GCBC - Elder Christofferson

General Conference Book Club
Elder D. Todd Christofferson
"The Divine Gift of Repentance"

Here are a couple of the quotes that "spoke to me" as I read this talk by Elder Christofferson (which can be found here.)

"In reality the prophetic call [to repentance] should be received with joy. Without repentance, there is no real progress or improvement in life. Pretending there is no sin does not lessen its burden and pain. . . Repentance is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our faces when we speak of it. It points us to freedom, confidence, and peace."

I love this idea that repentance should be a joyful part of our lives. And I appreciate the reminder that peace comes from being obedient, which necessitates repentance.

"Repentance means striving to change. It would mock the Savior's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross for us to expect that He should transform us into angelic beings with no real effort on our part. Rather, we seek His grace to complement and reward our most diligent efforts."

The phrase that stood out to me in my regular scripture reading this morning was from Mosiah 27:5 - "Doing these things [laboring for their own support], they did abound in the grace of God." If we are to expect the grace of God, which means his aid and help, we need to work and do our part. That's what repentance entails. And, look, there in verse 6 we get the results again - "There began to be much peace again in the land." Repentance (obedience) brings peace, and that's my wish for you this Christmas season.

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