To Advance the Cause

Daniel Pink suggests that rewards and punishments aren’t the most effective long-term motivators. He asserts that a sense of purpose—a belief that we are contributing to something larger than ourselves—is more likely to motivate sustained effort. We work harder and longer when our efforts are infused with a sense of mission (see Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Riverhead Books, 2011).

Captain Moroni understood this principle. His army won a battle in which they were vastly outnumbered by a ferocious enemy because they “were inspired by a better cause”:

They were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church.

And they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they owed to their God.

Alma 43:45-46

Moroni called this set of values “the cause of the Christians” (Alma 46:16, Alma 48:10), and he led his people through an eleven-year war because of their dedication to this cause.

In March 1832, God urged Joseph Smith and other church leaders to organize their efforts to care for the poor and needy. This invitation came with a reminder of the ultimate purpose of these efforts:

For a permanent and everlasting establishment and order unto my church, to advance the cause, which ye have espoused, to the salvation of man, and to the glory of your Father who is in heaven.

Doctrine and Covenants 78:4

A few months later, Joseph wrote to W. W. Phelps:

I am a lover of the cause of Christ and of virtue, chastity, and an upright steady course of conduct and a holy walk.

The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, comp. Dean C. Jessee [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1984], 246, punctuation updated

After quoting this statement, Sister Heidi S. Swinton asked, “Do we pray about how we can further ‘the cause of Christ’ as we pursue our tasks?” (“Joseph Smith: Lover of the Cause of Christ,” Brigham Young University devotional address, 2 October 2004).

Elder Kim B. Clark promised that those who enlist in this cause will accomplish great things:

If you act with faith in Jesus Christ to embrace the plan, He will direct your path, open doors for you, put you where He wants you, and give you opportunities to serve Him in the greatest of all the causes on the earth—the cause of Christ. You will be the means of bringing hope, joy, happiness, and salvation to your family, to your friends and loved ones, and to literally thousands of God’s children.

“Embrace the Plan,” Brigham Young University devotional address, 20 March 2018

Today, I will pray to understand how I can advance the cause of Christ. As I perform my daily duties, I will remember that these are not disconnected activities. My efforts contribute to a greater cause, which gives them meaning and power.