26 And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.
One of the most important passages about the Atonement in the Book of Mormon is this short verse in the book of Omni. The writer is Amaleki, who lived in Zarahemla during the reigns of the first King Mosiah and his son, King Benjamin. I like this passage because it connects the Atonement of Jesus Christ to our daily lives. After admonishing us to “come unto Christ” and “partake of His salvation,” Amaleki explains what we need to do in practice to accept that invitation:
- Offer our whole souls as an offering. We need to be “all in.” We can’t hold anything back. A commitment to follow Jesus Christ must be a 100% commitment, not a 99.9% commitment.
- Continue in fasting and praying. To come unto Christ is to have a relationship with Him. We can’t do that without communicating with Him continually through prayer. The effectiveness of our prayers is enhances through periodic fasting.
- Endure to the end. Coming unto Christ is not something we do at a specific moment in time. It is the work of a lifetime. Once we have offered our whole souls to Him, we demonstrate that we meant it by remaining faithful for the rest of our lives.
Today I will recommit to follow Amaleki’s counsel. I will remember that the power of Jesus Christ’s redemption is available to me as I consecrate my life to Him, fast and pray continually, and remain faithful over time.
Leave a Reply