God planned our lives on earth to be filled with choices. While there are always going to be some things beyond our control, the things of eternal significance are always ours to choose or to reject. The world might have some control over our bodies, our actions, and our lifestyles, but no one can control our thoughts but us. We can choose what goes into our hearts and we can choose what to believe.
Lehi, the first Book of Mormon prophet, gave his final words to his sons just before his death. After his final personalized sermon he said:
28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;(2 Nephi 2)
God believes very strongly in choice. We could choose to come here or to follow Satan. Once here, we have a great many choices, including whether or not to seek the true church and what to do with it if we find it. The Book of Mormon gives us the answer as to how to find out if the book is true, and the same method can be used to find out if the church is true. The answer is found in the Bible as well:
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.(James 1)
The Book of Mormon offers a promise to go with the advice given in the Bible:
3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. Moroni 10
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints trust God to be able to give us an answer we can understand and recognize as coming from God. We know He can do anything.
Once we have our answer, we have an important choice to make. Clearly, if God tells you this is the truth, He also wants you to join the church and come to Him, doing all He’s asked you to do. How much is salvation worth to you? Is it worth enough to ask God what is true and what He wants you to do? Is it worth enough to make you do it, however great the sacrifice?
Eternal life means more than just living forever. It means living forever with God and Jesus, in Their presence. How much is that worth to you? How much are you willing to sacrifice for such a gift? How much are you willing to change to receive it? Your answers to those questions are a measure of your love for God and the Savior. When you love Them enough, change and sacrifice are not a burden.
Achieving eternal life might seem a bit frightening—committing to a religion you might have always vowed not to join, making changes you don’t want to make, even causing a few to turn their backs on you. But God, who wants you to make this choice, will never turn away. His love, His promises, are worth more than anything you might sacrifice by asking God if the path to eternal life begins with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Think of it. You can have eternal life. You can be with God. You know He loves you. How much does He love you? Enough to let you have what He has:
“Eternal life is not a name that has reference only to the unending duration of a future life; immortality is to live forever in the resurrected state, and by the grace of God all men will gain this unending continuance of life. But only those who obey the fulness of the gospel law will inherit eternal life. … It is ‘the greatest of all the gifts of God … , for it is the kind, status, type, and quality of life that God himself enjoys. Thus those who gain eternal life receive exaltation; they are sons of God, joint-heirs with Christ, members of the Church of the Firstborn; they overcome all things, have all power, and receive the fulness of the Father” (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 237).
You have nothing to lose…but an eternity to gain. Read Moroni 10:5, and start talking to God about what He wants from you in the future.
The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.
