IN THE SERVICE OF GOD

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day. (Doctrine and Covenants 4:2)

I cannot remember how many years I wrestled with the idea of how it could it be possible to serve God, since He has all Omni-ness. I also realize that there were probably many more important doctrines and principles about which I should have been struggling.

However, I was very grateful after having taught the Book of Mormon countless number of times, when I finally had a marvelous ‘aha’ moment while preparing a lesson on the 17th verse of chapter 2 of the book of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon.

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the Service of your God.

There it was and there it had always been. Adam knew it, Moses knew it, Abraham knew it, Joseph Smith knew it and now I finally knew it. We are in the Service of God, we do not serve Him who has all. We are enlisted in the army of He who is all powerful. We are contracted under-shepherds who cannot learn enough to be able to add to the understanding of He who knows all. We cannot travel far enough to expand the universe of Him who is all present.

The only commitment He requires of us is to submit ourselves to be ministers in whatever work He might call us to perform in helping Him bring to pass the immortality and eternal lives of His children.

Mosiah is quick to admonish and warn those who covenant their lives to being in the Service of God.

I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise (and service) which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another.

I say unto you that if ye should serve him (be in the Service of God) who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him (be in the Service of God) with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants. (Mosiah 2: 20, 21)

I know Mosiah repeats we must serve God several times, therefore, if you have strayed from the concept we are trying to convey, you need to reread the beginning paragraphs of this Thought.

Mosiah must have been well aware of what needy little beings we are whose constant battle with pride sends us plodding after self-aggrandizing glory for every tiny service we render to our brothers and sisters while we throw in our minute acts with pretense of being in the Service of God.

And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you. (Mosiah 2: 25)

It probably does not happen as often as it should, but at least every December I am reminded by the ghost of Christmas Present what miserable little creatures we are.

As servants in the Service of God

We do an act of kindness – and – then become offended when thanks is not heaped upon us.

We share a pittance of our abundance – and – then are saddened because a hospital wing is not named in our honor.

We lend a cloak from our overflowing closets – and – then want everyone to realize it warms a stranger’s shoulders.

We make a simple contribution of understanding – and – then wonder at the absence of acknowledgement of our genius.

We provide a scant meal to one who is hungry – and – then expect everyone to praise our benevolence.

In order to avoid causing all who read this Thought to be moved to judge why I have so great an understanding about how we who are called to serve others in the Service of God react in an abundance of sad ways, I will not do my usual 10 examples, but stop at five. I am sure I have provided enough fodder to cause the horse to founder.

I doubt very many of us will ever reach the point of serving in the Service of God with all our might, mind and strength, but hopefully, He who accepted the widows mite will accept all of our meager offerings.

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me (In the Service of God). (Matthew 25: 40)


THOUGHTS FOR A SABBATH DAY – WILLIAM L. RILEY

EDITED BY – KATHLEEN W. RILEY