Ministering is More than an Occasional Text and Connecting in the Hall at Church

 

Ministering as the Savior Would

By Sister J. Anette Dennis

First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency

A ministering sister in New Zealand was led to a unique way to help a sister in her ward. This sister had recently gone through a separation from her husband. The ministering sister was up late with her baby and noticed that this sister seemed active online in the late hours of the night, so she decided to message her. After praying about how she could help, she was inspired to take some time to sleep during the day and set her alarm to wake up late at night to keep this sister company by messaging with her online because this was the time of the day the sister felt sad and lonely and especially missed her husband.

With regular interactions and invitations from both ministering sisters, over time this sister started coming back to church. Her ministering sisters would pick her up and accompany her to meetings and activities. She then had the desire to talk to her bishop about renewing her temple recommend.

The week after receiving her recommend, she and her ministering sisters attended the temple together. Through this time of inspired watchcare, she no longer felt lonely.

These ministering sisters truly became trusted friends and spiritual first responders for this dear sister going through a challenging time in her life. They provided temporal and spiritual relief. But it took time, patience, loving-kindness, and gentle invitations.

By seeking the Lord’s inspiration, this ministering sister was led to a unique way she could help. Ultimately, that inspired ministering led this sister back to the temple and the blessings of a covenant relationship with God.

Ministering with Love

For the efforts of these ministering sisters to be sustainable, however, it took their love of God and the love they had for this sister. We can pray for that love if we don’t feel it at first. Ministering to others only out of a sense of duty won’t be sustainable over the long term, especially if those we are assigned to are resistant at first.

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said that we should “love and minister in such a way that others are drawn to Jesus Christ.” To do that, we need to develop relationships of trust with those we are assigned to. That type of relationship will develop over time. It will take more than just sending an occasional text or connecting in the hall at church....

Because each individual is unique, each will need something different, just as the sister from New Zealand did. As we pray for, spend time with, and sincerely listen to others, we will discover their individual needs and can receive inspiration to know how and when to serve them, both temporally and spiritually....

The Savior’s example is one of individual ministering and love. As we practice ministering as the Savior would, we will be transformed to become more like Him. Ministering will become who we are, not just what we do. Over time, ministering will become a part of us, and we will go about doing good, as the Savior did, with or without an assignment.

Are You Going to Stay to Graze or Jump the Fence?

 

Released but Not Obsolete: Purposeful Service at any Age

By Norman C. Hill

says. “When someone says they’ve been put out to pasture, we say, ‘You get to decide whether you stay to graze or jump the fence.’ Most barriers are artificial anyway. Service, friendship, family, ministering—none of these have any boundaries.” -Julie Beck

‘Hal, I don’t need people to like you. I need you to do my will.’

 

Power through Christlike Living

By Elder Robert C. Gay

Emeritus General Authority Seventy

From a commencement address, “Launch with Power through Christlike Living,” given at Southern Virginia University on April 28, 2023.

As sons and daughters of heavenly parents, we should ask ourselves, “What would God have me do?”...

To become more like Jesus, I invite you to take upon yourselves three foundational principles of Christlike living.

First, live your life by covenant, not convenience....you are likely to find that life will bring challenges that appear unusually difficult or even insurmountable. These can take many forms—from financial or workplace struggles to emotional or physical impairment to family division and collapse. To surmount these obstacles, you will need power from beyond yourself. The question you will need to answer is, Where do I find such power?

While speaking in a devotional to members in a country where its people were burdened with a struggle for jobs and food to eat, President Russell M. Nelson told them: “The Lord Himself has said, ‘My people must be tried in all things’ (Doctrine and Covenants 136:31). … Remain firm in your covenant path … and you will have the strength to face any challenges. … God will protect and care for you.” He later expounded, “The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power.”

There is no individual who does not need power from on high, and such power comes most abundantly from an inward commitment to a life girded to God’s covenant path. Begin with that end in mind, and you will find hidden reservoirs of miracles and power available to you in your most trying hours.

Years ago, I worked as a senior managing partner at one of the world’s leading private equity firms when my wife and I were interviewed by a senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He called us to serve as mission leaders for the Church in Africa. We had many things going on in our life at that time. We were involved in some very challenging family dynamics. We were heavily engaged in large humanitarian efforts across the world while also managing a large and rapidly growing global investment business. As we sat there that day with this beloved Apostle and reflected on our personal situation, we both politely said that this was probably not the best time for us to serve a mission.

Without hesitation, this member of the Twelve turned to my wife and said, “Lynette, you are going to make a great missionary and companion to your husband.” He then turned to me and said, “You really don’t get it. The Lord is calling you to save your life. You are either going to live your life by covenant or convenience. There is never a convenient time to serve. This is a matter of faith. You either believe that the Lord will bless your life with the blessings you need, as you do His priorities, or you don’t.”

Those words changed my life. I left my company, went to Africa, and later found all that we had worried about was answered and resolved.

One of the great attacks upon your soul will be the temptation to choose only those parts of covenant living that are within your comfort zone. Yet you cannot choose which commandments to keep and which to omit if you are to have heaven’s full power in your life.

President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, once impressed upon me this very reality. We were discussing a certain policy that the Church had undertaken. It had led to much public criticism of Church leaders. He said to me: “I want people to like me, but when I say my prayers at night, I hear His voice say to me: ‘Hal, I don’t need people to like you. I need you to do my will.’” That is the great charge of covenant living—no matter the situation we find ourselves in, no matter how unpopular, we are to do God’s will. Only as we live our lives by covenant, with full purpose of heart, and not by convenience will we receive His richest blessings, His most enabling power.

Second, rise above indifference, adversity, and contention. Strive to make your life a beacon of light and truth that shines before others around you....

More than ever, in a society that is ever pressing to have us think of others in terms of race, gender, or even vaccination status, ours is a spiritual challenge of not turning away but of building pathways of unity versus contention, of loving our neighbor, of building bridges of community service and in defense of the family....

It has been said, “The unwounded bears no resemblance to the Savior.” Life is about doing good through trials of adversity and scars. As part of a divine plan, each of us is part of a world where good and evil coexist and where we are to deal with and work though opposition in all things (see 2 Nephi 2:11).

I believe adversity will always lead us to a twofold temptation: one will be to cast blame on others—to become a victim—and a second will be to let failure paralyze us into inaction.

Third, bear the burdens of one another....

God will always be at the helm when we minister to His sons and daughters in need....

people are always more important than meetings....

As you strive to live by covenant, not convenience, you will be made to impact all you touch for good. You will receive the needed courage and voice to set aside adversity, to honor and save life, to guard family, and to frame a better and peaceful tomorrow.

God is able to make much more of your life than you can alone. My prayer is that your desire will be to meet the challenge of your day and emerge the child of God you are, being one with Him throughout your life and becoming who God would have you become.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2024/10/united-states-and-canada-section/03-power-through-christlike-living?lang=eng

Spiritual Momentum

 

The Powerful, Virtuous Cycle of the Doctrine of Christ

By Elder Dale G. Renlund

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

By consistently paddling the kayak, I maintained momentum and forward progress, mitigating the effect of waves hitting me from the side. The same principle applies in our spiritual lives. We become vulnerable when we slow down and especially when we stop. If we maintain spiritual momentum by continually “rowing” toward the Savior, we are safer and more secure because our eternal life depends on our faith in Him.

Spiritual momentum is created “over a lifetime as we repeatedly embrace the doctrine of Christ.”...

Repeatedly means that we experience the elements of the doctrine of Christ over and over throughout our lives. Iteratively means that we build on and improve with each repetition. Even though we repeat the elements, we are not just spinning in circles without a forward trajectory. Instead, we draw closer to Jesus Christ each time through the cycle....

Our faith in Jesus Christ needs to be nourished daily. It is nourished as we pray daily, study the scriptures daily, reflect on the goodness of God daily, repent daily, and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost daily. Just as it is not healthy to defer eating all our food until Sunday and then binge our weekly allotment of nutrition, it is not spiritually healthy to restrict our testimony-nourishing behavior to one day in the week.

When we assume responsibility for our own testimonies, we gain spiritual momentum and gradually develop bedrock faith in Jesus Christ, and the doctrine of Christ becomes central to the purpose of life. Momentum likewise builds as we strive to obey the laws of God and repent....

As the Holy Ghost exerts a greater influence in our lives, we progressively and iteratively develop Christlike attributes. Our hearts change. Our disposition to do evil diminishes. Our inclination to do good increases until we only want “to do good continually.” And we thereby access the heavenly power needed to endure to the end. Our faith has increased, and we are ready to repeat the powerful, virtuous cycle again....

To be clear, baptismal and temple covenants are not, in and of themselves, the source of power. The source of power is the Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. Making and keeping covenants create a conduit for Their power in our lives....

As we minister to others, we do not need to ask unhelpful questions or state the obvious. Most people who are struggling know that they are struggling. We should not be judgmental; our judgment is neither helpful nor welcome, and it is most often ill-informed.

Comparing ourselves to others can lead us to make pernicious errors, especially if we conclude that we are more righteous than those who are struggling. Such a comparison is like drowning hopelessly in three meters of water, seeing someone else drowning in four meters of water, judging him a greater sinner, and feeling good about yourself. After all, we are all struggling in our own way. None of us earns salvation. We never can. ...

We all need the Savior’s infinite Atonement, not just part of it.

We do need all our compassion, empathy, and love as we interact with those around us....

As we minister, we encourage others frequently and offer help. Even if someone is not receptive, we continue to minister as they allow....

The Savior’s job is to heal. Our job is to love—to love and minister in such a way that others are drawn to Jesus Christ. ...

I invite you to live the doctrine of Christ repeatedly, iteratively, and intentionally and help others on their way.

All Things Work Together For Our Good

 

All Things for Our Good

By Elder Gerrit W. Gong

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

A Chinese story begins as a man’s son finds a beautiful horse.

“How fortunate,” the neighbors say.

“We’ll see,” says the man.

Then the son falls off the horse and is permanently injured.

“How unfortunate,” the neighbors say.

“We’ll see,” says the man.

A conscripting army comes but doesn’t take the injured son.

“How fortunate,” the neighbors say.

“We’ll see,” says the man.

This fickle world often feels tempest tossed, uncertain, sometimes fortunate, and—too often—unfortunate. Yet, in this world of tribulation, “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” Indeed, as we walk uprightly and remember our covenants, “all things shall work together for your good.”

All things for our good.

A remarkable promise! Comforting assurance from God Himself! In a miraculous way, the purpose of Creation and the nature of God are to know beginning and end, to bring about all that is for our good, and to help us become sanctified and holy through Jesus Christ’s grace and Atonement....

With our trust and faith in God, trials and afflictions can be consecrated for our good. Joseph, sold into slavery in Egypt, later saved his family and people. The Prophet Joseph Smith’s incarceration in Liberty Jail taught him “these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.” Lived with faith, trials and sacrifices we would never choose can bless us and others in ways never imagined...

When trials come, often what we most want is for someone to listen and be with us. In the moment, cliché answers can be unhelpful, however comforting their intent. Sometimes we yearn for someone who will grieve, ache, and weep with us; let us express pain, frustration, sometimes even anger; and acknowledge with us there are things we do not know.

When we trust God and His love for us, even our greatest heartbreaks can, in the end, work together for our good....

When we are still, open, and reverent, we may feel the beauty, purpose, and serenity of the covenant belonging the Lord offers. In sacred moments, He may let us glimpse the larger eternal reality of which our daily lives are part, where small and simple things work together for the good of givers and receivers....

A father assigned with his teacher-age son as ministering companions explained, “Ministering is when we go from being neighbors who bring cookies to trusted friends, spiritual first responders.”...

As temples come closer to us in many places, a temple sacrifice we can offer is to seek holiness in the house of the Lord more frequently. For many years, we have saved, planned, and sacrificed to come to the temple. Now, as circumstances permit, please come even more often to the Lord in His holy house. Let regular temple worship and service bless, protect, and inspire you and your family—the family you have or the family you will have and become someday....

When life is cluttered and purpose isn’t clear, when you want to live better but don’t know how, please come to God our Father and Jesus Christ. Trust They live, love you, and want all things for your good.

 

Reach Higher

By Michael R. Morris, Church Magazines

I wondered why Emily had stopped along the path until I saw her reach out for the young woman behind her.

Photograph by the author

While my wife served as our ward Young Women president, each summer she invited me to Young Women camp to help with outdoor activities. During a recent camp, I helped with a ropes course the young women walked while blindfolded.

Those walking the course had to hold on to a thin rope that stretched from one tree to another. After they reached each tree, they would feel around the tree’s trunk for the section of rope that led to the next tree. The course featured a few difficult areas, including a dead end. I helped participants if they stumbled or had trouble with one particularly tricky spot halfway through the course.

At that spot, the rope tied into a tree as usual. But the rope leading to the next tree was located a few feet above the rope coming into the tree. By that point in the course, the young women were used to merely reaching around each tree trunk to locate the next rope. When they struggled to find the higher rope, I told them, “Reach higher.”

Like others before her, a young woman named Emily soon became frustrated trying to find the higher rope. After about 20 seconds, I whispered, “Reach higher.” Emily soon found the rope, but then she paused.

Instead of proceeding, Emily turned and reached out for the young woman behind her, Gwen. Then Emily gently lifted Gwen’s hand to the higher rope so she would know where to find it. Emily then went on her way, and Gwen followed.

Emily’s helpful gesture was small, but it reminded me of our weighty responsibility as disciples of Jesus Christ to assist others along the covenant path, help God’s children reach higher, and “lift up the hands which hang down” (Doctrine and Covenants 81:5).

“As we lift others, we rise a little higher ourselves,” taught Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then Second Counselor in the First Presidency. He also said: “When we reach out to bless the lives of others, our lives are blessed as well. Service and sacrifice open the windows of heaven, allowing choice blessings to descend upon us” (“Happiness, Your Heritage,” Liahona, Nov. 2008, 119).