Ronald A. Rasband on discipleship of Christ through service to others

Elder Ronald A. Rasband (b. 1951) served as a Seventy beginning in 2000.  He was the senior president of the Seventy when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in October 2015. This talk was given when he served in the presidency of the Seventy.

"Jesus Christ continues to extend the call 'Come and follow me' (Matthew 19:21). He walked His homeland with His followers in a selfless manner. He continues to walk with us, stand by us, and lead us. To follow His perfect example is to recognize and honor the Savior, who has borne all of our burdens through His sacred and saving Atonement, the ultimate act of service. What He asks of each one of us is to be able and willing to take up the joyful 'burden' of discipleship....

"Reaching out to rescue one another, under any condition, is an eternal measure of love....

"Often we are given the opportunity to help others in their time of need. As members of the Church, we each have the sacred responsibility 'to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light' (Mosiah 18:8), 'to mourn with those that mourn' (Mosiah 18:9), and to 'lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees' (D&C 81:5)....

"Focusing on serving our brothers and sisters can guide us to make divine decisions in our daily lives and prepares us to value and love what the Lord loves. In so doing, we witness by our very lives that we are His disciples. When we are engaged in His work, we feel His Spirit with us. We grow in testimony, faith, trust, and love."

- Ronald A. Rasband, "The Joyful Burden of Discipleship," Ensign, May 2014, pp. 9-11
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Elder Rasband invited us all to heed Jesus' call, "Come and follow me." He then taught about one important interpretation of that invitation. Jesus spent His earthly life in unselfish service to his followers and others. If we are going to follow as His disciples, we will do the same. Serving, rescuing, helping, blessing—all are ways we can show that discipleship.

I appreciated the additional encouragement of the blessings that come when we truly follow that divine example. We will receive help as we "make divine decisions" from day to day, "feel His Spirit with us," and "grow in testimony, faith, trust, and love."  Wonderful blessings!