“Suppose we take a
child and arrange to rear him as Satan suggested, so that he cannot make the
smallest mistake. We tell him exactly what to do, how to do it and when to do
it; and then make sure he conforms to orders. We never let him make choices,
never let him try different solutions to problems of everyday living. He must
not be allowed to err. Year by year the child’s body will grow, but what of his
mind? What of his spirit? Though he grow to be six feet tall, he will never
become a mature adult. His mind and spirit will have been starved. They will
have failed to grow for lack of nourishment. … Our Father in heaven knew … that
man could never gain perfection … without the vital element of … agency”
At the council in
heaven, we chose to follow Jesus Christ, and because we made the right choices in the premortal life,
we were privileged to come to earth. Our choices in this life will continue to
determine our course in the eternities. In order to use our agency in this life we must have the opportunity to make choices.
We cannot choose righteousness unless the opposites of good and evil are
placed before us. Satan does all he can to destroy God’s work. He does not love
us. He does not want any good thing for us. He does not want us to be happy. He
wants to make us his slaves. He uses many disguises to enslave us. When we
follow the temptations of Satan, we limit our choices. The following example
suggests how this works. Imagine seeing a sign on the seashore that reads:
“Danger—whirlpool. No swimming allowed here.” We might think that is a
restriction. But is it? We still have many choices. We are free to swim
somewhere else. We are free to walk along the beach and pick up seashells. We
are free to watch the sunset. We are free to go home. We are also free to
ignore the sign and swim in the dangerous place. But once the whirlpool has us
in its grasp and we are pulled under, we have very few choices. We can try to
escape, or we can call for help, but we may drown.
The Lord knew we would
be subject to both good and evil and would have to make choices. Thus, He asks
us to live close to Him and keep His commandments so we can recognize and
resist Satan’s influence.
“The Lord says, ‘Keep
the Sabbath day holy.’ (See Exodus 20:8.)
“Satan would say, ‘Use
the Sabbath day as a recreation day. …’
“The Lord says,
‘Honour thy father and thy mother.’ (Exodus 20:12.)
“Satan craftily puts
into our minds the idea of disobeying our parents; your life is your own to
choose as you wish. …
“The Lord says, ‘In
the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,’ (Genesis 3:19.) and he also said,
‘Cease to be idle.’ (D&C 88:124.)
“Satan might say, ‘Get
as much as you can for nothing. …’ He would encourage indolence, laziness,
and even the thought that the government owes you a living. …
“The Lord says, ‘Pay
one tenth of your interest annually as tithing. For this, I shall give you a great reward.’ [See 3 Nephi 24:8–10; D&C 119:4.]
“Lucifer would say,
‘Why pay your tithing? You need the money more than the Church needs
it. …’
“The Lord says, ‘Seek
the genealogy of your ancestors and complete the temple work for them.’
“Satan would say,
‘Postpone doing this work or, better still, don’t do it at all’” (Carl W.
Buehner, “Who’s on the Lord’s Side?”
It is
important for us to allow others to choose. It can be difficult when we feel so
strongly that things should be done a certain way to let others make another
choice. Our Father in Heaven allowed each of us to choose during that council
the way we would go.
It is important that
we understand that even though we are free to choose our course of action, we
are not free to choose the consequences of our actions. The consequences,
whether good or bad, follow as a natural result of any choice we make.
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a mansoweth,
that shall he also reap.
8 For he that
soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to
the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
The farmer knows that
he will reap what he sows. The kind of fruit he chooses to plant will determine
the kind of fruit he will get at the day of harvest. He cannot sow peas and
expect to harvest peaches. Neither can he choose to neglect his crop and expect
it to grow well.
We cannot
sow seeds of iniquity and reap a harvest of blessings. When we make a choice,
we must accept the consequences of that choice. We select a destination when we
start on a particular path.
We all face situations and experiences every day that
require us to make choices.
You
Are Accountable for the Choices You Make
The day will come when
we will have the opportunity to stand before God to be judged in terms of the
decisions we make and the deeds we perform in this life.
Our works are the
result of our choices. The way to make good choices is to obey the commandments
of God. By following the teachings of the prophets, who guide and strengthen us
in keeping the commandments, we can make choices that will prepare us to
receive the gift of eternal life.
Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are
free to act for
yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the
way of eternal life.
Our Savior has shown
us the way to use our agency to gain eternal life. He has given laws and
commandments to help us find happiness and success.
“Next to the bestowal of life
itself, the right to direct our lives is God’s greatest gift to man. Freedom of
choice is more to be treasured than any possession earth can give. … It is the
purpose of the Lord that man become like him. In order for man to achieve this,
it was necessary for the Creator first to make him free. To man is given a
special endowment, not bestowed upon any other living thing. God gave to him
the power of choice. Only to the human being did the Creator say: ‘… thou
mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee; …’ (Moses 3:17.) Without this divine power to
choose, humanity cannot progress” (David O. McKay, in Conference Report,
Oct. 1965, 8; or Improvement Era, Dec.
1965, 1073).
We were challenged to think about and
evaluate how we use our agency during the week. Are the choices we make drawing us away from God or closer to Him?
“Know This, That Every Soul Is Free” (Hymns, no. 240)
1. Know this, that ev’ry soul is free
To choose his life and what he’ll be;
For this eternal truth is giv’n:
That
God will force no man to heav’n.
2. He’ll call, persuade, direct aright,
And bless with wisdom, love, and light,
In nameless ways be good and kind,
But
never force the human mind.
3. Freedom and reason make us men;
Take these away, what are we then?
Mere animals, and just as well
The
beasts may think of heav’n or hell.
4. May we no more our pow’rs abuse,
But ways of truth and goodness choose;
Our God is pleased when we improve
His grace and seek his perfect love.
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