David A. Bednar: I have been frankly puzzled as I have listened to members of the Church say: "I have my agency. I don't have to live the law of tithing or the Word of Wisdom. I don't have to be chaste." I would suggest such individuals do not understand the doctrine of agency. You and I exercise agency in the making of a covenant. When we enter into a covenant with God, we voluntarily surrender a portion of our agency. And the consequences that come from violating the covenant are not within our control. It is not simply a matter of freedom to choose; rather, it is a matter of becoming covenant breakers. Think of the song Choose the Right. It does not say, "Choose what you want when you will." Agency is linked to a course of choosing the right. That is why we have agency. What did the Father say in the premortal council? "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). Agency is to be used in choosing the right.
Brother and sisters, we have received a precious gift. Agency is available in our lives through the Savior's atonement. The only gift you and I can ever give Him is a voluntary surrender of our hearts through that agency. As we make covenants, we yield to Him a portion of our agency and basically say, "Precious Savior, dear Redeemer, do with me what you will." I testify that so doing brings happiness.
(Ricks College Devotional, "Gain
Spiritual Intelligence," Sept. 9, 1997)
