Leadership
for Saints,
Part 2: We Are Heir to Blessings
by
Rodger Dean Duncan and Ed J. Pinegar
We love and
serve the Lord best by loving and serving one another.
This book is
about service through effective leadership. Not the sheepherder
kind of leadership. The shepherd kind. The scriptures are
replete with direction, standards and examples of excellent leadership.
For instance,
in D&C 38:
Verily I say
unto you, teach one another according to the office wherewith
I have appointed you;
And let every
man esteem his brother as himself, and practice virtue and holiness
before me.
And again
I say unto you, let every man esteem his brother as himself.
For what man
among you having twelve sons, and is no respecter of them, and
they serve him obediently, and he saith unto the one: Be thou
clothed in robes and sit thou here; and to the other: Be thou
clothed in rags and sit thou there—and looketh upon his sons and
saith I am just?
Behold, this
I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I
say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.
(D&C 38:23-27)
The theme of
this revelation is unity. Unity between us and the Savior,
unity among those of us who have been called, and unity between
us and those we’ve been called to serve.
Of course we
all know that some people are simply not as easy to serve as others.
Some are not as easily approachable, or as easily loveable, or as
easily teachable.
We can use these
circumstances as marvelous reminders of our own human weaknesses
and inabilities and nothingness without God. It is in these challenges
that we draw closer to the Lord by begging to be filled with His
love for the unlovable. These are the seasons of our greatest growth
and humility.
But they are
still our Father’s children. They are part of our family. (And we
dare say that many of us wouldn’t be where we are today if someone
at another place and time had not invested the time and trouble
to approach us, to love us and to teach us.)
Now—just how
do we go about serving those who are less eager to be served, as
well as those who are eager and willing to accept our love and service?
The answer is in D&C 50, a revelation in which the Lord tells
us that we are called “to preach [His] gospel by the Spirit, even
the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth.” (v. 14)
And then He
adds:
Verily I say
unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the
word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he
preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
And if it be
by some other way it is not of God.
And again, he
that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit
of truth or some other way?
If it be some
other way it is not of God.
Therefore, why
is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth
the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by
the Spirit of truth?
Wherefore, he
that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another and
both are edified and rejoice together.
And that which
doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness. (D&C 50:17-23)
As leaders we
must make ourselves eligible for the influence of the Spirit so
that He can inspire our prayers. He will tell us in our minds and
hearts what gifts we need to better succor the challenging individuals
we are called to serve. When the Spirit directs our asking we can
exercise confident and powerful faith that our pleadings will be
realized and both the servant and the served will be blessed.
The greatest
leaders recognize their dependence upon the Holy Spirit in every
aspect of their stewardship.
Bringing
Light to Others
Our challenge,
then—as parents, as stake leaders, as bishoprics, as quorum presidencies,
as Relief Society leaders, as missionaries, as nurturers of young
men and young women, as single adult representatives and as instructors
in all of these areas—is to bring light into the lives of others.
We can do that
only when we have light in our own lives:
Therefore, hold
up your light that it may shine unto the world.
Behold I am
the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do.
(3 Nephi 18:24.)
His message
is perfectly clear: He is the light which we must hold up.
We are just the candles. He is the flame. We are the Lord’s disciples,
and with the calling and charge we have a responsibility as leaders
to be willing and worthy to share His light unto the people—
Ye are my disciples;
and ye are a light unto this people, who are a remnant of the house
of Joseph. (3 Nephi 15:12)
Verily, verily,
I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people.
A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Behold, do men
light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick,
and it giveth light to all that are in the house;
Therefore let
your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good
works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (3 Nephi 12:14-16)
The duty is
clear. We are the light of the world, for we follow Christ, we
preach of Christ, we bring the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ
to all mankind. It is evident in the Doctrine and Covenants that
we are commanded to be a light and a savior of mankind. If we do
otherwise, the consequence of being “good for nothing” is our reward.
For they were
set to be a light unto the world, and to be the saviors of men;
And inasmuch
as they are not the saviors of men, they are as salt that has lost
its savor, and is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out
and trodden under foot of men.” (D&C 103:9-10)
Ammon was this
kind of leader. He brought the light of the Savior to King Lamoni.
Now, this was
what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power
of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away
from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which
was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of
his goodness—yea, this light has infused such joy into his soul,
the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light
of everlasting life was lit up in his soul, yea, he knew that this
had overcome his natural frame, and he was carried away in God.
(Alma 19:6)
We can be this
kind of servant, too. The light of God’s love and truths comes
only when we are worthy and receptive. Each one of us is entitled
to discernment within the scope of his or her stewardship and calling.
In addition, Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught us:
There is no
perfect operation of the power of discernment without revelation.
Where the saints are concerned—since they have received the right
to the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost—the Lord expects
them to discern, not only between the righteous and the wicked,
but between false and true philosophies, educational theories, sciences,
political concepts and social schemes. Unfortunately, in many instances,
even good [people] hearken to the “traditions of their fathers”
and rely on the learning of the world rather than the revelations
of the Lord, so that they do not enjoy the full play of the spirit
of discernment. [i]
The most effective
quorum leaders seem to be those who consistently pray for their
brethren—by name—and then seek them out. They consistently and faithfully
hold personal priesthood interviews with home teachers—as part of
the Lord’s system of accountability and as an important way to stay
close to the families whom they are called to bless.
The most effective
youth leaders seem to be those who specifically pray for—and receive—the
spirit of discernment as they teach and guide and serve as examples
for our precious young people.
They’ve come
to understand that service in the kingdom is rarely convenient,
and they are called by the Lord himself to serve all of his
children, including those who rarely attend meetings and who require
second- and third-mile efforts on our part.
Quite simply,
we must know our people.
We must operate
with love unfeigned.
We must validate
and affirm each individual as a special son or daughter of our Father.
We must be prepared
to “teach the one.”
We must invite
the Spirit to teach us. And then we must carefully and prayerfully
listen.
When we do these
things as faithful instruments in the hands of the Lord, He can
bring about miracles through us. Our ministry bears wonderful fruit.
Precious souls are rescued. Hearts and lives turn to the Savior.
And the heavens rejoice.
As leaders in
the Church, we have many responsibilities. But our primary obligation,
our primary covenant, is to “invite all to come unto Christ”
(See D&C 20:59).
[i] Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine [Salt
Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966], 197
Note:
The excerpts of Leadership for Saints posted on Meridian
are only a fraction of the contents of this 349-page book. To
learn more about this ground-breaking book and to order copies,
click
here.
©
2002 by Rodger Dean Duncan & Ed J. Pinegar
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