A Banquet of Consequences: The Cumulative Result of All Choices | Quentin L. Cook

Our choices have consequences, now and in eternity. Satan tries to convince othwerwise, but his plan only brings misery. God's plan brings lasting happiness.

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/quentin-l-cook_banquet-consequences-cumulative-result-choices/

I had a provocative meeting with an internationally recognized advertising expert a few months ago.  He is an unusually gifted and creative thinker.  We were discussing the influence of evil and the consequences of bad choices. He envisioned an interesting hypothetical account of the adversary [Lucifer] meeting with an advertising agency.  The adversary described his dilemma. Lucifer understood that while the Father’s plan was about joy and happiness, his own plan was resulting in grief and misery. The problem Lucifer explained, to the ad executive, was how to attract followers. After contemplating this problem, it was determined that Lucifer’s only hope of success was to achieve a paradigm shift or values inversion. In other words, to characterize the Father's plan as resulting in grief and misery and Lucifer’s plan as resulting in joy and happiness.  

While this contemplated meeting with the advertising agency is hypothetical, it serves a useful purpose. The truth is, not only do the enemies of Father’s plan attempt to undermine the doctrine and principles of the plan, but they also attempt to mischaracterize the blessings that flow from the plan.  Their basic effort is to make that which is good, righteous and joyful, seem utterly miserable. I will discuss some of the adversary’s efforts to mischaracterize and undermine the blessings of living according to the Father's plan.

My first example is the Word of Wisdom. Over the course of a lifetime I have seen many of my friends’ lives blighted and sometimes destroyed by alcohol. An alcohol culture isn’t just about Church doctrine. It is about the health and happiness of everyone. You can be an important voice in educating society about the consequences of this issue.

Family choices follow a similar pattern. Bringing children into the world is a sacred part of our Father in Heaven’s plan of happiness. We are so numbed and intimidated by the immensity of the practice of abortion, that many of us have pushed it to the back of our minds and try to keep it out of our consciousness. Clearly the adversary is attacking the value of children on many levels. Abortion needs to be approached very carefully. This is a problem that will probably not be solved by personal condemnation or judgmental accusations. Some have cautioned—do not judge a ship or men or women, without understanding the length of the voyage and the storms they have encountered.

Such decisions should never be judged by outsiders. Nevertheless, Lucifer has supported abortion and convinced many people in a horrific paradigm shift that children represent lost opportunity and misery, instead of joy and happiness. As Latter-day Saints, we must be at the forefront of changing hearts and minds on the importance of children. The attacks on the family that I just described ultimately result in grief and misery. The Lord has declared that His work and His glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. The plan is established through families. Every family member is important, and their roles are beautiful, glorious and fulfilling.

Thus, bad choices result in a banquet with bitter, rancid, nasty and miserable results. Compare this to the glorious banquet of consequences that are promised to you who are faithful. You will be filled with the glory of the Lord, sanctified by the Spirit and the renewing of your body, and all that the Father hath will be given to you.

Such a banquet of consequences is where the spiritual food we feast upon is delicious, savory, sweet, succulent, nourishing and fulfilling and will allow our hearts to rejoice. When we “…come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted…” we can follow the narrow path and the straight course which will bring us to the Holy One of Israel, “…for the Lord God is his name.” Isaiah has promised that at the “Final Banquet of Consequences” the Lord of the Host will swallow up death, wipe away tears from all faces, and we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” - Elder Cook

Quentin L. Cook was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this devotional address was delivered at BYU on 7 February 2017.

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