The Love of God

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Love is the measure of our faith, the inspiration for our obedience, and the true altitude of our discipleship.

 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is continually growing and becoming better known throughout the world. Although there will always be those who stereotype the Church and its members in a negative way, most people think of us as honest, helpful, and hardworking. Some have images of clean-cut missionaries, loving families, and friendly neighbors who don’t smoke or drink. We might also be known as a people who attend church every Sunday for three hours, in a place where everyone is a brother or a sister, where the children sing songs about streams that talk, trees that produce popcorn, and children who want to become sunbeams.

Brothers and sisters, of all the things we want to be known for, are there attributes above all others that should define us as members of His Church, even as disciples of Jesus Christ? Since our last general conference six months ago, I have pondered this and similar questions. Today I would like to share with you some thoughts and impressions that have come as a result of that inquiry. The first question is:

How Do We Become True Disciples of Jesus Christ?

The Savior Himself provided the answer with this profound declaration: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” ¹ This is the essence of what it means to be a true disciple: those who receive Christ Jesus walk with Him. ²

But this may present a problem for some because there are so many “shoulds” and “should nots” that merely keeping track of them can be a challenge. Sometimes, well-meaning amplifications of divine principles—many coming from uninspired sources—complicate matters further, diluting the purity of divine truth with man-made addenda. One person’s good idea—something that may work for him or her—takes root and becomes an expectation. And gradually, eternal principles can get lost within the labyrinth of “good ideas.”

This was one of the Savior’s criticisms of the religious “experts” of His day, whom He chastised for attending to the hundreds of minor details of the law while neglecting the weightier matters. ³

So how do we stay aligned with these weightier matters? Is there a constant compass that can help us prioritize our lives, thoughts, and actions?

Once again the Savior revealed the way. When asked to name the greatest commandment, He did not hesitate. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,” He said. “This is the first and great commandment.” ⁴ Coupled with the second great commandment—to love our neighbor as ourselves ⁵ —we have a compass that provides direction not only for our lives but also for the Lord’s Church on both sides of the veil.

Because love is the great commandment, it ought to be at the center of all and everything we do in our own family, in our Church callings, and in our livelihood. Love is the healing balm that repairs rifts in personal and family relationships. It is the bond that unites families, communities, and nations. Love is the power that initiates friendship, tolerance, civility, and respect. It is the source that overcomes divisiveness and hate. Love is the fire that warms our lives with unparalleled joy and divine hope. Love should be our walk and our talk.

When we truly understand what it means to love as Jesus Christ loves us, the confusion clears and our priorities align. Our walk as disciples of Christ becomes more joyful. Our lives take on new meaning. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father becomes more profound. Obedience becomes a joy rather than a burden.

Why Should We Love God?

God the Eternal Father did not give that first great commandment because He needs us to love Him. His power and glory are not diminished should we disregard, deny, or even defile His name. His influence and dominion extend through time and space independent of our acceptance, approval, or admiration.

No, God does not need us to love Him. But oh, how we need to love God!

For what we love determines what we seek.

What we seek determines what we think and do.

What we think and do determines who we are—and who we will become.

We are created in the image of our heavenly parents; we are God’s spirit children. Therefore, we have a vast capacity for love—it is part of our spiritual heritage. What and how we love not only defines us as individuals; it also defines us as a church. Love is the defining characteristic of a disciple of Christ.

Since the beginning of time, love has been the source of both the highest bliss and the heaviest burdens. At the heart of misery from the days of Adam until today, you will find the love of wrong things. And at the heart of joy, you will find the love of good things.

And the greatest of all good things is God.

Our Father in Heaven has given us, His children, much more than any mortal mind can comprehend. Under His direction the Great Jehovah created this wondrous world we live in. God the Father watches over us, fills our hearts with breathtaking joy, brightens our darkest hours with blessed peace, distills upon our minds precious truths, shepherds us through times of distress, rejoices when we rejoice, and answers our righteous petitions.

He offers to His children the promise of a glorious and infinite existence and has provided a way for us to progress in knowledge and glory until we receive a fulness of joy. He has promised us all that He has.

If all that is not enough reason to love our Heavenly Father, perhaps we can learn from the words of the Apostle John, who said, “We love him, because he first loved us.” ⁶

Why Does Heavenly Father Love Us?

Think of the purest, most all-consuming love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount—that is the measure of God’s love for you. ⁷

God does not look on the outward appearance. ⁸ I believe that He doesn’t care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely.

He loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked.

What this means is that, regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us. ⁹

How Can We Increase Our Love of God?

Since “God is love,” ¹⁰ the closer we approach Him, the more profoundly we experience love. ¹¹ But because a veil separates this mortality from our heavenly home, we must seek in the Spirit that which is imperceptible to mortal eyes.

Heaven may seem distant at times, but the scriptures offer hope: “Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” ¹²

However, seeking God with all our hearts implies much more than simply offering a prayer or pronouncing a few words inviting God into our lives. “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” ¹³ We can make a great production of saying that we know God. We can proclaim publicly that we love Him. Nevertheless, if we don’t obey Him, all is in vain, for “he that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” ¹⁴

We increase our love for our Heavenly Father and demonstrate that love by aligning our thoughts and actions with God’s word. His pure love directs and encourages us to become more pure and holy. It inspires us to walk in righteousness—not out of fear or obligation but out of an earnest desire to become even more like Him because we love Him. By doing so, we can become “born again … [and] cleansed by blood, even the blood of [the] Only Begotten; that [we] might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory.” ¹⁵

My dear brothers and sisters, don’t get discouraged if you stumble at times. Don’t feel downcast or despair if you don’t feel worthy to be a disciple of Christ at all times. The first step to walking in righteousness is simply to try. We must try to believe. Try to learn of God: read the scriptures; study the words of His latter-day prophets; choose to listen to the Father, and do the things He asks of us. Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible—and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you.

How Can We Hear the Father’s Voice?

As you reach out to your Heavenly Father, as you pray to Him in the name of Christ, He will answer you. He speaks to us everywhere.

As you read God’s word recorded in the scriptures, listen for His voice.

During this general conference and later as you study the words spoken here, listen for His voice.

As you visit the temple and attend Church meetings, listen for His voice.

Listen for the voice of the Father in the bounties and beauties of nature, in the gentle whisperings of the Spirit.

In your daily interactions with others, in the words of a hymn, in the laughter of a child, listen for His voice.

If you listen for the voice of the Father, He will lead you on a course that will allow you to experience the pure love of Christ.

As we draw near to Heavenly Father, we become more holy. And as we become more holy, we will overcome disbelief and our souls will be filled with His blessed light. As we align our lives with this supernal light, it leads us out of darkness and toward greater light. This greater light leads to the unspeakable ministerings of the Holy Spirit, and the veil between heaven and earth can become thin.

Why Is Love the Great Commandment?

Heavenly Father’s love for His children is the core message of the plan of happiness, which plan is made active through the Atonement of Jesus Christ—the greatest expression of love the world has ever known. ¹⁶

How clearly the Savior spoke when He said that every other commandment hangs upon the principle of love. ¹⁷ If we do not neglect the great laws—if we truly learn to love our Heavenly Father and our fellowman with all our heart, soul, and mind—all else will fall into place.

The divine love of God turns ordinary acts into extraordinary service. Divine love is the motive that transports simple words into sacred scripture. Divine love is the factor that transforms reluctant compliance with God’s commandments into blessed dedication and consecration.

Love is the guiding light that illuminates the disciple’s path and fills our daily walk with life, meaning, and wonder.

Love is the measure of our faith, the inspiration for our obedience, and the true altitude of our discipleship.

Love is the way of the disciple.

I testify that God is in His heaven. He lives. He knows and loves you. He is mindful of you. He hears your prayers and knows the desires of your heart. He is filled with infinite love for you.

Let me conclude as I began, my dear brothers and sisters: what attribute should define us as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Let us be known as a people who love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and who love our neighbor as ourselves. When we understand and practice these two great commandments in our families, in our wards and branches, in our nations, and in our daily lives, we will begin to understand what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus the Christ. Of this I testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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Just trust Him...its enough

How do I cultivate the faith of God that is within me? Printer-friendly version

Q. How do I cultivate the faith of God that is within me?
A. As a born-again believer, you have residing within your spirit the faith of God. You have the life and nature of God. Faith is a fruit of the reborn human spirit (Galatians 5:22). Your faith has the potential to produce the same results that Jesus produced in His earthly ministry (John 14:12).

Faith must be in the unseen before it can be applied to the things you can see. It is cultivated through fellowship with the Father. Your relationship with Him is the most important aspect of your faith walk. You cannot see God, but He will reveal Himself to you through His Word, by the Holy Spirit.

Faith that moves mountains is simply trusting God to keep His Word. You cannot trust God without knowing Him. Fellowship is quality time spent alone with God getting to know Him. Your fellowship with Him will develop trust. It will enhance your faith because you are giving Him the opportunity to reveal Himself to you. You will know Him. Fellowship with God Who is invisible gives birth to the kind of faith that can change things in the visible, physical realm.

You can also promote the development of your faith through meditation and confession of the Word of God. Faith is an action; when you believe that you receive, you will act like it. God told Joshua, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success" (Joshua 1:8). Meditation reveals how to act on the Word. Confession is part of meditation. When you are speaking the Word to yourself, you are meditating the Word. You cannot say one thing and think something else. What you meditate regulates what you believe. Meditation and confession will cause you to be able to believe God's Word enough to act on it in faith.

Faith is also developed through praying in the spirit. Jude 1 says, "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost." Praying in other tongues is a spiritual exercise. As you spend time every day, praying in other tongues, you are keeping your spirit active rather than passive. You will be built up on your most holy faith!

Prayer Life of Jesus Christ

Introduction

Jesus prayed! Even though He was the Son of God, Jesus prayed while He was on earth. This is amazing because it tells us of our deep need of prayer. If even the Son of God needed to pray, how much more do we stand in need of prayer!
The First Step
The beginning of Jesus' ministry on earth was begun with prayer. As Jesus was baptized marking the beginning of His ministry He prayed. And as He was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove (Ref. Luke 3:21,22).
We too have significant beginnings in life. But do we pray then? Jesus thought it important to begin His public ministry with prayer. We too need to follow His example. Let us not move out to take important steps in life without prayer. But first let us seek God's guidance and grace and strength in prayer. Then with His blessing resting upon us let us take the first steps during significant beginnings in our lives. Such praying is crucial for success during important turning points in our lives.
We do not know what Jesus might have prayed for at the beginning of His public ministry. But He must have certainly prayed for strength by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. And God anointed Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit. If Jesus needed the anointing of the Holy Spirit before He ministered to people to meet their needs how much more do we need this blessed anointing! And the surest way to receive this blessing is to pray and ask God for it.
Alone with God
During many times in His life, Jesus withdrew from His disciples and the crowds to be alone to pray. He often went up on a mountainside or went to solitary or lonely places to pray. Sometimes He even went to pray very early in the morning, while it was still dark (Ref. Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, 6:46, Luke 5:16).
These habits of Jesus teach us some important truths about prayer. Though we may pray while in a group or in a prayer meeting, there is a great need to get alone to pray. For this, if necessary, we need to find a place within our home or elsewhere, where we will be free from disturbance. We need to get away from people too. Though the company of believers is helpful for fellowship, for some intense moments of prayer, one needs to be alone. That is why Jesus got up early and also went to solitary places to pray.
It is in such undisturbed quietness (Ref. Psalm 23:2) that our souls will be ready for sweet communion with God our Father. For often God does not shout His messages to us, but gently whispers them to us (Ref. 1 Kings 19:12). And God will speak thus only to those who have shut down every other sound and every other presence to hear the voice of God.
The Night Watch
But at times, being in quiet and solitary places alone is not enough. We need to spend more time with God in prayer. This is evident from the way Jesus went about His task of choosing the twelve apostles. Jesus spent a whole night on a mountainside in prayer before He chose the twelve apostles (Ref. Luke 6:12). It is very clear from this that Jesus attached such great importance to prayer. Jesus had to take the decision the next day. This was very important because the apostles were to be with Him for the rest of His public ministry. It was to them that He would teach the truths of the kingdom of God. They were the ones who would later take the gospel to different parts of the earth after His death and resurrection. They were again destined to be the pillars of His Church. So the decision of that day was of great importance.
Let us follow His example. Let us spend more time in prayer when we have to take great decisions in life¾especially when decisions relate to matters like higher education, employment and marriage, let us seek God's face more earnestly. God will then guide us in our decisions that we may not need to regret later in life. He will then cause the blessings to shower on the course of action we take. It is thus of great importance to spend more time in prayer before taking important decisions in life.
Praying for Others
Jesus prayed for others too. That is why people came to Jesus with their little children that Jesus might place His hands on them and pray for them (Ref. Matthew 19:13). Again, Jesus, towards the end of His life informed Peter that Satan had asked to sift him as wheat. But Jesus added that He had prayed for him that his faith might not fail (Ref. Luke 22:32).
Later Jesus prayed specially for all His disciples. Not only that, He prayed for all who were to believe in Him (Ref. John 17). That includes you and me too. This reveals Jesus' great love towards us. And it teaches us that if love is absent, then we cannot pray meaningfully for others. Jesus' prayer for others came as a result of His overflowing love for them. Let us also seek to follow His example.
Prayer Attracts
Then there was an unmistaken quality about Jesus' prayer life. There was a beauty and simplicity and majesty about it that attracted people. No wonder it was when Jesus had finished praying while at a certain place that a disciple came forward and asked Him to teach them to pray (Ref. Luke 11:1). Something in Jesus' prayer life had influenced them. The result was that Jesus taught them how to pray.
Prayer should attract people. But unfortunately in our Christian world there are many who make a show of prayer. Sometimes people preach in prayer and make it very lengthy. Some others make it an occasion of shouting as if God would honor the prayer for its loudness. Many prayers are so dry and empty of compassion that it fails to move the heart of God. We should learn that real prayer has the power to attract. It has a godly quality about it that makes others want to learn to pray too. Jesus' prayer life had this quality and let us seek to learn and imitate Him in prayer.
Teaching Moments
Jesus' prayer life also helped the disciples to learn significant lessons of the kingdom of heaven. It was while Jesus was praying at one time and the disciples were with Him that Jesus chose as the moment of revelation. It was this point of time that Jesus chose to ask His disciples the question, “Who do the crowds say I am?” Certainly, some aspect of Jesus' sweet communion with His Heavenly Father must have influenced Peter to say that Jesus was “The Christ of God” in response to Jesus' question “Who do you say I am?” (Ref. Luke 9: 18-20).
Confidence in Prayer
Jesus' prayer life had another amazing aspect to it. It is that Jesus not even for a moment doubted the fact that God always heard Him. At the tomb of Lazarus Jesus looked up and thanked God the Father for hearing Him. Jesus added that He knew God always heard Him but that He had spoken thus for the benefit of the listeners that they may believe that God had sent Him. It was only after thanking God that Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out of the tomb (Ref. John 11:41-43). This same confidence is seen when Jesus gave thanks by looking up to heaven before He fed the five thousand and four thousand people respectively (Ref. Matthew 14:19, 15:36, Mark 6:41, 8:6, Luke 9:16, John 6:11).
We have to learn to have such confidence in our praying. We should know that no prayer prayed in Jesus' name, no request made in Jesus' name, no praise rendered in Jesus' name, is lost. It is all heard by God. And we have to have the confidence that God will answer it appropriately for our highest good. Jesus' confidence in prayer is something we must learn to imitate.
Obedience in Prayer
Jesus prayed during His greatest Hour of need. When the time came for Him to bear the sins of the world upon the Cross of Calvary, Jesus was in agony. We find Him moving to the Garden of Gethsemane and pouring out His soul in prayer. Here we find the great obedience of Jesus in prayer. He knew that God the Father could remove the cup of suffering. He stated that fact in prayer. But He also went further by praying for God's will to be done. Jesus did not want His will to be done. Perfect Obedience! Unquestioning submission! This kind of prayer is the most difficult kind of prayer. Yet Jesus prayed this at His moment of greatest agony (Ref. Matthew 26: 36-46 and Mark 14:32-42).
There is a great lesson to be learnt here. Nothing pleases God more in prayer than to see us pray for His will to be done. That is why in the prayer Jesus taught it is said, “Your will be done.” (Ref. Matthew 6:10).
The Goal of Prayer
Another important aspect--the goal of prayer--is revealed in the prayer of Jesus found in John 17. Here Jesus is praying that He may be glorified. Jesus states that He had brought glory on earth to God by completing the work God gave Him to do. So Jesus prays that the glory, which He had with God before the world began, may be restored.
Our lives should be such that it should glorify God. Our work and deeds should be aimed to glorify God. Therefore when we pray; we should pray for that answer to prayer, which will bring glory to God.
Prayer is Warfare!
Finally, the writer of Hebrews turns the spotlight on one aspect of Jesus' prayer life that is not highlighted in the gospels: “During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (Hebrews 5:7 NIV).
Much of this remains a mystery. Yet it teaches us that prayer is not always filled with sweet language and fine expressions. Many times prayer turns out to be a battle. It is a valley of tears and struggle. The soul has to cry out to God. But one can have the assurance that God hears it all and answers them all. Therefore let us continue to pray.
Recommended article for futher reading: If This is Prayer, I will Pray

A Prayer for Employment

Our Heavenly Father is very interested in you and desires the very best for you. It is His will that you prosper and be in health as your soul prospers (III John 1). Be aware that God is not limited to meet your need or bless you through a paycheck, although He can certainly use a paycheck to do so. Always remember that God is your source and you are His very own child.
Keep the Word first place in your life. Do what God told Joshua in Joshua 1:8: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
We join our faith with yours as you pray this prayer:
“Father, in Jesus’ Name, I seek Your wisdom and trust You to direct me in seeking the job that is best for me. I will walk in mercy and truth and lean not unto my own understanding. Thank You for opening wide a door which no man can shut and for giving me favor.
“It is my desire, Father, to be debt-free and owe no man anything except to love him, according to Your Word. I am willing to work with my own hands, so that I lack nothing. I praise You that it is Your will that I am self-sufficient financially and have an abundance to meet all of my needs, with enough left over to give generously to others.
“I will not fret or have anxiety about anything, Father, for Your peace mounts guard over my heart and mind. Because You are my source, I have confidence, comfort and encouragement in Your provision. I thank You, Father, for supplying my need of employment according to Your riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Scripture References: Proverbs 3:3-5; Revelation 3:8; Psalms 5:12; Romans 13:8; I Thessalonians 4:11-12; II Corinthians 9:8 (The Amplified Bible); Philippians 4:6-7 (The Amplified Bible); II Corinthians 1:3 (The Amplified Bible); Philippians 4:19.

Grace is Power

When it comes to grace, people usually go wrong in one of two ways.
We either think that we’re too far gone for it and dismiss it.
Or we take it for granted and abuse it.
While they’re on opposite ends of the spectrum, they’re actually just two different expressions of the same problem:
They both view grace as weakness.
The first group lives as if grace is too weak to rescue them.
The second group lives as if grace is too weak to transform them.
Both are wrong. Grace isn’t weakness.
Grace is power. It is power to save and to transform. To cover all of our sins and remove them from our lives. To get you off the hook and to get you into the zone of transformation.
Check out 1 Corinthians 15:9-10:
9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
I love that. First Paul relates with those of us who think you’re the exception to God’s grace. If there was ever a candidate, it was Paul. Not you. And apparently his sin wasn’t too powerful for God’s infinitely more powerful grace. And neither is yours.
Then he comes in and punches those of us who abuse it in the mouth. God’s grace is not without effect. Grace isn’t just a cheap perfume you splash on to cover the stench of your sins. It’s the power to change your life from the inside out.
Grace is power.
Power to save. Power to live right. Power to talk right. Power to walk right. Power to give. Power to forgive. Power to do anything God calls you to do in His name. Power to pray. Power to overcome.
Paul could have lived in perpetual guilt for what he had done. Or he could have taken advantage of what God had done for him. But he didn’t. And look at what he became.
You have the same options.
Embrace the power of God’s grace and imagine what you’ll become.

Resource of the Day: Another overlooked aspect of grace is that it doesn’t just rescue you from a life engrossed in sin. It also keeps you from it. If you’re like me and don’t have the most dramatic testimony, check out this post for some encouragement and motivation for praising God for what He has kept you from: Grace redefined.

Finding Confidence In God

By Dr. Charles Stanley

Lam. 3:21-26

God’s people have only one way to face life: confidently. After all, He loves us, has saved us from eternal death, and is committed to guiding us through every moment of life. God wants us to live confidently—but too often we allow feelings of personal inadequacy and unworthiness to derail our faith.

The apostle Paul lived through horrendous circumstances—rejected by his Jewish peers, stoned, abandoned for dead, ridiculed, ignored, and often beaten and imprisoned for his devotion to Christ. But Paul continued to maintain a confident hope, right up to the very end. How did he manage this?

The apostle recalled one simple truth: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). He focused on his Lord, just as Jeremiah had: “Great is Your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I have hope in Him”’ (Lam. 3:23, 24).

The classic hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” expands on this important idea. The next time you sing it, don’t miss its wonderful message: God is faithful and does not change (Heb. 13:8). In this one truth, we find our reason for hope and unwavering confidence. The Lord’s unchanging nature teaches us that even when we feel unlovely, we remain beautiful to Him. We can do nothing to change His love for us—it is unconditional and flows freely from His throne of grace. He never changes, and He is faithful to keep all of His promises.

Do you trust God? Have you experienced the strong assurance that comes from placing your faith in His unfailing love? He loved you unconditionally yesterday, and He loves you with the same love today and tomorrow—forever. Therefore, roll the burden of your heart onto Him, and you will discover that you, too, can sing, “Great is Thy faithfulness.”

Adapted from "The Charles F. Stanley’s Life Principles Bible," 2008.