Worth the Labor

Blog #104 August 07, 2025

As children of God we not only accept and cherish the labors of our covenant we accept the fact that there are aspects of this labor we cannot complete without the help and strength that only God can supply. Foremost in that labor is bringing God to those who need Him, for in the ways of God they must be the one who recognizes that need. Our hope is that the life we live will be the testimony that opens their eyes to the desire within their heart to join us in our walk with the Father. If that is successful, then our challenge is walking with these new believers in a way that nourishes their faith and sustains their willingness to draw away from world and its ways. We must realize that for their whole life the ways of pride and lust have been their sanctuary, their only source of creditable knowledge, and the only reason for their growth. That which stands between us and the victory we seek is an adversary that knows how to try both us and the new believer by causing it to appear that the ways of the Kingdom demand more than they are willing to give. We will have to endure the frustration of teaching then, teaching again, and then calmly teaching yet again if needed. Only in God's Spirit can we find the patience to still our heart and reassure both them and us as we both face the fear of failure in the face of God. This trial too many times causes the most ardent believer to shut down in their effort of reaching out to others. Such is the trial of trying to measure up to the example set by Christ our savior. 

Isaiah 42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. 

Hear the Lord we serve and understand the labor we seek. We go to the unwilling, and seek to humble the unrepentant. We ask them to accept a God they cannot see and a way that is foolishness to the world. In the beginning, our only proof to the integrity of all we offer them, is ourselves. We must be a sure testimony of the living God because what we bring them they may not understand, let alone accept. If we are to overcome their lack of belief in the God we bring them, we must let them see His mercy and His justice at work in our lives. If they are to believe the truth of the Word of God, they must hear testimonies of life-changing joy brought to us through the Gospel of the Kingdom. They must be allowed to perceive us as God's children. We must be the evidence a loving Father anxiously awaiting their choice to be a part of His family. How we bring the word of God to them will determine the success or the failure of all that we attempt. 

Alma 5:33-35
5:33 For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness: I perceive that ye are in the path which leads to the kingdom of God;
5:34 Yea, I perceive that ye are making his paths straight, I perceive that it has been made known unto you by the testimony of his word, that he can not walk in crooked paths;
5:35 Neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, nor from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round.

Understand the importance of what the prophet Alma brings us in this passage. The way we are as a people is the only creditability we have in the face of the world. To gain peoples for God’s Kingdom we must know God’s ways, live in them always, and reach out to others in a way that mirrors His love for them and His concern for their place in eternity. We must refrain from judging them for who they seem to be. We must see them as God sees them and offer them all that God does, in the way God does, with love.

Proverbs 15:2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright; but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. 

Foolish words and actions come from foolish beliefs. Foolish beliefs too many times arise when we allow our purpose to become confusing and unclear. Understand clearly our purpose and the Lord will fill our words with truth. We are not just trying to entice the world away from one system to another. We are trying to free humanity from a bondage they don’t even know exist. We have to show them a people freed by God and His gospel, which live in a way that is full of joy. We must expose them to lives willingly obedient to God’s way because it allows each individual to succeed in their hearts desire and uses that success as an essential part of the Kingdom. We have a reason for our joy and we must convince them of that reason by exposing them to a people rich in the ways of God and full of the joy He promises. 

Ephesians 4:13-16
4:13 Till we, in the unity of the faith, all come to the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 
4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 
4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ; 
4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

In other churches new believers are offered a place in their kingdom if and only if they discipline themselves to their accepted traditions and rituals. They are asked to believe as the body believes and live as they do on blind faith alone. Self-discipline will be motivated by a threat of God's judgment and expulsion from the body of believers if they fail. They are asked to submit themselves to the authority of their clergy and revere that authority as they would revere God Himself. Consequently, they are cautioned to never question that authority under penalty of judgment. In effect, they will become servants of the church subject to the demands of the body in all things. The happiness of the individual is secondary to the success of the church. God's better purpose allows man a better way.

2 Nephi 1:114-118
1:114 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
1:115 Adam fell, that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
1:116 And the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall.
1:117 And because that they are redeemed from the fall, they have become free for ever, knowing good from evil;
1:118 To act for themselves, and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the Lord, at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given. 

When we see clearly the purpose of God we begin to understand the true power of the Kingdom, for it is a way unlike any offered by the Churches of the World. In the Kingdom of God each of us will be free to pursue that which we love to do. In God and through our efforts with God, our personal desires can become holy, righteous, and a part of the Kingdom. 

Psalms 37:3-5
37:3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
37:5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

The Lord God would have us teach the world the truth of the freedom God offers. We seek to teach the world how to dedicate their lives to God and the ways of God by trusting in His ways and making His ways their own. We seek to show them that yes God is a God of judgment, but He seeks to be a loving Father teaching His children how to live as He lives and love as He loves. This is a system promised many times but never successfully brought to fulfillment. Only through our steadfast humility to the leadings of the Spirit and our diligence in seeking God's ways through the Spirit will bring the world a greater treasure than any it has ever known. 

Matthew 13:46-47
13:46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field. And when a man hath found a treasure which is hid, he secureth it, and, straightway, for joy thereof, goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
13:47 And again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant-man, seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

We need to open our mind and the minds of those we reach out to for God, the full value of all God brings to our temporal lives. The butcher, the baker, the mechanic, and the artist can perfect what they wish to achieve. With willing obedience to the ways of God and humility to His Spirit, their efforts will be a welcome addition to the body of believers and a profit to God in His Kingdom. Let this promise be deep in your heart and let it guide the way you reach out. Let it guide the way you live and it will cause truth and joy to color each testimony you offer of God to the world. 

Proverbs15:3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. 

The temporal mind will mistakenly perceive this verse as a warning, but it is more. We must help those growing in God’s wisdom to realize that the comfort of God's presence and the oneness it can bring is something we have sought all our lives. We must let it open life to God's grace as he fulfills the promises He offers all who will seek His ways. Let it speak to you in God’s voice and you will come to fully realize the joy it offers. 

Psalms 13:7-12
13:7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 
13:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 
13:9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 
13:10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 
13:11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 
13:12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.  

How important is it to you that the greatest power in all of creation cares enough about you to be with you always. Is it important enough for you to reach out to others with this same promise? Yes, there will be trials, but He will be there to endure them with you. Together we will face temptations with the hand of God there to lift us up. Is not joy sweeter when we have someone to share it with? If we allow Him to, He will be our Father, our Shepherd, and our friend, and He will be there each moment to remind us of His love. 

Luke 12:35 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Understand this not as a promise because those in the world that don't know God try to convince us that this hollow promise has been broken time, and time again. Instead hold it up as God's banner that offers to all His children the fullness of His love as a Father. Know full well that when it is time and we are ready for it that the Father will share with us the labor that makes His Kingdom real

And we will have joy together.

FRED