“A Servant of the Devil Cannot Follow Christ”
These verses could easily be misunderstood. It is not that evil persons- or persons with less than noble motives- cannot do good things. They certainly can. It is just that their deeds prove in the end to be a blessing neither to themselves nor to those they serve. That is, so long as good deeds are motivated by selfish or malicious desires they cannot transform and enrich either the giver or the receiver. Unfortunately, such doctrine has caused some members of the Church to conclude, “Well, given the way I feel about going to church right now [or doing my home teaching, or serving at the cannery], it would be better to just stay home!” No, it would not be better to stay home.Giving a gift is one thing. Performing my duties in the Church is another.
It is almost always better to do the right thing for the wrong reason than to do the wrong thing- better to go to church or visit my families or show up for the welfare activity with a bad attitude than to remain at home. In most cases the very act of doing my duty (even with a less than celestial motive) results in good feelings and subsequent gratitude for having done the right thing.