David A. Bednar on blessings for serving the Lord

Elder David A. Bednar (born June 15, 1952) was serving as the president of BYU–Idaho when he was called and sustained as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in October 2004.

"We more fully come to know the Lord as we serve Him and labor in His kingdom. As we do so, He generously blesses us with heavenly help, spiritual gifts, and increased capacity. We are never left alone as we work in His vineyard.

"He declared: 'For I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.' (D&C 84:88)

"We come to know the Savior as we do our best to go where He wants us to go, as we strive to say what He wants us to say, and as we become what He wants us to become. As we submissively acknowledge our total dependence upon Him, He enlarges our capacity to serve ever more effectively. Gradually, our desires align more completely with His desires, and His purposes become our purposes, such that we would 'not ask that which is contrary to [His] will' (Helaman 10:5).

"Serving Him requires all of our heart, might, mind, and strength. (See D&C 4:2.) Consequently, selflessly serving others counteracts the self-centered and selfish tendencies of the natural man. We grow to love those whom we serve. And because serving others is serving God, we grow to love Him and our brothers and sisters more deeply. Such love is a manifestation of the spiritual gift of charity, even the pure love of Christ. (See Moroni 7:47.)"

- David A. Bednar, "If Ye Had Known Me," General Conference, October 2016
Click here to read or hear the complete talk

This talk by Elder Bednar was a wonderful exploration of the ways we come to know the Lord in our mortal lives. He knows us perfectly and intimately; we must develop the same kind of relationship with Him. One of the important ways we do that is by serving Him. "For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?" (Mosiah 5:13) Elder Bednar offered a beautiful promise: as we come to know Him better, "He generously blesses us with heavenly help, spiritual gifts, and increased capacity."

One of the best ways to serve God is to serve those around us, who are His children, so that we can overcome "the self-centered and selfish tendencies of the natural man" as we grow in the spiritual gift of charity.