Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening,
this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.
This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in July 2014, and it is called "Convenient Service" by Sister Sherry Patten Palmer. This post is part two. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional.
Sister Palmer has mentioned the following;
"How did you change their lives or help them in times of need? How did you serve your brothers? Did you even notice when they needed help?” ... So, how can we make service convenient? We start by practicing with “automatic responses." ... Giving service and having it become “convenient” is a work in progress.
"How did you change their lives or help them in times of need? How did you serve your brothers? Did you even notice when they needed help?” ... So, how can we make service convenient? We start by practicing with “automatic responses." ... Giving service and having it become “convenient” is a work in progress.
... Service is a stepping-stone toward these two great doctrines of our religion. It is up to us how big this stepping-stone of service is. ... If we treat service like helpful small pebbles that line our pathway back to the Savior, we may find that these pebbles become convenient guides that will help us along the way. If we can master the task of providing service to those around us, how much easier, then, is it to sacrifice for others and consecrate what we do for the Lord.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie gave a talk in April 1975 about obedience, consecration, and sacrifice. He said:
We have covenanted in the waters of baptism to love and serve him, to keep his commandments, and to put first in our lives the things of his kingdom. In return he has promised us eternal life in his Father’s kingdom. We are thus in a position to receive and obey some of the higher laws which prepare us for that eternal life which we so sincerely seek.
Elder McConkie then went on to say: “He who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.” (D&C 88:22.) The law of sacrifice is a celestial law; so also is the law of consecration. Thus to gain that celestial reward which we so devoutly desire, we must be able to live these two laws. Sacrifice and consecration are inseparably intertwined. [“Obedience, Consecration, and Sacrifice,” Ensign, May 1975, 50; emphasis in original]
I would like to add: How can we ever get to the laws of sacrifice and consecration without first applying service in our lives? When we are physically serving our brother, we are sacrificing whether it be our time, our physical abilities, or our material blessings.
When we perform service with the right kind of spirit, we practice consecration. We are consecrating our time, our physical abilities, and our material blessings to others and in essence to the Lord. Service in our lives is similar to stepping-stones; the way we perceive or encounter service determines the size of those stones.
Are they helps or hindrances to our eternal progression? Just like we consciously work on other fine attributes in our lives, we need to put in place a conscious decision to make service convenient. We need to plan on this behavior. ... When we act and serve as Jesus did, we become more like Him.
When we perform service with the right kind of spirit, we practice consecration. We are consecrating our time, our physical abilities, and our material blessings to others and in essence to the Lord. Service in our lives is similar to stepping-stones; the way we perceive or encounter service determines the size of those stones.
Are they helps or hindrances to our eternal progression? Just like we consciously work on other fine attributes in our lives, we need to put in place a conscious decision to make service convenient. We need to plan on this behavior. ... When we act and serve as Jesus did, we become more like Him.
How can we make service our way of life? How can we have it be an immediate reaction instead of a thought-out action? How can we make it convenient? We can prepare for service. We may start out with creating a habit of always being willing to or being ready to do something extra.
Maybe you enjoy mowing the lawn, so if a neighbor needs help, that can be your automatic reaction you can mow their lawn. ... Maybe you have a keen listening ear and enjoy conversation that can be your automatic reaction when a family member is in need. The key is to create automatic reactions within ourselves. They do not have to be big service activities.
Maybe you enjoy mowing the lawn, so if a neighbor needs help, that can be your automatic reaction you can mow their lawn. ... Maybe you have a keen listening ear and enjoy conversation that can be your automatic reaction when a family member is in need. The key is to create automatic reactions within ourselves. They do not have to be big service activities.
 |
| "The world tells us to seek success, power and money; God tells us to seek humility, service and love." - Pope Francis. |
President Spencer W. Kimball said: It is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom. .. So often, our acts of service consist of simple encouragement or of giving ... help with mundane tasks, but what glorious consequences can flow ... from small but deliberate deeds!
[“Small Acts of Service,” Ensign, December 1974, 5; quoted in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2006), 82]
Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone gave a talk about serving when it is inconvenient. He said: Now my young friends, ... think of all the opportunities you will have to serve at inconvenient times. I promise you that most of the service you render to the Lord will come at times not convenient to you. Think about some of them:
Your call to serve an 18-month mission, right in the middle of your schooling, courting, and vocational training.
... An invitation to speak at church. Home teaching visits. Early-morning seminary, which in many stakes begins at 6:00 a.m., not a convenient hour.
... Someone with a flat tire or other auto problems on the highway. It generally is not a convenient time to stop. Shoveling snow or mowing a lawn of someone in need a widow or neighbor when your day is already too full.
Elder Featherstone went on to say: I could list many, many more opportunities that may well come to all of us in a lifetime but most often at an inappropriate time. You can make a decision that you are too busy, but that is generally only an excuse. ...
My beloved young friends, determine to serve one another. Listen to the spirit when your flesh is weak. ... The blessings are tenfold when we do those good, kindly acts of Christlike service when it is inopportune or not convenient. [“The Message: Why Now? Why Me?” New Era, January–February 1984, 7]
... I have experienced memorable acts of service. I have been the giver and the receiver. Yet even with many years of experience, I still struggle with how “convenient” the service is. I have felt my heart pierced with love, compassion, thankfulness, and the Spirit. Shouldn’t these feelings be enough motivation?
... Yes, service becoming convenient is a work in progress. Giving service throughout our lives is like being led down a beautiful path of stepping-stones. However, to make service convenient, we must practice and practice. ..."
I would like to encourage you to read the whole Devotional either now or in your own time. Here is the link below.
Stay Tuned until next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment