When Jacob saw that his people were making decisions that were turning them away from God, he called them together to speak to them at the temple. He said that he did this “having first obtained [his] errand from the Lord” (Jacob 1:17). In other words, he had made the effort to understand what God wanted him to accomplish with that meeting. He opened his sermon by reminding the people, “I have hitherto been diligent in the office of my calling,” but he added, “I this day am weighed down with much more desire and anxiety for the welfare of your souls than I have hitherto been” (Jacob 2:3).
Mormon wrote to his son Moroni, “We have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God” (Moroni 9:6).
Alma told the people of Ammonihah that people who exercise great faith and choose to do good works are “called with a holy calling” which eventually leads to their sanctification (Alma 13:3, 11).
Jesus said that we save our lives by losing them (see Matthew 16:25), and this appears to be at least one application of that principle. We grow and develop as we fulfill callings from Him and focus on serving others.
The Lord said that those who would receive His grace were people who “believe in the gifts and callings of God by the Holy Ghost” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:27). We need to believe not only in His gifts, the unearned blessings He provides to us, but also in His callings, the assignments and opportunities for growth He gives us.
In April 1830, shortly after the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith received five brief revelations, each directed to a different person. The Lord told Oliver Cowdery, “Make known thy calling unto the church, and also before the world.” Joseph and his brothers Hyrum and Samuel were all told, “Thy calling is to exhortation, and to strengthen the church.” Joseph Knight, who had not yet become a member of the church, was told, “It is your duty to unite with the true church, and give your language to exhortation continually, that you may receive the reward of the laborer” (Doctrine and Covenants 23:2-5, 7).
Elder Robert C. Gay described his conversation with a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who called him and his wife to preside over a mission. Here’s how he described his circumstances at the time and his response:
At the time of our interview we were involved in some very challenging family dynamics, we were engaged in large humanitarian efforts across the world that required a lot of our attention and resources, and I was a senior managing partner of a global investment business, not to mention all the Church callings we were working on. I thought we were already doing as much as we could possibly do. As we sat there that day with this beloved Apostle and reflected on all that we had going on, we both politely said that this was probably not the best time for us to serve a mission. Without hesitation, this member of the Twelve turned to my wife and said, “Lynette, you are going to make a great missionary and companion to your husband.” He then turned to me and said, “You know, you really don’t get it. The Lord is calling you to save your life. You are either going to live your life by covenant or by convenience. There is never a convenient time to serve. This is a matter of faith. You either believe the Lord will bless your life with the blessings you need as you do His priorities or you don’t.”
Quietly I sat there, stunned. I had just been told that the Lord was trying to save my life. I was living a good life then, but I was greatly out of balance. On that afternoon as Lynette and I left the Apostle’s office, we went home to prayerfully consider how we were going to live our lives. We quickly made the choice to serve and live our lives by covenant, doing whatsoever things the Lord asked of us. A covenant life is a more balanced life, lived according to God’s priorities, not our own agendas. Our lives have not been the same since. We have been completely blessed by His love and His tutoring. If I know anything, I know that this same blessing will be yours if you faithfully stay on His covenant path. God wants to save your life.
“Choosing Righteous Desires,” Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, May 3, 2020
Today, I will renew my commitment to accept and fulfill callings from God. I will remember that God’s callings serve two purposes: giving us the opportunity to serve others, while simultaneously opening our hearts to receive the sanctifying power of Jesus Christ.
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