Serving the Lord

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening,

this post should take three minutes to five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on October 1999 General Conference talk, and it is called "Serving the Lord" by Elder Adhemar Damiani. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk. 

Elder Damiani has mentioned the following; "When Joshua’s life was coming to a close, he gathered the tribes of Israel and recalled the mercy and blessings which God had bestowed upon them. Because of the kind of life they were living, Joshua admonished them and said: "... "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

In our day, we are being admonished in the same manner through apostles and prophets. We are to fear the Lord, serve the Lord, put away worldly gods, and choose whom we will serve. Fearing the Lord means to be reverent and to love Him and to keep His commandments. 

We show that we serve the Lord by the way in which we live the commandments received from Him, by the work we do to help establish the kingdom of God on earth, and by the way we act towards our neighbor. Putting away worldly gods means keeping impure thoughts out of our minds, shedding all hateful feelings from our hearts, and ridding our lives of everything which may prevent the Holy Ghost from being always with us. 

For some, putting away worldly gods may mean giving up a small habit. For others, it may mean giving up serious sins they are committing. For others still, it may mean forgetting sad events which happened earlier in their lives. Whatever the situation, in each one of us there is the power to change our life, the power to transform the bad feelings we have in our hearts. The Lord Jesus Christ will give us this power and will help us. 

"Service is the real key to JOY!" - Heber J. Grant.

All He asks from us is that we have faith in Him, follow His example, and obey His commandments. When we love God, serve the Lord sincerely, and give up the things of this world, we become true followers of Christ.

... Serving Christ is not in itself a way to escape the hard reality of life. ... Both the person who serves the Lord as well as the one who disdains Him live in a world ruled by the same laws of nature.

Many are the things that come upon him who is a saint as well as upon him who is a sinner - disease, death, catastrophes, accidents, and so forth. ... Physical suffering is not evidence of wickedness, nor is it punishment for sin.

What then are the rewards of serving the Lord? The gospel of Jesus Christ does not promise that we will be free from tribulation. But it does strengthen our spirit so that we can accept adversity and face it when it comes. ... The person whose life is founded upon the gospel of Jesus Christ is able to: Face adversity with hope; Withstand offense with forgiveness; and Face death with serenity.

The person who chooses to follow the Lord and who keeps His commandments: In his weaknesses, he knows where the source of his strength is; In his strength, he remains humble; ... A person who can live this way, without fear or hate but with love, is a happy person.

The fruits obtained from serving the Lord are essentially spiritual. ... Jesus promised eternal life to His followers: “Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, “Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.”

In this life, we are building our eternal dwelling. Are we building upon the rock which is the gospel of Jesus Christ, or are we building upon the sand which lies in the falsehoods of this world? Each moment we must choose whom we will serve, for we have been placed upon this earth to be proven and tested.

We cannot choose to serve God and the world at the same time. If we want to follow the Lord, we should keep His commandments and follow our prophet and his teachings: “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” ..."

If you would like to read the whole talk either now or in your own time, here is the link below.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1999/10/serving-the-lord

The Joy of Unselfish Service

  Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately three minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on October 2018 General Conference talk, and it is called "The Joy of Unselfish Service" By Cristina B. Franco. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the talk. 

Sister Franco has mentioned the following; "... Sometimes as we serve, we get to sit in different seats. Some are quite comfy and some other ones are not, but we have promised our Father in Heaven that we will serve Him and others with love and do His will in all things. 

A few years ago, youth in the Church learned that “when you ‘embark in the service of God’ [Doctrine and Covenants 4:2], you’re joining the greatest journey ever. You’re helping God hasten His work, and it’s a great, joyful, and marvelous experience.”

It’s a journey available to all of any age and is also a journey that takes us along what our beloved prophet has spoken of as “the covenant path.” Unfortunately, however, we live in a selfish world where people constantly ask, “What’s in it for me?” instead of asking, “Whom can I help today?” or “How can I better serve the Lord in my calling?” or “Am I giving my all to the Lord?”

... Widow's Mite

... Sisters, are we giving our all to the Lord without reservation? Are we sacrificing of our time and talents so the rising generation can learn to love the Lord and keep His commandments? Are we ministering both to those around us and to those we are assigned with care and with diligence sacrificing time and energy that could be used in other ways?

"Simple acts of service can have profound effects on
others as well as on ourselves." - Jean B. Brigham.

Are we living the two great commandments to love God and to love His children? Often that love is manifest as service. President Dallin H. Oaks taught: “Our Savior gave Himself in unselfish service. He taught that each of us should follow Him by denying ourselves of selfish interests in order to serve others.”

He continued: “A familiar example of losing ourselves in the service of others … is the sacrifice parents make for their children. Mothers suffer pain and loss of personal priorities and comforts to bear and rear each child. Fathers adjust their lives and priorities to support a family. … 

“… We also rejoice in those who care for disabled family members and aged parents. None of this service asks, what’s in it for me? All of it requires setting aside personal convenience for unselfish service. … “[And] all of this illustrates the eternal principle that we are happier and more fulfilled when we act and serve for what we give, not for what we get.

“Our Savior teaches us to follow Him by making the sacrifices necessary to lose ourselves in unselfish service to others.” President Thomas S. Monson likewise taught that “... In reality, you can never love the Lord until you serve Him by serving His people.” In other words, sisters, it will not matter if we sat in the comfy seats or if we struggled to get through the meeting on a rusty folding chair in the back row.

It won’t even matter if we, of necessity, stepped into a foyer to comfort a crying baby. What will matter is that we came with a desire to serve, that we noticed those to whom we minister and greeted them joyfully, and that we introduced ourselves to those sharing our row of folding chairs reaching out with friendship even though we aren’t assigned to minister to them. And it will certainly matter that we do all that we do with the special ingredient of service coupled with love and sacrifice. ..."

If you would like to read this talk either now or in your own time, here is the link below.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/10/the-joy-of-unselfish-service

Stay Tuned until next time.

Convenient Service ~ Part Two

 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. 

... 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.

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.

"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.

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/sherri-patten-palmer/convenient-service/

Stay Tuned until next time.

Convenient Service ~ Part One

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening,

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

What does "Convenient Service" means to you? What does "Convenient Service" means to a immediate relative? 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 one. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Sister Palmer has mentioned the following; "... President Thomas S. Monson said, I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish and in effect save their lives. [“What Have I Done for Someone Today?” Ensign, November 2009, 85]

Furthermore, we read in Revelation 2:19: I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notice how “works” is in this scripture twice actually, I believe it is in there four times, as charity and service could also be “works.” 

Heavenly Father is saying here that He knows our works. So what works or service are we personally known for? Do we hesitate when confronted with the opportunity to serve? Is it convenient to serve? Or is service something we sign up for once in a while when the sign-up sheet is passed around?

... What of these people who are less fortunate than we are? How do we serve them? In my travels I have wondered why there is so much variation of wealth, health, or material blessings. What do others desire when
they appear to have so little? 

"As we serve, we draw closer to God." - Carl B. Cook.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said something that has helped me understand: God thus takes into merciful account not only our desires and our performance, but also the degrees of difficulty which our varied circumstances impose upon us. [“According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts,” Ensign, November 1996, 21]

Of course everybody has similar desires, but it is the performance and the degree of difficulty it takes for us to perform that God considers. God takes into account the degrees of difficulty. 

So what does that say when it truly is quite easy to give a little service because of our blessings and fortune? ... We have a low degree of difficulty, and we should really be getting off the couch, so to speak, and providing meaningful service. We are blessed for a reason. 

If it is only a little difficult to render service, should we not do it more often? If it is only a little inconvenient, why can’t we do it more frequently? What about those who have a higher degree of difficulty in providing service? Think of those who are struggling in the world. 

I am sure many missionaries can relate to the experiences I had while I was on my mission years ago. Families who had little to eat would prepare food for the missionaries. Surely these families have a different degree of difficulty when it comes to giving and rendering service. ... Even though there are material inequalities in the world, we all can have the righteous desire to serve.

And it is the pursuit of these righteous desires that measures our reward in heaven. We do not have to travel abroad to have fascinating and memorable experiences of service. We can and should start right here in our homes and neighborhoods. Jesus did not travel very far; often He served those very near to Him.

We have opportunities to serve by simply being sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, and brothers and sisters. We serve through our church callings and by being members of our wards. I often think that Heavenly Father will ask me, “What did you do to serve the women you visit taught?"

Stay Tuned until next time. 

Opportunities to GIVE and RECEIVE Service in the Past

Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately three minutes to read from start to finish.

Do you remember how you felt when you gave service to your immediate family members and your extended in the past? If yes, how did it made you feel? Did you felt happiness?  

Do you remember did you feel when you gave service to your friends in the past? If yes, how did it made you feel? Did you felt happiness?  

Do you remember did you feel when you gave service to strangers in the past? If yes, how did it made you feel? Did you felt happiness? 

Did you remember how you felt when you have received service to you? How did it made you feel? 

"It's not where you SERVE, but how." 
- President J. Reuben Clark.

Duration of my friend Jordan's mission; I had an opportunity to meet his Mum Helen and his Grandma Marjorie one day.  We had great memories together. I had multiple opportunities to serve Helen which always made me feel happy. I remembered constantly putting Helen's name and Marjorie's name on the Temple Prayer Roll each time when I went to the Temple. I added other names on the Temple Prayer Roll as well.

I was able to go with Helen when she went out to go groceries shopping, I watched over Marjorie in the car while Helen had to go to the bank, I went with Helen to visit Marjorie when she was in hospital, and so forth. I was able to live with Helen for a short time frame. I still kept in touch with Helen these days. It was recently when I found out the sad news, and that was Marjorie has passed away. I felt disappointed that I was not able to attend to Marjorie's funeral. I felt privileged to meet Marjorie when I did. 

I have reflected over the years that my parents has given me countless of times for service. One of the services that has helped me as I progressed in this life was when they taught me how to drive and supervised me while I was learning how to drive. They did not ever give up on me, and I was always willing to drive whether it was to short distances, or long distances, I was happy to drive at any time of the daytime and night time.

I remembered being employed at three Mount Ommaney Domino's, Calamvale Domino's and Logan Central Domino's; all of those stores has something in common for what I have done for giving service in the past. At least one in-store employee from each store that I had the opportunity to take them home after I have finished my shift if I have finished working roughly at the same times they did. 

I made me happy that I was able to do that for them. I know that they were always grateful and relied on me to take them home from work. I am grateful for the friendships that I have made with them. 

I remembered being called and set apart as a Temple Ordinance Worker. Most times, I enjoyed serving in the Temple. I always feel happy and seeing church members feeling happy while they're inside the Temple. Out of all the evenings that I have served in the Temple, there was one evening was a great a reminder to myself. 

Let me to share that evening about it was a great reminder to myself. While I was waiting for the sisters to come for an endowment session, I noticed that the evening was so quiet. I did not see any sisters coming. I waited for a little longer. I saw a sister named Sister Wood. She wanted to do an endowment session.

I immediately apologized to her that there was no other sisters for endowment session and I offered to her if she would like to do a different session inside. I mentioned about that she could do initiatory session instead. She felt grateful that she was still able to do another session in the Temple in replacement of not being able to go to an endowment session. 

You probably wondering why that evening was a great reminder to myself. That evening has helped me to remind myself of my purpose why I have chosen to become a Temple Ordinance Worker, and that was to help others to feel when there is no session available of what they are wanting to do, there are always other sessions that they can do instead. 

I remembered the same evening of my first car accident, and I was driving home from a former friend's home. It was not long after my car accident when my friend Monique's Dad was driving past the car accident scene and Monique has recognized it was me looking scared.. I am glad that friend was able to tell her Dad to stop and turn around. 

I am glad Monique and her Dad was able to help me out. Heavenly Father put two people that I knew on my path to provide a lift to the local chapel. I felt shakened, and disappointed because that car was my first ever owned vehicle but I felt so happy for Monique and her Dad was able to reach out and gave service to me.

I somehow was not able to contact to anyone at home by using my own phone so I thought to ask Monique if I could borrow her phone. She allowed me to, I was able to call Emma if she can pick me up at a local chapel. I am confident that I had a priesthood blessing for comfort after arriving at the local chapel. 

Stay Tuned until next time.