The Spirituality of Service
President Benson, who speaks for the Lord to all the world, has
challenged us to "live by the
Spirit and teach by the Spirit." How many
times have we heard him say,
"It's the Spirit that counts in this work"?
Yes, the Lord's work is spiritual
work. It relates to changing lives,
developing true values, and overcoming
worldly influences.
Over the years, many people, especially youth, have asked me,
"Elder Cuthbert, how can I become
more spiritual?" My reply has always
been the same: "You need to give
more service."
Service changes people. It refines, purifies, gives a finer perspective,
and brings out the best in each
one of us. It gets us looking outward
instead of inward. It prompts
us to consider others' needs ahead of our
own. Righteous service is the
expression of true charity, such as the
Savior showed.
How, then, does service increase our spirituality? May I share with
you briefly ten aspects, from
which you can choose those most applicable
to your own situation?
First, service helps us establish true values and priorities by
distinguishing between the worth
of material things that pass, and
those things of lasting, even
eternal, value. Our beloved prophet counsels:
"If you would find yourself,
learn to deny yourself for the blessing of
others. Forget yourself and find
someone who needs your service, and
you will discover the secret
to the happy, fulfilled life." (Ezra Taft Benson,
Ensign, May 1979, p. 34.) We
have a lovely sister who is living by us who
has been confined to a wheelchair
for twenty-seven years; she truly
forgets herself in service to
others as she gives firesides and helps
wherever she can, with a cheerful
smile and a positive attitude.
Second, service helps us establish a righteous tradition. This is so
necessary, particularly among
young people. Wise parents will provide
service opportunities in the
home for their children from an early age.
Growing up with this tradition
will blossom into community service and
Church service. It will develop
a spirit of volunteerism in a world where
people more often ask, "What's
in it for me?" The Lord has counseled:
"For behold, it is not meet that
I should command in all things. . .
Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause,
and do many things of their own
free will, and bring to pass much
righteousness." (D&C 58:26-27.)
As I travel to stake conferences I am delighted to hear of youth
service projects of various kinds,
such as baptismal work in the temple,
community cleanup efforts, and
youth missions during vacation time.
This is the way we shall save
the rising generation from becoming a
totally selfish, indulgent generation.
We shall not save them by providing
fun activities which are inward-looking.
Third, service helps us overcome selfishness and sin. Have you ever
realized that all sin is selfish,
whether it be lying, cheating, stealing,
immorality, covetousness, or
idleness? Sin is for one's own ends, not
another's--certainly not for
the Lord's ends. Service, on the other hand,
is unselfish and constitutes
a positive power for good.
Anciently Isaiah lamented, "We have turned every one to his
own way." (Isa. 53:6.) In modern
parlance, they "did their own thing,"
whatever the adverse effect upon
others. Even many of those who
profess to understand free agency,
or moral agency, turn liberty to
license, as we can see all around
us.
Fourth, not only does service overcome selfishness and sin, but
it helps to recompense for sin.
The prophet Ezekiel explained this when
he declared, "None of his sins
that he hath committed shall be mentioned
unto him: he hath done that which
is lawful and right." (Ezek. 33:16.)
Again, James taught that to "save
a soul . . . shall hide a multitude of
sins." (James 5:20.) We can express
regret and feel remorse for things
done wrong, but full repentance
should include recompense, such as
service gives.
Fifth, service helps us generate love and appreciation. We come to
know people by serving them--their
circumstances, their challenges,
their hopes and aspirations.
My wife and I have the privilege of visiting
some widowed sisters who have
become dear friends. What a blessing
for us to learn of their missions
and temple service and now family
record extraction service unselfishly
performed, despite many trials
and heartaches.
Sixth, service is the principal way of showing gratitude to the Savior.
We need to fill ourselves up
with gratitude for His redeeming love, His
infinite atoning sacrifice, His
obedience to the will of the Father. As we
become full [page 13] of gratitude,
it overflows into service, and "inasmuch
as [we] have done it unto one
of the least of these [his] brethren, [we]
have done it unto [Him]." (Matt.
25:40.)
Seventh, service channels our desires and energies into righteous
activity. Every son and daughter
of God is a storehouse--even a power-
house--of desires and energies,
which may be used for good or evil.
This great potential needs to
be harnessed to bring blessings to others.
I think of a group of young people
who saw a film on famine in Africa
and
organized a charity concert to
help those in need. I think of tens
of
thousands of Church members who
responded to the First Presidency's
call for a special fast. This
year's famine and destitution is
expected to
be even worse in Africa, and
again we need to prioritize the
use of our
resources in the Lord's own way--not
only for those in distant
lands, but
for the poor in our own communities.
Eighth, service helps us cleanse ourselves and become purified
and sanctified. Not being perfect,
are we not all sinners? Yes, we all
need the redeeming and atoning
blood of Christ to purge us of our sins.
How is this accomplished? The
way is through Christlike service, as
expressed by the prayer of St.
Ignatius Loyola, which I learned in my
youth:
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed the wounds; . . .
To labor and not ask for any reward
Save that of knowing that we do Thy will.
(Prayer for Generosity,
1548, in John Bartlett, Familiar Quotations,
14th ed., Boston: Little, Brown
and Co., 1968, p. 1806.)
Ninth, charitable service helps us do as the Savior did, for was not
His whole ministry one of reaching
out and helping, lifting and blessing,
loving and caring? Jesus declares,
"I am among you as he that serveth"
(Luke 22:27), and again, "For
I will raise up unto myself a pure people,
that will serve me in righteousness"
(D&C 100:16). There are good people
everywhere giving charitable
service. Once, when we were visiting our
missionaries and members in Nigeria,
our vehicle broke down on a lonely
road. Finally a car approached,
and two young Nigerians got out. "The
Lord told us to stop and help
you," they said. Help us they did, for they
knew what the Lord would have
them do. And so it should be with us.
Tenth, service helps us to get to know the Savior, for "how knoweth
a man the master whom he has
not served?" (Mosiah 5:13.) As we
immerse ourselves in the service
of others, we find our spiritual selves
and come unto Him. I was impressed
while visiting the California
Sacramento Mission a few months
ago to meet a young, blind
missionary elder. He had completely
immersed himself in missionary
service, despite his special
needs, and his spirit shone through.
In all of these ways, righteous service brings us nearer to Christ,
increases our spirituality, and
brings others likewise. Such service is
helping to prepare a people worthy,
in the Lord's due time, to redeem
Zion.
As some of you may know, just after last October general conference,
it was discovered that I had
been seriously stricken with cancer, which
was in its last stage. May I
express my love and gratitude for the prayers
and blessings and loving concern
on my behalf which have brought about
a miracle of recovery. As I give
thanks for each new day of life, I express
gratitude for the opportunities
of service--past, present and future.
The wonderful thing about service is that there is no end to it. As
President Benson says, "Therefore,
let us serve one another with
brotherly love, never tiring
of the demands upon us, being patient
and persevering and generous."
(So Shall Ye Reap, Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1960, pp. 173-74.)
Yes, as we give Christlike service, it helps us grow spiritually, "[put]
off the natural man and [become]
a saint" (Mosiah 3:19)--that is, one
who is honestly trying to follow
the Savior and doing what He would want
us to do. What a marvelous feeling
it is to have the Spirit of the Lord
poured out more abundantly upon
us as we bear one another's burdens
and share with and mourn with
those in need. (See Mosiah 18:8-10.)
May this be our happy lot, I humbly pray, bearing my personal
witness of the risen Lord Jesus
Christ, His restored Church, and His
living prophet, in the name of
Jesus Christ, amen.