July study topic: Repentance & Obedience

Many people feel that the commandments are burdensome and that they limit freedom and personal growth. But the Savior taught that true freedom comes only from following Him: "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32). God gives commandments for our benefit. They are loving instructions for our happiness and for our physical and spiritual well-being.


In the premortal existence, Heavenly Father presided over a great Council in Heaven. There we learned of His plan for our salvation, which included a time of testing on the earth. "We will make an earth whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them" (Abraham 3:24-25). One reason we are here on the earth is to show our willingness to obey Heavenly Father's commandments.

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that obedience to the commandments leads to blessings from God. He said: "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this 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" (D&C 130:20-21).

King Benjamin also taught this principle: "I would desire that ye should consider on the blssed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God," he counseled. "For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord Gad hath spoken it" (Mosiah 2:41).

Our obedience to the commandments is an expression of our love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The Savior said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). He later declared, "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love" (John 15:10).

Scriptures to study:

• D&C 1:31-33
• 1 Nephi 3:7
• Alma 34:33
• D&C 1:38
• Moses 6:57
• 1 Nephi 17:45
• Mosiah 2:38
• Mosiah 2:41

Quotes to ponder:

• "I know there is a Supreme Being who rules the affairs of men and whose goodness and mercy have always followed the American people, and I know He will not turn from us now if we humbly and reverently seek His powerful aid."  ~Grover Cleveland
• "The great virtue of man lies in his ability to correct his mistakes and continually to make a new man of himself." ~Wang Yang-Ming