"Giving of Ourselves"

Giving Ourselves to the Service of the Lord

By PresidentGordon B. Hinckley
Liahona - August 1987


Giving of Ourselves


"John O’Donnal was told when he was near death that his life would be spared but that his life would not be his own. How true that must be for each of us. None of us may rightly say that his life is his own. Our lives are a gift from God. We come into the world not by our own will. We leave not according to our wish. Truthfully, our days are numbered not by ourselves, but according to the will of God.

Of all people, we must surely realize that there can be no true worship of Christ without giving of ourselves. Why are missionaries happy? Because they lose themselves in the service of others.

Why are those who labor in the temples happy? Because their labor of love is in very deed harmonious with the great vicarious work of the Savior of mankind. They neither ask for nor expect thanks for what they do. For the most part, they know nothing more than the name of him or her in whose behalf they labor.

Sadly, many of us use our lives as if they were our own. It is true that ours is the choice to waste our lives if we wish. But that becomes a betrayal of a great and sacred trust. The Master has made it abundantly clear that “whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” (Mark 8:35.)

The miraculous three years of the Lord’s public ministry brought forth many such great principles of truth. Each was given both by precept and example and together they represent teachings that have enriched mankind through all the years that have followed. Of all people, we in these latter-days have certain testimony that when men and women have recognized Him and followed His teachings they have known peace and prosperity. When they have denied Him and forsaken His counsel, they have suffered conflict, sorrow, pain, and darkness.

Let us now in our time, each one, reach out more generously to love those around us in the spirit of the Christ. It is not enough even to give alms to those in need. For as important as that is, a gift without the giver has no meaning; the person who gives of himself with what he has to offer feeds three—“Himself, his hungering neighbor, and me [the Savior].” (James Russell Lowell, “The Vision of Sir Launfal,” part 2, stanza 8.)

May the real meaning of the gospel impress us so that we may realize that our lives, given us by God our Father, are to be used in the service of others. If we will give such service, our days will be filled with joy and gladness. More important, they will be consecrated to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to the blessing of all whose lives we touch."

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