LDS General Conference
Saturday, Oct. 1, at 10am, 2pm, & 6pm MT live
Sunday, Oct. 2, at 10am
& 2pm MT
live
(The General Women's
Session will be rebroadcast on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 8am MT)
This month, tune in to the 186th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Over the course of six sessions, Church
leaders congregate to offer advice and instruction to LDS members worldwide.
However, their messages can apply to everyone, member and nonmember
alike.
Home
Teaching:
The Blessings of Obedience
“The
greatest lesson we can learn in mortality,” President Thomas S.
Monson has taught, “is
that when God speaks and we obey, we will always be right.”1
We will
also be blessed. As President Monson said during a recent general conference:
“When we keep the commandments, our lives will be happier, more fulfilling, and
less complicated. Our challenges and problems will be easier to bear, and we
will receive [God’s] promised blessings.”2
In the
following excerpts from President Monson’s teachings as President of the
Church, he reminds us that the commandments are the surest guide to happiness
and peace.
Guidelines for the Journey “God’s commandments are
not given to frustrate us or to become obstacles to our happiness. Just the
opposite is true. He who created us and who loves us perfectly knows just how
we need to live our lives in order to obtain the greatest happiness possible.
He has provided us with guidelines which, if we follow them, will see us safely
through this often treacherous mortal journey. We remember the words of the
familiar hymn: ‘Keep the commandments! In this there is safety; in this there
is peace’ [see “Keep the Commandments,” Hymns, no. 303].”3
Strength and Knowledge “Obedience is a hallmark of
prophets; it has provided strength and knowledge to them throughout the ages.
It is essential for us to realize that we, as well, are entitled to this source
of strength and knowledge. It is readily available to each of us today as we
obey God’s commandments. …
“The
knowledge which we seek, the answers for which we yearn, and the strength which
we desire today to meet the challenges of a complex and changing world can be
ours when we willingly obey the Lord’s commandments.”4
Choose
to Obey “The tenor of our times is permissiveness. Magazines and
television shows portray the stars of the movie screen, the heroes of the
athletic field—those whom many young people long to emulate—as disregarding the
laws of God and flaunting sinful practices, seemingly with no ill effect. Don’t
you believe it! There is a time of reckoning—even a balancing of the ledger.
Every Cinderella has her midnight—if not in this life, then in the next.
Judgment Day will come for all. … I plead with you to choose to obey.”5
Joy and
Peace “It may appear to you at times that those out in the world are
having much more fun than you are. Some of you may feel restricted by the code
of conduct to which we in the Church adhere. My brothers and sisters, I declare
to you, however, that there is nothing which can bring more joy into our
lives or more peace to our souls than the Spirit which can come to us as we
follow the Savior and keep the commandments.”6 Walk
Uprightly “I testify to you that our promised blessings are beyond
measure. Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down
upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly Father and of
our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk
uprightly and keep the commandments. There will be nothing in this world that
can defeat us.”7 Follow the Savior “Who
was this Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief? Who is the King of glory, this
Lord of hosts? He is our Master. He is our Savior. He is the Son of God. He is
the Author of our Salvation. He beckons, ‘Follow me.’ He instructs, ‘Go, and do
thou likewise.’ He pleads, ‘Keep my commandments.’
“Let us
follow Him. Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His word. By so doing, we
give to Him the divine gift of gratitude.”8
Teaching
from This Message
President Monson teaches us about the many blessings we can
receive by being obedient, including strength, knowledge, joy, and peace.
Consider asking those you teach how they’ve been blessed by keeping
commandments. You might encourage them to continue to reflect on their
blessings and write down their thoughts and experiences in a journal. You might
also encourage them to show gratitude to God for their blessings by
continuing to be obedient.
Youth Fires
and Lessons of Obedience
President Thomas S.
Monson once told about
a time when he learned the importance of obedience. When he was eight years
old, his family visited their cabin in the mountains.
He and his friend wanted to clear a grassy spot for a campfire. They tried to
clear the grass by hand, tugging and yanking as hard as they could, but all
they got were handfuls of weeds. President Monson explained, “And then what I
thought was the perfect solution came into my eight-year-old mind. I said to
Danny, ‘All we need is to set these weeds on fire. We’ll just burn a circle in the weeds!’”
Even though he knew he wasn’t allowed to use matches, he ran
back to the cabin for some, and he and Danny set a small fire in that grassy
spot. They expected it to go out by itself, but it instead grew into a large
and dangerous fire. He and Danny ran for help, and soon adults were rushing
over to put out the fire before it reached the trees.
President Monson continued, “Danny and I learned several
difficult but important lessons that day—not the least of which was the
importance of obedience.” (See “Obedience
Brings Blessings,”Ensign, May 2013, 89–90.)
Like President Monson, have you ever had to learn a lesson in
obedience the hard way? What goals can you make to keep yourself safe through
obedience in the future?
Children
Choose the Right
Choosing
the right brings us closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus
Christ. It also helps us be happy and safe. Circle ways you can
choose the right.
“Obey –
Simply What to Do!”
cji
10/01/16
Repeatedly
from verse one
chapter
one of the Scriptures
we’re
admonished to obey
every
Prophet throughout time
teaching
the same principle
most of
all was the Savior,
‘if you
love me keep my
Commandments’
always
never before
in man’s time
is this
more important to do
‘Obey –
simply what to do!
Copyright © 2016 – cji
