Go and Do - Heather Harston

I know that I am a child of God. I also know that I’m not His only child. Each and everyone one of us is a loved son or daughter of our Heavenly Father. We receive so many blessing from this. In return we are asked to do things for our Father. We need to show obedience to Him. When we are asked, we need to go and do. This is what I have chosen to write about today, going and doing.
One of the most known examples of this is found in the Book of Mormon, in 1 Nephi 3:7. Nephi, after being asked by his father to return to the city they had to flee from in fear of their lives, gave the famous response, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commanded them.” Could we stand up to that test today? Dropping what we are doing to return to a place that is dangerous for us to fulfill the will of the Lord? Nephi and his brothers showed great courage by obeying their father, which in turn meant they were being obedient to Heavenly Father. Through their obedience and their willingness to go and do, they were able to obtain the precious plates that contained the teachings of the prophets and records of Nephi’s lineage.

One way each of us are asked to “go and do” is to attend the temple. Isaiah in his time saw the latter-day temple. We learn of this in Isaiah 2:2-3.

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted about the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.”

The mountain of the Lord references the temple (also found in 2 Nephi 12:3, Nephi quotes Isaiah). The temple is literally the house of God. Heavenly Father wants us to come unto Him. But the temple isn’t just a “go,” it’s a “do” also. As long as we keep ourselves worthy, we can attend the temple. By going we are able to do ordinances for both ourselves and the dead. When we obey the Lord and stand with Him in holy places, he is able to bestow blessings on us. I am not old enough yet to go through the temple, but I have had multiple opportunities to go to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. It is difficult to put into words the way I feel when I have these opportunities. I can testify that the temples are truly the house of the Lord. It is such a blessing for me to be able to go to the temple and do work for other people who have passed on and cannot do it for themselves. I don’t know these people, but I can say I love them and I am honored to do the work here on earth for them and to be able to serve them.

In the New Testament, we learn from Jesus Christ himself another way we can “go and do,” is to serve. Verse 41 of Matthew 5 states, “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with his twain.” Christ is teaching us to go the extra mile, do a little more. It is so important that he even repeats himself to the people in the ancient Americas after His resurrection. (3 Nephi 12:41) This is a call to action on our part. There is so much joy to be had in serving others. I love the feeling it gives me knowing that I have helped someone else. Service can be many different things. I think time is one of the best kinds of service. Each of our time is so valuable. When we take our time to “go and do” or help someone else, we are showing how much we love and care for them. It could be helping someone move, doing yard work, giving someone a ride, giving food to those less fortunate, or taking time to stop and really listen to what someone has to say. However service doesn’t always have to be something large or grand. Something like a hello in passing, or acknowledging a job well done can be seen as forms of service. In serving others, we are serving our Savior, Jesus Christ. In Mosiah 2:17 King Benjamin tells his people that “when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” It doesn’t take much to go and do.
There are many different actions we can take. One type of action is to serve a mission. In the latter-days, men have been asked to serve missions when they reach the age of 19. Women can also when they are 21 if they choose. But even before the latter-days, Christ asked his apostles to preach to the people. We learn of this in Matthew 28:19-20.

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

We are asked to go out and do the work that is needed to be done. But we aren’t left alone. Christ promises to always be with us, through it all. He promises this to us again in Doctrine and Covenants 1:5. “And they shall go forth and none shall stay them, for I the Lord have commanded them.” There are many out there who haven’t had the opportunity to hear the gospel, have the companionship of the spirit, or bask in the light of Christ. It is our responsibility, and privilege, to go find them and teach them of these things.

A lot of it comes down to obedience to the Lord. We were obviously obedient in the pre-mortal existence; else we wouldn’t be here on the earth today. We learn more on this is Abraham 3:24-25. “We will make an earth whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.” We made the choice once to follow Christ, and every moment of every day we get to make the choice again and again. We are not the only ones to make the choice to be righteous. Moses and the children of Israel in Exodus 19:8 made the choice “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” Ruth chose to stay with her mother-in-law and serve her in Ruth 1:16 “whither thou goest, I will go.” The Lord commands Jacob in Genesis 31:16 “Whatsoever the Lord has said unto thee, do.” Amos is commanded by the Lord in Amos 7:15 “and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people.” In Matthew 7:12 we are advised “whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye so even unto them.” We are again reminded of this in Luke 6:31 and 3 Nephi 14:12. We can show our love for our Savior by obeying him. In John 14:15 Christ makes this simple statement, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” We are blessed for doing the things we are asked to do.

The Lord blesses us for our obedience. Joseph Smith, the first prophet in this dispensation, teaches about this in Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21.

“There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundation of the world, upon which all blessings are predicated--- and when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.”

In 3 Nephi 24:10 the Lord promises to “open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” There are so many examples of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ blessing the righteous and obedient in the scriptures. I have the blessings in my own life as I strive to be obedient and to “go and do.” We are living in the final days before the second coming of Christ, so now more than ever it is more important, and more difficult, to follow the direction of our Savior and our Prophets.

President Benson shared a talk on this subject. He said:

“For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming. Every previous gospel dispensation has drifted into apostasy, but ours will not…God has saved for the final inning some of his strongest children, who will help bear off the kingdom triumphantly, And that is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God…Make no mistake about it---you are a marked generation, There has never been more expected of the faithful in such a short period of time as there is of us…Each day we personally make decisions that show where our support will go. The final outcome is certain---the forces of righteousness will finally win. What remains to be seen is where each of us personally, now and in the future, will stand in this fight---and how tall we will stand. Will we be true to our last-days, foreordained mission?”

There is much expected of us. When we are obedient and “go and do” the things which we are asked, we know we are on the right path. We have been asked to not only read but to ponder the scriptures, attend our church meetings, go the extra mile and serve others, regularly attend the temple and to always be worthy to go to the temple, and to serve missions. In my personal experience I am a happier person when I am obeying my earthly parents and my Heavenly Parents. I wish to share with you the joy I receive when I am obedient to the Lord’s will, and when I “go and do.” We each have been blessed with so much and through our obedience there is so much more we can gain. We can also help others along the way, and watch them enjoy the blessing we too have in our lives.

In closing I would just like to share my testimony that this is the gospel of Jesus Christ in these latter-days in which I am a member of. I know that our prophet Thomas S. Monson is ordained by God, as were the prophets before him, to lead us in the last dispensation. I know that we are here, each of us at this moment, for a reason, and that there is a plan for each of us. I know that families are forever and I can’t think of anyone else I would rather spend forever with. I know the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and I have felt the blessing that is has been in my life. I know that Joseph Smith truly was visited as a boy by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in that grove. I know that Jesus lives and I have felt his love and guidance in my life. I would like to quote the words of our Prophets and Apostles from the Living Christ when they say God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.

I know these things to be true. This is my testimony and it is near and dear to my heart. If you have any questions of comments, please feel free to contact me. I am more than willing to answer questions and comments you may have.