"God's love knows no bounds." p. 1
"My sincere hope is that through this book...you will again feel, as you have already felt, the priceless love your Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son have for you, and that Their love will encourage you to move even more conscientiously toward Them." p. 1
Lasting Happiness
"Lasting happiness, peace, and eternal life come only through increasing our faith and trust in our Heavenly Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ ... All that is good and beautiful, all that is holy and sacred, comes from Them. Sin moves you away from Them; repentance moves you toward Them; forgiveness refreshes your soul and confirms where you stand with Them." p. 1, 5
What is the formula/equation for repentance (end of p. 1 and beginning of p. 2)?
A Promise from an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ
"I promise you that as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow, the Savior's divine gifts of repentance and of forgiveness, offered in the beauty of His encompassing love, are certain for those who come unto Him with full purpose of heart."
3 Nephi 9:14 : Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.
Get to Know Jesus; Get to Know Yourself
"...reading about Jesus Christ and His teachings can have a powerful impact upon our soul." p. 2
"...we must set aside the wisdom of this world and come humbly before God, recognizing that sincerely repenting and humbly pleading for forgiveness are not simply options in the buffet of admirable virtues." p. 3
"Repentance is not punishment or oppression." p. 3
The Ladder Analogy
"You will come to know that He 'reaches [your] reaching.'" p. 3
"More important than where you are is the direction you face, and especially Whom you face." p. 3
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: "If we choose ... the course of discipleship, we will ... move from what may be initially a mere acknowledgment of Jesus on to adminration of Jesus, then on to adoration of Jesus, and finally on to emulation of Jesus. In that process of striving to become more like Him ... we must be in the posture of repentance." p. 5
Alma 34:17, 32: Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you; ... For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."
Repentance & Forgiveness: The Journey of a Lifetime
"Let us rejoice in this journey! You can start from wherever you are and become something more than you ever imagined. You have already begun ... I promise you that ... the Savior will shape forever the divine destiny awaiting for you." p. 5-6
Case Study
Throughout the semester, we will use the principles from Elder Andersen's book "The Divine Gift of Forgiveness" to help Lance and see how these principles can and are affecting his life.
Lance is 21. He is the oldest of 5 children. He was raised in a fairly active LDS home. He served in his Aaronic Priesthood quorums, enrolled in seminary and went most of the time. He served a mission to Georgia. It was a rough time for Lance. His mission president was not the most loving of men and expected a lot from the missionaries. Lance began looking at pornography at age 13. He happened to come across something online when he was doing homework one day. He was able to stop his habit about 6 months before his mission. During his mission, he did not look at pornography, but now that he's home, the habit has come back. Lance is a good student. He wants to do something in the medical field. He is fairly driven and wants to excel. Lance dates a lot. He has lots of friends that are women and there are about a handful of women that believe Lance is interested in them. Lance is not sure what he wants in a girlfriend. He tries to be honest at school and in his relationships, but sometimes doesn't always tell the whole truth.
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