Having a Determination to Serve Him

Today I read Doctrine and Covenants section 20, which as most will recall is the section that was given to Joseph Smith to help him organize the church in this dispensation and contains the duties of elders, priests, teachers and deacons, as well as proper instructions for baptizing, and administering the sacrament.

However, the phrase that stood out to me today during my reading is when the Lord was talking about how to baptize. He stated that those that have repented of their sins and had a determination to serve God to the end of their days are received into baptism. I really like that determination to serve Him to the end of our days.

It got me thinking about my mission. I met many people that were really excited when they felt the Spirit, they were practically bursting with excitement to share the gospel with their friends and family and were so happy that they wore their joy on their sleeves and faces. And yet, inevitably, the fire leaves them. Many fall by the wayside and are never seen at church again after a few weeks. What happens to them?

I was raised in the church and so was baptized at 8 years old like most of you probably were. So I cannot say why people lose the fire they had when they are first baptized. However, I have been a missionary and can talk about losing the fire I once had as a missionary. I think it all comes down to priorities. When a person is serving a mission, they are full of the Spirit of the Lord and filled with a desire to dedicate the next 1 and a half to 2 years of their life to the Lord, or they should be. I think most are, however I definitely have met some that I think could stand from a sharp reprimand.

When you are serving a mission, you meet with rejection all day long and just hope and pray for that one person who will say yes to listen to your message. Depending on where you serve, your whole mission could be that way with very, very few people listening to your message. However, most missionaries don't get down about this. Why is that? I think it is a couple of reasons, I think they are so full of the Spirit because of how they are living their lives that the Spirit bolsters them. I also think it is because they know that the people are rejecting their message and not them, with a few exceptions. I think everyone runs into someone that declares how much they hate the Mormons at some point in their mission.

So why is rejection so much harsher as a new convert trying to share the gospel? Well for one thing, you are not propositioning total strangers, these are your friends and family members. To have them so totally reject the gospel is hard, especially if they are openly antagonistic towards the gospel. Also, a new convert is not living the same kind of life that a missionary does. They are not reading their scriptures 30 minutes a day by themselves and having companionship study and praying anywhere from 10 - 20 times a day. They are also watching TV, movies and listening to music, all of which can dull sensitivity to the Spirit.

Now I mentioned that I felt it was all a matter of priorities earlier. I say that because as we have talked about, a missionary is dedicating 2 years or 1 year and a half, of their lives to the Lord. Their priority is to share the gospel. A new convert, has just promised to mourn with those that mourn, to stand as a witness of Christ at all times and in all places and to keep His commandments. Because the new convert is not living the same lifestyle as a missionary they will not be able to handle rejection in the same fashion.

So does that mean only a missionary can serve God? Of course not, in fact we started this discussion by asking why do new converts lose their zeal to serve God. So the real question is, what does it mean to serve Him? Well, to me it means to fulfill all promises made to Him, no matter how small, be they baptismal covenants, temple covenants or promises made during personal prayers. It means to learn to recognize the Spirit and to obey its promptings and to accept all callings that are extended by our priesthood leaders. It means to build up the kingdom using all our heart, might, mind and strength. To do what we can to increase the Spirit's influence in our lives, to read our scriptures each and everyday, to say our prayers morning, noon and night and every time in between. To attend all church meetings, to use our priesthood to bless the lives of others, to choose wholesome entertainment and many other things that we commonly refer to as "primary answers". As we do these things the Spirit is more prevalent in our lives and we can more appropriately serve Him.

As we strive to build up the kingdom, the Lord will bless us for our efforts. It is so amazing that just by doing what He has asked of us to do He will bless us. He could just say obey my commandments or else, but He says instead, obey my commandments and I will bless you for it. Like so many things we have but to put it to the test to find He is true to His word in all things. This is no exception. Until tomorrow.