Applying Moral Principles in Our Daily Lives
I had to give a talk today in church about applying moral principals in our daily lives, so I thought I would share a bit of what I talked about here. Living a good life every day takes determination and a commitment to do what’s right as well as not to do what’s wrong. There are many opportunities to follow the spirit that seem small, but may still make a difference in someone’s life. In order to be true disciples, we need to be disciplined in our actions and follow Christ. We need to be proactive in teaching our children to choose the right instead of having an attitude of wait and let them choose when they figure it out. To have good communities, we need to teach our children to choose what is right for the sake of choosing the right. We cannot depend on governments and laws to be the only reason we do what’s right. If we don’t teach people to choose righteously, our communities will not be able to be peaceful and orderly.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “When striving disciples reflect deeply upon this mortal experience, it becomes clear that we are all immortal individuals whose ever-present challenge is to apply immortal principles to life’s constantly changing situations. With this perspective, we can improve our daily performances because we fix our gaze on eternity and its great realities.” Maxwell, N. (1998, September). The Pathway of Discipleship. Ensign, 7. In order for us to be true disciples, we need to live our lives in accordance with the teachings of Jesus. This means that we should strive daily to take up the cross and do as He would do.
As far as our communities go, we need to listen to the words of Elder Alexander B. Morrison Of the Seventy when he said, “If we are to effectively foster and utilize the great goodness of the people around us, we must strengthen both our families and our communities.” Morrison, A. (1999, Feb). A Caring Community: Goodness in Action. Ensign, 13. We have a responsibility to rear up children in righteousness and to stand for goodness in our communities. People will listen and when one person stands for what’s right, it makes it easier for others to follow. Living righteously every day and setting an example for people to follow will help to strengthen our communities more than we may realize.
I know that it can be hard to stay valiant in our testimonies and always strive to do our best, but when we fall short, we need to repent and get back up and move forward. It’s so important to be living the gospel every day of our lives and setting an example and helping to lead people to goodness. When we have the desire to do good, we will be blessed with the way to do good. We can always pray for strength and courage to do what we know to be right. We can listen for the promptings of the Holy Ghost which tell us to do good things each day. May we all do better at living our lives as Jesus would have us do.
Here’s a video by President Thomas S. Monson that talks about doing good every day.
Excellent talk. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Straight and to the point. Thank you for sharing this.