Investments and Choices for Eternity
Investments and Choices for Eternity
President Quinn’s Weekly Message
California Santa Rosa Mission
October 20th, 2025
When I was 11 years old, I wanted to buy a 10-speed bicycle. The bike I wanted cost $98 at my local JC Penney’s. That was a lot of money for me back then. Fortunately, JC Penny’s allowed me to pay for the bike on layaway. This meant I could make payments every two weeks until the bike was paid off, then it was mine. I spent the summer weeding neighbor’s yards, walking dogs, and any other odd job I could find to make some money. After three months, I was able to purchase my bicycle. I loved that bike! I rode and cared for that bike for many years.
My wise parents wanted me to learn an important lesson for life – things of value come with a price.
We speak often in CASRM about lifelong discipleship to Jesus Christ. We do so because our discipleship is so very important – it is the most important and valuable possession we are to seek in life. However, our discipleship to Jesus Christ, like my bicycle did, comes with a price. King David understood that discipleship was not free – that it required him to make a sacrifice. When a man offered to give King David free oxen and free wood for his burnt offering, King David replied:
“Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: … [for I] will [not] offer … unto the Lord my God … that which doth cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24)
I am grateful for the lesson we are taught in this verse. King David knew that to prove his sincere devotions to the Lord, he was required to pay for the elements of the sacrifice – the oxen and the wood. This offering would mean less to him and the Lord if it was given without personal cost or sacrifice. The cost King David was willing to make witnessed the depth of his discipleship.
We are also required to make personal sacrifices to build, demonstrate, and invest in our discipleship. We invest in our discipleship through obedience to the words of God, righteous acts, and sacrifice to the commandments and will of the Lord. The dividends we receive from these investments will provide eternal rewards. President Nelson taught this important lesson: (Choices for Eternity, May 2022)
“Every righteous choice that you make here will pay huge dividends now. But righteous choices in mortality will pay unimaginable dividends eternally. If you choose to make covenants with God and are faithful to those covenants, you have the promise of “glory added upon [your head] for ever and ever “(Abraham 3:26).”
Our discipleship to Jesus Christ is earned as we pay the price through daily prayer, scripture study, reflecting on the goodness of God by recognizing the miracles of our missionary work, repentance, and following the promptings of the Holy Ghost. These are things we can do each day as missionaries that will deepen our discipleship to the Savior. In the same talk referenced above, President Nelson taught this valuable lesson:
“I plead with you to take charge of your testimony. Work for it. Own it. Care for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. Feed it truth. …Engage in daily, earnest, humble prayer. Nourish yourself in the words of ancient and modern prophets. Ask the Lord to teach you how to hear Him better.”
As you serve here in CASRM, I hope you learn the important lesson I did at age 11 as I worked to purchase my bike – the best and most valuable things in life come with a price. The value of those things rise with the sacrifice and work we are willing to make to earn them. There is no greater possession we can earn in life than our discipleship to Jesus Christ. In the gospel of Jesus Christ, obedience, righteous acts, and sacrifice are the price of discipleship. I promise these investments will pay you dividends in this life and through the eternities.
I pray you will take advantage of this time during your mission to exercise the obedience, righteousness, and sacrifice that will help you become a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ. The rewards are worth it! The promised blessings far exceed the price we pay to receive them.
Love,
President Quinn
(630) 881-4030
