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Last time I talked about finding true happiness. The conclusion for me was living with Heavenly Father with my family and friends for eternity.
But saying that, if I want to be with Heavenly Father above, there are things that I need to do. And for anyone else with similar goals, this applies to them also. “And, behold, one came and said unto [Jesus Christ], Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”
Jesus answers, “Why callest thou good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Matthew 19:16-17
God has given us commandments in which we need to follow to perfect ourselves so that we can stand with righteous glory in his presence and have eternal life with him.
By following these commandments, we can also receive freedom from Satan’s clutches. Most people would have heard of the 10 commandments, also known as the Law of Moses: - Thou shalt have no other gods before me
- Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
- Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain
- Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy
- Honor thy father and thy mother
- Thou shalt not kill
- Thou shalt not commit adultery
- Thou shalt not steal
- Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor
- Thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy neighbor's
When Jesus Christ ministered to his people, he fulfilled this law and gave new commandments, such as loving one and another, charity towards each other, enduring to the end, and many more.
These categorise down to the Law of Moses, of tithing, of charity, of chastity, of consecration, of pray, fasting, word of wisdom, and thus still more.
With so many commandments to keep, many think it is too difficult and restricting and don't try to follow all of the commandments, but as Nephi says, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”
1 Nephi 3:7
So we must keep the commandments and endure to the end doing our best to follow them. Even in the worst of times, we can keep the commandments; we just have to make that choice. It may mean sacrificing something, but the blessings we receive later are much greater.
Again, the choices we make can free us from Satan because we are not restricted, but avoiding a possible addiction which Satan will trap us with later down the track. One common question is why do we need to keep the commandments if we are already saved by grace, and because we are saved, don't we gain the motivation to serve? Be careful, and look at the whole picture. In Ephesians 2:8-10, it reads,
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Because we are saved by grace, we may be motivated to do things but this is flaw and God is not of flaws.
We are saved through faith, and as I had previously discussed, faith is an action. We exercise faith by following God’s commandments. God loves us and wants to take care of us and we have faith that the commandments are there to help and protect us. When we do this and receive our blessing, we then know it is there to help and protect us. We grow in our faith and carry follow more commandments. We show our trust in the Lord and through this change in life and repentance, we are given mercy and grace.
One important thing noted here is that we are pre-ordained to do his will. We are here to do his will but we have the choice whether to or not, and when we choose to, it is because we want to and not just for the sake of it. Otherwise, then it can become of a boastful nature where it is done for the sake of it and we then judge others of it.
There is no sense in receiving grace before proving ourselves that we are faithful and want to do his will, otherwise, there is not need to do anything. Again, God is now flawed. So I follow the commandments and I want to because I know I am not restricted as many may think, but free.
When I was in university, I found myself really tired because I would only sleep for a couple hours or so due to late night gaming or movies. I would always buy coffee in the morning to keep me awake, but after a while, the coffee had no affect on me. For others, coffee still gave them the energy they needed, or it no longer kept them awake, but they were addicted to it for the taste or leisure of drinking something hot in the morning. We learn in the Word of Wisdom to avoid coffee due to the caffeine which can cause addiction to people and I have seen this, even in Coca Cola. We encourage hot chocolate instead, which is still something hot in the morning. But now I eat or drink fruits, or take in a bit of fresh air. I try to do something active and I am then awake for a much longer period then any coffee can offer me. Also keeping an optimistic mind it helps provide energy through the day. This was what I needed to do to keep myself awake, not drinking coffee. By keeping myself busy, I don't fall asleep.
What I understood from this is that God would have wanted us to do things like this, to do more proficient things to be healthier, such as a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, being optimistic. These things give you energy, not sipping away at coffee in an office only to drink more when the effect wears out, living in a delusion of the effect in coffee. This is just one example of the things which I follow and I reap the blessings God has promised; awake, energised, healthy, and not addicted to a drink.
I had mentioned a couple other addictions in that story also if some may notice, and as a note, they do not affect me as much anymore. I know following God’s commandments will set us free, and also bring us a happier state of life and we should all put God first. Go to church, tend to our callings, exercise faith, and God will give us what we truly need in life when the time is right. And if we endure well, he will give us what we really want also. The optimism and love of God first will energise us. It will be hard and our desires won’t always come right away, but God will give us the energy to do it and endure it, and bless us for it. And I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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