SERVICE

 

 

1. I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things accomplished. I can’t see it. Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day. When He interacted with those around Him, they felt important and loved. He knew the infinite value of the people He met. He blessed them, ministered to them. He lifted them up, healed them. He gave them the precious gift of His time.

 

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf “Of Regrets and Resolutions” October 2012

 

2. These simple, daily acts of service may not seem like much in and of themselves, but when considered collectively they become just like the one-twelfth teaspoon of honey contributed by a single bee to the hive. There is power in our love for God and for His children, and when that love is tangibly manifest in millions of acts of Christian kindness, it will sweeten and nourish the world with the life-sustaining nectar of faith, hope, and charity.

 

-M. Russell Ballard “Be Anxiously Engaged” October 2012

 

3. "Love is what inspired our Heavenly Father to create our spirits; it is what led our Savior to the Garden of Gethsemane to make Himself a ransom for our sins. Love is the grand motive of the plan of salvation; it is the source of happiness, the ever-renewing spring of healing, the precious fountain of hope. As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit."

 

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "You Are My Hands,” May 2010

 

4. “My brothers and sisters, we are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness—be they family members, friends, acquaintances, or strangers. We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us.”

 

-Thomas S. Monson, “What Have I Done for Someone Today?” November 2009

 

5. “Help others in their race of life. Remember that when you help another up a mountain, you are a little nearer the top yourself.”

 

-Thomas S. Monson, “Great Expectations,” CES fireside for young adults, Jan. 11, 2009

 

6. “It is not easy to give up our personal priorities and desires. . . . [But] ‘he who lives only unto himself withers and dies, while he who forgets himself in the service of others grows and blossoms in this life and in eternity’ (Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [1997], 588).”

 

-Dallin H. Oaks, “Unselfish Service,” May 2009

 

7. "As we look heavenward, we inevitably learn of our responsibility to reach outward. To find real happiness, we must seek for it in a focus outside ourselves. No one has learned the meaning of living until he has surrendered his ego to the service of his fellow man. Service to others is akin to duty, the fulfillment of which brings true joy. We do not live alone—in our city, our nation, or our world. There is no dividing line between our prosperity and our neighbor's wretchedness. 'Love thy neighbor' is more than a divine truth. It is a pattern for perfection."

 

-Thomas S. Monson, "The Joy of Service," October 2009

 

8. “When we seek to serve others, we are motivated not by selfishness but by charity. This is the way Jesus Christ lived His life and the way a holder of the priesthood must live his. The Savior did not care for th ehonors of men; Satan offered Him all the kingdoms and glory of the world, and Jesus rejectet the offer immediately and completely (see Matthew 4:8-10). Throughout His life, the Savior must have often felt tired and pressed upon, with scarcely a moment to Himself; yet He always made time for the sick, the sorrowful, and the overlooked.”

 

-Dieter F. Ucthdorf “Lift Where You Stand” October 2008

 

9. “My brothers and sisters, I thank you for your faith and devotion to the gospel. I thank you for the love and care you show to one another. I thank you for the service you provide in your wards and branches and in your stakes and districts. It is such service that enables the Lord to accomplish His purposes here upon the earth.”

 

-Thomas S. Monson, “Welcome to Conference,” May 2009

 

10. “‘No one can assist in this work [unless] he shall be humble and full of love' (D&C 12:8). 'By love serve one another' (Gal. 5:13). Just as service is a natural consequence of love, so is love a natural consequence of service. Husbands, serve your wives. Wives, serve your husbands. Husbands and wives, serve your children. And to all we say, serve God and neighbor. As we do so, we will come to love the object of our devotion and thus be obedient to the first and great commandment of love."

 

-Robert F. Orton, "The First and Great Commandment," November 2001

 

Position Statement:

 

The Savior’s life was a life completely full of service. He did so much for others in His day to day living, and of course when he completed the Atonement. The Lord asks me to have hands willing to serve. I know that from serving others, most often the one more blessed or touched is the one who gives the service. I know the Lord places opportunities for such service in my path and that I must have open eyes and a willing heart to do these things.