The Intricacies of Service

2 Nephi 15:20-24

"Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Wo unto the wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight!

Wo unto the mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink;

Who justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

Therefore, as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, their root shall be rottenness, and their blossoms shall go up as dust; because they have cast away the law of the Lord of Hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel."

I can't help but be amazed at how people who don't ask for recognition, people who don't "do good" simply to look good in others' eyes, rather they do so because they honestly care about the well being of their fellow man... almost always get recognized in the best ways possible.  Much better ways than they would be recognized had they sought the recognition as a precusor to their service and selflessness.  

But really, isn't that what this life is all about?  Are we not asked to "feed my sheep?"  

So if we are supposed to give whatever we have and whatever we can to those in need, what is "good enough" as far as service goes?  What are we supposed to do to qualify to be worthy of His approval?  Is helping out at a homeless shelter good enough?  Is visiting a friend in the hospital what we are supposed to do?  Are we supposed to give unpaid service to family members who may not be able to easily do something that needs to be done?  Do we need to volunteer at church? at food banks? at hospitals?  What does He want us to do?

After doing much thinking on this, I would answer that we are supposed to do whatever we can.  All of the above are good answers, and there are still more that aren't listed.  So long as it's from the heart, and is truly selfless (the thought of "oh, I'm doing this because it's a good resume builder" comes to mind), then that's all He really asks of us.  Now, how should we go about accomplishing that?  Simply desiring to do so and making it a priority really should be enough.. 

Like I've mentioned in previous posts, we need to make time for the things the Lord has asked us to do.  Instead of finding excuses to not attend church meetings, institute, going to the temple and such, we need to make sure that our schedule is worked around those institutions of the Lord, and if so done, our lives will be made happier and more fulfilled.  I think the same thing should be thought of with service.  We need to do "premeditated service."  Find something that you truly want to do to help out where you can, and then put it down on your schedule, and fill in the rest of your schedule around such activities.  That really is the only way to make sure that we do the most good that we can.  

Now that's not to say that simply doing what we've "scheduled to do" is all that we need to do.  That simple act (or not so simple for others) doesn't mean that we should be turning down other opportunities to serve, but that it is a great starting place.  Obviously Christ centered His life around service, so even if we find a way to fit service into a regular schedule, thing just how much better our lives would be if we also stepped up to the call to serve whenever we're asked to, no matter what the request might be?  To truly be service-centered, and not let service become a hinderance to our daily lives or thoughts or desires.

We have been commanded to "be ye therefore perfect."  Service truly is one of those divine principles that, in my mind at least, separates those who are truly striving to be perfect, and those who keep "being perfect" as an ideal that sure is nice to think about.

A poem on my mind

2 Nephi 14:4

"When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning."

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date.

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimmed;

But the eternal summer shall not fade.

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,

Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,

When in eternal lines to Time thou grow'st.

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

-William Shakespeare

The Armor of God

2 Nephi 13:9-11

"The show of their countenance doth witness against them, and doth declare their sin to be even as Sodom, and they cannot hide it.  Wo unto their souls, for they have rewarded evil unto themselves!

Say unto the righteous that it is well with them; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

Wo unto the wicked, for they shall perish; for the reward of their hands shall be upon them!"

We had a great lesson in Elder's Quorum today, it was about armor.  Brother Budge related a parable of sorts to us.  He spoke about the secret service and how rigorous their training is, all of the dangers they have to be prepared to face and encounter, as well as how the members of the service are selected.  He then went on to describe in fair amounts of detail all of the counter-measures they take to make sure that they are ready for any challenge they meet whether it be weapons, armor, vehicles, research, strategies, etc.  And then he related it to something much more important.

He related it to temptation, and what we should be doing to make sure that we are as prepared to face temptation as possible, and as strong as we can be when Satan rears his ugly head.  A member of the secret service would never go on a job without his pistol, his ballistic vest, his communications devices, and so on.  If he did, he sure wouldn't be very well prepared and if he failed to meet the expectations of his very important duty due to his lack of preparation, he would feel very foolish and might even get someone (or himself) killed.  That's pretty serious stuff.

But what's really more important?  What is even more serious?  What would be even more foolish to not be prepared for?  Not being prepared to encounter temptation can effect more than just the loss of a life, it can effect the loss of exaltation.  That seems like a far more foolish thing to not be prepared for.  In today's class we also talked about the various temptations we face today, as well as our counter-measures.  A few of those counter-measures are:

Feasting on the scriptures

Keeping your family close

Attending church meetings

Paying your tithing

Constant Prayer

etc...

If temptation is where sin begins, and succumbing to temptation is what leads us down the path that costs us our exaltation, how foolish would we be to go out "into the world" without being as prepared and personally-fortified as possible?  Why would we not do everything within our power to make sure that when temptation presents itself, we are strong enough to resist it, or to make sure that we are sober enough to call on the Lord in our time of dire need? 

Why is it that when we see something that appears to be a "real threat" such as terrorists, thieves, and the general dregs of society, we make sure to do whatever we can to protect ourselves.  But at the same time we fail to do so in order to protect ourselves from the sneakier villain of temptation and sin?

Constant upkeep of your spiritual well being will do far more for you in the long run (and short run, honestly) than constant upkeep of your possessions and physical desires.

Stand in Holy Places

2 Nephi 12:11

"And it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day."

There's something that has been on my mind off and on for the last while.  It comes from something a dear friend of mine said to me a few months ago.  The basic jist of it is "if Christ came while you were doing that, would you be proud to be there?"  That really got me thinking about priorities in life.  What activities do I participate in throughout the course of my life that would be acceptable to Christ?  What do I do that might not be so acceptable?  Have I purposefully arranged my daily schedule to make room for the most important things (to the best of my abilities)?  Things like institute, family home evenings, temple trips, church meetings, etc  Or have I let the so called "importance" of my daily schedule prevent me from attending the things that will bring me the MOST happiness in my life (both in the short AND long term)?

And on that note, there are more questions that come to mind such as... Do I surround myself with people that share my same values and desires in life, or at least with people who respect me for my choices in life as opposed to those who might belittle me for doing things contrary to what they believe is right?  When I'm with my friends that do respect my life-choices, but don't share the same values, do I make sure that I uphold ALL of my standards?  Do I make sure that I exhibit every value a member of the church should demonstrate?  In EVERY choice that I make around them?  

Do I live every hour of my life not in fear of the Second Coming, but in anticipation and yearning for it?  Is that apparent by the choices I make?  Do I make those choices simply for the "image" of it?  Or do I do so because I honestly believe that is the way I should be living my life?

Family and Strangers

2 Nephi 11:4-5

"Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him.

And also my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers; year, my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death."

I love my family.  They are such a source of strength and joy.  My testimony of "family as an institution of the Lord" is strengthened daily.  The unwavering and unconditional love that we share one to another is amazing.  We don't really judge eachother, we don't ever try to get under eachother's skin (well, seriously anyways hah), we understand that if our union as a family falls apart, who can we really count on to be there for us when we need someone?  It is a common sentiment for people in the world to feel unified with their family and to show charity and love towards them.  

But why do we have a hard time doing that for our fellow man that may not be our family?  If we truly are brothers and sisters with everyone we meet, why do we find it harder to show love and charity and service to a stranger than we do to our family?  Christ certainly didn't have any difficulty doing so.  Aren't we trying to emulate Christ?  Doesn't everyone deserve a smile? A kind word? A helping hand? A caring gesture?  

"For if ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have only done it unto me."  (I think that's the wording, hah, yay memory.)  

Really.. why are we hesitating to help EVERYONE out as opposed to those we are already close to?  Is it because we know that they'll be around to return the favor some time down the road?  That doesn't sound unconditional to me.  Is it because we are afraid that they might think less of us?  (Really? Think less of a person who is graciously aiding them for some unknown reason?  That makes no sense, can't be the reason.)  Do we not help strangers simply because we don't like them?  Why should we not like them? They are our sisters and brothers, they are entitled to just as much love as we are.  Aren't they?

Resolutions

2 Nephi 10:23-25

"Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves - to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.

Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine.  Amen."

Well it is officially one full day into the new year, 2009.  What changes will this new year bring to my life?  To the lives of those around me that I love dearly?  What new events will happen in the church that will forever shape the face of the world?  What can I do to make sure that when the Lord calls on me to help further His cause, I will be worthy and able to answer?  How can I better serve my fellow man this year than I did last year?  How can I make sure that I keep the routine I have begun that has helped shape my life in such a positive way?  What can I do to be a better influence (in a positive way) on my friends and those that come into contact with me?  How can I further magnify my callings in the church and make sure that I am "lifting where I stand" as we have been advised to do?  

When I think of new year's resolutions, that what comes to mind.  What do I need to do to better answer the question: before I pass from this mortal realm, "have I done everything I was supposed to do?"  I sure plan on the answer to that question being: "Yes"

I love you all, and I wish you a fruitful and a happy new year!

2009!

2 Nephi 9:18

"But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever."

My goodness it's late, but I made a commitment, so here I am.

Today/Tonight was fun.  I finished the Doctrine and Covenants today, read every section alongside my father.  We started the morning my mother left for Brunei a few months ago, and finished this morning.  So that was good to accomplish before the new year.  

Work was good, but oh my goodness we had a lot of catering orders!  Who'd have thought that Chick-fil-A party trays were "the thing" for New Year's Eve parties this year?!

As for the "party" it was a lot of fun.  We invited the Lowe family over to share in the festivities since we were basically going to be doing the same things, just at our respective houses, so I figured why not combine the parties?  It turned out to be a great time.  We played an hilarious! game of Guesstures, then we watched the ball drop, and then we played some Rock Band until it got about that time to go.  After the Lowe family left my parents, my brother and I played our usual game of Rook, and it turned out like it usually does (sorry mom & dad!).

But mostly, I'm really glad that I got to know the Lowe family better tonight.  With brother Lowe being my bishop for 5 or so years while I was of highschool age, I've gotten to know them fairly well, but I wasn't necessarily as close to the family as I could've otherwise been.  They really are great people.  Hopefully our families can contiune to get closer as the years progress forward.

Well, i'm officially turning into a pumpkin at this point, so I will close my post here.

2009 Resolution: Turn my life over to God and put my trust in Him with all of my decisions (at least the major ones!).