To serve God is to serve others and is the greatest form of charity: the pure love of Christ. Jesus Christ said, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." (John 13:34). This list gives 15 ways in which we can serve God by serving others.
11. Simple Acts of Service
President Spencer W. Kimball said:"God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom... In the Doctrine and Covenants we read about how important it is to '...succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.' (D&C 81:5.) So often, our acts of service consist of simple encouragement or of giving mundane help with mundane tasks, but what glorious consequences can flow from mundane acts and from small but deliberate deeds!" ("Small Acts of Service," Ensign, Dec 1974, 2).Sometimes all it takes to serve God is to give a smile, hug, prayer, or a friendly phone call to someone in need.
12. Serve God Through Missionary Work
As members of the Church of Jesus Christ we believe that sharing the truth (through missionary efforts) about Jesus Christ, His gospel, its restoration through Latter-day prophets, and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon is of vital service to everyone. President Kimball also said:"One of the most important and rewarding ways in which we can serve our fellowmen is by living and sharing the principles of the gospel. We need to help those whom we seek to serve to know for themselves that God not only loves them but he is ever mindful of them and their needs. To teach our neighbors of the divinity of the gospel is a command reiterated by the Lord: 'It becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor' (D&C 88:81).
13. Fulfill Your Callings
Members of the Church are called to serve God by serving in church callings."Most of the priesthood bearers I know... are eager to roll up their sleeves and go to work, whatever that work might be. They faithfully perform their priesthood duties. They magnify their callings. They serve the Lord by serving others. They stand close together and lift where they stand....Faithfully serving in our callings is to faithfully serve God.
"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" (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Lift Where You Stand," Ensign, Nov 2008, 53–56).
14. Use Your Creativity- It Comes from God
We are compassionate creators of a compassionate and creative being. The Lord will bless and help us as we creatively and compassionately serve one another. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said:"I believe that as you immerse yourselves in the work of our Father, as you create beauty and as you are compassionate to others, God will encircle you in the arms of His love. Discouragement, inadequacy, and weariness will give way to a life of meaning, grace, and fulfillment. As spirit daughters of our Heavenly Father happiness is your heritage" ("Happiness, Your Heritage," Ensign, Nov 2008, 117–20).The Lord will bless us with the needed strength, guidance, patience, charity, and love to serve His children.
15. Serve God by Humbling Yourself
I believe it is impossible to truly serve God and His children if we, ourselves, are full of pride. Developing humility is a choice that takes effort but as we come to understand why we should be humble it will become easier to become humble. As we humble ourselves before the Lord our desire to serve God will greatly increase as will our capacity to be able to give of ourselves in the service of all our brothers and sisters.I know our Heavenly Father deeply loves us- more than we can imagine- and as we follow the Savior's command to "love one another; as I have loved you" we will be able to do so. May we find simple, yet profound ways to daily serve God as we serve each other.
