God is PRO-Choice

A man came into my office and asked me what he should do about his wife. He said he just left her and his 12-year-old daughter to be with his girlfriend full-time. His wife does not care about him and is not filling his needs. She doesn't love him. On the other hand, his girlfriend cares and gives him everything he wants. She is responsive to him, and even anticipates his desires. She loves him; he feels loved with her. I explained that he was confronted with the biggest decision of his life. If he went back and decided to love his wife and daughter, giving to them instead of taking from them, he would grow up and learn true Christian charity, or the pure love of Christ. But if he chose his girlfriend, he would remain a dependent child.

There are three gifts of the Spirit that go with us upon death: faith, hope, and charity, the last being the greatest gift in the world.

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

(1 Corinthians 13:13)

 He is being offered charity. It is his choice. God is going to give him a free gift that will make him into a Christian. He will be like Jesus. He will have all the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ as Mormon explained:  

...if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity. And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

(Moroni 7:44-48)

 If he is meek, not using his power to hurt anyone by leaving his wife and daughter, and lowly in heart, not putting himself above his wife and daughter, then he will confess Christ with his decision, not with his lips. The decision to sacrifice is confessing that Jesus is his Lord, because the Holy Ghost tells him that the Christian thing to do is to sacrifice the desires of the flesh, to die as to the things of the world, so he can be resurrected into the light, the Spirit, and the ways of the Lord. If He chooses to leave his wife, he is choosing the things of the flesh, and denying the Spirit. This is open rebellion against the Lord, and he remains an enemy to God.

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to 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.

(Mosiah 3:19)

 I know, I have been there. I asked for a blessing but was offered a curse. A blessing builds up, but a curse is anything that brings someone down to a lower level. My wife was not responsive to me and was not fulfilling my needs. I asked the Lord to teach me to love my wife, and I was offered another woman instead. She was perfect: beautiful, French, wealthy, organized, good taste, intelligent -- everything I could want in a woman of the world. She wanted me. She told me she wanted to make love every day. She called me one night to examine her breasts, and offered herself to me, right then, and anytime I wanted. At that point I had a choice, to stay with a woman who was not interested in me or my needs, or to take a woman who had everything and could give me what I wanted, but would curse me to the world, preventing me from receiving the gift of charity. 

The choice is given when the blessing is available. “You can have this, or that, but not both.” One is what I want from the world, the other is what I want in heaven. One is the choice of taking upon myself the name of Christ, and the other is the choice to remain a “natural man.” One is the way of the Spirit, the other is the way of the flesh. One is a decision of freedom, the other is bondage; the world is a prison. Jesus offers a way out, not in my speech, or in my study, or in learning, or in knowledge, or in going to church, or in doing the outward ordinances, but in the daily decisions of the flesh. I am given the choice to follow Jesus Christ into the depths of humility, become submissive, and sacrifice everything of the world, or to have the things I want, and remain in bondage.

The Word of Wisdom

Food is a choice now more than ever. Almost anyone in the world can eat a diet of kings, choosing delicious goodies over nourishing food. When the Lord makes a covenant with His people, He gives them dietary guidelines. Many people think that the forbidden foods are bad, and will hurt the body, as Peter when he was told to eat the forbidden foods of the Law of Moses. The point of dietary guidelines is mostly spiritual. It is a sign between God and His people. The people can choose to eat whatever they want, the things of the world, or they can follow the counsel of the Lord.

Part of this includes eating and drinking substances to change feelings, effectively tying people to the world. A need is created by using chemicals instead of the Spirit. The Holy Ghost is the Comforter, and will comfort me in my sorrows without dulling my senses with alcohol or other drugs. I would rather choose the Holy Ghost over any chemical in the world. I don’t want caffeine to pretend to be awake during the day, I want to actually be happy, awake, and alert. People take LSD and other hallucinogens to have fake spiritual experiences. I want to have real experiences, not fake ones created by chemicals.

This also includes fasting. I want to eat. My body needs food. I desire it. I love food. I eat good food. I love good food. The Lord gives me a choice, to fast, or not. I fast, giving up what I want for a time, and then giving it to others. My fast is for my spiritual benefit, but also provides a benefit in the world to others. Love is making a sacrifice for the benefit of others. Giving up food is hard, especially when it is everywhere. I can have it. It is right in front of me. It looks and smells delicious, tasty, and filling. It will fill the need -- of the flesh.

I have the choice every day whether to eat, or not. I am taught to eat for nourishment instead of taste, but I like sugar, sweets, salt, fat, carbs, and highly refined and processed foods. If I choose the lusts of the flesh, I may be unhealthy, but I will surely be tied to the world.

...the devil... leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever.

(2 Nephi 26:22)

 Money

There are many decisions every day that bring me to God, or to the other side. I am offered money to lie. I can have money, and lots of it, if I am willing to lie, cheat, and steal from others. In the practice of medicine, I offer patent drugs that offer no value but take money from people. This is cheating and stealing. I tell people that they can buy health from me, but I don’t have that to offer. I take their money and give them nothing but problems in return. Statistically, people are more likely to be hurt than helped by seeking medical attention. The death rate always goes down when there are no doctors available. The drugs they provide are counterproductive. Taking advantage of the ignorance and naiveté of another is stealing. I am paid well to tell people what they want to hear: “you can be healthy by taking a pill.” I’m selling a fantasy. It’s stealing.  

The other option is to provide a service for others. To give to others without asking in return. The Lord offers this to me... and I am still trying to decide what to do. It’s hard to leave what I have. I have built up so much!

Sometimes the offer of money is not so obvious. I met a man who was offered a job that would pay a lot more than his current job, but he would need to sacrifice time with his family. He took the job, and his family suffered, so he quit and takes in less money so he isn’t always traveling. This is not to say that every offer of money is a curse, but rather that every individual must choose between the world and the Lord.

Sabbath Day

The mark of the covenant people is their observance of the Sabbath day. From the very beginning, the creation of the earth, the Sabbath was instituted, where God rested from His labors. This is not just something of the world that is only done while in mortality on earth, but continues on forever. Those who say that they follow the Lord, but don’t keep the Sabbath day holy are not of the covenant. This one is universal.

Isaiah tells us about the Sabbath, and how to keep it holy, by not doing what I want to do, but rather doing the things of the Lord.

If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

(Isaiah 58:13)

 Keeping the Sabbath day holy means doing things differently on His day. There are specific things to avoid:

·       “turn away thy foot” means not going where I want to go.

·       “doing thy pleasure” or “finding thine own pleasure” means not doing what I want to do.

·       “doing thine own ways” means doing the things that I normally do.

·       “speaking thine own words” means saying things that I want to say, or making myself heard.

 There are also specific things to do on the Sabbath:

·       “call the sabbath a delight” means finding joy in Him.

·       “the holy of the Lord” means this day is set apart from all other days to seek Him, His will, His thoughts and His ways.

·       “honorable” means a day that is not of the low things of the world, but is filled with glory, and the things of the Lord.

·       “shalt honor him” means to pay homage to Him. It means to tell others about Him. I honor Him by teaching about Him, and bringing others to Him.

All those who are the covenant people of the Lord will choose to honor Him on the Sabbath day. It is a pure choice. There is no coercion either way. The world will make it very easy to find your own pleasure on His holy day, and yet it is just as easy to take the day off and seek the Lord one day per week.

 Blessings and Curses

Whether I am cursed or blessed depends upon my decisions. God does not curse me, rather I choose to be tied to the world by choosing the things of the world. The blessing is the offer of more. I can choose to give up the desires of the flesh for the blessings of eternity. There is no grey area, the choice is clear, it is one or the other.

These choices are given as one is deciding to be a Christian. Prior to this moment of decision, there is no option, however after one has a covenant with the Lord, then the tests come to allow the choice to be made. The Lord will give every Christian a choice. He asks us to choose Him, but we have full agency to choose what we want. There is a space granted for repentance, making a choice does not mean it is forever. The man who took the job at the expense of his family was able to repent and choose his family. He realized that he made the wrong choice. Perhaps my patient who left his wife and daughter will repent.

If I choose a blessing it is by denying the things of the flesh. The choice is accepting what I’m offered or rejecting it in favor of the things of God. I desire both, so I choose which is the greater desire, that thing of the world, or the things of God. It’s not obvious, my choice is based on which way I lean.

But, O my people, beware lest there shall arise contentions among you, and ye list to obey the evil spirit, which was spoken of by my father Mosiah. For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his own soul; for he receiveth for his wages an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law of God contrary to his own knowledge.

(Mosiah 2:32-33)

And in one year were thousands and tens of thousands of souls sent to the eternal world, that they might reap their rewards according to their works, whether they were good or whether they were bad, to reap eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which they listed to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad one. For every man receiveth wages of him whom he listeth to obey, and this according to the words of the spirit of prophecy; therefore let it be according to the truth.

(Alma 3:26-27)

It's just a leaning. It's not obvious. I list to one side and make that choice, which leads me to one side, or the other. I can speak the words of the prophets, but my leaning is what I do. 

Not everyone has every choice available to them. Some people are bitter that they never find satisfaction in the things of the world, either because they don’t receive them, or because they get them but don’t find them satisfying. I never got some things I wanted in life, but it was because I chose not to take them. They were offered to me, but I denied them because I knew the will of the Lord and decided to follow Him. Other things I accepted against the will of the Lord, and found no satisfaction in them. They became a curse, or a loss. Sometimes the things of the world are not offered, or not available.

God respects agency more than anything. Agency is above all. If I am going to be with Him, it must come by my own freewill choice. There is no shadow of coercion in either direction. As choices are presented to me, I have complete freedom to choose either. I am not bound. I choose what I want.

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.

(2 Nephi 2:16)

I want both. I want the things of God, and I want the things of the world. Some people think they can have both by asking God to give them what they want of the world. This is “asking amiss.”

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

(James 4:3) 

Receiving the things of God means sacrificing the things of the world. That is the choice of life. God gives everyone absolute freedom to choose, which is one of the reasons we are here on the earth. Abraham was told our purpose for being here: 

And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

(Abraham 3:25)

It is by my choices that I am going in a direction. I am given commandments of the Lord, and I am offered the things of the world -- I choose the Lord!