Doctrine and Covenants Tuesday

Scripture of the Day:

Doctrine and Covenants 18:10-16

10 Remember the ^aworth of ^bsouls is great in the sight of God;

11 For, behold, the Lord your ^aRedeemer suffered ^bdeath in the flesh; wherefore he ^csuffered the ^dpain of all men, that all men might repent and ^ecome unto him.

12 And he hath ^arisen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of ^brepentance.

13 And how great is his ^ajoy in the ^bsoul that ^crepenteth!

14 Wherefore, you are called to ^acry repentance unto this people.

15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one ^asoul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the ^akingdom of my Father, how great will be your ^bjoy if you should bring many ^csouls unto me!

Historical Background:

After Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery had received the Aaronic Priesthood from John the Baptist, they received this revelation from the Lord regarding the work that they would do going forward as well as a promise of the authority that they would soon receive in the Melchizedek Priesthood.

For more information, read the Doctrine and Covenants Gospel Doctrine Manual, Lesson 11.

Gospel Principles Outlined:

1) Souls have great worth in the Plan of Salvation.

2) We should share the principles of faith and repentance with others so that they can receive the blessings of the gospel.

3) This is all made possible by the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

4) Missionary work isn't necessarily about the outcome but instead about the labor.

5) Missionary work brings joy into our lives.

What I Learned Today:

I think it is interesting that these verse emphasize the power of Christ's Atonement in missionary work and the joy that comes in doing the work. It is not necessarily important that you and I always have amazing outcomes as we do missionary work. The joy comes just in doing it. I believe the reason that the Lord teaches us this principle is two-fold: 1) We will not always be "successful" in missionary work, but we will always feel of the joy in sharing our testimonies and 2) any "success" in missionary work comes through the power of the Spirit, not through our efforts. I love the great blessing that have come into my life at those times when I have more fully resolved to improve my efforts as a missionary. I love the Spirit and joy that I feel.

I also love how valued we are to our Savior and our Father in Heaven. All of us. It is a great comfort to me as I seek to improve and do what is right. I know that they trust me and love me. That brings great joy. That motivates me to do more.

Additional resources-

Repentance and Conversion by Elder Russell M. Nelson

Things I Will Implement:

I would like to do more to share the gospel with others. In order to do so, I will begin to pray about people that I know and care about that do not yet know of the blessings that I have in the gospel. I will pray to know what their needs are and how I can address their needs in the gospel. I also will make a more concerted effort to assist the full time missionaries in the work that they are doing so that they can feel they joy that they are working toward. I really love this work!