16 Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God.
17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.
(Mosiah 2:16-17)
After King Benjamin made an accounting to his people of the service he had rendered to them, he wanted to clarify one point: he was not telling them these things to brag or to make himself look good. Because of his position, he had been able to do things for them that they could not repay, but he didn’t feel that they owed him anything. That’s because he knew that, in serving them, he was only serving God.
Our Heavenly Father loves His children. He wants them to be happy. Because of the limitations of this mortal state, He very often relies on us to lift one another’s burdens and alleviate one another’s sorrows. In the words of Spencer W. Kimball: “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, Chapter 8: “Selfless Service“).
And as Benjamin explains later in the chapter, none of us can ever repay God for the blessings we have received from Him. Therefore any service that we render to His children, even if it appears to be unrewarded, is actually functioning as a very small and inadequate token of our gratitude for everything He has done for us.
Today, I will remember that, when I serve other people, I am serving God. I will help other people as much as I can, and I will ignore the question of whether they can repay me, whether they are grateful for the service, or even whether they are aware of it. I will remember that my Heavenly Father is aware of it, that He is grateful for it, and that He will reward me for it.