Unselfish Service

By Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

April 2009   Our Savior gave Himself in unselfish service. He taught that each of us should follow Him by denying ourselves of selfish interests in order to serve others. “If any man will come after me [He said], let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

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“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:24–25; see also Matthew 10:39). C. S. Lewis explained this teaching of the Savior:

 “The moment you have a self at all, there is a possibility of putting yourself first—wanting to be the centre—wanting to be God, in fact. That was the sin of Satan: and that was the sin he taught the human race. Some people think the fall of man had something to do with sex, but that is a mistake. … What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could ‘be like gods’—could set up on their own as if they had created themselves—be their own masters—invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God, apart from God. And out of that hopeless attempt has come … the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.”⁸

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It pleases me that my children each have their own way of looking out for others, for those who lack, for those on the fringes.  --Mom