Elder James E Faust, “Some Great Thing”, October 2001 General Conference quoting Elder Henry B. Eyring, “Waiting upon the Lord,” Brigham Young University 1990–91 Devotional and Fireside Speeches, 22
A story shared by our beloved associate, Elder Henry B. Eyring, illustrates this principle of commitment still further. This story is about his father, the great scientist Henry Eyring, who served on the Bonneville Stake high council. He was responsible for the welfare farm, which included a field of onions that needed to be weeded. At that time, he was nearly 80 and suffering from painful bone cancer. He assigned himself to do weeding even though the pain was so great that he pulled himself along on his stomach with his elbows. The pain was too great for him to kneel. Yet he smiled, laughed, and talked happily with the others who were there that day weeding that field of onions. I now quote what Elder Eyring said of this incident:
“After all the work was finished and the onions were all weeded, someone [said to] him, ‘Henry, good heavens! You didn’t pull those weeds, did you? Those weeds were sprayed two days ago, and they were going to die anyway.’
“Dad just roared. He thought that was the funniest thing. He thought it was a great joke on himself. He had worked through the day in the wrong weeds. They had been sprayed and would have died anyway.
“… I [asked] him, ‘Dad how could you make a joke out of that?’ …
“He said something to me that I will never forget. … He said, ‘Hal, I wasn’t there for the weeds.’” Lynn G Robbins, Which Way Do You Face?, October 2014 General Conference
“May His inspiring example strengthen us against the pitfalls of flattery from without or of conceit from within. May it give us courage to never cower or fawn at the feet of intimidation. May it inspire us to go about doing good as anonymously as possible and not ‘aspire to the honors of men’ (D&C 121:35). ”
Helping Others to Help Themselves: The Story of the Mormon Church Welfare Program (1945), 4.
“The Church cannot hope to save a man on Sunday if during the week it is a complacent witness to the crucifixion of his soul.”
Elder M Russell Ballard - Apostle, Be Anxiously Engaged, General Conference October 2012
“As the Epistle of James notes, service is the very definition of pure religion ”
James 1:27
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 382, 384)
“There is no happiness without service, and there is no service greater than that which converts the home into a divine institution, and which promotes and preserves family life.”
Elder Ronald A Rasband, Special Lessons, General Conference April 2012
“If you come upon a person who is drowning, would you ask if they need help—or would it be better to just jump in and save them from the deepening waters? The offer, while well meaning and often given, ‘Let me know if I can help’ is really no help at all.”
Jose L Alonso of the Seventy, Doing the Right Thing at the Right Time, without Delay, General Conference, October 2011
When we serve our neighbor, we help those who are in need. In the process we may find solutions to our own difficulties.
President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985), “The Abundant Life,” Ensign, July 1978, 2.
“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.”
President Deiter F Uchtdorf, Waiting on the Road to Damascus, General Conference April 2011
“Often, the answer to our prayer does not come while we’re on our knees but while we’re on our feet serving the Lord and serving those around us. Selfless acts of service and consecration refine our spirits, remove the scales from our spiritual eyes, and open the windows of heaven. By becoming the answer to someone’s prayer, we often find the answer to our own.”
“If someone is looking for a church that requires very little, this is not the one. It is not easy to be a Latter-day Saint, but in the long run it is the only true course.”
No comments:
Post a Comment