- Thrust in sickle

- Help build Lord's kingdom- Invest time, talents, means

"By thrusting in our sickle" to build up Zion, Church members reap a double portion - for themselves and for the Kingdom, said Elder Dale E. Miller of the Seventy.

"The symbiosis between Church and member is strikingly efficient," Elder Miller said Saturday afternoon. "As we invest our time, talents and means to build Zion, our hearts are purified, our wisdom increases, celestial habits begin to form, and the Holy Spirit prepares us to receive the presence of the Father and the Son."

Elder Miller suggested that ancient prophets were "filled with unspeakable joy as they viewed our day. . . . Surely, God is pouring His Spirit in rich abundance upon His earthly kingdom."

He said that helping build the Lord's kingdom should "be the prime focus of our lives. It seems reasonable to suggest that we each agreed to that in our premortal life."

Building the kingdom, also referred to as Zion, takes several forms, he explained. The first is geographic, with a center and its borders enlarging continually to fill the earth. The second is an organization "wherein we work to strengthen its stakes though our callings."

A third, intensely personal, context of Zion "is the perfecting process within us. Those willing to serve are invited to labor in the vineyard of the Lord, steadily transforming themselves to become the pure in heart.

"If President Hinckley were to ask for our response at the conclusion of this conference, as King Benjamin did to his people, could we say we have felt a mighty change in our hearts? Has our disposition been strengthened sufficiently to abandon that which displeases God, and changed us so that we seek to do good continually?"

Elder Miller cautioned, however, that as members strive for perfection they can easily feel they fall short. "We can take confidence, knowing that the Lord knows us intimately; He knows the intent of our hearts. He will surely show us the way as we humble ourselves, are obedient, and work toward continual improvement. Even now, He prepares us in ways that we can't yet see."

He noted President Spencer W. Kimball pointed to three fundamentals in bringing Zion to the hearts and presence of Church members:

The first is to eliminate individual tendency to selfishness. The second is to cooperate completely and work in harmony with each other. The third is the willingness to sacrifice whatever is required by the Lord.

"The home serves as the great laboratory for practicing and teaching selflessness," said Elder Miller.

"This kingdom is like no other kingdom on earth," he said. "To borrow a business term, it has a vastly superior competitive edge; it alone will lead us to eternal life. It alone is founded on solid rock, the rock of revelation. It alone has the fully restored gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

"At the personal level, it instills a purging discipline within us. It pushes us out of our circles of comfort into growth. It fosters development of great spiritual gifts and enlightenment which we will take with us into the next life. It provides the baptism of fire. It personally empowers us in ways that can only come from God."