Trust in God and His Son
Live within boundaries- Begin with end in mind
To make one's way through life and back to Heavenly Father requires "the heart and a willing mind" (D&C 64:34), Elder James M. Paramore of the Seventy reminded priesthood holders Saturday evening.
"This can be a magnificent journey filled with literally thousands of tremendous experiences and spiritual confirmations if you will find your way through the many choices that will be yours along the way," he said.
"You are the means by which truth and goodness and eternal life will be made known to the whole world. We are all part of it. As the Lord said to the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1831, we will need `the heart and a willing mind' (D&C 64:34)."
Directing his remarks to youth, he gave three thoughts to help them give "the heart and a willing mind."
"First . . . there is a God and He has sent His beloved Son to establish the importance of this journey to earth and back. He has provided the plan for successfully making that journey. Put your whole trust in the Lord. His scriptures and prophets testify of Him and show the way.
"Second, God through His Son Jesus Christ, has established boundaries. These are the commandments that He gives to us to help us make the journey safely. When, with the heart and a willing mind,' we are obedient to these commandments, we go through a change process that alters the way we think, the way we feel, the way we dress, the way we live, what we eat and drink, and the way we serve others. As Alma the younger said,They become new creatures' (Mosiah 27:26). These boundaries protect us. They are essential to a safe journey."
Elder Paramore told of an incident from his youth when a playmate was caught in quicksand and then rescued by a neighbor.
"The ways of the world are often like that quicksand, and they can be so destructive." Such ways, he explained, include drugs, drinking, smoking, couples living together without marriage, some forms of music and so on. Such ways are made to seem enticing and as the normal way life. They seem to be accepted by everybody and are extolled through the mass media, he added.
"These things lead us outside the boundaries the Lord has set," Elder Paramore warned. "When followed, they bring despair and devastating health, financial and other problems."
"Third, young and, yes, old alike, begin with the end in mind. Where do you want to be at 19 years of age or at retirement? On a mission? Make that decision even this very night. I promise you that it will change your life and others as God directs you on your mission."
