Freedom to Choose

Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “Sooner or later, everyone has to sit down to a banquet of consequences.” Such is our lot in life – each of us is given the gift of choice. The Book of Mormon teaches that the freedom to choose is one of the greatest gifts we have been given. We are free to choose what to do, what we eat or drink, what we will wear, what we want to believe, and so forth. But there is one certainty in this arena: we are NOT free to choose the consequences of our choices. They will be the results of our thoughts and actions, and the rewards we receive in both this life and the next will be the natural outcome. Some refer to this as the “fruits of our labors.” 

 Helaman 14:30 And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.

  31 He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.

LESSON LEARNED: Whether for good or bad, we will always reap what we sow.

FEEDBACK: WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF CHOICES?

Temptation Isn't Sin

If I'm dieting and while driving down the freeway I see a billboard for fried fast-food at the next exit, I am faced with three choices: 1) I can ignore the thought and put it quickly out of my head, 2) I can ruminate over the thought for a few miles, considering how delicious such food would be and potentially letting it weaken my resolve for next time, or 3) I can lay into the horn as I quickly cut across three lanes to indulge in fried-food without a second thought. Three choices, three different outcomes. But there is one thing they all have in common: all three are potential outcomes from being tempted by a billboard. I did not put the billboard there in the first place. Subsequently, I am not responsible for having seen it. Similarly, temptations are laid along our pathways throughout life. We will not be judged for being tempted -- the Lord knows this will happen. We will only be judged by how we respond to that temptation. This is a part of how His plan of agency works.

2 Nephi 2:16 Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.

LESSON LEARNED: Being tempted is not sin, and we won’t be held accountable for confronting it. But we will reap rewards or consequences based on how we respond to those temptations.

FEEDBACK: HAVE YOU EVER STRUGGLED WITH TEMPTATION, THINKING THAT YOU WOULD BE JUDGED FOR SIMPLY BEING CONFRONTED BY IT?

Love of God

When I was a child, I was confused occasionally by Christian friends who said that God lives in your heart. This seemed so illogical, because I always envisioned God the Father as a person and His Son Jesus Christ as a distinctly separate person. And this was, of course, a foundational understanding Joseph Smith obtained when he had the First Vision in 1820. The Tree of Life vision outlined in The Book of Mormon also gives specific clarity to this confusing issue of Christianity in 1 Nephi 11. Here we learn that while God and Jesus are distinct individuals, it is the “Love of God” that sheds itself forth from them that can dwell in our hearts. It is the most joyous and desirable thing we can carry with us through this life.

 1 Nephi 11:20 And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.
 21 And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?
 22 And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.
23 And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.

LESSON LEARNED: God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ are two distinctly separate beings. It is God's love that can dwell in our hearts; there is no greater joy in life.

FEEDBACK: WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE FEELING THIS LOVE OR UNDERSTANDING THIS CONCEPT?

We're His Instruments

Another common theme throughout The Book of Mormon is that we can become instruments for good in the Lord’s hands. Borrowing an example from music, many musicians spend countless hours to obtain the desired sounds their instrument can produce. The greatest of these report that their highest form of musical expression is achieved when they are able to forget about themselves and forget they even have an instrument in their hands. Similarly, we become the Lord's instruments for His greatest works when we forget about ourselves and simply allow the Spirit flow through us in His service.

Alma 17:9 ... they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth...
Alma 26:3 …. And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.
Alma 26:15 .... yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.
Alma 29:9 I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.
Alma 35:14 And Alma, and Ammon, and their brethren, and also the two sons of Alma returned to the land of Zarahemla, after having been instruments in the hands of God of bringing many of the Zoramites to repentance…

LESSON LEARNED: The Lord is able to accomplish His greatest works through us when we forget about ourselves and allow ourselves to be His instruments of expression.

FEEDBACK: WHAT EXPERIENCES HAVE YOU HAD IN FEELING THAT THE LORD HAS BEEN ABLE TO WORK THROUGH YOU?

Ask and Receive

A common theme woven throughout The Book of Mormon is the need to seek and ask for blessings in prayer before they are granted. It seems to be an eternal principle that links faith with receiving blessings in this life. This is demonstrated in the first portion of a dream Lehi had, a dream referred to as "The Tree of Life." The Lord had so much he wanted to show Lehi. But to get the ball rolling, so to speak, Lehi had to figure out on his own that he needed to pray and ask for something more. How did this happen in this particular case? He suffered in darkness until the thought to pray finally occurred to him. The blessing was then rapid in coming:

1 Nephi 1:7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.
8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.
9 And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field.
10 And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.

LESSON LEARNED: Faith, and the subsequent need to ask for blessings, is an eternal principle. It is repeatedly taught to the reader by example throughout The Book of Mormon.

FEEDBACK: WHAT BLESSINGS HAVE COME TO YOU ONCE YOU FINALLY SOUGHT THE HELP OF THE LORD THROUGH PRAYER?

Sariah Now Knows

Sariah had been through a lot. She had given up her home and possessions to follow her husband, Lehi, into the wilderness. She went from a life of comfort and sustenance to one of hunger and sacrifice. It must have taken much love, fortitude and faith on her part. One would think she also went through these trials with the sure witness of testimony. But her son Nephi suggests otherwise. In The Book of Mormon, it mentions that it took the ultimate risk, i.e. the potential death of her sons while in the Lord’s service and their preservation, for Sariah to receive that personal witness:

1 Nephi 5:8 And she spake, saying: Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness; yea, and I also know of a surety that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of the hands of Laban, and given them power whereby they could accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded them. And after this manner of language did she speak.

LESSON LEARNED: Each of us must develop our own spiritual witness of truth despite our circumstances or aid from others. It often will come only with personal sacrifice and on the Lord’s timetable.

FEEDBACK: WHAT ARE THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT HAVE LED TO YOUR OWN CONVICTION OF TRUTH?