“Lesson 14—Doctrine and Covenants 4: Serve like the Lord,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual (2025)
“Doctrine and Covenants 4,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual
Lesson 14: Doctrine and Covenants 3-5
Doctrine and Covenants 4
Serve like the Lord
Joseph Smith Sr. wanted to know how he could serve God and others. In response to his father’s desire, the Prophet Joseph sought and received the first of several revelations given to individuals who desired to assist in the Lord’s work (see also Doctrine and Covenants 11–12; 14–16; 25). This lesson can help students serve God and others in Christlike ways.
Possible Learning Activities
Serving like the Savior
Consider beginning class with an activity that helps students ponder their attitude about serving God and others in Christlike ways. The following is one example.
Imagine someone doing one of the following acts of service for you:
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Talking to you to see how you are doing
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Helping you with a task you have to do
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Praying for you
How might it affect you if they served in the following ways? Why?
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Wholeheartedly or half-heartedly
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Patiently or impatiently
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Motivated by love for you or by something else
Now imagine the Savior doing that service for you. How might He do it and what effect might it have?
In this lesson, you will study about service and Christlike attributes the Lord wants us to seek as we serve. As you study, ponder your own desires to serve and why you may want to strive to gain these attributes.
Answering Joseph Smith Sr.’s question
Though he had not yet associated himself with any organized religion, Joseph Smith Sr. believed what his son shared about his heavenly visions and supported him in his translation of the Book of Mormon. Joseph Sr. wanted to serve God but did not know what to do. In February 1829, he and his wife visited Joseph Jr. in Harmony, Pennsylvania. During that visit, the Prophet Joseph received Doctrine and Covenants 4 in answer to his father’s question.
Read Doctrine and Covenants 4:1–4, looking for what the Lord taught about (1) how we should serve Him and (2) why we should serve Him. It may be helpful to know that in verse 4, the Lord compares wheat that is ready to harvest to people who are ready to receive the gospel. A sickle is a tool for harvesting.
Consider inviting students to use different methods to mark how and why we serve. For example, they could underline how to serve God and circle why we should serve Him. Or they could use different colors. Students could then compare what they marked with a partner or in a small group.
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What did you find?
Consider creating two columns on the board titled How and Why. You could invite students to write what they found on the board in the appropriate column. You might consider writing the words heart, might, mind, and strength on the board and asking students what they think it looks like for someone to serve with “all” of each of these.
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What blessings do these verses contain for those who serve God with all their heart, might, mind, and strength?
After teaching about the blessings of serving God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength, the Lord listed multiple attributes that can help us as we serve. Jesus Christ possesses each of these attributes and invites us to develop them in our own lives. As we do so, we become more like Him and can serve as He serves.
Read Doctrine and Covenants 4:5–6, looking for attributes the Lord wants us to develop as we serve.
Explain that these attributes are how we serve and can be marked the same way as the how insights in verses 1–4. Students can add these attributes to the board in the corresponding column.
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How might you summarize the teachings of this section into one sentence?
One principle we can learn from this section is that as we serve with Christlike attributes, we will stand blameless before God and bring salvation to our souls.
Understanding Christlike attributes
Consider asking which attributes students do not understand. Invite students to look up key words in the Guide to the Scriptures, the Topical Guide, or general conference talks. A dictionary or a search on the Gospel Library app could also be useful.
Invite students to share which Christlike attributes in Doctrine and Covenants 4 they feel are most common for teenagers to have. Consider asking which attributes may be rarer and why. (You could ask which is mentioned twice in section 4 and why they think that is.) Students could share how they have seen these Christlike attributes in their classmates. This can increase class unity and encourage others to develop Christlike attributes.
Seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost to select a Christlike attribute that would be most meaningful for you to study. Write it at the top of a page in your study journal. Below the attribute you selected, write the following.
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Examples: Ponder how the Savior exemplified this attribute anciently or in your life today. If using a scripture example, try to write down a specific story or reference. (The Guide to the Scriptures and the Topical Guide may be useful again.) You could also write a modern-day example of someone serving with this attribute and how it made a difference.
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What we can do: List one or two steps you could take to develop this attribute more in your life. For ideas, reread Doctrine and Covenants 4:7, ask for advice by texting or asking someone you feel has this Christlike attribute.
Invite several students to share their thoughts. As they share, consider asking if any others chose the same attribute and would like to share their thoughts. Share your own thoughts as well. This can be a great opportunity to understand various Christlike attributes better and feel their importance. Look for ways to emphasize the Savior’s example.
Developing Christlike attributes
To conclude this lesson, make a plan of one or two steps you could take to develop a Christlike trait you studied today. You could include ways to seek the Lord’s help while developing this attribute.
It may be useful to invite students to record their goal in their study journal or Personal Development: Youth Guidebook. In a future lesson, ask students to report how they are doing. Consider setting a personal goal and sharing with your students how you are seeking the Lord’s help.