Talk: Agency and Accountability M5 May 2016

Our agency is respected 'at all times and in all places' by our Heavenly Father. He teaches and prompts us. We are free to choose, sometimes fail, repent and repeat. We need to emulate him and ensure we also respect the agency of others around us – everyone: our spouse, our children, extended family, those we teach and interact with each day. The invitation is there. Choose ye this day whom ye will serve. We are to encourage, help, support, teach, and lead but never force.

Talk: Agency and Accountability M5 May 2016

Today I have been asked to discuss the topic of Agency, Choice and Accountability.
Heavenly Father has given us agency, which is: the ability to choose right from wrong and to act for ourselves.
“Wherefore, men … are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death.” (2 Nephi 2:27)

“For the Lord God hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.” (2 Nephi 4:4)

“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)

While we are free to choose our course of action here, we are not free to choose the consequences – and, while we are free to choose the direction of our lives, we are not free to choose our circumstances. Yes, we have agency; freedom to decide how we will act. But we have little control on so many other exterior forces. Despite our agency, we cannot wake up and select the weather outside: occasionally we get to experience fire, flood, or famine. Despite our agency, we have little control on our health: occasionally we get to experience sickness, pain, or even death. Despite our agency, we do not get to choose how our life proceeds: occasionally we get to experience financial loss, accident, unemployment, divorce. We do not all get to be young, wealthy and good-looking .. like me.

Whether for good or bad, our circumstances are determined as a natural result of living within this temporal imperfect world. Whether for good or bad, consequences follow as a natural result of the choices you or others around you make. Sinful behavior may bring temporary, worldly pleasure, but such choices delay our progress and inevitably lead to heartache and misery. Righteous choices lead to lasting happiness and eternal life. True freedom comes from using our agency to choose obedience; loss of freedom comes from choosing disobedience.

“Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.” (2 Nephi 10:23)

We are responsible for the choices we make. God is mindful of us and will help us make good choices, even if our family and friends use their agency in ways that are not right. Have the moral courage to stand firm in obeying God’s will, even if you have to stand alone. As you do this, you set an example for others to follow.

Our agency is a gift.

“The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency;” (Moses 7:32)

“That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgement.” (D&C 101:78)

Next to the bestowal of life itself, the right to direct our life is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. While here on earth, we are being proven to see if you will use our agency to show your love for God by keeping His commandments. The Holy Ghost can guide us in using our agency righteously.

In Doctrine and Covenants 101 we read this:

“And now, I will show unto you a parable, that you may know my will concerning the redemption of Zion. A certain nobleman had a spot of land, very choice; and he said unto his servants: Go ye unto my vineyard, even upon this very choice piece of land, and plant twelve olive trees; And set watchmen round about them, and build a tower, that one may overlook the land round about, to be a watchman upon the tower, that mine olive trees may not be broken down when the enemy shall come to spoil and take upon themselves the fruit of my vineyard. Now, the servants of the nobleman went and did as their lord commanded them, and planted the olive trees, and built a hedge round about, and set watchmen, and began to build a tower.

“And while they were yet laying the foundation thereof, they began to say among themselves: And what need hath my lord of this tower? And consulted for a long time, saying among themselves: What need hath my lord of this tower, seeing this is a time of peace? Might not this money be given to the exchangers? For there is no need of these things. And while they were at variance one with another they became very slothful, and they hearkened not unto the commandments of their lord.

“And the enemy came by night, and broke down the hedge; and the servants of the nobleman arose and were affrighted, and fled; and the enemy destroyed their works, and broke down the olive trees. Now, behold, the nobleman, the lord of the vineyard, called upon his servants, and said unto them, Why! what is the cause of this great evil? Ought ye not to have done even as I commanded you, and—after ye had planted the vineyard, and built the hedge round about, and set watchmen upon the walls thereof—built the tower also, and set a watchman upon the tower, and watched for my vineyard, and not have fallen asleep, lest the enemy should come upon you?

“And behold, the watchman upon the tower would have seen the enemy while he was yet afar off; and then ye could have made ready and kept the enemy from breaking down the hedge thereof, and saved my vineyard from the hands of the destroyer. And the lord of the vineyard said unto one of his servants: Go and gather together the residue of my servants, and take all the strength of mine house, which are my warriors, my young men, and they that are of middle age also among all my servants, who are the strength of mine house, save those only whom I have appointed to tarry; And go ye straightway unto the land of my vineyard, and redeem my vineyard; for it is mine; I have bought it with money.

“Therefore, get ye straightway unto my land; break down the walls of mine enemies; throw down their tower, and scatter their watchmen. And inasmuch as they gather together against you, avenge me of mine enemies, that by and by I may come with the residue of mine house and possess the land. And the servant said unto his lord: When shall these things be? And he said unto his servant: When I will; go ye straightway, and do all things whatsoever I have commanded you;

“And this shall be my seal and blessing upon you—a faithful and wise steward in the midst of mine house, a ruler in my kingdom. And his servant went straightway, and did all things whatsoever his lord commanded him; and after many days all things were fulfilled. Again, verily I say unto you, I will show unto you wisdom in me concerning all the churches, inasmuch as they are willing to be guided in a right and proper way for their salvation--

The beauty of parables are in their ability to teach so many lessons. For me, I see the tower that was commanded to be built to be our temple. Perhaps the watchmen on the tower are to be you and I and our leaders. The watchmen who are not asleep can see the dangers approaching and will be warned what need to be preparing for.

At our last general conference we were taught again by some 30 general authorities, including the Sunday morning address by our prophet President Monson. He spoke to us on “Choices” saying in part:

“I have been thinking recently about choices. It has been said that the door of history turns on small hinges, and so do people’s lives. The choices we make determine our destiny.

“When we left our premortal existence and entered mortality, we brought with us the gift of agency. Our goal is to obtain celestial glory, and the choices we make will, in large part, determine whether or not we reach our goal.

“Most of you are familiar with Alice in Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. You will remember that she comes to a crossroads with two paths before her, each stretching onward but in opposite directions. As she contemplates which way to turn, she is confronted by the Cheshire cat, of whom Alice asks, “Which path shall I follow?”

“The cat answers, “That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.”

“Unlike Alice, we know where we want to go, and it does matter which way we go, for the path we follow in this life leads to our destination in the next life.

“May we choose to build up within ourselves a great and powerful faith which will be our most effective defence against the designs of the adversary — a real faith, the kind of faith which will sustain us and will bolster our desire to choose the right. Without such faith we go nowhere. With it we can accomplish our goals.

“Although it is imperative that we choose wisely, there are times, yes there are, when we will make foolish choices. The gift of repentance, provided by our Savior, enables us to correct our course settings, that we might return to the path which will lead us to that celestial glory we seek.

“May we maintain the courage to defy the consensus. May we ever choose the harder right, instead of the easier wrong.

“As we contemplate the decisions we make in our lives each day — whether to make this choice or that choice — if we choose Christ we will have made the correct choice.”

What the Church Teaches about Agency:

• Thomas S. Monson, “Choose You This Day,” Ensign Nov 2004 “The choices we make determine our destiny.”
• Robert D. Hales, “To Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency,” Ensign May 2006 “Agency used righteously allows light to dispel the darkness and enables us to live with joy and happiness.”
• Wolfgang H. Paul, “The Gift of Agency,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2006 “As we obey our Heavenly Father’s commandments, our faith increases, we grow in wisdom and spiritual strength, and it becomes easier for us to make right choices.”
• Donald L. Hallstrom, “Using Agency Wisely,” Ensign or Liahona, Jan. 2006 “Moral agency, the ability to choose for oneself, is fundamental to our Heavenly Father’s great plan of happiness. As the Lord told Adam, 'It is given unto [thy children] to know good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves' (Moses 6:56).”
• Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “On the Wings of Eagles,” Ensign, Jul 2006 “You have agency, and you are free to choose. But there is actually no free agency. Agency has its price. You have to pay the consequences of your choices.”
• M. Russell Ballard, “Be Wise,” Ensign Nov 2006 “Because the eternal principle of agency gives us the freedom to choose and think for ourselves, we should become increasingly able to solve problems. We may make the occasional mistake, but as long as we are following gospel principles and guidelines, we can learn from those mistakes and become more understanding of others and more effective in serving them.”
• James E. Faust, “The Forces That Will Save Us,” Ensign Jan 2007 “Our agency, given us through the plan of our Father, is the great alternative to Satan’s plan of force. With this sublime gift, we can grow, improve, progress, and seek perfection. Without agency, none of us could grow and develop by learning from our mistakes and errors and those of others.”
• David A. Bednar, “Did You Know?” Ensign Sep 2009 “The fundamental purposes for the gift of agency were to love one another and to choose God.”
• Robert D. Hales, “Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life,” Ensign Nov. 2010 “Agency is to act with accountability and responsibility for our actions. Our agency is essential to the plan of salvation. With it we 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.' ”
• M. Russell Ballard, “O That Cunning Plan of the Evil One,” Ensign Nov 2010 “The battle over man’s God-given agency continues today.”
• Thomas S. Monson, “Choices,” Apr. 2016 general conference “May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.”
  

Satan’s Attack on Agency (“Agency Is Essential to Our Eternal Progress,” Ensign Jun 2010)

“Of the premortal existence, the Lord says, “Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man” (Moses 4:3). For his rebellion Lucifer was cast out of heaven, but here on earth he continues to undermine our agency. He does this in many ways, two of which are:

• “Disobedience. “Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light. … And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men” (D&C 93:31, 39). Disobedience damages our agency in two ways. First, when we lose light and truth, we become blind to many opportunities to do good; and second, some forms of disobedience are addictive—we become entrapped in behaviors that are extremely difficult to forsake. We may even hurt others and damage their agency.
  
  
• “No accountability. Satan whispers in our ears, telling us, “Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; … and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God” (2 Ne. 28:8). Some mistakenly believe that once we have “confessed Christ” and have been “saved by grace,” it doesn’t matter what we do—we are saved. This doctrine is a subtle manifestation of Satan’s ongoing deception that we are not accountable for our sins and that there are no consequences for them.

Our agency is respected 'at all times and in all places' by our Heavenly Father. He teaches and prompts us. We are free to choose, sometimes fail, repent and repeat. We need to emulate him and ensure we also respect the agency of others around us – everyone: our spouse, our children, extended family, those we teach and interact with each day. The invitation is there. Choose ye this day whom ye will serve. We are to encourage, help, support, teach, and lead but never force.

I pray that we will use our agency to do and be good and say these things in the name of our Example and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen