How can I be more Christlike in my service to others?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

Jesus Christ set the perfect example of how to love and serve those around Him. At baptism, we promise to serve others. We can serve others as the Savior did in many ways, such as helping family members, sharing the gospel with others, and performing simple, everyday acts of kindness.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

• Matthew 14:13–21; John 9:1–7; 13:4–5, 12–17; 1 Nephi 11:31; 3 Nephi 17:5–9 (Examples of Jesus Christ serving others)

• Matthew 20:27 (The Savior teaches His disciples that he who is greatest is the servant)

• Matthew 25:31–46 (When we serve others, we are serving God)

• Luke 10:25–37 (The good Samaritan; see also the Bible video “Parable of the Good Samaritan”)

• John 13:34–35 (We should love as the Savior loves)

• Mosiah 2:17 (King Benjamin teaches that when we serve others, we serve God)

• Henry B. Eyring, “Fear Not to Do Good,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 100–103

• Bonnie L. Oscarson, “The Needs before Us,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 25–27

• D. Todd Christofferson, “The Elders Quorum,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 55–58

• “Service,” For the Strength of Youth (2011), 32–33

• “Rescuing Those in Need” (video)

• “Time to Give” (video)

• “For Madison” (video)

• “Charity: An Example of the Believers” (video)

• “Opportunities to Do Good” (video)

• “When Ye Are in the Service—YW” (video)

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

What have you learned from the scriptures about how Christ served others? When have you been blessed through the Christlike service of others? How have you followed the Savior’s example of service?

What opportunities do the young women have for service? When have you seen them serving others? What experiences can they share with each other? How might their families be affected as the young women seek to serve them more?

What can the young women do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

During His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ spent His time serving and helping those around Him. True disciples of Christ do likewise. The Savior said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). As you teach the young women, look for opportunities to invite them to share how they have served others and what inspired them to give service.

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

• Our class: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

• Our responsibilities: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

• Our lives: Remind the class of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a class presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the class; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help class members understand the doctrine.

• Invite the young women to read the examples of Christlike service President Henry B. Eyring gave in his talk “Fear Not to Do Good.” You could also show one or more of the videos suggested in this outline. What impresses the young women about the acts of service in the talk and videos? Why might fear keep us from doing good? What did President Eyring promise to those who serve with faith? (See especially the last eight paragraphs of his talk.) Allow the young women to ponder and share examples of service they have seen. Invite them to share what they feel inspired to do after learning about these examples.

• As you begin class, instead of talking to the young women, write on the board the things you might normally say, or send the young women a text saying these things. After you do this, explain that you are illustrating the point made by Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson in the fourth paragraph of her talk “The Needs before Us.” How do the distractions of our day prevent us from noticing the needs of those around us? Invite the young women to search Sister Oscarson’s talk to find suggestions for how youth can find opportunities to serve. Ask the young women to share some ideas for service that have come to their minds during the lesson.

• Assign each young woman to read a scripture about service from the Savior’s life (such as those suggested in this outline) or the story about Brother Goates in Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s message “The Elders Quorum.” Have each young woman summarize the scripture or story for the class and explain what the Savior or the men in the story did to serve others. What do these examples teach about what it means to give service? Invite the young women to think of ways they can give Christlike service in their own lives.

• Ask the young women, “What was the Savior teaching in the parable of the good Samaritan?” As a class, read the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25–37 (or watch the video “Parable of the Good Samaritan”). Invite the young women to share stories of times when they were blessed by the Christlike service of others. Why do we sometimes find serving others difficult (as the priest and the Levite did)? What opportunities do the young women have to “go, and do” as the good Samaritan did?

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

• Ask the young women to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a class to apply what they have learned?

• Give the young women a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

• Remind the young women that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.

Related Youth Activities

Plan a Mutual activity that will help the young women apply what they learned in this lesson.