Unprofitable Servants

A few weeks ago I was studying Mosiah 2:21, which says in part, " if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants." This time through that honestly felt incredibly overwhelming- that no matter how hard I try it won't be enough. Then as I read it again, went to the cross-references, and pondered I realized that it isn't a commentary on individual worth; rather, it is noting our ability or capacity to save ourselves. Only Christ can do that. All our attempts to do that are pointless and futile (part of the definition of "unprofitable"). Though we might consecrate all our time and efforts to building the Lord's kingdom, or perfecting the Saints or redeeming the dead (or a combination of all three hopefully), it will not produce power sufficient to redeem us. Do our efforts matter? Absolutely. They teach us, shape us, and in all the examples of "laboring diligently" in the Book of Mormon are actually a part of sanctification. And if we continue in our efforts to grow and change then we can become valued stewards and instruments in the hands of the Lord. For anyone else who wonders if they are good enough or might become discouraged at first when reading this verse, fear not. We are beloved sons and daughters of a Heavenly Father and we are not "earning our way to heaven" through our own works or efforts. But we are "learning heaven" as Brother Brad Wilcox explained. Faith in and grace through the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the only power sufficient to save and redeem us, but faith is also an action verb. If we truly believe Christ, we know we must do all we can to act on that belief. As we learn what the Savior would do and the will of Heavenly Father we are truly refined.

Another perspective perhaps would be to wonder where the "profits" that this servant would want are going. If I serve the Lord, but desire to receive glory and rewards for righteousness then I truly am unprofitable to Heavenly Father no matter how much time I pencil in to serve. However, if my heart is in a different place- wanting to serve because I truly love Heavenly Father and the Savior- and allow the "profits" to go to Him and His kingdom, one day I might become the "good and faithful servant".

President Monson once told us the this is a gospel of great expectations and when we read that verse in Mosiah or in Helaman 12:7 - "how great is the nothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth...", it can be easy to give into the whisperings  that we are forever falling short. Don't you believe it! The Spirit always builds us up and the adversary will always tear us down. Though we are all still imperfect, we are of infinite worth. Not because of anything we can accomplish or achieve, not because of how we look or don't look, but because we are His.