BYU-Hawaii's Chief Information Officer drew parallels at the Feb. 5 devotional between the challenges of running the University's large computer system and choosing to serve the Lord.
Dr. Bret Ellis explained his Information Services team often battles computer viruses, back doors, worms and denial of service attacks with vigilance and anti-virus technology.
He compared prophets with "anti-virus providers [who] are always scanning the horizon, looking for, and detecting false messages sent by the adversary. They have counseled us to keep our guard up against the evil influences and stains of the world. They have named and enumerated these evil influences," Ellis said.
"The prophets have pleaded with us to choose to close the ports that allow pornography or other inappropriate ideas through computer, television, music, movies, and magazines into our lives."
"As with computer viruses," he continued, such "thoughts or images may stay quiet for some time. Then without warning . . . express themselves. With our own lives, inappropriate thoughts can become activated and lead to choices that cause pain, anxiousness, embarrassment and even the loss of eternal blessings."
He added that Satan "often sends denial of service messages through . . . popular fashion, competing events with Sunday activities, scintillating music and movies, and messages suggesting marriage, children and commitment are no longer the 'in' thing."
Ellis said he learned early to battle against such challenges from wisdom contained in the margins of his Mexico City North missionary handbook, which he affectionately called his "white bible." For example:
"I still remember the principle I was taught that as I conform more stringently to this 'white bible,' my free agency would increase, not decrease," he said, adding that as President Gordon B. Hinckley has said, "The course of our lives is seldom determined by great, life-altering decisions. Our direction is often set by the small, day-to-day choices that chart the track on which we run. This is the substance of our lives -- making choices."
Interpreting Joshua's commitment to choose to serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15), Ellis stressed, "it is your choice, right now, whether by yourself or with your friends, how you will act or what you will do. It is your choice how you will react to the current situation before you. Each day you will choose how you will serve the Lord."
Ellis also drew lessons from his marriage and family, noting that each time he and his wife "pray together, as a couple, that we recommit ourselves to each other, to our children and to the Lord. We again confirm our choices." He added that the officiator who sealed them in the temple counseled his wife to pray on the even days "and I was assigned the odd days. We always know when we pray as a couple who gets the blessing of being voice to the prayer."
"A marriage and a family are not celestial by one-time acts of love or service," Ellis continued. "It takes daily and regular positive efforts to build an eternal relationship. By making conscientious choices each day to serve our spouse, children and family, it is very difficult to stray far from the Lord's plan."
"Christ is our teacher. He has shown by example the way to use our free agency to gain eternal life," Ellis said. "What are you and I doing with our agency today? Are we drawing closer to God, or away from him? Are we satisfied and happy in what we are doing with this God-given endowment here on earth? Can we improve in the use of it?"
"I choose to honor covenants that I made with my wife and the Lord in the Holy Temple. I choose to serve the Lord through raising sons and daughters in the gospel and by being the best Priesthood holder I can be."
Ellis asked that as the University prepares for its golden jubilee in 2005, "make a list of those basic activities that add value to eternal man and woman and determine in our year of jubilee that we will discontinue those activities that are of little value and worth that might even jeopardize our eternal welfare. Let us place higher priority on family prayer, family scripture study, and family home evenings and eliminate those activities that fill our lives with worldliness and evil."
"As President Hinckley has said so frequently, Be true to your convictions. You know what is right, and you know what is wrong. You know when you are doing the proper thing. You know when you are giving strength to the right cause. Be loyal. Be faithful. Be true."