Day 11 - Serve

( oops, I've been overloaded and this got pushed under .... my 14 days are going to be stretching out and I'm going to be really pushing it to get it done by Easter now, but it's still doable)

Day 11 (April 17, 2011)

Question:  How does the Lord want me to serve?

Read:

D&C 4

1    “ Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.

2  “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.

3   “Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;

4   “For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;

5   “And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.

6   “Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.

7   “Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.”

Moroni 7:5-8

5   “For I remember the word of God which saith by their works ye shall know them; for if their works be good, then they are good also.

6   “For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing.

7   “For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness.

8   “For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God.”

Ponder:  Is the Lord first in my life?  What am I doing to build the Lord’s kingdom?  How do I really feel about the service that I give others?  Does serving the Lord make me happy?

These questions require a great deal of soul searching, and the answers are relatively personal.  Is the Lord first in my life?  I think so, though there may be times when my actions shout otherwise.  So maybe the answer to that has to be sometimes yes, and sometimes no.  But always the intent is there.  Does intent count?

What am I doing to build the Lord’s kingdom?   Well, I have accepted my Church callings and am trying to complete them.  But beyond that, I try to be an example to others of the Gospel’s profound effect in my own personal life.  I do my visiting teaching.  I complete my responsibilities in my callings to the best of my ability.  But I think the question really delves below those surface answers.   In what ways am I building the Lord’s kingdom, besides those minimal effort things I already mentioned?   I’m thinking I need to improve.

How do I really feel about the service that I give others?  I actually enjoy giving service when it is my own idea.  But I struggle sometimes when I am doing things because I am assigned to do them.  What is the difference?  The first involves my free agency, the second feels as though I have no free agency, and I rebel.  This was mentioned in Church today – how the speaker, Bro. Jardine, often kicks against service assignments, until he gets a minute into it, anyway.  From that point forward, he said he loves the work.  I think we’re all that way sometimes.

Does serving the Lord make me happy?  Yes!  Always.