“The Savior’s Love and Concern for the One,” Liahona, July 2025.
The Savior’s Love and Concern for the One
We have been asked to love and minister to each other as Jesus Christ does—one by one.
Illustration by Alex Nabaum
Shortly after my baptism in August 1984, I heard about a fun activity with music and barbeque not far from where I lived in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe. My friends and I were excited to go, but it was on Sunday. My friends were not members of the Church.
I told them, “I’ll go to church but sneak out after sacrament meeting and join you.”
My friends, who knew my weakness, said, “If you do that you will miss out. By the time you come, the barbecue will be over.”
I had a decision to make. Do I go to church or the barbecue? I chose the barbecue but found out Sunday morning that it had been canceled. By that time, it was too late to go to church, so I just stayed in my little rented room.
Early that afternoon, I heard a voice: “Does Eddie Dube live here?”
It was my branch president, John Newbold, with his wife, Jean. I wanted to hide under my bed! But before I could do anything, they stood by the curtain that separated my room from the rest of the house.
“Oh, Eddie,” they said, “we missed you at church today.”
We talked a while, and after they left, their kind words, “Eddie, we missed you,” continued to go through my mind. I am grateful for John and Jean Newbold. Since that day, I have been blessed because they helped me see, in a personal way, our Savior Jesus Christ’s love and concern for the one.
One by One
Jesus came as a resurrected being to the Nephites after He had been with the Father. He came to comfort the people. He lovingly invited them:
“Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.
“… And this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come” (3 Nephi 11:14–15; emphasis added).
Later, the Savior invited them to bring all who were sick, hurt, or “afflicted in any manner … and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him” (3 Nephi 17:7, 9; emphasis added). He then “took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them” (3 Nephi 17:21; emphasis added).
To imagine that 2,500 people were there is truly humbling (see 3 Nephi 17:25). Being born and raised in Africa, I often picture the Savior standing in the bright sun, waiting to heal, comfort, encourage, and show love to all who came unto Him. As His disciples, we have been asked to minister to those around us as He does—one by one.
Go with Faith
The Relief Society or elders quorum presidency in your ward or branch, with the approval of the bishop or branch president, have assigned you individuals and families to minister to. Some of them you may barely know. You might feel nervous about visiting, calling, or even texting them. You may worry that they will not want you in their home. But your leaders have prayerfully considered what this assignment might mean for you and the blessings it can bring to you and your ministering families. So, go with faith.
Some years ago, I went with a stake president in the southeastern United States to visit several families before a stake conference. As we arrived at one home, a man dressed in shabby clothes walked up to us.
“What do you want?” he shouted. “I don’t want people coming to my house!”
I was concerned when the man’s demeanor became threatening. I wanted to grab the stake president and run back to the car! But the stake president was calm. “We are sorry,” he said. “We thought your bishop had told you we were coming.”
As they spoke, I felt the Spirit so strongly. I gathered my courage, approached the man, and said, “Dear brother, President Thomas S. Monson [he was the prophet at the time] has given me the assignment to come here. We are here to see you. I bring the love of the prophet to you.”
I looked into the man’s eyes and noticed they were tearing up. He began to share his challenges with us. His wife suffered from depression. He had just lost his job. He did not have food to feed his children. The stake president assured the man that the Church would help him and his family. We had a nice visit.
Several weeks later, I asked the stake president for an update. He told me that this brother’s bishop and the ward council were assisting him and that he and his wife, who was not a member of the Church, began meeting with the missionaries.
Ministering begins by reaching out to others with faith and love. As we go with faith, trusting in the Lord, we can seek revelation from Him regarding His designs and purposes for our interactions with each of His children. He will help us know what to say and do and guide us in how to “bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light,” “mourn with those that mourn; … and comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (Mosiah 18:8–9). As we do, we will come to know how much the Savior truly loves the one.
How Great Shall Be Your Joy
To this day, I am still in touch with John and Jean Newbold. Over all these years, I feel joy because of the love they extended to me. And they have felt joy in seeing me progress in the gospel. This is what can happen when we minister—we and those we serve become closer to one another and more connected with the Savior.
The Savior taught that “the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. …
“And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10, 15; emphasis added).
If ministering has not been a priority for you, President Russell M. Nelson taught that “all of us can do better and be better than ever before.” I invite you to change and turn a new leaf. I promise that as you engage in ministering, you will find solutions to the challenges you are currently facing.
The Savior’s promise is real: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:25).
With the Savior’s help, you can become the kind of ministering brother or sister He needs you to be to make a difference in the lives of Heavenly Father’s children—each and every precious one.