If You're Happy & You Know It

The title's a bit of a joke; it comes from the KJV of John 13:17 where Jesus Christ says "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them."

Christ is talking about following His example, perhaps particularly of offering humble service, as He had just washed the feet of His twelve apostles who sat with Him for dinner.  However, what I absolutely love about this scripture is Christ's choice of the word "do."

Not "happy are ye if ye know them," or "happy are ye if ye believe them," and not even "happy are ye if ye do them every once in a while."  Happy are we if we continually do as Christ has done.  If we get up and move the bodies we've been given to serve those in need, be they strangers, family, friend, or someone we honestly just do not get along with.

Sometimes it takes a lot to give thoughtful, meaningful, humble service.  It takes courage to speak up and offer something you're not sure will be wanted.  It takes patience to serve someone who does not want to be served or is ungrateful for your service.  It takes charity and effort to be genuine in your deeds of kindness.  And heck, it takes a lot of time.

But you get so much more than you put in!  "Happy are ye..."!  By getting out of our personal bubble and catering to someone else's needs, our emotional tanks are refueled with happiness and love and a perspective that allows us to be strong through our own tough times and downs.

I'm straight up challenging each of you to find someone to serve this week.  If you want, take careful time to think about someone in need and what you can meaningfully bring to their life.  Or, just keep service in mind, and when you run into a stranger in distress take that courage to reach out.  I can promise you that the Savior's words are true: that when we serve others as He served, we can bring happiness into our lives and others'.

It's a win-win-win for us, them, and God.

How will you serve this week?

Doubt & Instant Gratification

"And when the tempter came to him, he said, 'If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.'"

This scripture, Matthew 4:3, demonstrates two very effective ways Satan tempts us: doubt and instant gratification.

"If thou be the Son of God.."
With that first word, "if," Satan begins to plant seeds of doubt.
If the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, then this.
If the Book of Mormon is the word of God, then that.
If God exists, then I would feel it.

Satan seems to take a rather logical approach, using an age-old part of the way we think: if this, then that.
If Jesus is the Son of God, then He would have the power to change those stones into bread.  If He was the Son of God, then He would have the power to do anything.  So why was it not okay for Christ to use His priesthood to perform a miracle and create food, especially when He must have been so terribly hungry after having just fasted for a very long time?

"...Command that these stones be made bread."
Instant gratification.  Use your power, your abilities, your gifts from God to serve yourself right here, and right now; that's what Satan was trying to get Christ to do.  He's hungry!  He is about to begin His earthly ministry, which will end mortally with His Atonement for the spiritual and physical deaths of all mankind!  Why can He not use His God-given abilities to make some food to eat?

Because the gospel of Jesus Christ was, and still is never about satisfying yourself.

Think of all your God-given gifts, powers, abilities, and blessings.

Your body, your mind, your talents (yes, you have many talents, don't try to deny!), the small amount of money you do have if you're a struggling college student like me, and so many other things He has given and continues to bless us with.  These are not meant to be used to please ourselves.  We should not use our bodies' procreative powers to satisfy our own lustful desires, we must use them to strengthen marital bonds and bring forth children.  We should not use our wonderful intellectual abilities to deceive and get gain over others, we must use them to build up the kingdom of God and value wisdom and knowledge from all fronts.  We must not use what God has given us to get even more for ourselves; but as He has given, we should also give, which is freely and with love.

"We make a living by what we get.  We make a life by what we give."

I'm not saying it would have been inherently bad for Christ to turn those stones to bread, and He would even go on to perform miracles with bread later on.  (We experience a bread-ly miracle from Him each week as we partake of bread and water during the sacrament to renew our baptismal covenants with Him.)
I am saying that Christ delivered to us a very prominent example of what we should be doing with what God has given us, and how we can grow closer to both of Them through serving others instead of satisfying ourselves.

What can you do to serve someone today?