Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"In the end, the central purpose of all scripture is to fill our souls with faith in God the Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ—faith that They exist; faith in the Father’s plan for our immortality and eternal life; faith in the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which animates this plan of happiness; faith to make the gospel of Jesus Christ our way of life; and faith to come to know “the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He has] sent” (John 17:3)."  Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "The Blessing of Scripture,"  April 2010

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"Never in history has a people been blessed with such a quantity of holy writ. And not only that, but every man, woman, and child may possess and study his or her own personal copy of these sacred texts, most in his or her own language. ...Surely with this blessing the Lord is telling us that our need for constant recourse to the scriptures is greater than in any previous time. May we feast continuously on the words of Christ that will tell us all things we should do (see 2 Nephi 32:3)."  Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "The Blessing of Scripture,"  April 2010

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"Study the scriptures carefully, deliberately. Ponder and pray over them. Scriptures are revelation, and they will bring added revelation." Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "The Blessing of Scripture,"  April 2010

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"Because they expound the doctrine of Christ, the scriptures are accompanied by the Holy Spirit, whose role it is to bear witness of the Father and the Son (see 3 Nephi 11:32). Therefore, being in the scriptures is one way we receive the Holy Ghost." Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "The Blessing of Scripture,"  April 2010

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"Many today would dispute with Alma about the seriousness of immorality. Others would argue that it’s all relative or that God’s love is permissive. If there is a God, they say, He excuses all sins and misdeeds because of His love for us—there is no need for repentance. Or at most, a simple confession will do. They have imagined a Jesus who wants people to work for social justice but who makes no demands upon their personal life and behavior.  But a God of love does not leave us to learn by sad experience that “wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10; see also Helaman 13:38)." Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "The Blessing of Scripture,"  April 2010

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

All of us experience temptations. So did the Savior, but He “gave no heed unto them” (D&C 20:22). Similarly, we do not have to yield simply because a temptation surfaces. We may want to, but we don’t have to. An incredulous female friend asked a young adult woman, committed to living the law of chastity, how it was possible that she had never “slept with anybody.” “Don’t you want to?” the friend asked. The young woman thought: “The question intrigued me, because it was so utterly beside the point. . . . Mere wanting is hardly a proper guide for moral conduct.”7  Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "Moral Discipline," October 2009

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"I have heard a few parents state that they don’t want to impose the gospel on their children but want them to make up their own minds about what they will believe and follow. They think that in this way they are allowing children to exercise their agency. What they forget is that the intelligent use of agency requires knowledge of the truth, of things as they really are (see D&C 93:24). Without that, young people can hardly be expected to understand and evaluate the alternatives that come before them. Parents should consider how the adversary approaches their children. He and his followers are not promoting objectivity but are vigorous, multimedia advocates of sin and selfishness." Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "Moral Discipline," October 2009

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"Moral discipline is learned at home. ...Our teaching [in the home] should...focus first and foremost on instilling faith in God in the rising generation. We must declare the essential need to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before Him in soberness, or in other words, with reverence. ...This requires more than an occasional reference to one or another gospel principle. There must be constant teaching, mostly by example." Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "Moral Discipline,"  October 2009

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"The lack of internal control by individuals breeds external control by governments. One columnist observed . . . 'Policemen and laws can never replace customs, traditions and moral values as a means for regulating human behavior. ...Our increased reliance on laws to regulate behavior is a measure of how uncivilized we’ve become.' ...There could never be enough rules so finely crafted as to anticipate and cover every situation, and even if there were, enforcement would be impossibly expensive and burdensome. This approach leads to diminished freedom for everyone. In the memorable phrase of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, 'We would not accept the yoke of Christ; so now we must tremble at the yoke of Caesar.' Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "Moral Discipline," October 2009

Come, Listen to a Prophet's Voice

"Moral agency- the right to make choices and the obligation to account for those choices ... must be accompanied by moral discipline. By 'moral discipline,' I mean self-discipline based on moral standards. Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard. It rejects the self-absorbed life in favor of developing character worthy of respect and true greatness through Christlike service (see Mark 10:42–45). The root of the word discipline is shared by the word disciple, suggesting to the mind the fact that conformity to the example and teachings of Jesus Christ is the ideal discipline that, coupled with His grace, forms a virtuous and morally excellent person. Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "Moral Discipline," October 2009