“When we put God first, all
other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives.”
Ponder President Benson’s promises to those who “turn their
lives over to God” (section 3).
?? What examples have you seen of people turning their lives
over to God?
?? In what ways did God make those people better than they
could have become on their own?
President Ezra Taft Benson’s life
reflected his love for the Lord and his steadfast commitment to living the
gospel. An extended family
member once said, “To Ezra and his family religion is a complete way of
life—something to be lived seven days a week. It takes first place in his
consideration when the time comes for making decisions.”1
People outside the Benson family
also noticed President Benson’s love for the Lord. In 1939, when President
Benson was serving as a stake president, he was invited to Washington, D.C., to
meet with the directors of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. “After
looking him over and questioning him, the board of trustees offered him the
position of executive secretary of that organization. … Though he was thrilled
by this unsolicited bid for his services, he did not wish to accept it. As he
understood it, the job would entail lobbying by the use of cocktail parties,
which would not be compatible with his religion.
“‘Mr. Benson,’ Judge John D.
Miller, head of the group, replied, ‘that is why we selected you. We know what
your standards are.’ With full assurance from the board that he would not be
expected to seek an understanding of agricultural problems over cocktail
glasses, he was delighted to accept the position, but only after consultation
with the First Presidency and his wife.”2
??
How many stake presidents did the Church have in 1939?
??
Is consulting with the First Presidency something that you might expect a
Bishop or a Stake President to be able to do now?
President Benson taught that we manifest
our love for the Lord by our willingness to do the Lord’s will. He said: “I
wish that every Latter-day Saint could say and mean it with all his heart:
‘I’ll go where you want me to go. I’ll say what you want me to say. I’ll be
what you want me to be’ [see Hymns, no. 270]. If we
could all do that, we would be assured of the maximum of happiness here and
exaltation in the celestial kingdom of God hereafter.”3
?? What excuses do we use to do what we want
rather than what God would have us do?
?? What should we be doing?
The first and great commandment is
to love the Lord.
The great test of life is obedience to God. “We will prove
them herewith,” said the Lord, “to see if they will do all things whatsoever
the Lord their God shall command them” (Abraham 3:25).
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.
“Come unto Christ,” exhorts Moroni in his closing testimony,
“… and love God with all your might, mind and strength” (Moroni 10:32).
This, then, is the first and great commandment: “Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind, and with all thy strength” (Mark 12:30;
see also Matthew
22:37; Deuteronomy
6:5; Luke
10:27; Moroni
10:32; D&C
59:5).
?? Thoughts?
It is the pure love of Christ, called charity, that the Book of Mormon
testifies is the greatest of all—that never faileth, that endureth forever,
that all men should have, and that without which they are nothing (see Moroni
7:44–47; 2 Nephi
26:30).
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren,” pleads Moroni, “pray unto
the Father with all the energy of [your] heart, that ye may be filled with this
love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may
become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him” (Moroni 7:48).
In the closing accounts of both the Jaredites and the
Nephites, Moroni records that except men shall have this pure love of Christ,
called charity, they cannot inherit that place which Christ has prepared in the
mansions of His Father nor can they be saved in the kingdom of God (see Ether 12:34;
Moroni
10:21).
The fruit that Lehi partook of in his vision and that filled
his soul with exceeding great joy and that was most desirable above all things
was the love of God.5
?? What is Charity?
We show our love for God when we put
Him first in our lives.
Why did God put the first commandment first? Because He knew
that if we truly loved Him we would want to keep all of His other commandments.
“For this is the love of God,” says John, “that we keep his commandments” (1 John 5:3;
see also 2 John
1:6).
We must put God in the forefront of everything else in our
lives. He must come first, just as He declares in the first of His Ten Commandments: “Thou
shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).
When we put God first, all other things fall into their
proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the
claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and
the order of our priorities.
We should put God ahead of everyone else in our lives.
?? How is this compatible with what this life is about?
?? Is it easy?
To love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is
all-consuming and all-encompassing. It is no lukewarm endeavor. It is total
commitment of our very being—physically, mentally, emotionally, and
spiritually—to a love of the Lord.
?? How do we put God first?
The breadth, depth, and height of this love of God extend
into every facet of one’s life. Our desires, be they spiritual or temporal,
should be rooted in a love of the Lord. Our thoughts and affections should be
centered on the Lord. “Let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord,” said
Alma, “yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever” (Alma 37:36).7
We show our love for God when we put
Him first in our lives.
Why did God put the first commandment first? Because He knew
that if we truly loved Him we would want to keep all of His other commandments.
“For this is the love of God,” says John, “that we keep his commandments” (1 John 5:3;
see also 2 John
1:6).
We must put God in the forefront of everything else in our
lives. He must come first, just as He declares in the first of His Ten Commandments: “Thou
shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).
When we put God first, all other things fall into their
proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the
claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and
the order of our priorities.
?? How does this make our love for others and our care for
them better instead of worse?
When Joseph was in Egypt, what came first in his life—God,
his job, or Potiphar’s wife? When she tried to seduce him, he responded by
saying, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9).
Joseph was put in prison because he put God first. If we
were faced with a similar choice, where would we place our first loyalty? Can
we put God ahead of security, peace, passions, wealth, and the honors of men?
When Joseph was forced to choose, he was more anxious to
please God than to please his employer’s wife. When we are required to choose,
are we more anxious to please God than our boss, our teacher, our neighbor, or
our date?
?? Is this hard?
The Book of Mormon teaches that “it
must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things” (2 Nephi
2:11)—and so there is. Opposition provides choices, and choices bring
consequences—good or bad.
?? What is the result of putting God first?
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.9
The Book of Mormon explains that men “are free to choose
liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose
captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil” (2
Nephi 2:27).
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.
?? Does that waiting period make it harder?
I testify to you that God’s pay is the best pay that this
world or any other world knows anything about. And it comes in full abundance
only to those who love the Lord and put Him first.
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, “Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and
with all thy strength” (Mark 12:30).
May God bless us to put the first commandment first and, as
a result, reap peace in this life and eternal life with a fullness of joy in
the life to come.10
OPEN
DISCUSSION
Ponder President Benson’s promises to those who “turn their
lives over to God” (section 3).
?? What examples have you seen of people turning their lives
over to God?
?? In what ways did God make those people better than they
could have become on their own?
The lesson manual warns that it is a mistake for the class
instructor to believe that he or she is really the teacher. It warns “Be careful you do not get in the
way.”
?? How can we encourage class participation so that the
instructors do not get in the way of the message that God has for us?
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