Moroni 3:4

And after this manner did they ordain priests and teachers, according to the gifts and callings of God unto men; and they ordained them by the power of the Holy Ghost, which was in them.

Assignments to serve in the Lord's church are called "callings" because God himself calls to us join him in his work. These calls to us from God come by way of revelation to authorized spokesmen who act under authority. They come to us as gifts from God. Commandments and opportunities to serve inspire us and lift us. They are designed not only to allow us to participate in the Lord's work and render essential service, but also to change and enrich us as we learn to serve as the Savior would serve.

Ether 4:12

And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world.

The test of whether something is of God is whether it leads people to do good. The question we must answer is, what is good? It is good to have faith in the Father and the Son. It is good to love God with all our heart, might, mind and strength. It is good to love and serve others. It is good to keep the commandments. It is good to humbly accept the ordinances of salvation. Anything that leads us to do these good things and not resist the truth when we hear it is of God.

Helaman 5:8

And now my sons, behold I have somewhat more to desire of you, which desire is, that ye may not do these things that ye may boast, but that ye may do these things to lay up for yourselves a treasure in heaven, yea, which is eternal, and which fadeth not away; yea, that ye may have that precious gift of eternal life, which we have reason to suppose hath been given to our fathers.

Righteous acts are meaningless if done for the wrong reason. Christ warned against the pharisaic wickedness of praying, fasting, and giving alms to be seen of men. We ought not to be concerned with what men think of us but only with what the Father thinks of us. At the end of the day, it is not men but God who will exalt us.

Alma 49:4

But behold, how great was their disappointment; for behold, the Nephites had dug up a ridge of earth round about them, which was so high that the Lamanites could not cast their stones and their arrows at them that they might take effect, neither could they come upon them save it was by their place of entrance.

In another war metaphor, the ridges of earth we dig up to shield ourselves from the stones and arrows of temptation vary depending based on our need. We barricade ourselves against impure thoughts by filling our minds with good things. We put up fences of humility to protect us from pride. We cut the supply line of pornography. We build walls of daily service to ward off selfishness. We prepare resorts of prayer to keep the communication line open with headquarters. We stockpile scriptures to ensure we have sustenance to withstand a siege. We make sure we have a good supply of the living water of revelation. If we are prepared, we need not fear.

Alma 38:12

Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness.

To bridle means to restrain, guide or control. A passion is a strong emotion. To be an effective servant and teacher, it is important to control our strong emotions so we can be sensitive to the Holy Ghost. The Spirit speaks most often through our feelings. If our emotions are out of control, the Spirit will not be able to communicate with us. Without the Spirit, we cannot teach. In addition, love -- the greatest passion -- needs room in our hearts to flourish. If we are filled with negative emotions, love cannot grow. Without love, we can neither teach nor serve. Unbridled passions are a characteristic of the natural man. We have to rely on the atonement and the grace of Christ to overcome the natural man and bridle his passions.

Alma 36:24

Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

The result of rebirth is increased service. One who is truly reborn does not sit on his laurels, frame his rebirth certificate, and wait passively to enter the pearly gates to his eternal reward. He is motivated and enlightened to work harder, to be more faithful and obedient, and to share what he has experienced with as many people as possible. If we are filled with energy and anxious desire to share and invite others to enjoy what we are enjoying, we have a sign that we have been born of God.

Alma 19:4

And she said unto him: The servants of my husband have made it known unto me that thou art a prophet of a holy God, and that thou hast power to do many mighty works in his name;

Wonderful works follow those who believe. The Lord has much work to do upon the earth among his children. He needs servants who will carry out his work. When we sign up to do his work, we can be assured that he will use us to the full extent possible. He does not have an abundance of faithful helpers. 

So what can we expect when we strive to become instruments in the Lord's hands? We can expect to do mighty miracles. Not to impress or to fill our vain ambition, but to serve God's children and bring them to Christ. If that is our aim and desire, God will find many ways to use us. Some may be publicly impressive, most will be quietly private, but all will be with power. 

Alma 9:19

For he will not suffer you that ye shall live in your iniquities, to destroy his people. I say unto you, Nay; he would rather suffer that the Lamanites might destroy all his people who are called the people of Nephi, if it were possible that they could fall into sins and transgressions, after having had so much light and so much knowledge given unto them of the Lord their God;

Once we have the truth of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are under a heavier burden of responsibility than are those who do not have the gospel. God expects more of us: more obedience, more faith, more service, more humility, and more charity. He is not going to just save us, he is going to exalt us. That is a higher standard, which requires a higher level of life.

Alma 4:13-14

Now this was a great cause for lamentations among the people, while others were abasing themselves, succoring those who stood in need of their succor, such as imparting their substance to the poor and the needy, feeding the hungry, and suffering all manner of afflictions, for Christ’s sake, who should come according to the spirit of prophecy; Looking forward to that day, thus retaining a remission of their sins; being filled with great joy because of the resurrection of the dead, according to the will and power and deliverance of Jesus Christ from the bands of death.

A recurring theme in the Book of Mormon is the principle of retaining the remission of our sins through selfless service in caring for the poor. We do not buy our way into heaven with good deeds, but we please our Father when we learn to have compassion and use the gifts he has given us to bless others. We show our desire to serve him through our service to others, and he rewards our desires with mercy.

Mosiah 12:21

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth;

We do not normally think of feet as beautiful. So why are the feet of the messengers on the mountain described as beautiful? Because feet represent the power to move and act. It is not the physical feet of these missionaries that are beautiful, but their service, their actions, the effort they make to bring glad tidings of atonement and redemption to everyone they can possibly reach. They are beautiful not only to God but to those whose hearts they touch and whose lives they change. Forty-seven years later I think with great fondness of Elders Bloomfield and Hampton, who taught my family the gospel.

Mosiah 5:15

Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen.

Steadfast and immovable--powerful concepts about faith. We can develop an unshakable testimony when we are determined to follow Christ. "To abound" is to exist in large amounts. So as our faith becomes steadfast, we should do many good works, which means lots of service. When we do these things, Christ will seal us to him. Remember, when we take his name upon us, it is like being in Christ's family. We become his children. Christ will seal us to him when we are faithful to him. Nevertheless, despite all our good works, which Christ appreciates, he brings us to heaven; we don't take ourselves there. We cannot get there without him. But when we join his family and are sealed to him, he will take us to his home to be with his Father and our Father. Only he can do that for us.

Mosiah 5:13

For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?

The way we come unto Christ and get to know him is to serve him. When we serve him, we become like him. We learn what he is like because we begin to see a little of him in ourselves. The intent of our hearts start to match his intents.

Jacob 2:21

Do ye not suppose that such things are abominable unto him who created all flesh? And the one being is as precious in his sight as the other. And all flesh is of the dust; and for the selfsame end hath he created them, that they should keep his commandments and glorify him forever.

Perspective is key to eternal success. We are not on this earth to collect things, use up resources, make ourselves comfortable, and compare and compete. We are here to grow and mature spiritually, and we do that best by serving God and his children.