Labor in my Vineyard

January 22, 2018

There was a bit of a stir with the announcement of the new First Presidency as people realized that Elder Uchtdorf would no longer be part of the First Presidency but would return to the quorum of the twelve.  People wondered if he was “doing okay,” a question that I think stems from comparing the organization of the Church with that of institutions of the world.  From a business perspective the world would say that President Uchtdorf was demoted, but we would simply respond that he has a different part of the vineyard to tend to.  In the Church we don’t move up and down—we move around.  It shouldn’t surprise us at all to see this kind of thing because this is how the Church works; former Relief Society presidents become nursery leaders, former stake presidents become Sunday School teachers, and (as in my own case) Elders quorum presidents become Elders quorum secretaries.  The world would judge position based on the size of the group that one oversees (i.e. the prominence of a position), but the Lord judges us by how well we love individuals one by one in our service.  We don’t get extra spiritual points by serving in more conspicuous places; the Lord simply wants us to “lift where we stand.”

               In a revelation to James Covel, the Lord gave this call to the work which I believe applies to all desire to serve in God’s kingdom: “Thou art called to labor in my vineyard, and to build up my church, and to bring forth Zion, that it may rejoice upon the hills and flourish” (D&C 39:13).  That is the call to all of us—to labor in God’s vineyard, to help build the church wherever we are, and to seek to establish Zion among us.  This has nothing to do with holding prominent positions; no matter where we are called to serve we can do all of these.  Spiritual blessings are not reserved for those who preside in the Church.  Rather, the Lord said, “For, behold, I will bless all those who labor in my vineyard with a mighty blessing” (D&C 21:9).  This promise has nothing to with having responsibilities that seem prestigious.  I love the way that Moroni speaks of the Lord’s unconditional offer to give us spiritual knowledge: “Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth” (Mormon 9:21).  This promise of receiving revelation is to “all” no matter what positions we hold.  The Lord made an even greater promise to all of us in this dispensation: “Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am” (D&C 93:1).  Through repentance, faithfulness, prayer, and obedience we can one day see the face of God.  Again there is no stipulation that one must have some high status to realize this blessing—we simply must be faithful to the Lord.  The greatest blessings of the gospel are freely available to all who will earnestly seek the Lord.