"And as [Saul, later known as Paul] journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

"And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

"And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

"And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"

— Acts 9:3-6

Elder Ezra Taft Benson, while serving in the Quorum of the Twelve, said, "A man can ask no more important question in his life than that which Paul asked: 'Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?' A man can take no greater action than to pursue a course that will bring to him the answer to that question and then to carry out that answer. What would the Lord Jesus Christ have us do?" (Conference Report, October 1972, p. 53, or Ensign, January 1973, p. 57.)

This is a question each of us ought to ask. A Sunday School teacher wrote Paul's question on the chalkboard, and then invited class members to find in the scriptures specific things that the Lord has told us to do, either directly or through the voices of His authorized servants. The list grew lengthy rather quickly. Following are just a few admonitions discussed in that Sunday School class:

"Repent and be baptized." (Acts 2:38.) After he received the vision of the Lord, Paul went to Ananias, was taught the gospel, repented, and was baptized. Such is the pattern for everyone. The Lord, appearing to the Nephites, admonished, "And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.' (3 Ne. 11:38.)

"Love thy neighbor as thyself." (Luke 10:27.) This admonition preceded Jesus' parable of the Samaritan who helped the man who fell among thieves and was beaten, robbed and left along the road to Jericho. A priest and a Levite saw the man but passed by on the other side. Upon finishing His parable, Jesus asked, "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?" The answer: "He that shewed mercy on him." Then Jesus gave His great admonition: "Go, and do thou likewise." (See Luke 10:25-37.)

"Follow me." (Matt. 4:19.) Jesus is not an uninvolved adviser who merely points out the direction, sends us on our way and wishes us well on our life's journey. He is the Ultimate Guide who leads us. He goes before us and invites us to walk in His footsteps to find sure and safe pathways back to our Heavenly home.

"Search the scriptures." (John 5:39.) We cannot know what the Lord wants us to do unless we know what directives He has given us.

"Pray always." (D&C 93:49.) Repeatedly, the Lord has told us to pray unceasingly; if we do so, we're promised that He will pour out His Spirit upon us and bless us greatly. (See D&C 19:38.)

"Be diligent. . . . Have patience, faith, hope and charity." (D&C 6:18-19.) Imagine the progress, peacefulness, tranquility and calmness that would be evident in our lives if we practiced each of these attributes. How much more like our Savior would we be!

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature . . . baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." (Matt. 4:23.) While certain members, especially young men, have a responsibility to respond to the call to serve, all members should be engaged in the missionary cause at home, in our daily lives, among family, friends and associates. Example is the greatest missionary activity.

"Be thou humble." (D&C 112:10.) No matter what great or glorious thing we might do, we need to recognize that we do not do it alone. At our very best, we are merely instruments in the Lord's hand.

"Keep the commandments." (Alma 52:21.) President Joseph Fielding Smith said: "We believe that worship is far more than prayer and preaching and gospel performance. The supreme act of worship is to keep the commandments, to follow in the footsteps of the Son of God, to do ever those things that please Him. It is one thing to give lip service to the Lord; it is quite another to respect and honor His will by following the example He has set for us." (Conference Report, October 1971, p. 6; or Ensign, December 1971, p. 27.)

In an attempt to answer the question posed by Paul, the Sunday School class compiled a long list of admonitions. However, it was incomplete; there was not time to make a comprehensive list. Each of us might ponder and determine our individual responses to the question, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"