“The scriptures enlarge our memory by helping us always to remember the Lord and our relationship to Him and the Father.” ~Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Love is such an important part of the gospel. I also think President Uchtdorf's talk from this years Christmas devotional has some good quotes tying love into Christmas.
Our eternal progression leans heavily on the degree to which we love… We can best demonstrate our love to God by keeping His commandments. And we can show our love to God and neighbor by charitable acts of service… If we are obedient to the commandment of love, there will be no disputations, contention, nor hatred between nor among us. We will not speak ill of one another but will treat each other with kindness and respect, realizing that each of us is a child of God… Given the purpose of our existence, if we do not love God and neighbor, whatever else we do will be of little eternal consequence.
Robert F. Orton, The First and Great Commandment, Oct 2001 General Conference
Ornament
The great commandments are encompassed in the word LOVE.
We can rise above the natural man and become the individuals our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ know we can become. We can be perfect.
Concluding this part of his sermon, Jesus reiterated that the old law was fulfilled in his coming, and that there was now a new order of things--a higher law--to guide our relationships with one another. Then follows the invitation for us to become perfect as Jesus and the Father are perfect... Knowing that becoming perfect through Christ is eventually possible and that the Savior is "pulling for us" is a compelling thought.
Larry E. Dahl; The Higher Law, Ensign February 1991
Ornament
The Lord has asked us to be perfect to aim for all we can become. The sun represents the Celestial Kingdom that as we follow the higher law with the Savior's grace we will make it.
The first video is the story where Christ cleansed the temple, stating that His Father's house was not a house of merchandise.
The second is a story of President Monson at boot camp. He stood even if it was to be alone, and learned that following Christ is always the right choice.
Quote/Principle
The first quote ties in the story with the principle that boundaries are from God to protect us. The second quote helps us understand how those boundaries or standards can help us, and what some of the standards are.
“The Lord drew boundary lines to define acceptable limits of tolerance. Danger rises when those divine limits are disobeyed. Just as parents teach little children not to run and play in the street, the Savior taught us that we need not tolerate evil. “Jesus went into the temple of God, and … and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers.” Though He loved the sinner, the Lord said that He “cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance”…
Elder Russell M. Nelson, Teach Us Tolerance and Love, April 1994 General Conference
President Gordon B. Hinckley tells of an experience he had as a boy lying in the bed of an old farm wagon at night with his brother Sherman. They “looked at the myriads of stars in the heavens, and took turns picking out familiar stars and tracing the Big Dipper, the handle and the cup, to find the North Star.” President Hinckley said he was fascinated by the North Star. Regardless of the earth’s rotation, the North Star maintained its position in the heavens and never moved. He said: “I recognized it as a constant in the midst of change. It was something that could always be counted on, something that was dependable, an anchor in what otherwise appeared to be a moving and unstable firmament.”
Fix your gaze on the unchanging standards of the gospel. . .
In the For the Strength of Youth booklet, the following standards, among others, are like a North Star to you: choose friends with high standards, do not disfigure your body with tattoos or body piercings, avoid pornography, do not listen to music that contains offensive language, do not use profanity, date only those who have high standards, remain sexually pure, repent as necessary, be honest, keep the Sabbath day holy, pay tithing, keep the Word of Wisdom.
Earl C. Tingey; April 2004, General Conference
Ornament
The North Star is a guide just as standards are a guide for us. The Lord draws boundary and standards help us stay within those boundaries.
