Week 102- Proper Order of the First Two Great Commandments  

Scriptures:

John 8

Matt 22:35-46

1 Corinthians 13

General Conference Address:  

“Two Great Commandments” Elder Dallin H Oaks CR 10/2019

Thought:

Our Father expects a lot from us. He wants to be the best that we can be and the only way to do that is to stretch us and give us opportunities to grow. One of the ways he stretches us is that he asks us to do two things at once. He wants us to love him and keep his commandments and he wants us to love our fellow man like unto ourselves. That can be challenging, especially when our fellowman does things that conflict with God’s laws. This isn’t an impossible puzzle. Use this talk and these scriptures to begin to unfold the mystery and find ways to be obedient to both laws. 

Misc:

“When Jesus was asked which was the great commandment, He gave two. First was to love God, which we show by keeping His commandments. Second was to love our neighbor. We must do both, and that is not easy. Many of us have a tendency to give less attention to loving our neighbor and to over-emphasize keeping the law [commandments]. That is surely my tendency because of my legal training. After all, loving God and showing our love for God by keeping His commandments is the first great commandment. And of course, it is easier for us to judge ourselves and others on whether we are obeying the law. However, it is also vital for each of us to keep the second commandment, which is “like unto it,” to love our neighbors the way Jesus loved us.…The need to combine and apply both law and love, with inspired balance and timing, is ever present. Elder [D. Todd] Christofferson has reminded us that “Putting the first commandment first does not diminish or limit our ability to keep the second commandment. To the contrary, it amplifies and strengthens it. ... Our love of God elevates our ability to love others more fully and perfectly because we in essence partner with God in the care of His children.” President Dallin H Oaks in World Wide Devotional for Young Adults, 2023

Invitation: 

Identify a person or scenario that challenges you to love your neighbor. Study it out and make a plan to be more Christlike with them