In the opening paragraph of the introductory "First Presidency Message" in Preach My Gospel, a sentence regarding proclaiming the gospel and missionary work reads:

"There is no more compelling work than this, nor any which brings greater satisfaction" (Preach My Gospel, p. v).

Consideration of two of the sentence's key words — "compelling" and "satisfaction" — provides deeper appreciation.

Preach My Gospel was published in 2004 after extensive writing, editing and compilation from the Missionary Department and numerous General Authorities, particularly the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve.

Subtitled "A Guide to Missionary Service," the manual is first and foremost for full-time missionaries and their leaders in missions, missionary training centers and visitors centers. Its stated purpose is to help individuals to become better-prepared, more spiritually mature missionaries and more persuasive teachers.

Also benefiting are Church members and local leaders whose callings have them involved directly in missionary work — stake presidents, high councilors, bishops, ward mission leaders and ward missionaries.

Given President David O. McKay's adage of "every member a missionary" and the addressing of the manual's First Presidency message to "Dear Fellow Missionary," Preach My Gospel can be used by any member in gleaning greater understanding of basic doctrine and missionary work through studying the materials and scripture references in each chapter.

Back to the aforementioned sentence — "There is no more compelling work than this, nor any which brings greater satisfaction."

Dictionary definitions describe "compelling" as forceful, demanding attention, convincing, overpowering and pressuring — hardly the actions or adjectives one would want to use to describe a missionary or a missionary-minded member proclaiming the gospel.

And "satisfaction" — with its synonyms of "contentment," "enjoyment" and "gratification" — may seem tame when compared to the great joy promised to those laboring to bring souls unto the Lord (Doctrine and Covenants 18:15-16).

But there are deeper meanings for both words that apply.

An alternate definition of "compelling" aptly applies to missionaries, as they can have a powerful effect on and influence with others. Also, "compelling" is a perfect description of how the Spirit converts in the appropriate setting, with the appropriate presentation and with a listener who is ready and responsive. The Spirit truly can be forceful, demanding attention, convincing and overpowering.

In the end, missionary work is truly "compelling" when it is a spiritual effort. It is the Spirit that best compels when one teaches and testifies.

Meanwhile, satisfaction means more than just contentment, enjoyment or gratification. Other dictionary definitions include compensation, restitution, reparation for sins that meets the demand of divine justice, even atonement.

It's how the word "satisfy" is used in these several Book of Mormon verses that speak of Christ's Atonement and the plan of salvation:

". . . having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice" (Mosiah 15:9).

"And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice. . . ." (Alma 34:16).

In that spirit, the "satisfaction" of missionary work is not only the contentment, gratification and "great joy" of bringing souls to Christ but also "satisfying" — think "meeting" or "fulfilling" — the obligations of covenants we've made.

President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, referred to this in his recent satellite stake conference broadcast for the Caribbean Area Jan. 25 in Jamaica.

In speaking of our journey to eternal life, President Eyring emphasized how members are under covenant and commandment to be diligent in their service to the Lord.

"On the path home, we are to work to take others with us," he said. "In fact, we can't go home without giving our best effort to take others with us" (Church News, Jan. 31, 2009, pp. 6-7).

With the Spirit and with our covenant effort to reach out to others, there indeed is "no more compelling work" than missionary work, "nor any which brings greater satisfaction."