Ali Anderson
Service to the Lord is an expression of obedience and love, said Elder Adhemar Damiani, of the Quorum of the Seventy, in the Saturday afternoon session of general conference.
“We show that we serve the Lord by the way in which we live the commandments received from him, by the work we do to help establish the kingdom of God on earth and by the way we act towards our neighbors,” he said.
Damiani spoke of Joshua’s words to the tribes of Israel, quoting Joshua 24: 14-15: “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose ye this day whom ye will serve … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Latter-day Saints also must follow the admonition of Joshua and choose to serve the Lord, he said. Serving “worldly gods” does not lead to eternal happiness.
“When we love God, serve the Lord sincerely and give up the things of this world, we become true followers of Christ,” he said.
However, “worldly gods” are not always easy to abandon, he said. Saints must increase their efforts to make the God of Heaven a top priority.
Damiani said “worldly gods” are not limited to physical objects. Bad habits, serious sins and sad events from the past also interfere with the ability to serve righteously.
“Putting away worldly gods means keeping impure thoughts out of our minds, shedding all hateful feelings from our hearts, and ridding our lives of everything which may prevent the Holy Ghost from being always with us,” he said.
However, there is hope for those who feel burdened by the world, Damiani said. Hope is found in the Lord.
“Whatever the situation, in each one of us there is the power to change our life. The Lord Jesus Christ will give us this power and will help us,” he said. “All he asks is that we have faith in him.”
But dedication to the Lord’s service does not guarantee a life of ease, he said. Saints must continuously increase their effort and righteously act on their desires to serve.
“The gospel of Jesus Christ does not promise that we will be free from tribulation. But it does strengthen our spirit so that we can accept adversity and face it when it comes,” he said.
