Committment

COMMITTMENT

HELPING SISTERS BECOME MORE CONVERTED TO THE GOSPEL

Whenever I have asked stake presidents about their biggest challenge or concern, they repeatedly say, "To have the Saints committed and converted so they will be faithful in keeping their covenants and fulfilling their callings." I have given that challenge a lot of prayerful consideration. Certainly Latter-day Saints do not lack opportunities to hear the word of God, but, unfortunately, they are often dilatory in the follow-through and the application in living the word.
What is it that gives us a testimony and a desire to serve the Lord "with all [our] heart, might, mind and strength" (D&C 4:2) and to "be diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord"? (1 Ne. 4:34).
As I have pondered this and prayed about it, I have concluded that the problem lies in a lack of conversion and commitment: conversion to Christ, His gospel, and His Church; and, subsequently, commitment to the covenants and individual callings one may have received to serve and strengthen others. In this regard, it is of interest to consider Christ's words to Peter: "When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:32). Thus, commitment seems to be an outgrowth or fruit of conversion.
Lawrence Mack (CR Apr 1996)

The style of leadership one adopts (though not necessarily consciously) grows out of his ideas and feelings about the nature of man. Thomas Jefferson said to a correspondent, "We both consider the people as our children and love them with paternal affection, but you love them as infants whom you are afraid to trust without nurses and I as adults whom I freely leave to self government." For some, Jefferson's views are excessively optimistic. The Prophet Joseph Smith, speaking of the governing of the members of the Church, said, "I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves." Yet the spirit is needed to aid us in self-governance.
Neal A. Maxwell, A More Excellent Way, p.16

I know that frequently it is not easy to face up to that which is expected of us. Many think they cannot do it. We need a little more faith. We should know that the Lord will not give us commandments beyond our power to observe. He will not ask us to do things for which we lack the capacity. Our problem lies in our fears and in our appetites.
Gordon B. Hinckley: (CR Oct 1985)

We are all in this great endeavor together. We are here to assist our Father in His work and His glory,"to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of Man" (Moses 1:39). Your obligation is as serious in your sphere of responsibility as is my obligation in my sphere. No calling in this church is small or of little consequence. All of us in the pursuit of our duty touch the lives of others. To each of us in our respective responsibilities the Lord has said: "Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees" (D&C 81:4) also D&C 81:4, 6
Gordon B. Hinckley: (Ensign, May 1995, p. 71)

It may seem a little difficult at first, but when a person begins to catch a vision of the true work, when he begins to see something of eternity in its true perspective, the blessings begin to far outweigh the cost of leaving `the world' behind"
Spencer W. Kimball: (Ensign, June 1976, p. 6)

It is not a sacrifice to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is never a sacrifice when you get back more than you give. It is an investment. And the living of the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes a greater investment than any of which we know because its dividends are eternal and everlasting.
Gordon B. Hinckley: (Aug 1995, Tacoma Washington Regional Conference)

May I suggest that in my judgment no person who is a member of this church and has taken upon himself the covenants incident to membership can reasonably expect the blessings of the Lord upon his efforts unless being willing to bear his share of the burden of the Lord's kingdom.
Gordon B. Hinckley: (Ensign Jan 1994)

The Church needs your strength. It needs your love and loyalty and devotion. It needs a little more of your time and energy. I am not asking anyone to give more at the expense of his or her employer. We have an obligation to be men and women of absolute honesty and integrity in the service of those who employ us.
I am not asking anyone to do so at the expense of your families. The Lord will hold you responsible for your children. But I am suggesting that we spend a little less time in idleness, in the fruitless pursuit of watching some inane and empty television programs. Time so utilized can be put to better advantage, and the consequences will be wonderful. Of that I do not hesitate to assure you.
Gordon B. Hinckley: (CR Apr 1995)

There are no separate paths back to that heavenly home. Just one straight and narrow way, at the end of which, though we arrive trailing tears, we shall at once be `drenched in joy'"
Neal A. Maxwell: (Ensign, May 1978, p. 11)

I want you to teach the people--and I want you to follow this counsel yourself--that they must labor and so live as to obtain the Holy Spirit, for without this you cannot build up the kingdom: without the spirit of God you are in danger of walking in the dark, and in danger of failing to accomplish your calling as apostles and as elders in the church and kingdom of God. And, said he, Brother Joseph taught me this principle.
Wilford Woodruff (Journal of Discourses, 21:318.)

Every man and woman in this Church should labor to get that Spirit. We are surrounded by these evil spirits that are at war against God and against everything looking to the building up of the kingdom of God; and we need this Holy Spirit to enable us to overcome these influences."
Wilford Woodruff: (Deseret Weekly, 7 Nov. 1896, p. 643.)

...commitment is doing what everyone can do--but usually doesn't. When one commits himself like this young man, it is like opening up the headgates of a mighty dam, permitting all its power to become available.
James M. Paramore (CR Apr 1979)

When the Lord says "walk with me" (Moses 6:34), He is asking us to become more spiritual by being obedient to His word. Developing spirituality is critical to our eternal progress.
We've been given tools to develop that spirituality. We are told to attend Church meetings, work hard in callings, go to the temple, be generous in offerings to the Lord, hold family home evening, and visit one another. But simply being there does not sanctify us; statistics do not drive eternal progression. Still, we cannot ignore that being in the right place at the right time will put us in a frame of mind to learn, in an environment where the Lord's influence is invited and strong.
Alma described what happens when we are not only present but counted as Christ's disciples when he said, "Have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?" (Alma 5:14.) Have ye "felt to sing the song of redeeming love?" (Alma 5:26.) Spirituality is all about feeling the Spirit of God, wanting it with us, sharing the Spirit with others, and heeding its prompting.
Elaine Jack: (CR Apr 1990) 14.

Church members commit to do many things. We agree to serve one another, to mourn with those that mourn, to comfort those that stand in need of comfort. We promise to visit each other. We make covenants. We agree to share the gospel and do vicarious work for the dead. And just like that incident in the car so many years ago, we sometimes fail to do what we have agreed to do.
Our justifications are many. We say we will do it later. We have something more important to do right now. We don't feel well or we don't feel qualified or we don't want to be fanatical about it.
When I listen to people say they have something more important to do, I wonder what it could possibly be. What could be more important than keeping a commitment we have made with the Lord? The Church does have many needs, and one of them is for more people who will just do what they have agreed to do. People who will show up for work and stay all day; who will quietly, patiently, and consistently do what they have agreed to for as long as it takes--and who will not stop until they have finished.
We are a covenant people. If there is a distinguishing feature about members of the Church, it is that we make covenants. We need to be known as a covenant-keeping people as well. Making promises is easy, but to follow through and do what we have promised is another matter. That involves staying the course, being constant and steadfast. It means keeping the faith and being faithful to the end despite success or failure, doubt or discouragement. It is drawing near to the Lord with all our hearts. It is doing whatever we promise to do with all our might--even when we might not feel like it.
I once attended a funeral service with EIder M. Russell Ballard. A statement he made there has remained with me to this day. He said, "Life isn't over for a Latter-day Saint until he or she is safely dead, with their testimony still burning brightly." "Safely dead"--what a challenging concept. Brothers and sisters, we will not be safe until we have given our hearts to the Lord-until we have learned to do what we have promised.
Howard F. Burton: (CR Apr 1996)

A total commitment to anxiously serve the Lord and others is the surest way to overcome the many temptations of the adversary.
James W. Paramore (CR Apr 1979)

Part of our difficulty as we strive to acquire spirituality is the feeling that there is much to do and that we are falling far short. Perfection is something yet ahead for every one of us; but we can capitalize on our strengths, begin where we are, and seek after the happiness that can be found in pursuing the things of God. We should remember the Lord's counsel:
"Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.
"Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days." (D&C 64:33-34.)
Howard W. Hunter: (CR Apr 1979)

To lose yourself in righteous service to others can lift your sights and get your mind off personal problems or at least put them in proper focus. "When you find yourselves a little gloomy," said President Lorenzo Snow, "look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated"
Conference Report, 6 Apr. 1899, pp. 2-3.)

When we commit ourselves to him, we receive the inner peace and security he promised: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you" (John 14:27). When we are committed to him, we bind him to bless us, for he said: "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say;" and conversely "but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise" (D&C 82:10).
James W. Paramore (CR Apr 1979)

Undoubtedly our Heavenly Father tires of expressions of love in words only. He has made it clear through his prophets and his word that his ways are ways of commitment, and not conversation. He prefers performance over lip service. We show our true love for him in proportion to our keeping his words and the processes of feeding (others).
Marvin J. Ashton (CR Oct 1975)

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall"
(Hel. 5:12)

"That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day"
(D&C 50:24)

But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.
(2 Nephi 32:9)

Ann Amadori

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