Always Abounding in Good Works – Ether 12:4

4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.
(Ether 12:4)

Hope leads to action. Or rather, hope shields us from discouragement, which would stifle our action. We are generally willing to take positive action when we think we are likely to succeed, and we hold back when we believe we will fail. Alma highlighted this fact when he explained why some of the children of Israel refused to look at the brass serpent: “The reason they would not look is because they did not believe it would heal them” (Alma 33:20).

In the passage above, Moroni explains why the prophet Ether was able to keep preaching the gospel among a group of people who were unwilling to hear his message: because his faith in Jesus Christ gave him hope. That hope was an anchor to his soul, enabling him to keep working in spite of opposition and persecution.

The apostle Paul also compared hope to an anchor (Hebrews 6:19). He explained that Abraham had remained faithful to God and “patiently endured,” because he believed the promises God had made to him (Hebrews 6:13-15). Paul urged the members of the church to move forward for the same reason:

And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
(Hebrews 6:11-12)

Today, I will work hard, believing that God will help me to be successful. Like Ether and like Abraham, I will remember God’s promises to me, and I will let my faith in Him overcome any doubt or fear, so that I can “always [abound] in good works.”