The Commandment to Love

Ever since I was little, with rules and chores and laws imposed by parents, society and governments, I've been fascinated by Matthew's account of the cunning Pharisee who tried to test the Savior by asking Him which commandment was greatest. The savior put him to shame and answered as simply and clearly as he could: 1st Love God with all your heart, soul and mind. 2nd Love your neighbor as your self.

As a child I was very interested to find that all we have to do is obey two commandments. Could it really be that simple? I wondered. 

As I matured and my understanding of the gospel grew, I realized the truth: it is that simple, and that difficult.

You see, each of the commandments has it's root in those two commandments. For Example: 

•Don't steal - if you Love your neighbor then you won't steal from them. But if you express your gratitude to God for all you have, you won't have the desire to steal, either.

•Don't take the Lord's name in vain - of course if you love God you wouldn't do that. But if you loved your neighbor then you wouldn't be likely to blaspheme or use foul language around them either.

I've since come to realize that the reason to obey every commandment is built upon those two commandments. Of course Jesus taught this in his mortal ministry, "if ye love me, keep my commandments".  

John taught that if we love God, then we keep His commandments-and that since we love Him, the commandments are not grevious or hard to do (1 John 3:5)

Could it really be all about love? 

What about tithing? If we love God then it is easy to give back 10%. And if we love our neighbor, we want a place for them to worship-be it for our immediate neighbor or our neighbors in 3rd World Countries.

What about modesty? If we love God then we cherish this gift we call a body. We also seek to use it to glorify God, not draw attention to ourselves. If we love our neighbor, then we wouldn't want to impose our immodesty on anyone.

I could go on and on. 

So . . . . What? How does this help? Does this help? Does it change anything?

That's up to you. What does it mean to you that all the commandments are based on love? How does that change your attitude on all the rules, laws, commandments and principles? How important is love?

 It's all about love. Can you see why Moroni taught that we should all pray to God with all the energy of our soul to be filled with love? Why John taught that God is Love, and that we should be as he is? Is it any wonder that Satan has blinded the eyes of the people to believe that lust is love, and that selfishness is the way to happiness? He too knows that Love is the Answer, and he'll do anything he can to hide it.

"Lived After the Manner of Happiness"

One of my all-time favorite verses of scripture comes from 2 Nephi 5:27 of the Book of Mormon: "And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness." I've pondered greatly about what that means, and how one can live after the manner of happiness. 
First of all I'm certain that they maintained a Positive Mental Attitude, and definitely had an Attitude of Gratitude, but what else contributed to their happiness? Perhaps some background would help. At this time in Nephite history, they had just landed on the American Continent, the Land of Promise, and started to settle in. Then the rebellious brothers, Laman and Lemuel, decided they wanted to take control by killing Nephi, so Nephi was warned in a dream to take his family and those faithful to the Lord, and flee into the wilderness. 
Soon they found a new place and settled in. So, they were happy because they had to rebuild their homes and lives after fleeing their murderous bothers? Perhaps in one way. But if you study the verses leading up to verse 27 you'll find a few triggers that helped them live in happiness despite their circumstances.

1. They followed the spirit (vs. 5)
2. They moved their families from wickedness (vs. 6-7)
3. They kept the commandments "in all things" (vs. 10; cross reference to Alma 41:10, "Wickedness never was happiness" ) 
4. They worked hard and were industrious in doing good things and providing for their families (vs. 11, 15-17)
5. They focused their lives on the temple (vs. 16)
6. They chose to follow their church leaders, who pointed them to Christ (vs. 26)

Think about this in your own life. Are you happy? Do you do the basic things that bring happiness? Perhaps you're doing all these things, but are somehow just 'going through the motions', and your efforts lack faith and hope? It's kind of like trying to fly an airplane without wings. It's time to add wings to your vessel by 'doing all that you do in the name of [Jesus](Moses 5:8).  By so doing, we consecrate our actions, and thus our very lives, to the source of all true happiness.