Old Institute Thoughts

Yesterday in institute, I was reminded of a couple thoughts expressed in previous institute classes that I have taken.

1. Fall 2006- The Savior's Enabling Power. It focused on the atonement and genealogy. And, yes, the way the class was taught the combination worked perfectly. And the thought was something along the lines that even though we can use the atonement to repent of our mistakes, we can go further if we take it into our lives now, since we can keep going forward from where we are now instead of spending time falling backward, then using the time and energy to catch up to where we were and then moving forward again. A quote that I have since come across says, "Men do not suddenly become righteous any more than a tiny acorn suddenly becomes an oak. Advancement to perfection can nevertheless be rapid if one resolutely strides toward the goal." (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness)

2. Fall 2008- Doctrines of the Gospel. I can't find the quote used in class to illustrate this point, but the idea was brought forth that Christ is both our judge and defense attorney. And isn't it comforting to think that the judge is personally invested in us winning our case?