I

People who truly believe in God perform their duties willingly,

without calculating their own gains and losses.

No matter whether you are someone who pursues the truth,

you must use your conscience and reason and make a real effort in your duty.

If you’re merely satisfied with making some token effort,

and suffering a little physical hardship,

but you do not take your duty seriously at all

or seek the truth principles,

then this is nothing more than being perfunctory—

it is not really making an effort.

The key to making an effort

is putting your heart into it, fearing God in your heart,

being considerate of God’s intentions,

being terrified of rebelling against God and hurting God,

and suffering any hardship

in order to perform your duty well and satisfy God:

If you have a God-loving heart in this way,

you’ll be able to perform your duty properly.

II

If there is no fear of God in your heart,

you’ll have no burden when you perform your duty,

will have no interest in it,

and will surely be perfunctory, and go through the motions,

without producing any real effect—

which is not performing a duty.

If you truly have a sense of burden,

you’ll feel like performing your duty is your personal responsibility,

and that if you don’t, you’re not fit to live,

that only if you perform your duty well

are you worthy of being called a human being,

and can face your own conscience.

If you have this sense of burden when you perform your duty,

then you’ll be able to do everything conscientiously,

and will be able to seek the truth and do things according to the principles,

and so will be able to do your duty properly and satisfy God.

If you’re worthy of the mission that God has given you,

and of all that God has sacrificed for you,

and are worthy of His expectations of you,

then this is really making an effort.

from The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. To Perform One’s Duty Well, One Must at Least Be Possessed of a Conscience and Reason