David Edward Garber (@DaveGarber1975)

Please enjoy this upbeat rendition of the Christian children's song "Give, Said the Little Stream" as performed by The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. As I might reiterate about love-and-service... Our Heavenly Father epitomizes love (see 1 John 4:8), and He loved us so much that He gave His Only Begotten Son (see John 3:16), Jesus Christ, not to condemn us in our sins but to save us from those sins upon conditions of faith, repentance, et cetera, and to enable us to live righteously instead. The Savior's sinless life perfectly exemplifies keeping God's commandments, which are encompassed by His two greatest ones (see Matthew 33:37-40), which are to love both Him with all our souls and our neighbors as ourselves---and Jesus Christ has commanded us to love one another like this as He did (see John 13:34). This is love in its purest form, which is charity, which is the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 13). This heavenly gift is the most noble attribute of the human soul, and it naturally motivates us to serve. And, as we serve well, we qualify ourselves to receive greater love as a gift, perhaps especially if we ask for it (and express gratitude for what we already have). This close relationship between love and service can, through the Savior's grace, become a wonderful heavenward spiral as we come to know God better by becoming ever-more like Him, as He wants us to be. He loves to bless His children, and we qualify for His rewards whenever we serve as His figurative hands in blessing His children on His behalf. It seems to me that every day normally brings us new opportunities to render the world around us a better place, especially if we pray to notice such opportunities, remain vigilant for them, or even (ideally) actively seek them out. In fact, I think that it's a good personal policy to strive to render not only everything but also (especially) everyone that we encounter at least as good as they would have been otherwise, whether spiritually (which is most important) or temporally, if we have any impact at all. If everyone that we encounter is helped by God's influence through us in the right manner to be more humble, more loving, better-educated, better-informed, more truthful, more righteous, more Christlike, more merciful, more at peace, more happy, et cetera, then we've arguably done well in some respects. In this manner, we can strive to leave a figurative trail of goodness wherever we go, even if it's rather inconspicuous in most cases, to mark our passage. In some cases, we might be able to draw upon the resources that God has given us, whether our faith or our intellect or our strength or our wealth or our friends, to help people in substantial ways. In others cases, we may be able to offer little more than a warm smile or a kind word or a witty quip---but that's valuable, too. Perhaps it's good to ask ourselves regularly every evening... Whom have I loved today? Whom have I served? If we can't answer these questions well, then perhaps we should consider how to improve our habits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5PMPcc0sGQ #JesusChrist #Christianity #ChristianMusic #ReligiousMusic #SacredMusic #Music #Hymns #TabChoir #Service #Generosity #CalledToShare #ShareGoodness