A Daily Focus on Repentance

To my son,

               Have you ever wondered what was the first thing that Jesus taught people when He was on the earth? Well, if we go by Matthew’s account in the New Testament, these are the first words that we have record of which He taught generally to the people as He began His ministry (after being baptized and tempted by the devil): “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). He invited them to repent and He continued to preach that message all throughout His ministry. When He visited the Nephites He gave the same invitation near the beginning of His words to them: “I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me” (3 Nephi 11:32). In the Doctrine and Covenants in our day the Lord repeated this multiple times, such as in this verse: “Behold, I command all men everywhere to repent” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:9). Clearly this is very important for us—so what does it mean to repent? President Nelson helped us to understand in a recent talk in general conference. He said this: “Thus, when Jesus asks you and me to ‘repent,’ He is inviting us to change our mind, our knowledge, our spirit—even the way we breathe. He is asking us to change the way we love, think, serve, spend our time, treat our wives, teach our children, and even care for our bodies. Nothing is more liberating, more ennobling, or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular, daily focus on repentance. Repentance is not an event; it is a process.” Repentance is not something to be feared or to do as little as possible of; every day we can repent with joy and improve ourselves through the grace of Jesus Christ.

               President Nelson again invited us to repent in the most recent general conference. He said this: “Discover the joy of daily repentance. How important is repentance? Alma taught that we should ‘preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord.’ Repentance is required of every accountable person who desires eternal glory. There are no exceptions…. Repenting is the key to progress.” Now that you are baptized, you can make repentance a part of your life every day. I invite you each night as you pray to think of at least one thing you did or said or thought which you realize wasn’t the best thing to do or say or think. Then ask your Father in Heaven for forgiveness for that, and if you need to say sorry to someone in the family, do that as well. Then work the next day to improve in that area. As you do that each day, you will be prepared each Sunday to partake of the Sacrament where you can be cleansed, just like at your baptism, from your sins. The Lord gave us this marvelous promise about our sins that we repent of: “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:42). That is a glorious doctrine: as we repent and change through the atonement of Jesus Christ the Lord will remember them no more! I hope you will use this gift of repentance throughout your life to continue to be better each day.

 

Love,

Dad