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True disciples of Jesus Christ desire to serve those around them. When we were
baptized, we covenanted to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. The prophet
Alma explains this covenant in The Book of Mormon. He reminds us that a desire
to come into the fold of God includes a willingness to give meaningful service.
In Mosiah chapter 18, verse 8 & 9, Alma teaches us…………….”and now, as ye are
desirous to come into the fold of God , and to be called his people, and are
willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light: yea, and are
willing to mourn with those that mourn: yea and comfort those that stand in
need of comfort…” As we strive to serve others, we should look to the Savior as our example. Even though He came to earth as the Son of God, He humbly served all those around Him. The Savior used a parable found in Matthew chapter 25 to teach the importance of service. In the parable, Christ returns to earth in His glory and separates the righteous from the wicked. To the righteous He says in verse 34, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison and ye came unto me. The righteous, who are puzzled by this, ask: in verse 35…..”Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? …. Then the Lord answers, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” In this parable you will notice that the Savior is teaching us that when we serve others we serve Him, and that righteous and loving acts of service are required to be worthy to enter the Celestial Kingdom. King Benjamin also had a firm testimony of this teaching of the Savior. In Mosiah chapter 2, verse 17 he reminds us…”And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom;…… and what is the wisdom that we need to learn that will help us return to our Heavenly Father? ….. that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” The prophet Joseph Smith was also a great example of a man who had learned this wisdom of which King Benjamin spoke. Thirteen year-old Lyman Littlefield accompanied Zion’s Camp to Missouri. He shared this incident: “The journey was extremely toilsome for all, and the physical suffering, along with the knowledge of the persecutions endured by our brethren whom we were traveling to help, caused me to lapse into a state of melancholy. As the camp was making ready to depart one day I sat tired and brooding by the roadside, The Prophet was the busiest man of the camp; and yet when he saw me, he turned from the great press of other duties to say a word of comfort to a child. Placing his hand upon my head, he said, ‘Is there no place for you, my boy? If not, we must make one.’ These simple words and touch of his hand made an impression upon my mind which time and years cannot erase.” My Grandpa Sevy was another good example of one who had learned the wisdom of serving others. He was a kind man who took time to treat each person he met with a kind word and a smile. He made sure that the widows in his ward had fresh oranges from his trees or he would have Grandma make extra soup and homemade bread to take to them. When we celebrated holidays with him a lot of times we also shared those holidays with a single sister or a single brother, because my grandpa did not want them to be lonely. The Savior invites all of us to give of ourselves in the service of others. Each day, let us look for ways to make others happy, to say kind words, to perform work for others that they cannot do for themselves, to share the gospel. The Holy Ghost will whisper to us the things that need to be done and ways that we can serve. Let us heed its’ promptings so that we can be blessed with true happiness that comes from helping others to be happy. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ , Amen. |