Week 17- “Fear, Duty, Love ”

Scriptures:

2 Tim 1: 7

Omni 1

D&C 58: 26-27

Matthew 25: 14-30

General Conference Address:  

Pure Love: The True Sign of Every True Disciple of Jesus Christ. M. De Feo CR 4/2018

Thought:

There are three key motivators that drive people to obey.  Fear, duty, and love. Each is effective in its own way, but the price you pay and the rewards you receive are unique to each.  Forcing obedience through fear is the most expensive way to motivate.  If you’re lucky enough to get someone to respond to it, their performance will be a path of least resistance.  You’ll foster rebellion and as soon as they are no longer afraid of you or of failure or of whatever, you will lose them.  Satan (and our natural man) uses this because it moves the needle and makes you feel powerful.  Like all of Satan's tools, it’s a trap.  

The next motivator is Duty.  Instilling duty in someone is a noble endeavor, but it has limits.  There is less fear involved in this motivator, but fear still plays an important role.  Fear of dishonor, fear of eventually having to answer for work undone, fear of future unknowns, etc.  Duty helps elevate men to new levels of achievement, but it’s typically pretty hollow, and ultimate satisfaction depends on outcomes, not the process.  

Love, like always, is the ultimate solution.  When we’re motivated by love, we have an infinite motor.  We have a relentless commitment.  We have patience and temperance and long suffering.  Best and perhaps most importantly, people can tell when you’re motivated by love.  The same is true for other motivations.  They are transparent.  The good news is that even if you start an endeavor out of fear or duty, you can make sure it ends with love.  It’s okay if it’s a progression for you.  The important part is to make progress.  To love a little more today than you did yesterday.  Let the atonement of Jesus Christ change your heart and your motives.  

Invitation: 

Motivation is a great measure of conversion.  I would tend to err on the side of acting in faith, even if your motivation isn’t perfect love.  Take time this week to assess where you are acting out of love and where you might be acting out of duty or fear.  Work to change one or two of those lower motivators to higher, loving motivation.