By Rachel Lewis
Making righteous choices was the focus of Bishop Richard G. Edgley''s talk at the CES fireside at the Marriott Center Sunday Nov. 3.
'We become the product of the myriad of choices we are constantly making; choices that may seem quite inconsequential today but that may have an enormous impact on what measure of being we become,' Bishop Edgley said.
Bishop Edgley, first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, focused on three choices young adults should make: choose to be righteous, self-reliant, and to have a celestial marriage.
Bishop Edgley said it is important to take upon the name of Christ and represent him by making righteous choices.
'Each of us is responsible for the countenance that shines from within us,' Bishop Edgley said. 'The personal light that radiates from our faces is either brightened or dimmed by the righteous or unrighteous choices we make.'
The second topic Bishop Edgley spoke of was self-reliance. He said self-reliance should be the objective of every member of the Church.
'Self-reliance is a basic condition of self-esteem,' Bishop Edgley said. 'It affects our confidence and our ability to achieve. It is difficult for us to feel good about ourselves and to feel our divine nature when we inappropriately rely on others to sustain and support our temporal needs.'
Bishop Edgley said one of the greatest obstacles in achieving self-reliance is the accumulation of unnecessary debt.
'As young adults, many of you are out on your own for the first time n your lives,' Bishop Edgley said. 'You are in the process of accumulating stuff. Many of the things we feel we need now could be scaled down or delayed until we can pay for them.'
It is important to live within a budget when striving to be self-reliant Bishop Edgley said.
'Critical to achieving self-reliance are budgeting and good financial management,' said Bishop Edgley. 'It is best to live, not within your means, but below your means. Self-reliance is and always has been a sacred obligation and an important principle of the gospel.'
The importance of a celestial marriage was Bishop Edgley''s last topic.
'Of all the properties, finding an eternal companion and establishing an eternal family should be our top priority,' Bishop Edgley said. 'All other objectives and priorities should be subservient and supportive of this, the most important.'
Bishop Edgley said delaying marriage should be avoided.
'While we should make appropriate preparations, we should not unduly delay marriage,' Bishop Edgley said.
'We need not have satisfied all our wants and desires before marriage. We need not have the perfect car, the perfect home, the perfect job, or the illusionary perfect companion to have a perfect marriage.'
In closing, Bishop Edgley said knowing oneself and making righteous choices will lead to eternal salvation.
'Those of us who know we are the sons and daughters of God, created in the image and likeness of His Only Begotten, will make the choices that will lead to our eternal destiny of everlasting life with God and our precious families.'