Area Leadership Message
What Good Will I Do?
A rich young man asked the Savior, “what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16)
In his response the Savior mentioned keeping the commandments as an essential requirement to obtain eternal life, but the young man, noticing that he had fulfilled this requirement since childhood, then asked the Lord, “What lack I yet?”
In His answer the Savior said to him, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me” (Matthew 19:21, See also 16–22).
As we ponder the Savior’s response, we can notice that opportunities to progress in life never end, which is why we should not believe we have already done everything. No matter how committed we are to keeping God’s commandments, a sincere desire to serve the Lord will always provide us with new opportunities to perfect ourselves and to prepare ourselves to qualify for eternal life.
The true meaning of life and fulfillment is not found in what we have, but in what we share with our fellow human beings. Service to others is the key to finding a meaningful and transcendent life. When we focus on helping others, on sharing our resources, time, and talents generously, we find a satisfaction and joy that material possessions could never bring us.
I firmly believe we should all ask ourselves, just as the rich young man asked the Savior, “What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” and as we ponder the good, we are already doing, feel the need to ask also, “What else am I missing?” With courage, we must give the best of ourselves so that on the day when it is our turn to appear before our Heavenly Father, we will hear Him say as the Savior taught, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
“For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
“Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and you came unto me” (Matthew 25:34–36).
The parable of the good Samaritan tells the story of a man who was attacked by thieves and left half dead by the roadside. Both a priest and a Levite passed by him without help, but a Samaritan, considered an enemy of the Jews at the time, stopped and took care of him. The Samaritan healed his wounds, took him to safety, and paid for the care he received. (See Luke 10:25–37.) The parable highlights the importance of loving and serving others, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or social standing. The Samaritan showed compassion and cared for the welfare of the needy man.
I have always believed that the behavior of the Samaritan does not represent an isolated event but rather the lifestyle and compassionate way the man had of treating others. In the same way, each of us should try to fill our life with acts of charitable service and expressions of sincere love for our fellow men. To the assertion that the Samaritan was the neighbor because he had had compassion on the wounded man, the Savior declared, “Go and do likewise.”
This invitation from the Savior to all of us is for the purpose of getting to know Him and our Heavenly Father, and thus preparing ourselves to be worthy to return to His presence. King Benjamin taught, “For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?” (Mosiah 5:13)
If we want to know the Savior, the answer is to serve Him wholeheartedly.
Jesus Christ not only taught us the importance of charitable service, He gave us the perfect example. His ministry was full of expressions of kindness and love for others. In His visit to the Nephites, He could not help but have His heart filled with compassion for them and He said to them, “Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy” (3 Nephi 17:7).
I pray that Heavenly Father will bless us so that we can understand the importance of filling our lives with acts of kindness and serving others with love, allowing our bowels to be filled with charity. I promise you that the joy and satisfaction you will feel will enable you to face your own challenges more easily, and your ability to love others will increase significantly. Remember the second and great commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves (See Matthew 22:39.), and King Benjamin taught us that when you are in the service of your fellowmen, you are only in the service of your God. (See Mosiah 2:16.)
I testify that Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer and Savior of the world and is the perfect example of love and service to others. I love my Heavenly Father and thank Him for the opportunities He gives me to serve in this great work, and I know that all the good we do for the benefit of our fellowmen will bring us joy in this life and we will we lay up treasures in heaven and thus secure eternal life.