Thrust In Your Sickles
“Yea, verily, verily, I say unto you, that the field is white already to harvest; wherefore, thrust in your sickles, and reap with all your might, mind, and strength.” –D&C 33:7
The world today appears to be in bad shape. Conflicts are being reported all over the world, families are being broken up and split apart, the Saints are being persecuted almost relentlessly, and the power of Satan is growing throughout the world. And yet, here we are, gathered together, partaking of the Sacrament and praising the Lord. The Saints press forward, the Church moves onward, and we continue to learn the Gospel and gain a testimony therein. How is this possible? How are we able to enjoy life, receive blessings, and continue to move forward, despite all the darkness that surrounds us? It is because of the light that the Lord has given us, the strength that He has blessed us with, and the comfort that He has provided us. For the Lord has said, “be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you; And inasmuch as you have humbled yourselves before me, the blessings of the kingdom are yours” (D&C 61:36-37). How is it that we have been given the words of the Living Christ? How is it that we have been provided with the light which shines through all darkness, that strengthens us, uplifts us, and comforts us, even as the armies of Hell circle around us? It is because the Lord provided for us an angel here in mortality to show us the light; it is because the Lord spoke to one of His servants, and that servant listened; it is because the Work of the Lord was righteously performed, and we chose to become a part of it. It is on this topic that I wish to discuss today; the Work of the Lord.
To begin with, we might ask: ‘what is the Work of the Lord’? The Lord answers this, wherein He states: “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). Simple enough; but how is this done? It is done through obedience to the Lord’s Gospel; for, as King Benjamin said, “There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, …that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives” (Mosiah 5:8). Salvation, then, comes from obedience to the Lord’s Gospel. Thus, for all men to receive eternal life, they must all be introduced to the Gospel. The Lord’s Work, then, is missionary work.
Missionary work is the way by which the Children of God are able to be shown the light of the Lord. It is missionary work that brings God’s Children unto a knowledge of their Heavenly Father. It is missionary work that gives our fellow man the chance to be obedient unto His light and His gospel, and receive the blessings therein. It is missionary work that allows man to be brought into the Love of God, the knowledge of Christ, our Savior, and receive eternal life therein.
And it is missionary work that gave us the opportunity to be here today.
We are all here because of a missionary. For some, that missionary was someone who preached to them with their companion and brought them unto a knowledge of the Gospel. For others, that missionary was a friend, neighbor, sibling, or other family member or loved one who introduced them to the Gospel and invited them to learn more of the Gospel. And for others still, that missionary was a parent or loved one who raised them up in the Church and helped give them the opportunity to gain their own testimony. But no matter the way, the fact remains that we are all here because the Lord sent us an earthly angel with a message, and we listened.
It is for this reason that the Lord has asked us to continue His Work, to help bring others unto the great and glorious knowledge that we have. For, as the Lord has said, “it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor” (D&C 88:81). Having been given the Gospel, it is our responsibility to share it with our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends, our family, and all who cross our paths. In a world full of darkness, despair, and dreariness, we are given the duty to spread the great and comforting word of the Lord to all who will listen. The Prophet Joseph Smith stated, concerning the matter:
“It is an imperative duty that we owe to God, to angels, with whom we shall be brought to stand, and also to ourselves, to our wives and children,…to the widows and fatherless,… And …to all the rising generation, and to all the pure in heart – …that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them” (D&C 123:9-14).
How, then, do we go about performing this great work? After all, what is missionary work? Therein lies the question. Is missionary work service done by fulltime missionaries preaching to the people currently lost to the world? Yes. Is missionary work service performed by grateful members as they strive to bring their friends and family unto a knowledge of the gospel? Yes. Is missionary work service given by loving members as they work to help and nourish their fellow brothers and sisters in the Church? Yes. Perhaps we can see a pattern emerging; missionary work is any work wherein the Gospel of the Lord is preached and the Love of the Lord is exemplified. We must not succumb to the thought that it must be performed by specific people, in specific capacities, to specific people. Missionary work is not simply preaching to those who don’t know the Gospel – it also involves loving those who already know it, and helping those who are currently learning it.
Think about that; missionary work still happens among the members. This is done when we nourish and strengthen one another. President Eyring stated that “The Saints of God have always been under covenant to nourish each other spiritually, especially those tender in the gospel.” He then proceeded to explain how that was done, stating
“The place to start is with our own hearts. What we want with all our hearts will determine in large degree whether we can claim our right to the companionship of the Holy Ghost, without which there can be no spiritual nourishing. We can begin today to try to see those we are to nourish as our Heavenly Father sees them and so feel some of what He feels for them” (Henry B. Eyring, “Feeding His Lambs,” Ensign, Feb 2008, 4–9).
This is an important part of the Lord’s Work. Often we focus so much on bringing in new sheep that we forget to feed the ones we already have. Just because we are members of the Lord’s flock, it does not mean we are impervious to the wolves that roam the world. We must remember the Lord’s commandment to “feed [His] sheep” (John 21:16). The Lord did not say, ‘feed my lost sheep’, nor did He say ‘feed my flock’. He simply told us to feed His sheep; and He, being the Good Shepherd of us all, thus sees us all as His sheep. Thus, we must remember: Saints or Sinners, Friends or Enemies, Members or Non-Members; we all need to be fed by our fellow man. Criticize not our fellow brother, chastise not our beloved sister, judge not our fellow man. We must remember to leave that to the Lord and those whom He has put into the proper priesthood office to preside over and judge. As for the rest of us, we must simply love each other with all our heart.
Once the flock is taken care of, we are commanded to venture out and watch for His lost sheep. This can be done in a variety of ways. We can discuss the Gospel with our family members, mention principles of the Gospel to our friends in casual conversation, or provide insight to the Gospel and our beliefs to coworkers. Regardless of the venue, however, the most important thing is that we live the Gospel in all that we do. Example is the best way by which we can share the Gospel in every-day living.
We must remember, however, that we are still required to give active work to the Lord. More-so, we must remember that we, as members, have a duty to help the Lord’s full-time missionaries find the souls ready to be preached to. Elder Perry best explains this, wherein he states:
“The Church has over 50,000 full-time missionaries serving around the world. Preach My Gospel has helped make them the best teachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ we have ever had in the history of the Church. Unfortunately most of our full-time missionaries spend more of their time trying to find people rather than teaching them. I view our full-time missionaries as an underutilized teaching resource. If you and I did more of the finding for the full-time missionaries and freed them up to spend more time teaching the people we find, great things would begin to happen. We’re missing a golden opportunity to grow the Church when we wait for our full-time missionaries to warn our neighbors instead of doing it ourselves” (L. Tom Perry, “‘Bring Souls unto Me’,” Ensign, May 2009, 109–12).
As members of the Church, and those in knowledge of the True and Everlasting Gospel, it is our responsibility to help bring people unto the Lord at all times. In Doctrine and Covenants, Section 33, the Lord states:
“Open your mouths and they shall be filled, and you shall become even as Nephi of old, who journeyed from Jerusalem in the wilderness. Yea, open your mouths and spare not, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your backs, for lo, I am with you. Yea, open your mouths and they shall be filled, saying: Repent, repent, and prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (D&C 33:8-10, emphasis added).
The Lord commands us three times to open our mouths and testify of His Gospel! This can be difficult due to conflicts, miscommunications, personal beliefs of others, and all sorts of other reasons, but it does not change the fact that we must listen to the Spirit and preach the Gospel whenever we are prompted. Elder Perry gives advice on this subject, wherein he states:
“What would each of us say if we had to open our mouth three times? If I may, I would like to offer a suggestion. First and foremost, we should declare our belief in Jesus Christ and His Atonement...The second time we open our mouths, we should tell in our own words the story of the First Vision...The third time we open our mouths, let us testify of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ” (L. Tom Perry, “‘Bring Souls unto Me’,” Ensign, May 2009, 109–12).
What a great thing to declare! What a great testimony to bear! In this world of darkness and evil, what else would we possibly wish to speak of to others, other than the Lord Jesus Christ, and His Prophet, Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon, which contains yet another testament of the Savior? What an uplifting thing to discuss! What a comfort and a strength to have in our lives. Wouldn’t we wish to declare these things to all others, that they might share in our joy and our happiness, and revile in knowing the Lord, our Savior? Such light shines forth in all darkness, and lifts us up out of the gloom, and brings us reason to smile and cause for celebration; what greater a topic to share with others than that?
All this talk of preaching and bearing testimonies begs the question: what are we to do, that are weak in speak? How could we possibly face the world and say that which needs to be said? How can we ever give forth the words that would shine light in the greatest of darkness? President Brigham Young answered this, declaring:
“In addressing a congregation, though the speaker be unable to say more than half a dozen sentences, and those awkwardly constructed, if his heart is pure before God, those few broken sentences are of more value than the greatest eloquence without the Spirit of the Lord and of more real worth in the sight of God, angels, and all good men. In praying, though a person’s words be few and awkwardly expressed, if the heart is pure before God, that prayer will avail more than the eloquence of a Cicero. What does the Lord, the Father of us all, care about our mode of expression? The simple, honest heart is of more avail with the Lord than all the pomp, pride, splendor, and eloquence produced by men. When he looks upon a heart full of sincerity, integrity, and child-like simplicity, he sees a principle that will endure forever—‘That is the spirit of my own kingdom—the spirit I have given to my children.’” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young (1997), 149, emphasis added).
If we desire to give unto the Children of God, the many and great blessings we have been given, then it does not matter the eloquence of our words or the brilliance of our speech. Our strength, our spirit, our success, rests solely upon our desire to serve.
Which brings me to my last point: why do we serve? Now, I do not mean, why does the Lord command us to serve; but rather, why do we serve; what is our personal motivation for serving?
More-so than what we do to serve, why we serve is perhaps the most important thing we must consider when it comes to missionary work. Why we serve determines the countenance of our spirit; it determines the righteousness of our goals; it determines the orientation of our heart. This is critical to our salvation, for “the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). If we do not serve the Lord and do His Work for the right reasons, it is as if we did not do the work at all. Mormon worded it as such:
“For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing. For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness. For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God. And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such” (Moro. 7:6-9, emphasis added).
Elder Oaks summed it up, stating:
“People serve one another for different reasons, and some reasons are better than others. Perhaps none of us serves in every capacity all the time for only a single reason. Since we are imperfect beings, most of us probably serve for a combination of reasons, and the combinations may be different from time to time as we grow spiritually. But we should all strive to serve for the reasons that are highest and best” (Dallin H. Oaks, “Why Do We Serve?,” Ensign, Nov 1984, 12).
And what are the reasons that are highest and best? It is “for the love of God and the love of his children” (Oaks, “Why Do We Serve?”). When we go forth to serve, we must do so, not because we wish to get something in return, nor should we do so simply because it is commanded; we should do the missionary work because we love our fellow man, and our Lord, and wish to introduce the one to the other. For, as the Lord taught, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matt. 16:24-25).
This is an important principle to remember; especially for full-time missionaries. Serving the Lord should not be done purely out of obedience, but out of Love. Mormon stressed this, stating:
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure” (Moro. 7:48).
Missionaries are required to serve the Lord for the sake of love. There is no glory, nor fame, nor reward wherein service should be rendered; that is not the Lord’s way. But instead, we are to serve those we love, because we love them. The Lord said, “Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant” (Matt. 20:27). Service, in the name of the Lord, and for the sake of love, is what missionary work is all about. Nothing can bring one closer to God; for “God is Love” (1 John 4:8). The Master spent His entire life in mortality exemplifying this concept. Everything He did was in the service of His fellow man, and it was not for gifts, nor glory, nor position, nor power, nor wealth, nor value. It was done simply because He loves us.
We must express our love for our Savior, for our brethren, for our sisters, and for our Father. We must do as Pres. Hinckley’s father instructed, and “Forget [ourselves] and go to work”(Gordon B. Hinckley, “Taking the Gospel to Britain: A Declaration of Vision, Faith, Courage, and Truth,” Ensign, July 1987, 7). Such is the Lord’s way; and what a way it is! What greater joy could come about than serving the Lord in love and honest devotion to Him and our fellow man? What greater act could we do, than to serve our fellow brothers and sisters in love and charity, doing the Lord’s work, and bringing about more sheep into His flock? Yea, Brothers and Sisters, truly, what great a promise we have been given, wherein the Lord states:
“And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!” (D&C 18:15-16).
The service we give the Lord and our fellow man defines us. It shapes our heart, develops our soul, and defines our personage. Everything that we are, and ever will be, is defined by what kind of work we choose to give now. A poet once wrote:
"Sow a thought, and you reap an act; sow an act, and you reap a habit; sow a habit, and you reap a character; sow a character, and you reap a destiny" (Anonymous, quoted in John Bartlett, ed., Familiar Quotations, (1968), 1100).
Paul confirms this, stating “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).
Missionary Work is the Lord’s Work, Brothers and Sisters. We are commanded, as members of His Church, to go forth and preach His Gospel in all that we do, be it by our words or by our actions. All Church Members are commanded to nourish and strengthen each other, to keep peace among the wards and the stakes, and the Church as a whole, and to give each other strength in this ever-darkening world. Let us go forth and serve the Lord with everything we’ve got. For “verily, verily, I say unto you, that the field is white already to harvest; wherefore, thrust in your sickles, and reap with all your might, mind, and strength” (D&C 33:7).
I bear my testimony that these things are true. The Lord loves us; we are the Children of the Most High God. The Lord, Jesus Christ, came down and Atoned for our sins, so that we may live with Him and our Father once more, so that we might receive all that the Father has. The Prophet Joseph Smith is a true prophet. He knelt down in a sacred grove, he prayed to God, and His prayer was answered. God did visit him in that Grove. God is a person; He has a body, and so does Christ. This Gospel is true. Thomas S. Monson is the current prophet, seer, and revelator, and as such is the mouthpiece of the Lord.
As I go forth to serve the Lord on my mission, I do so because I know these things, and I love the Lord for it. Yes, it is a commandment that I should serve; yes, it will be a blessing for my family that I should serve; yes, it will provide me with insight, skills, talents, and all manner of blessings for the rest of my life, as I go forth to serve. But this Gospel is why I serve; this Gospel is so wonderful, so great, so glorious, that all should hear it. All should be given the chance to have this comfort, this strength, this light. All should be given the chance to praise the Lord, to fall to their knees in love and joy for His sake. This world may be getting darker, but I know that this Gospel will not waiver; though the world may crash upon us like a thunderous wave, and wail at us with a monstrous voice, this Gospel, this Church, this Truth, will not fail. The Lord is with us; the world is nothing to fear. For the Lord has said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
As I go forth to preach this wondrous Gospel to the people of Ghana, I pray that I will be able to serve them with the same love and joy I have for all of you.
This Gospel is true; the Spirit testifies of this to me. I pray that we all may have that comfort with us, always, and that we may keep the Lord with us, always.
Take care, and God bless.
Even so, I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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