No Less Serviceable

“No Less Serviceable”

So Moroni was a pretty awesome guy (Alma 48:11-13). He is a stalwart example of many things and I think we discuss the example he can be for us frequently. But a verse I really like is found in verse 19

“Now behold, Helaman and his brethren were no less serviceable unto the people than was Moroni…”

Of course, we could learn a lot by studying the life of Captain Moroni. He is an example of faith, service, dedication, commitment, and many other wonderful attributes. But rather than focus on him, we are going to look at those who are not seen in the limelight, who do not receive the same attention, yet who are “no less serviceable.”

The manual says, “Not all of us are going to be like Moroni, catching the acclaim of our colleagues all day every day. Most of us will be quiet, relatively unknown folks who come and go and do our work without fanfare. To those of you who may find that thought lonely or frightening or just unspectacular, I say, you are “no less serviceable” than the most spectacular of your associates. You, too, are part of God’s army.”

What do you think President Hunter is trying to help us understand by emphasizing that Helaman and his brethren were no less serviceable than Moroni?

How can that understanding help us?

In the scriptures, many people who made great contributions served in the shadow of others.

What can these scriptural examples teach us?

How can these examples influence our own feelings as we serve?

Even though we may not be well known, we can render great service in God’s kingdom.

Mary: Mark 14:8

“She hath done what she could”

I love this statement so much, and the more I thought about it the more I loved it. First, I love that this is a simple formula of how we can do our part – we simply do what we can do, we do what we are able to do. We can’t cure all the hunger, saddened hearts, or solve all the problems in the world, but we can lift where we are and help to uplift others as well.

The other thing I love about this scripture is that no one else thought of serving the Savior in that way. She did what she could. I think so many times we have unique opportunities to serve others and whether it is our relationship to that person, our unique attributes, or just our specific placement in that moment when someone needs us – there are times when doing what we can means doing what we can. Our individual efforts are needed in order to help lighten the burdens of others.

In a very startling moment of Christ’s ministry, Jesus stood up in a synagogue in Nazareth and read a scripture prophesied by Isaiah.

Luke 4:18

About this story Jeffrey R. Holland said, “Thus the Savior made the first public announcement of His messianic ministry. But this verse also made clear that on the way to His ultimate atoning sacrifice and Resurrection, Jesus’s first and foremost messianic duty would be to bless the poor, including the poor in spirit.”

I love this and I think the choice Christ made to announce His ministry in this way speaks volumes about the kind of person He is and the kind of people we should be. 

During this time as we think about Christ’s birth and life, thinking about His service is an important part of that. The service we offer may not change the world, but it will certainly help some people – and it will definitely change us. We become more Christ-like as we follow Him and try to do as He did. So just as He announced His ministry as a life of service, I would hope that if we were able to announce the goal of our lives it would be similar as well. We all have a divine nature to become like our Heavenly Parents and I believe that more than anything else we can do on this earth, the service we render to others helps us to understand our divine nature and further develop those attributes we have as children of divine Parents.