Today's Favorite Verse: Leviticus 6:4-6

Today's Favorite Verse: Leviticus 6:4-6

"Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found,

Or all that about which he hath shown falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering.

And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest:"

This chapter goes into more details on what the trespass offering is. It shows restitution being made to the person we sinned against. I pondered on how good a principle this is. That restitution not only helps the one who sinned understand the damage they caused, but the victim being compensated feels valued again too. This is key to both repentance and forgiveness, justice and mercy, and restoring relationships.

Day 2255

Today's Favorite Verse: Leviticus 5:15-16

Today's Favorite Verse: Leviticus 5:15-16

"If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the Lord; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the Lord a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:

And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him."

This offering sounds different because there is money or shekels of silver included with it. Then I realized it was a restitution being made for the trespass against another. I understand restitution because that is what I do when I have sinned against another, and there are damages for my actions. I must pay for the loss and restore it as best I can. For the person to be only forgiven does nothing for the person that has lost because of it. Though I know in the end after being trespassed against, I must forgive regardless if restitution has been made by them. Any outstanding restitutions or unfairness we have suffered will be resolved by the Lord in the world to come. This reminded me a quote by Elder Dale G. Renlund in his recent conference talk.

In unfair situations, one of our tasks is to trust that “all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.” Jesus Christ overcame the world and “absorbed” all unfairness. Because of Him, we can have peace in this world and be of good cheer. If we let Him, Jesus Christ will consecrate the unfairness for our gain. He will not just console us and restore what was lost; He will use the unfairness for our benefit. When it comes to how and when, we need to recognize and accept, as did Alma, that “it mattereth not; for God knoweth all these things; and it sufficeth me to know that this is the case.

We can try to hold our questions about how and when for later and focus on developing faith in Jesus Christ, that He has both the power to make everything right and yearns to do so. For us to insist on knowing how or when is unproductive and, after all, myopic.”

(Dale G. Renlund, "Infuriating Unfairness" Apr 2021 General Conference)

Day 2254