Stand and Shine Magazine Winter 2014 | Page 39

We We know, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that service is an essential part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We covenant at baptism to “bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light” (Mosiah 18:8) and to “manifest by [our] works” (D&C 20:37) that we are disciples of Jesus Christ. The greatest example of service is, of course, the Savior himself. President Thomas S. Monson said, “An attitude of love characterized the mission of the Master. He gave sight to the blind, legs to the lame, and life to the dead. Perhaps when we [face] our Maker, we will not be asked, ‘How many positions did you hold?’ but rather, ‘How many people did you help?’ In reality, you can never love the Lord until you serve Him by serving His people.” (CES Fireside January 2009) We show the Lord our love for Him through service! When we help a friend who is down, serve a neighbor who is ill, spend time with someone who is lonely…all of these show our Heavenly Father that we are taking our covenants seriously and holding them dear. We are earnest in our desire to “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees” (D&C 81:5) sharing the love of our Lord with others. It may not always seem convenient to serve. It may mean go