Spare Not

The Lord told two missionaries in this dispensation, “Yea, open your mouths and spare not, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your backs, for lo, I am with you.” He similarly instructed Orson Pratt, “Wherefore, lift up your voice and spare not, for the Lord God hath spoken; therefore prophesy, and it shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.” To the elders of the church in general He said, “Lift up your voices and spare not. Call upon the nations to repent, both old and young, both bond and free, saying: Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord.” Speaking again of missionary work He said in another revelation, “Nevertheless, search diligently and spare not; and wo unto that house, or that village or city that rejecteth you, or your words, or your testimony concerning me.” Of William Law the Lord similarly said, “Therefore, let my servant William cry aloud and spare not, with joy and rejoicing, and with hosannas to him that sitteth upon the throne forever and ever, saith the Lord your God” (Doctrine and Covenants 33:9, 34:10, 43:20, 84:94, 124:101). In each of these verses the Lord instructed His saints, particularly in the context of missionary work to “spare not.” What does it mean for us to spare not?

                 The word spare can mean many things, but I believe the relevant definition in this context is “to use economy; be frugal.” We are not to use economy and be frugal when it comes to opening our mouths and teaching the gospel. When we lift up our voices to preach and testify of the truth, we need not limit ourselves to how many people we will speak to or how much we will say. Perhaps one way to think about it is that we should not feel that because we have lifted up our voices to some large number of people (while serving a full-time mission, for example) that we are done and need not say anything more to others. There is no such thing as done when it comes to missionary work, and we should always be ready to open our mouths and say that which is “given by the power of the Holy Ghost.” As I have pondered this, perhaps this counsel is particularly relevant to us as parents in our home with our most important investigators—our children. We should not feel that we need only speak on rare occasions of the gospel or only teach them sparingly; rather, we should open our mouths frequently and consistently to speak of the principles of the gospel and testify of the Savior. President J. Reuben Clark put it this way about youth: “[They are] hungry for things of the spirit; they are eager to learn the Gospel, and they want it straight, undiluted. They want to know about … our beliefs; they want to gain testimonies of their truth; they are not now doubters but inquirers, seekers after truth.… You do not have to sneak up behind this spiritually experienced youth and whisper religion in [their] ears; you can come right out, face to face, and talk with [them]. … You can bring these truths to [them] openly.” Indeed, in our homes we must “spare not” but lift up our voices to teach truth and help our children understand the principles of the Restoration, the plan of salvation, the love that God has for each of them. And we should similarly “spare not” in sharing each day our love for them and for the Savior.