Chapter 18 of our manual, Living by Every Word That Proceeds from the Mouth of God, was taught by Sis. Kay Bashford. She asked the class the question 'How do we worship?' Some answers included coming to church, being an example, attending the temple and serving others. Then Sis. Bashford asked us 'How do others worship?' Public prayers, singing in choirs and religious retreats are a few of the ways. President Joseph Fielding Smith said, "The supreme act of worship is to keep the commandments, to follow in the footsteps of the Son of God, to do ever those things that please him."
Doctrine and Covenants 88:36-39 states: "All kingdoms have a law given; And there are many kingdoms; for there is no space in the which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in which there is no space, either a greater or lesser kingdom. And unto every kingdom is given a law; and unto every law there are certain bounds also and conditions. All beings who abide not in those conditions are not justified." What does 'justified' mean? In this context, to be justified is to be declared innocent or guiltless. Are we justified when it comes to following the code of laws (gospel of Jesus Christ) that the Lord has set for us?
President Joseph Fielding Smith explains the reason for keeping the commandments. He says, "We believe that worship is far more than prayer and preaching and gospel performance. The supreme act of worship is to keep the commandments, to follow in the footsteps of the Son of God, to do ever those things that please him. It is one thing to give lip service to the Lord; it is quite another to respect and honor his will by following the example he has set for us . . . This is the law to members of the Church, in the words of the Savior: "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me." (John 14:21). Again, the Savior said; "If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)"
What are the commandments? Are we following these commandments? The 10 Commandments are a talked about a lot, but are we really doing our best to obey them and keep them, one by one? In class we had a wonderful discussion about these perfect laws that the Lord gave Moses. Are we honoring our father and mother (and grandparents, etc.) by doing family history work? Are we keeping the commandment of not bearing false witness if we we gossip? Who of us are really guiltless when it comes to coveting? If we look at each of the 10 commandments and ask ourselves if we are keeping all of these commandments, we begin to realize that it is much easier said than done.
We are promised so many blessings if we commit to keep the commandments the Lord has given us. The Lord is bound to bestow his blessings upon us if we are obedient (D&C 130:20-21). President Smith teaches, "The Lord will give us gifts. He will quicken our minds. He will give us knowledge that will clear up all difficulties and put us in harmony with the commandments that he has given us; he will give us a knowledge that will be so deeply rooted in our souls that it can never be rooted out, if we will just seek for the light and the truth and the understanding that are promised to us and that we can receive if we will only be true and faithful to every covenant and obligation pertaining to the gospel of Jesus Christ."
Sis. Bashford reminds us that one of the hardest commandments to keep is to follow in the footsteps of our Savior. The Lord doesn't expect us to be perfect, only that we keep trying.
Read lesson from the manual HERE.
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