Service

Survival, both spiritual and temporal, in the last days will require service. It is through service that those who have are able to give to those who do not. Service is voluntary and should not be mandatory. Those forced to give service are called servants, and that has never resulted in anything good.




King Benjamin, a great prophet and leader in the Book of Mormon, said that "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17).



It is through service that lives are changed. Helping someone move, visiting the sick, serving in a church calling, and many things can be considered service. We learn to be Christ like when we give service.



Many believe that mandatory service brings blessings. Service only brings blessings when it is given freely. Moroni said, "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" (Moroni 7:8).



Many feel it is OK to do good and give service by forcing others to pay for goods and services that the unfortunate may need. This is often done through taxes and extensive welfare and social security systems. These systems forcefully take from those who have and give to those who have not. These systems also require no improvement on the part of the recipient. As a result many remain on welfare for their lives and never improve their circumstance. Many families teach their children how to live off of the welfare system. No man or woman should ever willingly give up their responsibilities as parents and wages earners to the government. That should not be. That is not God's way. God's way enables and empowers people to solve their own problems.