D&C 58:26-29; 88:33; 137:9; Heb. 4:12-13; Psalm 24:3-4; Alma 5:19; 29:4-5; 41:3, 6; Rom. 2: 2; Cor. 8:12; Ye Are the Light of the World, Lee, p. 292; refer in this text to Alma 12:14; Mosiah 4:30; 3 Ne. 12:27-29
“Sister Romney and I moved into a ward in which they were just beginning to build a meetinghouse. The size of the contribution the bishop thought I ought to contribute rather staggered me. I thought it was at least twice as much as he should have asked. However, I had just been called to a rather high Church position, so I couldn’t very well tell him where to go. Therefore, I said, ‘Well, I will pay it, Bishop, but I will have to pay it in installments because I don’t have the money.’ And so I began to pay. And I paid and paid until I was down to about the last three payments, when, as is my habit, I was reading The Book of Mormon, and came to the scripture which said: ‘… if a man … giveth a gift … grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God’ (Moroni 7:8). This shocked me because I was out about a thousand dollars. Well, I went on and paid the three installments I had promised to pay, and then I paid several more installments to convince the Lord that I had done it with the right attitude.” (Marion G. Romney, Relief Society Magazine, Feb. 1968, pp. 84-85)
“Have you ever found yourself doing something you thought was right, but doing it because you ‘had’ to? Did you ever keep a commandment of God with an attitude of resentment… . Do you think such feelings will be ignored by a Father in Heaven who gave us the willpower we call agency? … We are accountable for our feelings and desires as well as our acts. Evil thoughts and desires will be punished. Acts that seem to be good bring blessings only when they are done with real and righteous intent. On the positive side, we will be blessed for the righteous desires of our hearts even though some outside circumstance has made it impossible for us to carry those desires into action.” (Dallin H. Oaks, BYU 1985-86 Devotional & Fireside Speeches, pp. 29, 31)