Salvation cannot be purchased with the currency of obedience but only by the blood of the atonement.
When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power.
“I think I'd like to repeat something I've told many times, as a guide to some of these younger men. It was an expression of advice of my own grandfather, for whom I was named. He said there's a line of demarcation well defined between the Lord's territory and the devil's territory. He said, if you will stay on the Lord's side of the line, the adversary cannot come near to tempt you. You're perfectly safe from him, as long as you stay on the Lord's side of the line. But he said, if you cross onto the devil's side of the line, you're in his territory, and you're in his power. And he will work on you, get you just as far from that line as he possibly can, knowing that he can succeed only in destroying you by keeping you away from the place where there is safety.”
“I make a special appeal to the youth. You will remain much safer and infinitely happier if you will place your energy into current obedience rather than saving it for future repentance. When we are obedient, we establish a base from which the challenges of the future can be addressed.”
“The spirit of the gospel is optimistic; it trusts in God and looks on the bright side of things. The opposite or pessimistic spirit drags men down and away from God, looks on the dark side, murmurs, complains, and is slow to yield obedience.” Elder Orson F. Whitney quoted by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in The Tongue of Angels, April 2007
“May we realize that our greatest happiness in this life will come as we follow God’s commandments and obey his laws! I love the words found in Isaiah chapter 32, verse 17: ‘The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.’ Such peace, such assurance can come only through righteousness”