Joys of Obedience

Today I spoke in Sacrament meeting for the first time in over 2 years.  I really don't know how I managed to make it this long without speaking, but I did.  And, because my brain thinks in essay format, I had to write out my talk word-for-word before giving it.  I spent hours pouring over various conference talks and scriptures, really trying to pull together everything on this topic.  So...I decided to share my thoughts here.  We are told to share our testimonies, and this is one way I can share mine. 

In King Benjamin’s famous speech, after cautioning against the “awful situations” of those who fall into transgressions, he expresses a desire to the people that they “should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God.  For behold,” he says, “they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual.”  I find it particularly poignant that he spends significant time preaching about the consequences of sin, but not about the blessings.  Instead, King Benjamin asks his people to ponder on the blessing that come from obedience.  I think we would do well to follow this counsel:  The consequences of bad choices are often blatant and obvious, but the joy that comes from obedience to God’s commandments is not always so easy to observe.

We are taught that obedience leads to blessings.  As President Lee stated, “As we keep the commandments of God, blessings will come.”  This statement may seem overly simplistic and broad, but it is based on eternal truths.  As stated in D+C 130: “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of the world, upon which all blessings are predicated- And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.”  So, while it may be difficult-if not seemingly impossible- to tell when obedience to a particular law results in a specific blessing, of one thing we can be absolutely certain: that Blessings are inextricably tied to obedience.  We all know that blessings often do not come in the time or way we might originally desire, but they do come.

Our agency and ability to choose obedience is a precious gift.  As we are obedient, with the promise of temporal and spiritual blessings, it is essential to remember the purpose of our agency.  Richard G Scott taught, “Your agency, the right to make choices, is not given so that you can get what you want.  This divine gift is provided so that you will choose what your Father in Heaven wants for you.  That way He can lead you to become all that He intends you to be.  That path leads to glorious joy and happiness.”  Obedience to God’s commands allows us to become not just what we want to be, but to achieve the glorious potential our Heavenly Father has designed for us, far beyond what we could anticipate for ourselves.  One of my favorite authors of theology, C.S. Lewis, describes it this way:  “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of — throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace.”

One of the greatest joys of continued obedience to God’s commandments is manifested in safety and security.  As taught by David A. Bednar, obedience increases our ability to avoid the deceit of the adversary.  “Obedience opens the door to the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.  And the spiritual gifts and abilities activated by the power of the Holy Ghost enable us to avoid deception- and to see, to feel, to know, to understand, to remember things as they really are.”  In a world full of questions and problems, the eternal laws of the gospel provide answers.  And, as we continue in obedience, our capacity for truth and answers increases.  As Christ teaches (John 8:31-32), “If ye continue in my word, ye shall know truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  We live in a dispensation in which we enjoy the blessings of the fullness of the gospel, when people across the ages have sailed uncharted seas and traveled unmarked roads in search of a “fountain of truth”.  How blessed we are for a loving Heavenly Father who has plotted our course and provided an unfailing map- Obedience.

I am grateful for the many hard decisions in my life that have been made easy because of the laws of the gospel.  As I have watched friends and family members unknowingly violate these laws, I witnessed their intense sadness and heartache.  How blessed we are to have knowledge that can shield us from experiencing so much of the pain of this world.

Sometimes, we think of obedience a burden because it requires us to do hard things, but in this requirement lay great power.  President Monson explained, “The battle for self-mastery may leave a person a bit bruised and battered, but always a better man or woman…God gave man life and with it the power to think and reason and decide and love.  With such power given to you and to me, mastery of self becomes a necessity.”  This sort of self mastery and self discipline is not only necessary, but allows us to better experience the beauty and creativity in this world.  President Monson continued, “God left the world unfinished for man to work his skill upon.  He left the electricity in the cloud, the oil in the earth.  He left the rivers un-bridged and the forests un-felled and the cities un-built.  God gives to man the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things.  He leaves the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved, that man might know the joys and glories of creation.”  When we discipline ourselves through obedience to God’s laws, we open ourselves up for a greater capacity to build, create, and find joy in life.  And, as I was often reminded by my freshman seminary teacher (who was no doubt discouraged by a not-so-enthusiastic group of high school students at 6am every morning) “When obedience ceases to become an irritant and becomes a quest, in that moment we are endowed with power.”  Power to be strong, to create, to influence- power to build the kingdom.

Beyond the temporal blessings we experience in this life, we have also been promised that “If we keep [His] commandments and endure to the end, we shall have eternal life.”, of which we know that there is no greater gift.

In my preparation for this talk, I came across an article in which Elder Maxwell described our generation, saying “the youth of this generation have a greater capacity for obedience than any previous generation.”  I was reminded of the advice that Uncle Ben gives Peter Parker during his struggle to become Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility,” and then realized that it would probably be more appropriate to quote the idea from section 82 of the Doctrine and Covenants, “unto whom much is given, much is required.”  Modern day apostles have taught that our generation is given a greater capacity for obedience as the primary weapon for use in the latter-day battle between good and evil, and it is our right and responsibility to fully develop that capacity, and all of the blessings that come with it.

In closing, I would like to share with you the words of S. Michael Wilcox from the January 2004 Ensign, “I feel that the wisest, noblest, and most significant thing we can ever accomplish as children of Heavenly Father is to discover His will and do it.  Obedience to the Lord’s will has always brought peace and rest, fulfillment and joy.”

I echo the words of the Lord’s servants.  I know and have personally witnessed the joy and blessings that come from obedience to the commandments.  I am eternally grateful for the plan of a loving Father in Heaven who designed a plan to ensure our happiness and eternal potential.  I know that when we constantly strive to make obedience a quest, not a burden, we will be endowed with power to build His Kingdom.