Service

“… when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.”
– Mosiah 1:49

No one in the household of faith would claim that they do not love God. A favorite campfire song challenges us that if we love God why not serve him? Mosiah teaches us that serving God is done through serving each other. There is much that needs to be done in the church both within our branch and within the greater body of Christ.

Some feel, perhaps, that service only belongs to priesthood. But that is not so. The service where priesthood is required, for example in the ordinances, is only a very small part of the service that is needed in the church today. Most of the service that is needed is required outside of the times when we meet for worship. The needs are great. The laborers few.

Each that have entered into the waters of baptism have as we sing “promised to serve thee to the end.” The challenge we each face is putting others before ourselves and serving our fellow man before our own self interests. We are quick to take care of our own needs but slow to think of others. It is in our nature to put self before others. Scripture makes it clear that we cannot serve two masters. As Joshua challenged the children of Israel, we must choose whom we will serve. If our choice is God, then it begins with serving each other.

Serving God by serving others is not something to be tacked onto our otherwise busy schedules if we can afford the time. It is the heart of the Christian life. We should ask every day not what can the church do for me but what can we do for each other and the cause of the Kingdom. Our church experience is not meant to be a hobby that we can pick up or lay down when convenient.

In a few short weeks we will be electing officers for the coming year. There are many roles and responsibilities that need our time, devotion and energies to make our branch vibrant and effective. While taking a responsibility in our branch is only one avenue of service, it is an important one. Please give prayerful consideration to what you might be able to do for our branch, for each other, for the cause of the kingdom.

We were created to serve each other and we are commanded to serve each other. In the latter portion of Matthew 25 there is a description of the nation’s being gathered before the Son of Man and there he separates them. Those that inherit the kingdom he says gave him food when he hungered, drink when he was thirsty, clothing when he was naked and when a stranger took him in. The people wondered how this was and he answered: “inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

When we stand before him, may the Lord say to each of us “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”