The Great Commandment--Love the Lord

With the new year, in Relief Society we are starting a new lesson manual: Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson. I'm excited about this because he was the prophet during my youth, and I remember him! Yesterday, I taught Lesson 1 from the manual, "The Great Commandment--Love the Lord" The lesson actually ended up following my outline, which is kind of rare, but actually turned out really good. Here is my outline:

What should be the most important thing in our lives? [This got many answers, including prayer, families, working towards our eternal exaltation. In my mind, there was no right or wrong answer because they are all inter-related.]

"The great test of life is obedience to God."

"The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it."

"The great commandment of life is to love the Lord."

[I had each of these printed out and posted on the chalkboard, along with several pictures I'll talk about later.] 

Matt 22:37-38 (Love the Lord with all thy heart… this is the 1^st and great commandment)

What does it mean to love the love the Lord with all thy heart?

Why should this commandment come first?

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

President Benson speaks of charity differently than I usually think of it.

How do we usually define, or think of charity?

Moroni 7:47-48 (Charity is the pure love of Christ)

1 Nephi 11:21-23 (Tree of life is love of God)

What insights can we gain from the way President Benson relates charity to the great commandment?

(Love of God=Love like God’s=Love for God) [This actually was kind of difficult for me to wrap my head around. It seemed like there was something profound that I couldn't quite grasp in the relationship between loving God, the love that God has for each of us, and loving like God does - completely and unconditionally. As I understand it now, the more that we come to understand and feel God's love for us, the more we will love Him, and the more desire we will have to become like him - loving others the way that he loves them, and thereby coming to understand God's love for us even better.]

President Benson’s  father’s mission [I told the story from p4-6 of the manual, then had someone read the following.]

 "When I think of charity, I … think of my father and that day he was called on his mission [see pages 4–6 in this book]. I suppose some in the world might say that his acceptance of that call was proof he did not really love his family. To leave seven children and an expectant wife at home alone for two years, how could that be true love? But my father knew a greater vision of love. He knew that “all things shall work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28). He knew that the best thing he could do for his family was to obey God."

                How was this mission an example of charity?

 “When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives.”

                What does it mean to put God first?

                Can you think of an example of someone who put God first?

                                Joseph pleased God before Potipher & Wife

                                President Benson’s job

                                Nephi, Job, others   [I actually looked through the Gospel Art Kit beforehand and pulled out several pictures of people who had put God's will first in their lives. Besides Joseph and Abraham, who were mentioned in the lesson, I had Abinadi, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Moses, Lehi, Noah, and Samuel the Lamanite. I had all these pictures on the board, and class members came up with more, including missionaries and parents.] 

 “One of the most difficult tests of all is when you have to choose between pleasing God or pleasing someone you love or respect—particularly a family member… The scripture says, “Honour thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12; see also Mosiah 13:20). Sometimes one must choose to honor Heavenly Father over a mortal father.  We should give God, the Father of our spirits, an exclusive preeminence in our lives. He has a prior parental claim on our eternal welfare, ahead of all other ties that may bind us here or hereafter.”

“Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life.”

Can you think of an example of people turning their lives over to God? How did God make them better than they could become on their own?

                Abraham & Isaac – Gods
             [I also went through the pictures I had on the board and briefly mentioned what blessings each of them received for doing God's will.]

 “God loves us; the devil hates us. God wants us to have a fulness of joy as He has. The devil wants us to be miserable as he is. God gives us commandments to bless us. The devil would have us break these commandments to curse us.  Daily, constantly, we choose by our desires, our thoughts, and our actions whether we want to be blessed or cursed, happy or miserable. One of the trials of life is that we do not usually receive immediately the full blessing for righteousness or the full cursing for wickedness. That it will come is certain, but ofttimes there is a waiting period that occurs, as was the case with Job and Joseph.”

The great test of life is obedience to God.
The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it.

The great commandment of life is to love the Lord.