Tuesday, March 6, 2012

If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments

I just read a talk that Elder F. Melvin Hammond gave in General Conference in April 1994. In it, he spoke of the love of Christ and how it motivated Him to do great things for us and for the rest of the world, often at great personal sacrifice to Himself. Today, I would like to ask the question, "If that's how much He loves us, how much do we love Him?"

Elder Hammond asks, "Do we love Jesus Christ enough to follow His chosen prophets and Apostles, giving heed to their counsel and guidance as if it came from His own mouth?" "Certainly we all love Him. Therefore, I implore us, keep His commandments and become more like Him."

Christ once said to His Apostles, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." And when asked about the commandments, Christ said that the greatest commandment is love. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment."

It was love that motivated Christ to be our Savior. And it can be our love for Him that motivates us to keep His commandments and try to be like Him. To love Him and others the way that He loves us is the greatest achievement we can reach, and the one that will bring us the most joy. With Elder Hammond, I encourage you to think about all that the Savior has done for you, and to let your love and gratitude for Him work in you a desire to keep His commandments and live as He lived. I promise that I'll try to do the same.

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