Servant-Friend-Son

Imagine if you will a large beautiful estate. Imagine a large mansion on many acres with beautifully manicured gardens. Imagine a perfect interior with maids and butlers taking care of every detail. Imagine now that the owner is a loving, generous man with a loving, down to earth family. The owner and his family care deeply for their friends and family, and also for the well being of all those who work for them. They are a great family.

Despite the goodness of this man, there is a hierarchy of caring for others. What I mean by this is that it is human nature to care first of all about family, then friends, and then others (servants). You can imagine that in this wealthy man’s world… servants are not treated the same way friends are, and friends are not treated the same way the children are.

To illustrate this better, imagine a party at the estate. Guests would arrive and be treated with hospitality. Family would be honored and hold high esteem. The servants would serve, plain and simple.

Now what does this have to do with anything? How does this apply to us and our relationship with Heavenly Father? Let’s take a look at the scriptures to see how we can progress from being a servant, to a friend, to a son or daughter.

In Doctrine and Covenants 1:17 we read “ 17 Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments.” Here the Lord calls the prophet his “servant”.

Later we hear the Lord refer to Joseph as His friend. In D&C 93:45 we read “45 Verily, I say unto my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., or in other words, I will call you friends, for you are my friends, and ye shall have an inheritance with me.

Later, as Joseph proved that he would abide in the Covenant , the Lord called him his son. In D&C 121: 7-8 we read “ 7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.”

In “The Three Pillars of Zion” by Larry Barkdull we read the following: “This pattern—servant- friend- son—might help us understand our progression in the Covenant. A servant receives and fulfills the commandments of the Lord. A servant might know his Lord, but not intimately.

A friend, on the other hand, because of his relationship with the Lord, is in a position to ask what he can do for the other person. Friends do not command each other; rather, one friend might request something of the other, knowing that his friend would help. Friends share intimate conversations, they know a great deal about each other, and they have much in common. It is worth noting that friends and servant do not enjoy eternal relationships, as does family. The status of servant or friend can be temporary, but always these relationships are defined by set boundaries. Therefore, if we are to progress from servant to friend or family, something significant in the relationship must change. That brings us to the ultimate stage of the Covenant: children of God.

A child—a son or daughter—is part of the most intimate relationship: family. A child comes to know everything about his Parent, ‘Your name is my name and your work is my work. I am yours forever by covenant; we are linked together by blood; we are bound together by eternal love.’ While one of the greatest manifestations of love is offering your life for a friend (John 15:13), the ultimate sacrifices are made within family, which is the highest level of friendship. There the greatest loyalties are forged. We enter the Covenant to serve the Lord, become his intimate friend, and become his child to whom he bequeaths all that he has. In Mosiah 27:25 we read “Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters”. Zion people walk and talk with their Father and Brother and enjoy their familial relationship.”

I hope one day to be worth to be called a son of God!