In recent weeks, a group known as Points of Light released a report that attempted to quantify and rank the amount of volunteer work being done in the 50 United States. The state of Utah not only came in first, it finished 6 percentage points higher than the next state, in terms of the percentage of people who give freely of themselves in some organized manner.

Some experts were quick to attribute this to the many members of the Church who live in Utah. If so, that is a great compliment to people who are striving to live their religion, not just preach it.

Church members ought to live lives of service, from hours spent in their Church callings to work with community groups. Those who take this charge seriously shine as a city on the hill to the rest of the world.

True service, done with a charitable spirit, is a key gospel doctrine. It also is a key to developing spirituality. During the Savior's earthly ministry, whenever someone would ask Him who was the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven, He would answer with a lesson on service. ". . . but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:26-28).

It was a difficult doctrine for many to accept then, just as it is today. Many people have been conditioned not to give of themselves without asking, "What's in it for me?" Indeed, people have an obligation to provide physical needs for themselves and their families, and this requires them to barter and trade, either with physical goods or with time and labor. But this makes the need to provide regular selfless service all the more important.

Opportunities abound. In many communities, there is a great need to teach illiterate adults to read. Those who are homeless and destitute have need of food and clothing. In many cases, wards and stakes organize efforts through local relief agencies. But there are opportunities within virtually every neighborhood, whether it is to tend the lawn of an elderly widow or to volunteer to watch a child so a harried mother can attend to some much-needed duties. These often require little more than an observant eye and a willing spirit.

The benefits are enormous. Service helps keep material goods and the things of lasting value in their proper order and perspective. Material things will grow old, break and end up in a landfill. Relationships, faith and love, all attributes strengthened through service, will last through eternity.

The scriptures are clear that service rendered to human beings here on earth is considered by the Lord to be service rendered to Him. In Matthew, the Savior explains in a parable how visiting the sick, clothing the naked and providing a variety of earthly care to the needy qualify people to return to their Heavenly Father.

"Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40). And the opposite is also true. "Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of the least of these, ye did it not unto me" (Matthew 25:45).

This doctrine is reinforced in the Book of Mormon. ". . . .when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17).

In addition to blessing the lives of others, service blesses the lives of the one who is giving. Service is the opposite of sin. All sins are selfish in nature. By serving others, people gain compassion and understanding, and they learn to know the Savior, as well.

It is only right that Church members lead the way in this important principle.