Post 25 - Serving Our Fellow Man

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TODAY'S THEME

The Good Samaritan -by Walter Rane

I would venture to guess that most of you blog viewers recognize this painting to be of the Good Samaritan Jesus told about after a lawyer had asked Him, "Who is my neighbor?" Please read Our Savior's story that answered the lawyer's question: Luke 10:25-37  

It should not be surprising to you regular readers of this blog, that in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, the principle of service to neighbors is taught as a principle that the Lord Jesus Christ would have all of us live, even before He was born in Bethlehem.

In about 124 BC a king of the Nephite Nation in ancient America, Benjamin, who was about to turn his kingdom over to his son, Mosiah, gathered all of his people from wherever they lived to the temple which was a religious edifice where events like this were held because of their strong religious beliefs.

King Benjamin Speaks to His People -by Gary L. Kapp

We are told in The Book of Mormon record of this event, that everyone came with their families and pitched their tents in front of the temple.

From the wall of the temple Benjamin could be easily seen as he delivered his address. The written words of his address were delivered by messengers of the king to each of the families present. Please read this important passage of scripture: Mosiah 4:6-27
Something as important as Jesus' teaching that we should serve our neighbors, most certainly should be an important part of His Church in our day. I refer you back to  review what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints accomplished during the year, 2007 regarding humanitarian service throughout the world. It will be found in the General Conference talk of Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His talk is entitled: Who is My Neighbor? Post 20 of this blog

This following article was found in the Deseret News of Salt Lake City, Utah sometime ago. forgive me I lost the title of the article and the name of the author while upgrading this post on September 19, 2011.

Less than three weeks from when she was to enter the Provo Missionary Training Center prior to serving in the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission, Alma Rosa Nava and her family were among the 106 members of Lehi (Spanish) Branch, Friendswood Texas Stake, forced by Hurricane Ike to evacuate their Galveston Island homes and relocate inland.

With the College Station Texas Stake hosting the evacuees from its sister stake for a dozen days, Sister Nava approached Bryan 1st Ward Bishop David R. Durda with questions about her travel itinerary to Utah.

During the ensuing conversation, Bishop Durda learned Sister Nava had begun purchasing and setting aside clothes and supplies for her mission. But the rushed evacuation leading up to Hurricane Ike hitting southeastern Texas on Sept. 13 resulted in her having to leave her preparations behind.

Uncertain if Sister Nava's family would be able to return to their home prior to her mission starting on Oct. 1, sisters of the Bryan 1st Ward stepped in.

"They are Saints in every sense of that word and are angels to our people," said Friendswood Texas Stake President Jonathan S. Schmitt of the College Station Stake, which ended up housing more than 150 evacuees. "When the members learned of Alma's missionary service, they provided everything on her mission list to ensure she would be prepared to serve."

But the story doesn't end there; the charitable service went full circle. In appreciation for the unsolicited assistance, Sister Nava's family found ways to reciprocate.

"The family wanted to provide service--they wanted to give back," said Lehi Branch President J. Thomas Westergard, with the Navas helping with housecleaning and other tasks in Bryan before departing.

"They gave service back," said Bishop Durda, "All of the Galveston members were very self-reliant,"

I Neil Birch include these matters regarding how we should show love to one another by being Good Samaritans as described by our Savior Jesus Christ in the scripture I provided you earlier in this post.

Jesus showed His love for us by suffering and dieing for us, so that we each may begin living this principle more fully than we perhaps have done in the past.

Again, the great service rendered by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to those in need, to non-members and members alike, is evidence that it is His true church. I want each of you readers to know that I know this church is directed in our day by living prophets who are led directly by Him through the power of Prophecy and Revelation. I also know the Book of Mormon was brought about by and is authorized by Jesus Christ. I know these things by the witness of the Holy Ghost to me on many occasions during my 76 (almost 80 now) years of life.

Also you can know the truthfulness of these things by following the counsel given by the last Book of Mormon prophet, Moroni. Please read his words:

Moroni 10: 3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

If you don't yet have your own copy of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, please e-mail me and I will help you arrange to have your own copy to read.

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DISCLAIMER
This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.

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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This BlogPost, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other BlogPost You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: Serving Our Fellow Man - Post 25. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch