A Record of Worth and Power

Mormon 8:14-15
14 And I am the same who hideth up this record unto the Lord; the plates thereof are of no worth, because of the commandment of the Lord. For he truly saith that no one shall have them to get gain; but the record thereof is of great worth; and whoso shall bring it to light, him will the Lord bless.
15 For none can have power to bring it to light save it be given him of God; for God wills that it shall be done with an eye single to his glory, or the welfare of the ancient and long dispersed covenant people of the Lord.

The record spoken of is the record abridged by Mormon, his son Moroni, and translated by the latter-day prophet Joseph Smith Jr.  In translating and printing this record which God himself declared to be "...of great worth...", Joseph Smith Jr. received great blessings. Something I noticed in the rereading of these verses was that the blessings promised are not to Joseph only.  The blessings of the Gospel are for all the world.  Joseph obtained those blessings not only for himself but created the pathway for the whole world to receive such blessings through the Restoration of the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A relatively few received the news of the record from the mouth of Joseph himself.  If it were up to Joseph alone to bring the record to light among all people He would have had an impossible task ahead of him.

Thankfully, our loving Heavenly Father did not say, "Only one man can bring the record to light and him will the Lord bless." No, the verse opens these blessings to all who share the message of the restored Gospel: "...and whoso shall bring it to light, him will the Lord bless."  Each person who has received the message of the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the coming forth of the Book of Mormon has the ability to bring that light to others.  It is as if each person who receives the Gospel has their own torch lit and it is up to each of us to pass that light to others.  But verse 15 gives a caveat: "For none can have power to bring it to light save it be given him of God..."  God requires that the work of sharing the gospel be done His way, not seeking for power, glory, or riches for ourselves, but with "an eye single to his glory, or the welfare of the...covenant people..."

So how does one received the privilege of being one of God's particular messengers?

As a youth I received a very clear impression one day in my seminary class that I would serve a mission.  I had never really doubted this fact. Both my brothers and my sisters had served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I had been blessed by their service and admired the lessons they had learned, the testimonies they had strengthened, and the stories they shared.  Young women in the church at that time were allowed to apply for missionary service as they reached their 21st birthday and so about 6 months before my 21st birthday I began to seriously consider if serving a mission would be the right thing for me to do at that time in my life.  I had many concerns regarding school, social pressures, and the desire to eventually get married and have a family that caused me on occasion to question my early impressions that I would serve a mission.  I did not take such a decision lightly and often gave myself to serious thought and study on the matter.  I remember coming across two specific scriptures during that time that solidified not only my desire to serve, but helped me to recognize God's call to me to be one of those messengers to whom He would give power to share the restored gospel.  A particular verse strikes me now as I consider this same question of who can receive this power to bring the gospel to light: 

"Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;"

--Doctrine & Covenants 4:3

God has opened the blessings of bringing the record of the Book of Mormon to light to all who desire to share it.  Missionaries are particularly blessed as they are set apart to preach the gospel for a dedicated period of time and I feel so blessed to have received that call in my life.

It has been almost five years since I entered the Missionary Training Center as a new missionary called to serve in the California Carlsbad Mission, but the 18 months I spent there was a blessed time in my life.  Each of the people I met and those I taught had a great impact on my life and my testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the restoration of God's true church on the earth, complete with living prophets and the authority of God.  Having been home for 3 years now I find I am still blessed anytime I find the opportunity to share the light of the gospel with those around me, member or non-member.  Mormon was not only prophesying of Joseph Smith in these verses, but of any who would continue to share Joseph's story and the work he brought forth unto us.

I know Joseph Smith was called of God to bring the record of the Book of Mormon to light and I know that the record that is the Book of Mormon is a true record that contains the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know that by living the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in the Bible and the Book of Mormon that we can receive all the blessings our Father in Heaven wishes to bestow upon us including eternal life with Him and our families in His kingdom.  Jesus Christ is my Savior and I am so grateful for his everlasting love for us and the constant opportunity to share His message with the world.