light, and turmoil with peace” (Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, p203).

In the concluding chapter of the Book of Mormon, Moroni exhorts us to remember the Lord's mercy, to gain a testimony and become converted ourselves, and to deny not the power nor the gifts of God (see Moroni 10). He then invites us to come unto Christ.

“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ” (Moroni 10:32).

At this time of year, when we remember the birth of the Savior, may we offer the gift of our agency to repent; our gift of time to become converted; and our gift of a broken heart and contrite spirit to willingly come unto Him and accept of His offering for us. As we do this we will come to know Him, and will be prepared for whatever lies ahead, knowing we have Him by our side.