The LDS Daily WOOL Home Page
(7/31/03)
"Let me suggest that you set about now to make up your minds what you want to be
and that you be determined to be it no matter what. You are prepared to meet all
opposition, all ridicule and all temptation. And let us realize that as you
rationalize and begin to try to explain what you have done and have excused
yourself for what you are going to do or are doing, or have done, you are
bringing your ideals down, down, down to your actions. But when you are prepared
to repent and say, 'I am prepared and determined to do the things that I have
decided to do—serve the Lord, keep his commandments, be the kind of person I
think my sons and daughters are entitled to as parents, choose to do the thing
the way I would like my son or daughter to do it'—then you are raising your
actions up to your ideals. As you do that, the Lord will bless you. You will
find joy and happiness in this life and in the life to come." — Nathan Eldon
Tanner, "Choose You this Day Whom Ye Will Serve," "BYU Speeches of the Year,"
1963 p. 10
(8/01/03)
"The law of free agency, or 'whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap,'
indicates in effect that we may know the end of our lives from the beginning,
and that to a considerable extent we can control the processes of life which
bring us happiness and success, or sorrow and failure. This law was given to
Adam in the Garden of Eden. Moses gave the law of God to the children of Israel
and promised them blessings for obeying and a penalty for disobedience. The
Prophet Joshua proclaimed, 'Choose you this day whom ye will serve.' (Josh.
24:15) The Savior told his disciples, 'For where your treasure is, there will
your heart be also.' (Matt. 6:21) No man can serve two masters." — Franklin D.
Richards, "Choose the Right," "BYU Speeches of the Year," 1964
(8/02/03)
"This, my brethren and sisters, is our divine right—to choose. This is our
divine obligation—to choose the right." — Gordon B. Hinckley, "Caesar, Circus,
or Christ?" "BYU Speeches of the Year," 1965 p. 8
(8/03/03)
"Joshua reminds us of the importance of making decisions promptly: 'Choose you
this day whom ye will serve;... but as for me and my house, we will serve the
Lord.' (Joshua 24:15) Not tomorrow, not when we get ready, not when it is
convenient—but 'this day,' straightway, choose whom you will serve. He who
invites us to follow will always be out in front of us with His Spirit and
influence setting the pace. He has charted and marked the course, opened the
gates, and shown the way. He has invited us to come unto Him, and the best time
to enjoy His companionship is straightway. We can best get on the course and
stay on the course by doing as Jesus did—make a total commitment to do the will
of His Father." — Marvin J. Ashton, "Be of Good Cheer," [Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1987], p. 56
(8/04/03)
"Some people intend to make a decision and then never get around to it. They
intend to paint the barn, to fix the fence, to haul away that old machinery or
remove that old shed, but the time of decision just never arrives. Some of us
face a similar situation in our personal lives. We intend to pay a full tithing,
to begin keeping the Word of Wisdom, to make our initial home teaching visits
early in the month. However, without actual decision followed by implementation,
the weeks and months go by and nothing is accomplished. We could drift into
eternity on these kinds of good intentions. Thus lack of decision becomes our
decision not to do those good things for which we had the best of intentions.
The Lord apparently sensed this weakness in his children, for he said:
'Wherefore, if ye believe me, ye will labor while it is called today.' (D&C
64:25) Get the facts—then decide promptly. As an excuse for postponing
decisions, do not rely on the old clichés some people use, such as 'I want to
sleep on it.' We don't make decisions in our sleep. However, don't jump to
conclusions or make snap judgments. Get the facts, be sure of the basic
principles, and weigh the consequences. Then decide!" — Ezra Taft Benson, "God,
Family, Country: Our Three Great Loyalties," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1974], p. 148