Bishop Keith B. McMullin: 'Our path of duty'
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Doing their duty enables diligent Latter-day Saints to overcome the discord and disaster of a troubled world, said Bishop Keith B. McMullin, second counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, during the Saturday morning session of general conference.
"The duty of which I speak is what we are expected to do and to be," Bishop McMullin said. "It is a moral imperative summoning forth from individuals and communities that which is right, true and honorable. Duty does not require perfection, but it does require diligence. It is not simply what is legal; it is what is virtuous. It is not reserved to the mighty or high in station, but instead rests on a foundation of personal responsibility, integrity and courage. Doing one's duty is a manifestation of one's faith."
First and foremost, we are duty-bound to God the Eternal Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
He said, "To revere one requires reverence for the other, for the Father has appointed that it is only in and through the name of Christ that one can completely fulfill this dutiful charge. He is our Exemplar, our Redeemer and our King."
An inevitable consequence of faithfully fulfilling one's duty to God and Jesus is the strong desire to serve others.
"As men and women and boys and girls do their duty to God, they feel impelled to do their duty to one another, to their family, to their church and nation, to all things entrusted to their care," he said. "They are duty bound to magnify their talents and to be a law-abiding, good people. They become humble, submissive and easily entreated. Temperance conquers indulgence; obedience guides their diligence. Peace distills upon them. Citizens become loyal, communities become benevolent and neighbors become friends."
Spiritual guidance is imperative in order to honorably discharge our duty, and the path to that divine direction begins and ends with inspired prayer.
Bishop McMullin said: "For prayers to be efficacious, they must be in harmony with the plan of heaven. The prayer of faith bears fruit when such harmony exists, and this harmony exists when prayers are inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit manifests what our petitions should be. … It is as important to be guided by the Holy Spirit while praying as it is to be enlightened by that same Spirit while receiving an answer to prayer."
