Below is the talk I gave at church this past Sunday. I have thought about putting myself out there and posting it on my blog and today while I was with the Young Women, Clarissa encouraged me to post it. So here it is. Enjoy! Basically I wrote what I spoke word for word because I get so nervous!
First off I wanted to thank Brother Harry for giving me the opportunity to speak to you
today. This is a terrifying yet humbling experience and I am so grateful for the
opportunity to grow and to try and conquer some fears. So please, please bare with me!
I was asked to speak on service but more importantly giving ourselves over to perform
service.
I have contemplated over the last few weeks as to what messages my father in heaven
wanted me to share with you today. I thought about who was the best example I could t
think of, and it was obvious, the Savior is the best example of service. Even though He
came to earth as the Son of God, He humbly served all those around Him. In Luke 22
verse 27 He declared, "I am among you as he that serveth" Jesus Christ suffered in
Gethsemane and died on the cross so that we could live with our father in heaven again
someday. This has got to be the greatest gift of service performed to all mankind. It is the
greatest example of pure love. In Moroni 7:47 it says “Charity is the pure love of Christ.”
I know this to be true with my entire being.
I yet again contemplated the acts of service we all perform. Big and small. Some of the t
things I wish to share today are examples of these great blessings. I thought of the
missionaries here in our branch and across the entire world. The service they provide to
all the brothers and sisters in this world. How they help people to find the truth and to
help us all reach our divine potential of having eternal lives. The sacrifice and time they
give to the church and to our father in heaven is such a great and powerful act of service.
Putting aside the things of this world and serving wholeheartedly, with such great faith. I
am grateful for there example everyday. In Mosiah 18:8-9 the prophet Alma explained to
a group of converts who wanted to be baptized that to “come into the fold of God” it
included a willingness to give meaningful service—to “bear one another’s burdens, that
they may be light,” to “mourn with those that mourn,” and to “comfort those that stand in
need of comfort”. The second example of service is one that is new to my own life.
Granted I have been in the relief society for a number of years and I am ashamed to admit
that I have not been the best example when it comes to being a visiting teacher. The
thoughts of the sisters I have been assigned to are there but I had done little to check on
them and see if they needed anything. I am so very grateful for our Relief Society
President, Sister Hollist and for her assignment of my visiting teacher companion. I am
so grateful to Tina and the example she has been to me these past two months. I hope to
be of service to the sisters assigned to me and of course also to those who aren’t.
In True To the Faith it states:
The Savior invites you to give of yourself in the service of others. Your opportunities to
do so are limitless. Each day, look for ways to gladden hearts, to say kind words, to
perform labors for others that they cannot do for themselves, to share the gospel. Be
receptive to the whisperings of the Spirit, prompting you to serve. You will find that the
true key to happiness is to labor for the happiness of others.
The third example I thought of was the service that we provide to our ancestors as Latter
Day Saints. This one in particular I hold near and dear to my heart. I was inspired earlier
this year to work on my families Genealogy and have been so blessed with my many
discoveries. It helps me to keep in the front of my mind how important it is to remain
temple worthy so that I am able to perform these sacred ordinances for our ancestors.
Kenneth and I had the opportunity a few short weeks ago to a attend the temple and I am
so grateful for that particular trip and the spiritual experience I had because I followed the
promptings of the holy ghost. I know on that day I was able to provide necessary work to
those who I know with my whole had been waiting for it to be done. Again I would like
to quote Dalon H oaks he stated: One’s such higher reason for service is the hope of an
eternal reward. This hope—the expectation of enjoying the fruits of our labors—is one of
the most powerful sources of motivation. As a reason for service, it necessarily involves
faith in God and in the fulfillment of his prophecies. The scriptures are rich in promises
of eternal rewards. For example, in a revelation given in D&C 14:7 through the Prophet Joseph Smith in June of 1829, the Lord said: “If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.” I know this to be
true and am grateful that I am able to assist my ancestors and those whom have passed.
The fourth act of service we all provide is to our families. It is so important to be aware
of their needs and to think of ways we can be of service to them. President Uchtdorf
stated during our Relief Society conference that all we needed to perform service was to
have a loving and caring heart. A loving and caring heart. How simple a statement for
such a divine gift. There are so many things in this world that try very hard to harden our
hearts and to have us grow away from our father in heaven. It is our job as children of our
heavenly father to do our best to have loving and caring hearts. Dalon H Oaks said that
Charity is the pure love of Christ. It is the love that Christ has for the children of men and
that the children of men should have for one another. It is the highest, noblest, and
strongest kind of love and the most joyous to the soul.
The Savior used a parable in Matthew 25:34-36 to teach the importance of service. In the
parable, He told of His return to the earth in His glory and of separating the righteous
from the wicked. To the righteous in this parable He says: "Come, ye blessed of my
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was
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" Numerous scriptures teach that our Heavenly Father knows our thoughts and the intents of our heart. The prophet Moroni taught that if our works are to be credited for good, they must be done for the right reasons. If a man “offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God,
except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing. Think again of the last part
of this scripture, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing. Can you
imagine doing all things for the good of men and not at all for the benefit of ourselves.
To be completely unselfish.
The next two scriptures I would like to reference to I believe are seminary scriptures. The
first is found in Mosiah 2:17 King Benjamin stated And behold, I tell you these things that
ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow
beings ye are only in the service of your God and the second is found in Matthew 25:40
Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my
brethren, ye have done it unto me. It is the will of our father in heaven that we serve one
another. David O. McKay stated that true Christianity is love in action. There is no better
way to manifest love for god then to show an unselfish idea for ones fellow man. He goes
on to say that with faith and with kindness your hearts will be filled with the desire to
serve all mankind. The spirit of the gospel comes from service performed for the good of others. In 2nd Corinthians chapter 9: verses 6-7 it says “Every man according as he
purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a
cheerful giver.”
Obviously there are so many other ways we all provide service. Wheather it’s in our
communities or through the church. All acts of service are important and they help us to
draw closer to our father in heaven. They help us keep things in perspective and give joy
to our hearts.
In closing I would like to reference a talk by Dalon H Oaks, he stated that People serve
one another for different reasons, and some reasons are better than others. Perhaps none
of us serves in every capacity all the time for only a single reason. Since we are imperfect
beings, most of us probably serve for a combination of reasons, and the combinations may
be different from time to time as we grow spiritually. But we should all strive to serve for
the reasons that are highest and best. I am so grateful for this knowledge and I know that
as I have grown spiritually my desire to give and serve others has increased. I am so very
grateful for this church and the knowledge I have of it’s truthfulness. I am grateful for the
calling I have to serve our Young Women. I am so very blessed with knowing them and
the knowledge I have gained in serving them. They inspire me and help me to hold true to
the path I am on. I am so grateful to the service they provide to their fellow Young
Women and the great example they set as daughters of our Heavenly Father.
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