August 2006 Ensign - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

12
In theService
of theLord
BY ELDER WILLIAM R. WALKER
Of the Seventy
The fifth article of faith states a fundamental
Latter-day Saint belief: we
“must be called of God, by prophecy,
and by the laying on of hands by those who
are in authority.”
Most members of the Church have had
the experience of being invited to the
bishop’s or branch president’s office to
receive a calling. Many of us have prayed
that we would have the faith and courage to
accept the call, for we believe our leaders
have been inspired as they have prayerfully
sought the direction of our Father in Heaven.
Some find it interesting that we don’t
nominate ourselves to serve in positions for
which we think we would be best suited. Yet
the unique manner in which Latter-day Saints
are called to serve in the kingdom is a distinguishing
characteristic of the Lord’s Church.
The following principles can help us understand
how to serve effectively in our callings.
“It Is Not Where You Serve but How”
Our willingness to serve in our callings,
whatever they may be, is a reflection of our
dedication to the Lord. As President J. Reuben
Our willingness to
serve in our callings,
whatever they may
be, is a reflection
of our dedication
to the Lord.
Clark Jr. (1871–1961) of the First Presidency
taught: “In the service of the Lord, it is not
where you serve but how. In The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one takes the
place to which one is duly called, which place
one neither seeks nor declines.” 1
Brother Dai Endo of the Yokohama Japan
Stake is an example of one who faithfully
acted upon this principle. After serving for
many years as a counselor in the stake presidency
and then as president of the stake,
Brother Endo was released in 2000. As he
bore his testimony in stake conference at the
time of his release, he expressed his love for
the Saints and his gratitude for the blessing
of serving them and the Lord. With a smile
he said, “Next week I’ll probably be called
to serve in the Primary.”
The following week Brother Endo’s bishop
asked to meet with him and extended a call
to him to serve as a Primary teacher. With
humility the former stake president graciously
accepted the call. His willingness to
serve was not based on the status associated
with the calling but instead on a desire to
serve the Lord wherever he was called.