Elder Henry B. Eyring said in May Conference; Our desire to serve others is magnified by our gratitude for what the Savior has done for us. That is why our hearts swell when we hear the words sung “Because I have been given much, I too must give.”1 King Benjamin, in his great sermon recorded in the Book of Mormon, promised that feeling of gratitude would come (see Mosiah 2:17–19). (Click 1 and scroll to the top of the page for the complete talk.)
When our faith in Jesus Christ leads us to qualify for the joy of His forgiveness, we feel a desire to serve others for Him. King Benjamin taught that forgiveness is not accomplished in a single moment.
He said it this way: “And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants” (Mosiah 4:26)…
I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith” (Alma 34:28).”
The mortal reaction to this facilitated by the adversary’s overwhelming shouts to distract is, “Do I have to?” or “There is nothing in it for me.” or “there is so much need, where would it end?” Well… it won’t end, not until Christ himself comes in His glory and sets in place a new order that will sweep the earth of wickedness. In the meantime, I can give my own agency as a personal gift to Christ and do something, really anything, to become a little more, from day to day… to become his eyes to see, ears to hear, hands to do, feet to take me to where needs are, heart to understand and displace the selfish and inappropriate. No it is never easy. But then easy was never intended for this life, as the way to return to God and His heaven. The very things I avoid which the Lord would have me do (commanded as above) are those same things which will bless me on a path ‘seasoned’ with experience to take me back home, comfortable in His and heavenly Father’s presence.Turning away from that path reminds me of Lewis Carol’s wisdom in ‘Alice in Wonderland’; her conversation with the Cheshire cat; Alice: “Which path should I take?” cat: “Where do you want to go?…If you don’t know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter what path you take.” As with anything of worth, Christ’s path (far less traveled! and) often the most difficult of all paths, leads to the greatest of all rewards. Now seen through my mortal eyes, it looks so inconvenient, so ‘not cool’, so ‘not me’, so… so… Do I have to?…
No I get to! Best solution… Wake UP Kent! Become more up and doing for Jesus Christ. By my doing it all His way, plodding along, making mistakes, repenting and all (He is quick to forgive, another part of his example for me to live), making him my mentor, I grow toward eternal objectives, meaning eternal purposes for Him. With any discipline of value, it doesn’t happen in a moment. It will take years, even a lifetime with lots of sweet rewards along the way. Best get started and/or continue with increasing energy… there really isn’t a lot of life left…for any of us, He could call me back any moment! As long as I am striving, keeping my covenants including becoming my brothers / sisters keeper, I need not worry about the outcome, because I belong to Him.
A thought from my dad fifty+ years ago, that he would say to his family (not LDS) from time to time: ‘wake up and smell the coffee’, meaning become sensitive and aware of what is around you and DO something, anything to make the situation better.
(I should always consult the Lord in sharing cash, etc. with others… lest I support iniquity.) kdm
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