Sunday Lesson: Aug 10th

Service to our Fellow Men 

Taught by Lisa Lara

As I pondered and thought about what to teach on these past few weeks, my mind kept going back to service. I know I have been heavily influenced by my experiences with girls’ camp, and I really felt like a discussion about sacrifice and service needed to happen.

I was amazed to see at least 9 people from our ward at our recent Stake Girls Camp. It wasn’t only 9 people that made a sacrifice to be there, but many more spouses, children, work associates, and many more that made a sacrifice so we could be there. Girls Camp wasn’t easy for any of those involved (I don’t think I had any idea what I was getting myself into). There was much planning, preparing, praying and fasting that happened before any of us loaded our vehicles to drive up the mountain. When we were there our assignments at camp were physically demanding and all the days were long. I personally was looking forward to a week in the mountains were I expected to have some downtime to catch up on my scripture reading, have some time to meditate, read a book maybe, and enjoy Heavenly Father’s creations. Some of those things happened, but in a very minute version of what I expected. I think I averaged 5 verses of scriptures everyday! Certainly no catching up here! I know all the leaders at camp, and the girls too, were busy learning and doing every second we were there.

Some might think we as members of the church are a little crazy for volunteering time and efforts like that so a group of teenage girls can go to camp. Why do we do it? Not just girls camp, but why do we spend countless hours giving of our time and efforts to others? So that they can feel the love of their Savior, help their testimony’s to grow, and hopefully at some point because we have charity for our fellow men.

Elder Oaks gave a talk about Sacrifice in the April 2012 General Conference. He said, “I am grateful for the marvelous examples of Christian love, service, and sacrifice I have seen among the Latter-day Saints. I see you performing your Church callings, often at great sacrifice of time and means. I see you serving missions at your own expense. I see you cheerfully donating your professional skills in service to your fellowmen. I see you caring for the poor through personal efforts and through supporting the Church welfare and humanitarian contributions.

All of this is affirmed in a nationwide study which concluded that active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ‘volunteer and donate significantly more than the average American and are even more generous in time and money than the upper 20 percent of religious people in America.”

I could list so many people in our ward that do so many things for others. Whether it be taking a meal into a family, giving someone a ride to a doctor’s appointment, babysitting children or doing yard work the members in our ward give unselfishly of their time and efforts. I am sure all of you could share of a time when you either gave or received service. How did the experience affect you?
In a Conference talk in April 2012 Elder Hales taught that there are stepping stones in order to have the desire to serve others. He tells us that first we need to be worthy and prepared to partake of the sacrament each week. We need to prepare before we come to sacrament meeting and allow ourselves to experience a ‘mighty change of heart’. This way we remember who we are and what we most desire. We renew the covenant to keep the commandments and we obtain the companionship of the Holy Ghost to lead us back to our Heavenly Father’s presence.

Elder Hales says that our desires to return to our Heavenly Father increase as we not only partake of the sacrament, but as we become worthy to hold a temple recommend. We become worthy by steadily and steadfastly obeying the commandments. As we are worthy to hold a temple recommend, that worthiness gives us strength to keep our temple covenants. And how do we personally gain that strength? Elder Hales gives us the formula: “We strive to obtain a testimony of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, the reality of the Atonement, and the truthfulness of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Restoration. We sustain our leaders, treat our families with kindness, stand as a witness of the Lord’s true Church, attend our Church meetings, honor our covenants, fulfill parental obligations, and live a virtuous life.”

As we do all these things and are worthy to hold a temple recommend, we establish patterns of Christlike living. By following basic patterns of faithfulness we receive “power from on high” to face the challenges of life. Elder Hales teaches us, “We need this divine power today more than ever. It is power we receive only through temple ordinances.”
Through partaking of the sacrament worthily and by being worthy to enter the temple our desires to learn and live the gospel increase. In turn we naturally seek to serve one another. We are allowing the Atonement, the sacrifice of our Savior, work in us so that we can serve Him better. Luke 22:32 says, “When though art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” No wonder we have deep desires to serve and
bless others, to make a difference in the world. As Latter-day Saints we crave the joy that service brings.

In Elder Oaks’ first conference talk after being called as an apostle in 1984, he spoke on 6 reasons why we serve others. These reasons are listed in order from the lesser to the greater reasons for service. 1) Hope of an earthly reward. 2) Service that is motivated by a personal desire to obtain good companionship. 3) Serving out of fear of punishment. 4) Service out of a sense of duty or out of loyalty to friends or family or traditions. Elder Oaks teaches that these first four reasons do qualify us for the blessings of heaven, but there are still higher reasons for service. 5) The hope of an eternal reward; the expectation of enjoying the fruits of our labors. The highest reason of all is what the scriptures call a more excellent way. “Charity is the pure love of Christ.” Our service may profit us nothing unless we are motivated by the pure love of Christ.

D&C 4:2 says, “Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.” We need to not only serve with our might and strength, but somehow make sure our heart and mind are committed as well. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40)

I know that the principles that Elder Hales and Elder Oaks teach are true. That as we live the gospel the best we can, as we partake of the sacrament worthily and being prepared, and as we live in a way that we can enter the temple and receive the blessings and power that are promised us, our desires to love and serve one other increase. We become more like our Savior and we are blessed for it. Our Savior loves each of us and desires that we become like Him and return to Him and our Heavenly Father. The true key to happiness is to labor for the happiness of others.