When the Lord Commands

I would like to share a few quotes from the talk that Elder Bruce A. Carlson of the Quorum of the 70 gave in the April 2010 General Conference entitled "When the Lord Commands". The full text of the talk can be found here.

Elder Carlson quotes the Harold B. Lee, a prophet a few decades back, who said:

"The safety of the church lies in the members keeping the commandments. . . .As they keep the commandments, blessings will come."

Elder Carlson gives three reasons why we sometimes fall short of obeying the commandments of God. The first reason is that we rationalize that the commandment doesn't apply to me. He shares the story of Jeroboam from the Old Testament to illustrate this trap. Jeroboam justified the introduction of satanic worship rituals in order to satisfy the people, believing that the Lord's commandments did not apply to him (1 Kings 12). All of his descendants were killed as a result of his disobedience.

Another reason is that we may feel the commandment is not important. He illustrates this with the story of Naaman from the Old Testament. Naaman was told to wash seven times in the muddy Jordan River in order to be cleansed of his leprosy. He was angry and about to disobey the counsel of the prophet because it seemed such a trite, unimportant act. Lucky for him, he was convinced by his servant to obey and as a result he was cured of his leprosy (2 Kings 5). Elder Carlson promises:

"Obedience to the Lord’s commands, in spite of how trivial or unimportant we believe them to be, will surely bring His promised blessings."

The third reason that he gives is that we sometimes think that a commandment is just too hard. He uses the story of Lehi's eldest sons complaining that the commandment of the Lord to retrieve the brass plates was too hard to accomplish. Of course we know that Nephi, the youngest son, trusted in the Lord and was led by the Spirit to fulfill the commandment and obtain the plates (1 Ne 3-4). Elder Carlson comments:

"At times we may rationalize that the Lord will understand our disobedience because our special circumstances make adherence to His laws difficult, embarrassing, or even painful. However, faithful obedience, regardless of the apparent size of the task, will bring the Lord’s guidance, assistance, and peace."

Let's not forget the Lord's promise to us as we are obedient:

"If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life."(Doctrine and Covenants 14:7)

Obedience is much more important for us personally, than it is for our Father in Heaven. It benefits us beyond what we can imagine. Elder Carlson ends his talk with this testimony:

"Obedience to the Lord’s commandments provides us confidence in our chosen path, qualifies us for His guidance and direction as we pursue our efforts, and offers us the potential to become like our Savior, Jesus Christ, and return to our Father’s presence."