How can I apply Christ's atonement daily?

I hear church leaders say all the time to apply the Atonement every day. That's good, I guess. For a long time I didn't really take that seriously - sure, I'll ask for forgiveness tonight when I say my prayers! That's applying the Atonement! ...right? 

I think it's more than that. 

Everything - and I do mean everything - that you and I do that pertains to life and salvation can be enhanced by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter what it is. I've come to believe that Christ's atonement is God's power from which all power is drawn, and the only true medium through which He blesses us. 

To paint the picture in full, we have to start with the Fall.

Living In a Fallen State

You've heard the Bible story I guess, how Adam and Eve dwelt in the Garden of Eden, only to partake of the fruit and become mortal? When this happened, it ushered in a condition that we call being "fallen". What does it mean to be fallen?

As children of God, they were expected to walk uprightly and abstain from carnal temptations. As long as they obeyed God, they had His support. But when they disobeyed, they inherited sin. 

We are now sinners, which means we're subject to Justice and have lost the Spirit as well as immortality! This is why we are mortal today. Being mortal has brought a whole multitude of weaknesses and short-comings, both physical and spiritual! 

The Atonement Overcomes Every Effect of the Fall

When Jesus Christ performed the atonement, several things took place. Now we will never fully understand just how it works, but there are a few things we do know. 

Isaiah taught in a very concise way what Christ’s atonement did when he said: "Surely, He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes, we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). 

Now it is clear that Justice demands punishment for transgression and sin. According to Isaiah, in order to get around all of us suffering, Christ took that punishment for us. In a way we will never understand, perhaps not in this life, Christ suffered for our sins so that we do not have to. I think we all have heard this in one way or another. 

The Atonement also allows us all to be resurrected, free of charge, thus overcoming the last enemy: death. But what about the rest of that verse from Isaiah? "Borne our griefs"? "Carried our sorrows"? Alma taught that Christ would come to take away the "pains and sicknesses of his people" (Alma 7:11-12). The Atonement did more than take away punishment for sin, but also takes away pain, sickness, grief, and sorrow. I hope we remember this just as much. This is called grace.

You see, the "fallen state" that we live in is simply Justice exercising its demands on the children of men for our sinful behavior. In order to understand how to use the Christ's atonement everyday, we first have to understand what it can do, and that is, in a phrase: satisfy the demands of Justice.

So what are those demands?

The Demands of Justice

First and foremost, we are unclean and cannot return to God. Secondly, we are mortal and now we must die. However, because Christ died and suffered for us, He has overcome both of those things. 

But what about everything in between? The demands of justice encompass far more than just punishment and death. 

Justice demands mortality, weakness, tiredness, and feeble knees; it demands sickness, broken bones, and paper cuts; it demands fears, broken hearts, inadequacy, and loneliness; it demands blood, sweat, and tears; it demands blindness, deafness, handicaps, and bitterness; every time you fell short, every time you failed, every time you wanted to quit, go home, and climb into bed - it was because you are fallen and Justice has demanded it to be so. 

Justice demands that we are weak. It demands that we are alone. On top of it all, it insists that we are unworthy of miracles and demands that we do all of this by the sweat of our brow and sheer grit because those are the consequences of sin! 

But the Deliverer says "Come unto me, all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). 

But what dos this look like?

Stories!

When I first entered the mission field in Minnesota, I came to a biking area. My companion was seasoned and well-trained on the bicycle, but I had not been on a bicycle for nearly four years and was definitely not in shape for 100% bike travel. I was exhausted every minute of every day! From the moment I sat on my bike and began pedaling until the moment I collapsed into bed, my legs blazed with fire. But even in these adverse circumstances, I did not forget to call upon God. 

It seems a silly thing, to pray for strength to ride your bike. But the fact is that Christ took everything upon Him - including my burning legs! I testify that even though I had no strength to ride, I made it everywhere I was supposed to. Admittedly, it was not always as timely as my companion would have liked, but we made it! And the only reason I was ever able to make it anywhere in that city is because I received strength from Christ’s atonement. 

Throughout my mission, I had many companions that I got to work with, and I struggled at first to get along with some of them. But even those with whom I struggled the most have become some of my closest friends! Why? Because Christ took everything upon Him - including my frustrations and inabilities to love. I testify that because of Christ’s atonement, I was able to replace my feelings with charity, and was able to see my companions for who the Lord saw them to be, and not for who I originally saw them to be. I learned to love through Christ’s atonement. 

The last few months here at home have been quite a roller-coaster. Without boring you with the entire story, I was meant to be married just last week, but because of strong impressions, my fiancé and I decided to cancel the wedding. She subsequently felt that she needed to serve a mission, as she had originally planned, and has submitted her mission papers! 

As I look at the situation that I and my ex-fiancé find ourselves in, I’m astounded at the way that she and I have handled it. In the last four months, she’s been through much more than what I’ve related here - and any normal person would’ve cracked a long time ago. There would be hate, anger, frustration, and probably a lot of broken things in her room as well as on my face. But for some strange reason, she has nothing but peace right now, as do I. 

The average person would be experiencing turmoil and distress, but as I continue to emphasize: Christ has taken everything upon Himself - including our distress that we would have been experiencing. We have found peace through Christ’s Atonement. 

Applying the Atonement Daily

When we are encouraged to partake of the Christ's atonement every day of our lives, it goes so much deeper than simply asking for forgiveness when we kneel at our bedside. It delves into change, obedience, sacrifice, and trading yokes with the Savior. 

Ultimately, it delves into having faith to repent, entering into a covenant, thereby accessing Christ and receiving the Holy Ghost as a companion, and enduring in obedience and faithfulness to the end of our lives. This formula is what the gospel is about. It teaches us how to access Christ's atonement by living the Doctrine of Christ and changing as a result. 

And then, when we are living the Doctrine of Christ by exercising our faith unto repentance (Alma 34), we are given the power to overcome the effects of the Fall and be free of the demands of justice. We can now receive help from the Savior! This is what the scriptures are talking about when they promise joy and peace in the gospel!

When we're tired, we can receive strength to keep going! When we're discouraged and depressed, we can feel the Savior's love and be enabled to love ourselves and others! When we don’t know where to go or what to do, Christ has made possible revelation, through the Holy Ghost, to guide us! When life kicks us in the teeth and we're at our wit's end, Christ is what allows us to find peace amid chaos. Christ brings strength, love, joy, and miracles! 

I testify that when we are willing to live the Doctrine of Christ, we will be given the capacity to accomplish every righteous endeavor in which we find ourselves engaged. If it is the will of God, it will be done! But only when we are willing to have faith and take His yoke upon ourselves! 

This holiday season, let's focus on what really matters. Christ is, after all, the reason for the season. Let's give Him a gift this year, let's exercise faith to repent and change. Let's grow a little closer to Him. Let's listen a little more to Him. Let's get to know Him a little bit more by using His atonement daily. Because the atonement wasn't only so He could get to know us - it was also meant for us to get to know Him. I so testify in His name, the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Thanks for reading! God be with you 'till we meet again.

Sincerely,

- Taylor, a dead missionary