Choosing Joy in this Life

This is from a talk I gave several years ago.

In 2nd Nephi we are taught that;

..."men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."

Furthermore, we learn that, "men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil."

We have been taught to be " true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and [to do] good to all men..." in fact, "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

However, in a world full of enticing side roads, and the tempting yet false "light" of the adversary, it is becoming increasingly hard for God's children to choose "liberty and eternal life".

Nearly two thousand years ago Paul the apostle saw and wrote about the very times in which we live. Speaking to Timothy in a letter, he wrote:

"...in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

The "World" holds up the proud, and it sees blasphemy as a comical hero. The name of our Savior is no longer sacred, but because many see him as "Just a good man" he is again sold over and over by the Judas Iscariots of this world for the cheap price of humor. Those that are without natural affection are put upon the pedestal of pride, and they receive a pat on the back for being so courageous to stand up for themselves.

In the classical book of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, The King is murdered by the hand of his own brother, by a vial of poison which had been poured into his ear. In his own words he speaks of the torment that this untimely death is causing him. He says that he is "...Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night, And for the day confined to fast in fires, Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature

Are burnt and purged away." Likewise, the music and media of today act as a spiritual poison to our ears and eyes. They creep into our homes through the television and computer, and "lead captive silly [men] women [and children] laden with sins, led away with divers lusts." Thus we become spiritually dead and "...Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night,...Till the foul crimes done in [our] days of nature are burnt and purged away", by the cleansing effects of repentance through the atonement of Jesus Christ.

But what of choice? What of our ability to simply say "no, I will not partake of it"? It does exist, however, Satan would have us choose from two evils, prompting us think that if we choose the lesser of two evils, we have made a good choice. President Benson has said, "Don't see R-rated movies", but many of us find ourselves in PG13 movies that are just as vulgar, just as violent, and full of immorality. We then say to ourselves, "it only had a few bad parts in it, but at least it wasn't rated R." If I could suggest an eleventh commandment, it would read, "Thou shall not fool thyself".

Men, women and children are, or to put it in another way, men, women and children exist, that they might have joy. The whole of the human race exists to learn and choose joy in this life. Not the fleeting artificial joy of the "world", but true, eternal joy. This joy begins at the foundation of the family.

The Proclamation on the family put together by our modern day Prophets and Apostles teaches us that "...the family is central to the creators plan for the eternal destiny of His children." furthermore, "Parents have the sacred duty to...teach [their children] to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God, and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live." I testify that this teaching is to be accomplished in weekly family home evenings. Below are three areas of study that will give our families the strength needed, during these perilous times, to choose joy in this life.

#1 Teach the principle of prayer "for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul." We are taught that "as soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand towards God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part...prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings." We must learn to call upon God in all that we do, and then trust that if it is his will, we will obtain the desires of our hearts. Nothing can bring the spirit, and call down the powers of heaven faster than the sweet, honest and humble prayer of a child, for "of such is the kingdom of Heaven."

#2 Teach the power of the scriptures The scriptures have been the means by which millions of God’s children have come to the knowledge of truth. Prophets have taught from them, and even the savior used them to bring the spirit into the hearts of his followers. Within their pages, we can find answers to all of life’s problems. The Book of Mormon has been written for our day. It was painstakingly engraved onto plates of gold, and its sacred words, which Nephi teaches us "are the words of Christ" have been sealed by the testimonies of both ancient and modern Prophets at the insurmountable price of spilt blood. Within it's pages lay the fullness of the everlasting gospel and the all important knowledge that Jesus is the Christ, The Son of The living God. No book on earth has more power to change and soften the hearts of man than the Book of Mormon. That wonderful book is truly the keystone of our religion.

#3 Teach the blessing of tithing The miraculous stories that are created in peoples lives from paying a full and honest tithe could fill thousands of books being held in hundreds of rooms. It seems that any mention of whether or not one can afford to pay tithing leaves you open to the cumulative stories of all in the room who have seen the blessings that paying a full tithe can offer you. Why does the Lord ask us to pay tithing, he doesn't really need the money, any more than he needs 60,000 full time missionaries. If the Lord wanted to show people the true gospel, couldn't he just do as he did to the nephites? Couldn't he just show himself in some miraculous way to groups of people telling them what is true until he has reached the whole of the earth? It worked for the nephites. As a result they lived in perfect peace for nearly 200 years, a nice break considering the state of the people prior to the Saviors visit. No, he doesn't need our money, or our help to convert the world, but WE, as his children, need to pay tithing, and WE need to serve him in some form of missionary service. It creates a special chance for him to instruct us in things of godliness. It creates an opportunity for us to be tried, and tested. Those very trials, if passed, can give us the faith and strength necessary to call down the powers of heaven. The Lord has said, "Prove me now herewith...if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

I feel that these three things stand as a guide in this troubled world. If we and our your families learn all we can about these principles, and practice them daily, I know that when the time comes to choose between liberty and eternal life, or captivity and death, we will not be deceived.