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Class, Mildred Smith, Part 1
DEVELOPING FAITH, A
REASONABLE SERVICE
by Mildred Smith,
“I beseech you
... that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.”
Developing faith as a reasonable service may seem
strange to you as it did to me when I was assigned the topic for a retreat. Then
the scripture came to mind, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” You know that familiar scripture written by
the author of the Hebrew letter so long ago. “He that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6). So, if we are to do a
reasonable service for our Lord, we surely will need to please Him; and the scriptures
say to please Him we must have faith. Just believing He is God is not enough.
James tells us (James
Matthew and Mark both tell the story of the man who brought
his son to the disciples to be healed. Jesus was not there. He, with Peter,
James and John, was just returning from the mount of transfiguration when they
saw a multitude of people gathered around the other disciples and some Scribes
who were questioning them. When the multitude saw Jesus they ran to him. But
Jesus singled out the Scribes and asked what it was they wanted to know of His
disciples.
Before they could respond, a man in
the crowd dropped to his knees in front of Jesus and cried, “Lord, have mercy
on my son, for he is a lunatic, and sore vexed. He has a dumb spirit that is a
devil and when it seizes him, it tears him and makes him foam at the mouth,
gnash his teeth and pine away. I asked your disciples to heal him, but they
could not.”
Jesus groaned in Himself, “O faithless and perverse
generation! how long shall I be with you? How long
shall I suffer you?” And then to the father he said, “Bring him to me.”
As soon as the troubled one saw Jesus,
the evil spirit tore him, threw him on the ground and he lay foaming and
wallowing in the dirt. Jesus asked, “How long has it been this way?” and the
father said, “Since he was a child, and ofttimes the
evil spirit tries to destroy him, often throwing him into the fire or into the
water. But if thou canst, I ask thee to have compassion on us and help us.”
Jesus said to the father, “(I can) if thou wilt believe all things I shall say
unto you, this is possible to him that believeth.”
And immediately the father cried out, with tears streaming
down his face, “Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.” (Matthew
17:15-21; Mark 9:12-26.)
There is more to the story, but of importance to us, as we consider the faith
that is capable of giving a reasonable service, is the agonizing plea of Jesus
when He heard the child was not healed, and His answer to the question the
disciples asked when the child was healed and the crowd was gone – “Why could
not we cast him out?” they asked. Matthew says Jesus answered, “Because of your
unbelief.” Then Jesus recalled to their memory the parable of the mustard seed
which He had recently taught them, assuring the disciples that if they have
faith as a grain of mustard seed, nothing shall be impossible to them. Then He
adds, “Howbeit, this kind goeth not out but by prayer
and fasting.”
When He said, “O faithless and perverse
generation! how long shall I be with you? How
long shall I suffer you”, Jesus knew His death was imminent. Remember, He had
just come from the Mount of Transfiguration. Whether he was agonizing over the
inability of His disciples to heal the child, or whether it was a general
concern for the quality of the faith of all He would leave behind, it was most
certainly a statement of concern for the failure of all He knew and loved to
have the faith necessary to bring about the blessing the Lord was so anxious to
give and the world so desperately needed.
Many have thought Jesus was talking about casting out a
certain kind of evil spirit, but remember, at the moment He came upon the
situation He bemoaned the lack of faith that allowed the problem to arise; and
after it was over He told His disciples it was their lack of faith that kept
them from healing the son. When He said, “Howbeit, this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting”, He was not
talking about evil spirits. He was talking about the quality of their faith.
The kind of faith required to bring about this kind of healing does not happen
except by prayer and fasting.
If the life that is going to give a reasonable
service requires a deep, abiding and active faith, how do we develop that
quality of faith? Paul said, in his letter to the Romans, (Romans
The writer of Deuteronomy (6:6-7) gives us a formula for
developing such a faith in our families. He commands that the words of life
shall be in the hearts of the parents and the parents shall teach them
diligently to their children. “Thou shalt talk of
them when thou sittest in thine
house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when
thou liest down and when thou risest
up.” You are to bind them for a sign upon your hands and they shall be as
frontlets between your eyes, and you are to write them upon the posts of your
house and upon your gates.
What does it mean, once you have them in your heart, to bind them on your
hands, make them as frontlets before your eyes, write
them on your door posts and on your gates? Our Lord is commanding that we not
only know the words of life but practice them. Our hands must be doing the will
of the Lord. Our thoughts must always be remembering Him, His great love,
power, mercy and justice and what he requires of us. Our homes must reflect His
presence in our daily lives. Our gates must keep out those influences that
would deter us from sharing and living the words of the Lord. It is the
prayer of a righteous man or woman or family, as James informs us, that availeth much. In fact,
the scriptures tell us that more than once it has been the prayers of the righteous
few that have saved an entire people from destruction.
There is that wonderful story in Genesis 18:25-40. The Lord
has told Abraham that He is going to have to destroy
Mormon
Paul says those who live righteously are those who can “Come boldly
before the Lord.” (Ephesians. 4:12-16). (Proverbs 28:1) – “The wicked flee
when no man pursueth, but the righteous are bold as a
lion!² All too often, the unrepentant man, woman
or child is afraid to pray or too ashamed, not understanding the loving nature
with which God would accept their prayers; but the one who comes boldly
before the Lord will ask for blessings the Lord is anxious to provide. Just
go to your concordances and see how many times Jesus said we would receive if
we would ask the Father in Jesus’ name. James tells us, (James 4:3-4) “Ye have
not because you ask not.”
As faith begins to grow, our prayers become
more intense. Our understanding of God’s purposes enlarges and we seek
newer and better ways to be a part of His work in the world. You remember Enos and his prayer that lasted all day in the forest and
resulted in his wonderful experience with his Lord. The thing that sent Enos to the forest to pray was that he remembered his
father’s words about eternal life, and the joy of the Saints sunk deep into
his heart. To have the words of eternal life and the joys of the Saints
sink deep into your heart, you must first know them. The writer of the
Hebrew letter begins the 12th chapter saying, ‘Wherefore, seeing we also are
compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside
every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us, and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us.”
The writer has just finished that amazing recitation of
the miracles faith has wrought beginning with the creation. It is significant
to note that each recitation is of something that someone has done by faith
that serves the purposes of the
That writer recounts the great
miracles of the Hebrew history that were done by faith but does not forget
the many of those faithful people who suffered mockings,
scourging, stoning, imprisonment rather than deny
their faith. Some were sawn asunder, some were slain by the sword, some chose
to be made destitute of this world’s goods and comforts rather than betray
their God and His purposes. They were people, the writer of Hebrews says, of
whom the world was not worthy! (Hebrews 11.)
You will remember that Amulek
questioned, “Perhaps they will burn us, too?” But
You will remember the rest of the
story, how Alma and Amulek were bound, stripped of
their clothing, deprived of food and water and taunted for days by the Judges,
the lawyers and other leaders of the land, until the day when they all came at
once into the prison to taunt them. The prison shook violently and the falling
walls killed all but Alma and Amulek.
There are Saints in some parts of the world who are right now
facing the choice that Alma and Amulek and the
believers in the city of
(2 Nephi 12:9-12). “Yea,
and there shall be many which shall say, Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow
we die: and it shall be well with us. And there shall also be many which shall
say, Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God, he will justify in
committing a little sin: yea, lie a little, take the
advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no
harm in this. And do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be
that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall
be saved in the
The scriptures are full of testimonies of the way the Lord
works with His chosen people. Knowing what they say gives us not only
confidence to ask for His blessing but gives us understanding when His blessing
comes. God always answers our prayers, but sometimes He says, “NO!” As we develop faith that promotes a reasonable
service, our prayers begin to consider that the wisdom of God does not always
coincide with our wisdom. We begin to understand that there are times when our
physical lives may need to be sacrificed for the greater good. There are times
when we have to accept what appears to be a raw deal in our profession or
business, an unjust decision in the courts in order to remain true to the
standard the Lord has set for us.
To review briefly - to develop faith that makes it
possible for us to perform a reasonable service to our Lord requires that we
know what God can do and will do for us and in us. We need to understand that
God can do for us whatever He wants to do. He will do for us
whatever He sees is best for us and for His purposes, if we allow it. That
means, to develop a faith that can perform a reasonable service requires we
have to learn to trust His judgment. Whether it is best to
protect and heal us physically or whether it is best to strengthen us
physically so we can remain faithful spiritually in spite of physical ills and
discomforts is up to Him to decide when we ask that His will be done. When we
accept that whether we live or die we live or die unto Him (D&C 42:12d), we
are free to see the blessings that He gives us, even though we may be among
those who do not “receive the promises” as the writer of Hebrews says.
When we remember that God spared not His own Son from
persecution and death, it may be a comfort for us to know that we are in good
company even when we suffer. When we remember that Peter was warned of that day
when he would be bound and taken where he did not wish to go - even to his
death, or that Paul asked three times that the thorn in his flesh be removed,
(2 Corinthians 12:7--10) but the Lord said “No” to his pleading. “My grace is
sufficient for you,” He said, “for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
It may be a comfort for us to know that we are in good company if the
blessing we ask is not immediately available. Maybe that job we thought we
wanted so desperately was not what it was represented to be. Maybe that man, or
that woman, with whom we thought we were in love was not one with whom we could
have made a happy, zionic home. Maybe when the Lord
closed the door on that hope of ours, He was opening a better door for which we
need to look earnestly and wait patiently.
God did not promise that our faith would always make our life
easy. He even says we can expect a trial of our faith. In Ether 5:6 -18,
Ammon and his brethren, the Sons of
Mosiah, add to the pattern for further nourishing our
faith.
So how do we develop the kind of faith
that will take us through whatever the future will bring? After we believe in
God and His Son, Jesus Christ, and fill our minds and lives with testimonies
that God is able, and begin to live righteously as the disciples of Jesus had
done, Jesus indicated further increase in the quality of our faith will have to
be with prayer and fasting.
You have all had classes on prayer. You have all read what
the scriptures have to say about prayer, praying always, praying diligently, praying in faith. You all know James’ counsel (James
Notice how many times fasting is combined with prayer in the
testimony of the scriptures concerning faith. Just how fasting intensifies and
enhances the prayer is not always apparent, but it is the instruction of the
One in whom our faith resides that it does make a difference. The word from
which fasting is translated when Jesus said, “This kind goeth
not out but by prayer and fasting” means, voluntary or religious lack of food,
according to Strong’s Concordance. When David spoke of fasting after his son
died, the word used meant, to cover the mouth. When he spoke of humbling his
soul with fasting in Psalm 35, the word meant, to cover his mouth. When Queen
Esther said she and her maidens would fast three days, the word used meant,
to cover the mouth. When Jesus gave instructions for the fast, the word
used meant to abstain from food. I am not here to discuss whether there are
other ways of fasting. I just want to address the fact that Jesus was asking
that we abstain from food when He spoke of fasting.
Over a year ago we were asked by our Patriarchs to begin the
practice of abstaining from food at least twice a week - before the Wednesday
night and Sunday morning services. As David indicated, it is a way of humbling
ourselves, acknowledging that we desire the bread of life over bread that we
bake. When we abstain from food, we give up something that is essential to our
physical life to receive something that is essential to our spiritual well
being. Prayer, to be most effective,
according to our Lord, must sometimes be accompanied by fasting. A part of our
reasonable service is learning to fast and teaching our children to fast. It is
a well-known rule of life that the children usually want to
do what their parents know how to do. It is a part of their growing up. If fasting
is a frequent practice by the parents, the children just grow into the practice
naturally. And it is wisdom that they learn to fast for more reasons than one.
In uncertain times, it is wise that the children know that going without food
for a few meals or a few days is not necessarily going to be harmful to them.
The Lord has required it and He would not ask that which is harmful. So, while
those who have not fasted may become panicky at the first missed meal, those
who know how to fast will take the opportunity for more fervent prayer.
So, to review again, we first plant the seed of faith by
searching the scriptures to learn who God is and what He desires for His
children. Then we experiment on the word - on the promises that God gives,
trying to fulfill the conditions that He says will make the promise come true.
As we experiment, we nourish the seed by sharing those testimonies that result
from the experiment and by finding and trying more promises in the Word of God.
There is no way we can find and try the promises without prayer, and to make
that prayer more effective, we add fasting at appropriate times and in
appropriate circumstances.
As we grow in faith, we learn that God does not always
provide us with the easy way to meet all circumstances. Sometimes the demands
of His Kingdom have to supersede our own physical welfare, so we learn to trust
Him. That leaves us free from worry and debilitating concerns when things do
not go as we would wish, for we have the assurance that He knows our need, He
hears our prayer, He will do that which is best in the long run for us and for
His Kingdom. That, after all, is what we pray for every time we pray the prayer
He taught us to pray – “Thy Kingdom Come. Thy will be done on earth as it is
done in heaven!”
You know my husband, a faithful Seventy of the Lord’s own
choosing, sits in a rest home unable to walk, or to carry on a conversation.
His body is strong but a series of TIA¹s have robbed him of his memory to such
an extent that he can¹t remember how to walk or to brush his teeth or to go to
the bathroom. He does remember music, and love. He has received administration
repeatedly, always with the will of the Lord being the blessing asked. I don¹t
understand why he has to just sit there; but I have never questioned the Lord’s
right to do with him what He chooses. We promised to go where the Lord wanted
us to go, to do what the Lord wanted us to do, to be what the Lord wanted us to
be long ago, even before we accepted appointment in the Lord’s church. I have
not lost a night’s sleep over the situation because I trust the Lord
completely. I know He could send Delbert home today whole, if He chose. And I
have no idea what good he is doing where he is, but since the Lord could change
the situation if He chose, I am content to wait upon Him for that decision. I
know that one day Delbert will be released from this body that no longer
responds to his commands either by death or by healing, and I eagerly await the day of his deliverance.
Now we have not only the testimonies of the scriptures which
closed hundreds, even thousands of years ago, but of the countless testimonies
that have followed and are now among us. We hear them when we gather in prayer
service, at Sunday worship, in everyday conversation with the Saints, but our
children don’t hear them if they are not there to listen. We read them in good
books, the publications of the church and in other publications dedicated to
sharing the good news of the gospel, but our children don’t read them if we
have only the TV guide and the Harry Potter books in our home. The testimonies
sink deep into our hearts and the hearts of our children only if our minds are
filled with pictures of the wonderful acts of God, not with pictures of rape and
murder, immoral living, debauchery, self indulgence and greed that are
portrayed so vividly on our TV, our computer and our movie screens and as the
normal way to live. It is our sharing with our children those same testimonies
that fills their minds with longing for a closer walk with their God. There is
no way those testimonies can “sink deep into their hearts” if they have never
heard them.
So how does our growing faith provide a reasonable service?
With that kind of faith we are no longer afraid to give our bodies a living
sacrifice. One of the most repeated instructions of the scriptures is, “Fear
not!” And yet we are in those days which the scriptures describe as a time when
men’s hearts are failing them for fear. Luke 21:25-27 reports Jesus as saying, “there
shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the
earth distress of nations with perplexity, like the sea and the waves roaring.
The earth also shall be troubled, and the waters of the great deep;”
(Does that sound familiar?) “Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for
looking after those things which are coming on the earth...” “And
when these things begin to come to pass,” you know what His instruction to us
is – “lift up your heads and look up, for the day of your redemption draweth nigh.”
Jesus said he told his disciples what was going to happen at
his crucifixion before it happened so when it came to pass they would believe
He was the Christ. (John 14:29). He has filled the scriptures of the
Restoration with descriptions of those things to come upon the earth before His
return. And He says to us, “I told you before it happened so when it happens,
you will know that I am in charge and you do not need to be afraid. If you
live, you will live unto me. If you die, you will die unto me. It is the same!”
When Jesus comes from the heavens with a shout, and they who are alive are
caught up in the clouds to meet Him, (1 Thessalonians
Jesus Christ assures us we can trust Him in every
circumstance if we remain faithful, living righteously and asking with prayer
and fasting. It may help to memorize a few of the reassuring scriptures to
recall in times of decision making, stress or danger.
D&C 1:8: “... And though the heavens and the earth
pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled...the record
is true, and the truth abideth for ever and ever.”
2 Nephi 9:133, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust,
and not be afraid: for the Lord, JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; ...”
You probably already have a treasure store of scriptures and
songs for just such a time as this.
What do you need? To renew your strength?
In Exodus 19:4 God says He bore the Israelites up on Eagles wings when he
took them out of
I am not as strong and steady on my feet as I once was.
During our recent congregational weekend fast, we decided to end our fast with
a soup dinner at the church on Sunday. I had a large soup bone that needed
using, so I offered to bring a large pot of bean soup. As I finished the soup
and started to move it from the stove to the garage for cooling, I realized
that, for me, it was very heavy and very hot. I thought of the next morning
when I would have to reheat it and move it to the church. I also knew that I
was to drive to
I had not eaten anything from Friday
Is it food you are in need of? The miracle
of feeding the 5000, or the 4,000, are not just stories. They tell a
truth that becomes evident by faith. Many of you have heard before, or read in The
Restoration Voice, the story of the Thanksgiving miracle at
Do you need words to say under questioning - courage to share
your testimony? (Luke 21: 12-14). The disciples asked Jesus about the
future in which He said they would be betrayed and persecuted and hated. He
answered, “Settle it in your hearts not to meditate before what ye shall
answer. I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries
will not be able to gainsay (deny, speak or act against, dispute) nor resist,
and it shall turn to you for a testimony.” (D&C 97:1d),
... When the Lord sent out His people to testify of Him in this last
day, he promised, “Speak the thoughts I shall put in your hearts, .... and It will be given in the very moment what you are to say!”
Brother Oakman often told the story
of his and Brother Smolney’s arrest by the Gestapo
during World War 2. Frightened, Brother Smolney
asked, “What are we going to say?” Arthur said. “We are going to tell the
truth. Liars have to have good memories.” When the interrogation began,
the dreaded police asked what they were preaching about the government. Bro. Oakman responded that they were preaching that the kingdoms
of this world will become the
But those of us who have been to
You don’t get hours to prepare what you are going to share
there. One afternoon we were told we were to form a panel, each make a
presentation and let the people ask us questions about the sanctity of the
home. When? Right now! We took our places in front of the entire retreat
audience. Since I was the oldest, the others all pointed at me and said, “You
first.” So I went first, and the moment I stood on my feet and my interpreter
took his place, I knew exactly what the Lord wanted me to say. I was even
directed to a young man who was there and told by the Lord to see to it that he
got a copy of the work booklet that was being distributed and scriptures to go
with it.
Faith to give a reasonable service comes by knowing and living
God’s way. It is a gift of God to those who even have a desire to
believe, who will plant the seed of faith, experiment upon His words, nourish
the word through study, prayer and fasting and allow the belief to grow until
we can come humbly but boldly before God (Ephesians. 4:12-16) to ask for
whatever is needed to face that which is occurring in our lives.
To know for what to ask, we have to know God’s words. There
is no way of getting around it. We have to know our scriptures. God has filled
them with promises of things He wants us to have. If we prove those promises,
we will be constantly learning, constantly repenting, constantly petitioning
our Lord for instruction, with fasting and prayer, experimenting on His word
and growing in faith until we can face whatever is required of us without fear.
God doesn’t promise it will be easy, but He continuously
says, “Fear Not!” Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21 all tell of Jesus’ prophecy of
the last days. And He says, “When you hear of wars and commotions, be not
terrified, for these things must come to pass; but this is not the end.” (Luke
21:9) He told His disciples, “Before these things they will take you before
kings,” etc. (Luke
Jesus said to His disciples, “I tell you before it happens so when it happens you will believe I am the Christ.”
(John
To give a reasonable service in these tumultuous days, we
have to cultivate the idea that life or death does not matter and place our
trust fully in God. Remember Alma and Amulek. Amulek says, “Maybe they will burn us, too.”
1. Desire to believe.
2. Plant the seed of faith. Hear the word of the Lord. Study. Know the testimony of the scriptures and of those
about you who know their Lord.
3. Nurture the seed. Talk about those testimonies with your
children continuously, and with others with whom you
associate. Treasure the word of the Lord in your heart.
4. Live the principles you talk so that your righteous living
will make it possible for your testimony to be heard and make you able to come
boldly before your God in mighty prayer.
5. Enhance your prayer with fasting as the Lord instructs.
6. Find the promises of the Lord and experiment upon
those promises until your faith in that thing becomes knowledge. Then, choose
another promise on which to experiment - prove another promise. Watch your
faith grow!
7. And we become a people who trust the Lord so completely
that we are willing to give our bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable to Him, which is our reasonable service.
And who knows, this little band of
Saints might even be the means of saving a nation from destruction.
Following
are scriptures to study and ponder:
Developing Faith, a Reasonable Service
Necessity of faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God.
(Hebrews 11:6).
Belief is not enough.
Devils also believe and tremble. (James 2:19).
Power of Faith - With faith all things are possible. (Matthew 17:15-21;
Mark
9:12-26).
How does one get faith? Faith comes by hearing the word of God. (Romans 10:16)
Developing faith in a family - hearing and doing.
(Deuteronomy 6:6-7).
Righteous living saves others. (Genesis 18:25-40.
Mormon
Righteous living allows bold prayers. (Ephesians
4:12-16; Proverbs 28:1).
Testimony of the scriptures.
(Book of Enos;
Hebrews 11-12).
A possible test of our faith.
(2
Nephi 12:9-12).
A matter of trust - Whether we live or die, we live or die unto Him.
(D&C 42:12d).
Expect a trial of your faith. Miracles come after faith. (Ether
5:6-13).
Mighty prayer. (James
Diligence in prayer with fasting: Jesus, (Matthew
Meaning of the word, fasting, in these scriptures (Strong¹s
Concordance). Voluntarily abstain from food. Cover the mouth.
Result of growing faith:
Freedom from fear. (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21 - Luke 21:9 and 25-27);
(John
Strength for the task.
2 Nephi 9:133); (Exodus 19:4); (Isaiah 40:31).
Food: For four thousand - Matthew
Food For five thousand -
Matthew 14:13-18; Mark 6:36-46; Luke 9:12-17;
John 6:5-13.
Modern Day Saints - John Grice,
Restoration Voice, #164.
Courage - face questioning - share your testimony (Luke
97:1d); (John
Shield to quench Satan’s fiery darts – (Ephesians
Breastplate to foil Satan’s plans and
prepare us for the coming of Jesus Christ
in these last
days, (1 Thessalonians, 5:1-24) and (Doctrine and Covenants
103:2).