Seminary: 106 Moroni 7

Background: Prior to sealing up the plates Moroni provided some of his thoughts that he felt were important for us to know.

After adding some of his own thoughts, Moroni included a couple of letters from his father that he felt would be beneficial to us.

What does service mean?

Why do you think that service is so important?

What affect does it have on the person receiving the service?

What affect does it have the person giving the service? (depends upon their reasoning)

Imagine for a moment that you are a person in need of service and you over hear the persons making these comments:

• I wish my parents had not made me come on this service project

• I sure hope we get paid for all of this work

• I don’t see why I have to do this work. Can’t these people handle their own problems?

What difference does intention have on giving service?

Why is the Lord concerned with our intentions as well as our actions in regards to giving service?

Moroni 7:1-4

Who is speaking in these verses?

Who is he speaking to?
Moroni 7:6-7

What did Moroni teach about giving with real intent as oppose to giving grudgingly?

How does God judge whether we are giving grudgingly?

Why do you think that service is a large part of the gospel?



What are some motivations for giving service?

• Riches or honor

• Good companionship

• Fear of punishment

• Duty or loyalty

• Hope of an eternal reward

• Charity, the pure love of Christ

Elder Dallin H. Oaks:

“People serve one another for different reasons, and some reasons are better than others. Perhaps none of us serves in every capacity all the time for only a single reason. Since we are imperfect beings, most of us probably serve for a combination of reasons, and the combinations may be different from time to time as we grow spiritually. But we should all strive to serve for the reasons that are highest and best….

“Some may serve for hope of earthly reward….Others might serve in order to obtain worldly honors, prominence, or power….

“Another reason for service-probably more worthy than the first, but still in the category of service in search of earthly reward-is that motivated by a personal desire to obtain good companionship….

“These first two reasons for service are selfish and self-centered and unworthy of Saints….Reasons aimed at earthly rewards are distinctly lesser in character and reward than the other reasons I will discuss.

“Some may serve out of fear of punishment….Service out of fear of punishment is a lesser motive at best.

“Other persons may serve out of a sense of duty or out of loyalty to friends or family or traditions….Those who serve out of a sense of duty to loyalty to various wholesome causes are the good and honorable men and women of the earth.

“Service of the character I have described is worthy of praise and will surely qualify for blessings, especially if it is done willingly or joyfully….

“…There are still higher reasons for service.

“One such higher reason for service is the hope of an eternal reward. This hope-the expectation of enjoying the fruits of out labors-is one of the most powerful sources of motivation. As a reason for service, it necessarily involves faith in God and in the fulfillment of his prophecies….

“The last motive I will discuss is, in my opinion, the highest reason of all. In its relationship to service, it is what the scriptures call ‘a more excellent way’ (1 Corinthians 12:31).

“’Charity is the pure love of Christ’ (Moroni 7:47). The Book or Mormon teaches us that this virtue is ‘the greatest of all’ (Moroni 7:46)….

“If our service is to be most efficacious, it must be accomplished for the love of God and the love of his children….

“This principle-that our service should be for the love of God and the love of fellowmen rather than for personal advantage of any other lesser motive-is admittedly or any other lesser motive-is admittedly a high standard….

“Service with all of our heart and mind is a high challenge for all of us. Such service must be free of selfish ambition. It must be motivated only by the pure love of Christ” (Ensign, Nov. 1984, 13-15).

Talk about the quote

How can we develop better motives for giving service?

President Marion G. Romney:

“Some may ask, ‘How do I obtain these righteous feelings in giving? How do I overcome giving grudgingly? How do I obtain the “pure love of Christ?” To those I would say: Faithfully live all the commandments, give of yourselves, care for your families, serve in church callings, perform missionary work, pay tithes and offerings, study the scriptures-and the list could go on. As you lose yourself in this service, the Lord will touch and soften your heart and gradually bring you to the feelings with which he blessed the people in King Benjamin’s time, which prompted them to say, ‘Yea, we believe all the words which though hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.’ (Mosiah 5:2)” (Ensign, Nov. 1981, 93).

Why do you think that God will never force us to do good?

Why do you think that Satan cannot force us to do evil?

Moroni 7:12-13

What do the words “inviteth” and “enticeth” teach us about God and Satan?

Why do you think that the Lord wants to entice or persuade you to do good?

2 Nephi 2:27, 29

Based upon these verses what is Satan’s intent?

How can we tell the difference between the enticements of God and Satan?
What are some choices that may be difficult to determine whether they are of God or Satan?

How about disobeying a curfew in order to fellowship a new member friend that is struggling.

The Lord has given everyone the ability to choose between right and wrong. What is this called? (spirit/light of Christ).

Even though this gift is given to everyone does everyone hear it?

What would cause someone to not be able to hear it?

How can we learn to hear it better?

Is hearing these promptings all we have to do?

President Howard W. Hunter:

“Let us follow the Son of God in all ways and in all walks of life. Let us make him our exemplar and our guide. We should at every opportunity ask ourselves, ‘What would Jesus do?’ and then be more courageous to act upon the answer. We must follow Christ, in the best sense of that word. We must be about his work as he was about his Father’s….To the extent that our mortal powers permit, we should make every effort to become like Christ-the one perfect and sinless example this world has ever seen” (Ensign, May 1994, 64).

In addition to the spirit or light of Christ we have also been blessed with many gifts of the Spirit.

What are some of these gifts?

Does everyone have one?

What purpose do these gifts serve?

Can we gain more?

Should we seek more gifts?

The Book of Mormon teaches us to “lay hold upon every good thing”, what does this mean?

Moroni 7:45

What does this scripture mean?

Why do you think it was included as a scripture mastery scripture?

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

“One [meaning of charity or ‘the pure love of Christ’] is the kind of merciful, forgiving love Christ’s disciples should have one for another….

“The greater definition of ‘the pure love of Christ,’ however, is not what we as Christians try but largely fail to demonstrate toward others but rather what Christ totally succeeded in demonstrating toward us. True charity has been known only once. It is shown perfectly and purely in Christ’s unfailing, ultimate, and atoning love for us….It is that charity-his pure love for us-without which we would be nothing, hopeless, of all men and women most miserable. Truly, those found possessed of the blessings of his love at the last day-the Atonement, the Resurrection, eternal life, eternal promise-surely it shall be well with them.

“This does not in any way minimize the commandment that we are to try to acquire the kind of love for one another. We should ‘pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that [we] may be filled with this love’ [Moroni 7:48; see also 1 Corinthians 13:4-5, 7-8]….As Christ lived so should we live, and as Christ loved so should we love. But the ‘pure love of Christ’ Mormon spoke of is precisely that-Christ’s love. With that divine gift, that redeeming bestowal, we have everything; without it we have nothing and ultimately are nothing, except in the end ‘devils [and angels to a devil’ [2 Nephi 9:9]” (Christ and the New Covenant, 336-37).