Deuteronomy 29:9; 30:15–20; 2 Nephi 2:26–29; 4:4;

 

What inspires you to choose life?

"9 Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do." (Deuteronomy 29:9)

"15 ¶ See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;

16 In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;

18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.

19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." (Deuteronomy 30:15–20)

"26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.

27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;

29 And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom." (2 Nephi 2:26–29)

"4 For the Lord God hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence." (2 Nephi 4:4)

And here's the commentary entitled: "The Lord invites me to choose between good and evil." : 

"It might be interesting to compare Moses’s words in Deuteronomy 29:9; 30:15–20 with some of Lehi’s final teachings to his family in 2 Nephi 2:26–29; 4:4. How did Lehi expand on what Moses taught? What do you find in these passages that inspires you to “choose life”? (Deuteronomy 30:19)." 

Lehi expands on what Moses taught by teaching how we are given the gift of free agency because the Messiah redeemed us from the fall. We can continue to remain free when we choose liberty and eternal life, or we can choose the opposite--captivity and death, and become subject to the devil who wants us to become miserable like unto himself.

What I find in these passages that inspires me to "choose life" :

• The Lord wants to bless me with prosperity and eternal life, while the devil wants me to become miserable because he is miserable himself.
• I have the power to choose. Whether I choose life or death is totally up to me. Whether I choose to stay in God's presence or be cut off from His presence and become subject to the devil is totally up to me.
• The Lord invites me to choose between good and evil. He's not forcing me to choose good over evil.
• God wants me to use my freedom of choice wisely by keeping His commandments and being always in His presence now and forever.