Serviceable

The fact that Mormon named his son Moroni highlights, I believe, Mormon’s love for Captain Moroni from the records he read and abridged. As Mormon described the preparations that Moroni led to prepare the Nephites to protect themselves from the Lamanites, he described what made Moroni so incredible. He said, “And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery; Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people. Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood” (Alma 48:11-13). To summarize this tribute in one word I would say this: service. Moroni’s life was defined by service to God and country. He delighted in keeping his people free and he labored exceedingly for them to protect them from the Lamanites and motivate them to serve the Lord. His faith in Christ led him to serve in an incredible way, devoting his life to defending his people. Mormon’s admiration came out fully in this summary statement: “Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men” (Alma 48:17). We might say that Amalickiah and Ammoron represented the devil in the way they sought to destroy their own brethren, and the Nephites were preserved in large measure because Moroni stood faithfully against them. Ultimately these Nephite dissenters had no power because Moroni and his armies stood physically against them and Moroni inspired the hearts of the people to stand spiritually with their God. Mormon, a general himself, must have been inspired by the incredible accomplishments of Moroni in preserving his people from the destructive forces of the Lamanites.

               Though Moroni may have been Mormon’s favorite spiritual leader from Nephite history, he quickly followed up his statement with praise for others as well. He wrote, “Behold, [Moroni][ was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God. Now behold, Helaman and his brethren were no less serviceable unto the people than was Moroni; for they did preach the word of God, and they did baptize unto repentance all men whosoever would hearken unto their words” (Alma 48:18-19). I think the word serviceable is an important one and encapsulates what it is that Mormon saw in these historical Nephite leaders: they served. Ammon and the sons of Mosiah of course spent fourteen years among the Lamanites serving in the most unselfish way by preaching the gospel. Alma and his sons similarly served among the Nephites by preaching them the gospel. Helaman in particular picked up where his dad left off and served the church as their leader (in addition to serving in the war). Along with Moroni, all of these devoted their lives to service, and that was what made them so great. As the Savior taught, “But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:26-27).  

               Mormon wrote this to his son Moroni when they were in the midst of a terrible time of wickedness: “And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God” (Moroni 9:6). That diligent labor that he spoke of was service to their people. Even though they were met with hardness and wickedness among the Nephites, Mormon and Moroni gave much of their lives to serving their people and leaving a record to bless their descendants. We may not be able to be exactly like Moroni or his contemporaries in our own impact, but we can still strive to be “serviceable” in whatever sphere of influence the Lord places us in.