Mormon cautions us against judging what is good to be from the devil and what is evil from God (v. 14). As an answer to this sometimes dilemma of how we can know which is which, he reminds his congregation and us that “the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil.” He then notes that the way to judge whether a thing is good or not is to determine whether it “inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ” (vv. 15–16). If it does these things, it is good. President Ezra Taft Benson admonished: “Let us use that standard to judge what we read, the music we hear, the entertainment we watch, the thoughts we think. Let us be more Christlike.” After giving a similar description that the devil’s operations entice us to do evil, Mormon cautions that the way we judge will determine the way we will also be judged (vv. 17–18).
In a world where there is so much opportunity to do good and to lend moral and financial support to those who do, there is a further refinement needed in helping us make choices. Seldom do we have enough time or money to support every good and worthy cause, so we have to decide which ones to support. If we search diligently in the light of Christ (v. 19), we will know by that light which ones to support. Even if we cannot give to a good cause, we learn from King Benjamin that God recognizes our intent: “I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give” (Mosiah 4:24).
Through a hope in Christ, we produce good works in this life and gain the right to receive the Spirit in our lives. By following the directions of the Spirit of Christ that is given to everyone who is born into this world, we can make the proper selection of which good works to accomplish.