: ~Chapter 2~ Choose to be Wise Agents Unto Ourselves Behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things, for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, Men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; for the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. Doctrine & Covenants 58:6c, d
Meditation Thoughts Father, When In Love To Thee Father, when in love to thee Low we bow the adoring knee, When repentant to the skies Scarcely do we lift our eyes, Then, O hear us as we plead For thy help in time of need; Bending from thy thorn on high, Hear, forgive us when we cry. We repent the times we ve stood For the things of lesser good, And for stewardship of time We have spent unlinked with thine. In the midst of sin and strife; Teach us how to live a life Marked by graces of new birth, Worthy of they saints on earth. Father, while we look to thee, Lowly on the bended knee, And in penitence we turn, For thy pardon now we yearn. Reconcile us by thy love; Lift our souls to things above; As we humbly now draw nigh, Hear, forgive us when we cry. Amen. Father When In Love To Thee, #383, THE HYMNAL, Herald Publishing House, Independence, MO, 1956, Twelfth Printing, October 1974. 2
Choose to be Wise Agents Unto Ourselves Doctrine & Covenants 58:6c, d: Behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things, for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, Men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; for the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. Before we begin, please refer to page 8 in your lesson titled Put Off & Put On follow the instructions at the top of that page. After reading the Put Off & Put On page in the lesson, stop for a moment and consider how this would affect the daily decisions you face. Next, turn to the pages following that and read Chapter II, The Decision-Making Art and then answer the following questions. NOTE the quotation from Horace Mann at the beginning. If the development of a high level of life is not accidental, what is it that we require, or must find, in order to have a high level or right life before God? What meaning does the phrase have, He who chooses not to choose has chosen? Nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee;... Gen. 2:21 God granted agency to mankind in the Garden of Eden. If this is a gift, what is our response? The choices we make today will impact the judgment of eternity. The choices we make each day must be decisions we can live with tomorrow and for eternity. What limits our ability to make good decisions? What must we do to overcome this? 3
The author of this chapter offers some principles of decision-making. List those principles and note briefly what they mean. Behold it is that I should in all things, for he that is in all things, the same is a and not a.... Men should be in a and do of their, and bring to pass ; for the power is, wherein they are. Doctrine & Covenants 58:6 So when we apply these principles, and make the best choice or decision we can, what can we do when those turn out not to be right or the best? Are we waiting for, or listening to, direction from family and friends or from God s Spirit? There are many decisions and choices in life. Some may appear simple but turn out to be difficult. Some are simple and do not require too much thought or investigation. Read Jonah chapters 1 & 2. Jonah chose, with the agency God granted, to defy God. He did not want to go where God directed. In the moment extreme adversity, Jonah repented and God responded. Choosing to follow Christ appears to be a simple choice but is really complex with strings many involving families. Read 1 Nephi 2:41-85, Lehi s vision. Many made choices that left them 4
without the hope of salvation. Agency was granted. Choices were made. But could they live with those decisions?...i was desirous that Laman and Lemuel and partake of the fruit also;... but they unto me, and partake of the fruit. Vs.. 59 & 61 Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say, but in your minds the words of, and it you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man. Doctrine & Covenants 83:14d The understanding that we need to make good and wise choices can be guided by our Heavenly Father IF we will ask Him. Too often we feel pushed to make choices quickly. How much better our lives would be if we only took a little more time making our choices. Let this CHALLENGE be in you: Choose you this day the path to righteous Eternal Life. 1. Seek God in prayer; 2. Ask for God s Spirit of discernment; 3. Gather factual information regarding the issue before you; 4. Ignore the rumors and innuendo; 5. Take this factual knowledge to God in prayer; 6. Make your decision. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Romans 14:12 Each choice we make has a lasting result. We cannot go back and do-over. There is an effect upon all those around us for good or bad with any decision or any do-over attempt. For the body is not one member, but many. 1 Cor. 12:14 Jesus himself asked each of us to make a choice, a decision:... Whosoever will come after me, let him, and take up, and. For whosoever will his life, shall it; or whosoever will save his life, shall be to lay it down for my sake; and if he is to lay it down for, he shall lose it.... For what shall it profit a man if he shall the whole world, and? Or what shall a man for his soul? Mark 8:36-39 While the choice that Jesus asks of us has only two results, eternal life or eternal death, the choices we make on a daily basis can lead to more choices throughout the day. With the 5
exception of the one decision Jesus asks of us, consider whether there is any other decision we can make that will not ultimately require another decision from us. I once had a Pastor who advised me that there was nothing I could do, say, or choose that would not have eternal consequences.... Men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; for the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. D & C 58:6d 6
The world offers us tools to help make decisions. This is a simple example of a decision-making tool. What are the possible outcomes of your first decision this morning? Remember the 6 steps from the lesson Challenge. Learn these 6 steps. Apply them to all your decisions. Let God help you in the choices you must make. 3. There are 3 trails leading to Camp A from your starting position. There are 3 trails from Camp A to Camp B. How many different routes are there from the starting position to Camp B? Draw a tree diagram to illustrate your answer. See Tree Diagram Choose: 3 6 9 12 Tree Diagram for Question 3 Let the choices you make today Be decisions you can live with tomorrow! 7
Put Off & Put On ~ Christ is the Key Mosiah 1:119-120: For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been, from the fall of Adam, and will be, for ever and ever; But if he yields to [chooses to obey] the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man, and becometh a saint, through the atonement of Christ, the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. DO THIS: As you read your lesson, identify [write down] those things that do not allow the enticings of the Holy Spirit to dwell in you. PUT OFF those habits of THE NATURAL MAN and PUT ON or yield to [obey] the enticings of the Holy Spirit, the attributes that becometh a saint [see scripture above]. Make a PLAN OF ACTION to become A SPIRITUAL MAN/WOMAN IN CHRIST. THE NATURAL MAN Choose the Enticings of Holy Spirit THE SPIRITUAL MAN PUT OFF PUT ON PLAN OF ACTION 8
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