Brothers and sisters, I am delighted to be here and grateful for the words of my dear wife, Melanie. And happy Valentine’s Day, my dear. Before this meeting, President Eyring and I gave our sweethearts a valentine that you can see on the big screen now. If you do nothing else in your life, marry well as we did, and you will be blessed all your days. I certainly have been.
I am grateful to be here with President Henry J. Eyring and his wife, Kelly, and his capable administrative team. This institution and its students, that is all of you, are in very good hands.
I am grateful to feel the Spirit of the Holy Ghost in this assembly. I hope you appreciate the importance of coming to a devotional like this or to your Church meetings, seeking to learn and be instructed by the Holy Ghost. If you are prepared, as I have prepared to speak by the Spirit this evening, you will receive by the Spirit, and we all will be taught divine truth together.
One of the greatest truths is the power of love in our lives. Love motivates us, refines, strengthens, and engages us in things that matter. When we love someone, they become a priority. Love is closely aligned with the heart and is expressed in generosity, gratitude, patience, kindness, hope, trust, and courage. Love is tender, forgiving, and the desire of every human soul. By divine design we reach for it, nurture it, and treasure it.
Love is the theme of Valentine’s. In the last few days, you have no doubt seen apartment doors covered with “heart attacks,” cards stuffed in backpacks, and even some boxes of chocolates smuggled into class. I remember, as a young boy, sitting at the kitchen table and writing out my valentines for friends in my class and neighborhood. I was careful not to use the mushy cards, particularly for the girls. Mostly, I just signed my name and then took my cards to school and one-by-one put them in the carefully decorated boxes.
My message this evening is not focused on the cards, candy hearts, the chocolates, or even the flowers that speak of love at Valentine’s. No question, it is important to recognize and even show attention and deep feelings for those you care about and who care for you on this special day. To mention a few: your spouse, children, parents, siblings, those you are dating—especially if you have an interest in them—roommates, study mates, and those you minister to.
This evening, I want to look at love as the compelling doctrine that it is and the commandment. Assisting me this evening are two of your fellow students, Brother Cole Owens, Sister Rasband’s nephew; and Sister Katie Ott. Cole, would you read the first scripture?
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”[1]
In the New Testament, John reminds us that “we love [the Lord], because he first loved us.”[2] In the pre-earth life, Jesus Christ stepped forward with love of the Father in His heart to fulfill His will saying, “Here am I; send me.”[3] To a scattering of followers He declared, “Hear, and understand.”[4] In the dark of the garden, He said with all the strength He could gather, “Not my will, but thine, be done,”[5] and on the cross He spoke no bitterness, profanity, or anger. “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”[6] Now, amid your journey of life, He reaches out with “open arms to receive you.”[7] In the vernacular of today, what’s not to love?
Love of God embraces both the Father and the Son and is a central theme of the gospel and the scriptures. Since we are studying the Old Testament this year in Come Follow Me and in Gospel Doctrine classes, I think it is appropriate to turn to the words of the prophet Joshua to learn about love. In his final counsel to the Israelites, he said: “Take diligent heed . . . to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”[8]
Let us put his admonition to love the Lord in context. Joshua lived during the period the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt. He was one of those who saw the Lord on Mount Sinai[9] and was a firsthand witness of God’s majesty and miracles, including the parting of the Red Sea. Joshua was known as “a man in whom is the spirit”[10] and was one of the twelve spies[11] sent to survey the land of promise. While some in the party reported in fear, “There we saw giants,”[12] Joshua responded, “The Lord is with us: fear them not.”[13] But they did fear and murmur and the Israelite nation wandered for 40 years.
“Be strong and of a good courage,”[14] the Lord said to Joshua, not once but four times, as he finally went forth with hundreds of thousands to enter the promised land. The River Jordan did not part as the throng approached. But when the priests carrying the arc of the covenant, representative of the Lord, dipped their feet in the river, the waters parted and the masses crossed on dry ground. We read in Joshua, “For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea . . . That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty.”[15]
They were not entering a barren, uninhabited land. Joshua led them first to Jericho where they successfully laid siege for seven days, marching around the walls of what had become a wicked and idolatrous city. Again, the Lord provided a miracle; the walls fell, and they took the city. Eventually, the Israelites claimed 31 cities, purging much of the land of corruption and idolatry. But not all of it. They stopped short of the Lord’s call to remove the wicked Canaanites from among them and they paid dearly. They slowly were corrupted by social interaction, false gods, and intermarriage.
We see Joshua as the great military leader, but his cause was more than capturing the countryside. He was motivated by his love for God.
Like the Israelites of old, you are on the edge of your River Jordan looking forward to all God has for you in your mortal journey. There are pockets of disbelievers and idol worshippers around you who may try to thwart your noble efforts. But you can be like those who crossed the river and marched with righteous purpose around the walls of Jericho until they came down. Their faith was a manifestation of their love of God.
You, too, can make the commitment now to love the Lord thy God. It is the first great commandment, and it has not changed through all dispensations.
If we turn to the time of Christ, Mark spoke words similar to those of Joshua saying: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.”[16]
In this last dispensation, at the time the Saints were journeying to Missouri to establish Zion, Joseph Smith received revelation in 1831 which expressed the same admonishment: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him.”[17]
As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I renew that call today. First and foremost, “love the Lord your God.”[18] I promise you that everything else will fall in line if you put the Lord first. Align your life with the teachings of His chosen servants: the prophet on the earth today, President Russell M. Nelson; his counselors in the First Presidency; the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; and your university leaders. They love God and they speak His words.
You may wonder how do you make the seemingly ethereal concept of the love of God become the essence of your lives, your worship, and your devotion? How do you commit fully to what Joseph Smith called “the cause of Christ”?[19] How do you let the love of the Lord take precedence in your life when so much is calling out to you? Joshua showed us the way, as he did the Israelites.
I referred earlier to his counsel to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his commandments, to cleave unto Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul. Consider with me these four ways you can express love for God beginning with walk in all His ways.
First, you walk in all His ways when you exercise humility, trust, faith, patience, and courage like those who had wandered for four decades. The scene of tens of thousands of people lined up at the river was all about walking in His ways. Those who had questioned or fallen prey to evil practices had died. These were new and anxious followers hoping to finally settle in the land promised to Abraham. The priests held firmly the ark of the covenant—a representation of God—and with faith, stepped into the water. You too, will have to exercise faith and trust in the Lord as you face obstacles like deep water that seems to deny your progress. But the Israelites walked across on dry ground, and with the Lord at your side, figurately speaking, so will you.
Living the gospel is not a stroll down a road—broad, smooth, and flat. You may not encounter rivers, but you will face challenges that are daunting. Remember, your love of God can call down miracles to bless you.
You walk in His ways when you care about the things He cares about. For example, time and again, the scriptures speak of the Lord reaching out His hand to those in need. You do that when you listen to the problems of a roommate or spouse, when you extend kindness to a friend who is distanced from church activity, when you forgive someone for harshness, when you place high value on the words of God in the scriptures, when you act on counsel of apostles and prophets, never murmuring. You walk in His ways when you are trustworthy with your assignments here on earth and when you bend down on your knees and, in prayer, recount your progress to your Father in Heaven. You walk in His ways when you know the names of those in your ward. Think about it: God knows your name. You walk in His ways when you pay attention to and acknowledge the Lord’s hand in the details of your lives. Do not overlook the little miracles, as Mormon says, for they are given “unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.”[20]
You walk in His ways when you stay on the covenant path, taking no short cuts and no side streets. Placing covenants at the center of your lives will help you turn away from distractions, deceptions, and even desensitization tugging at you, pulling you from God’s path and His loving arms. President Russell M. Nelson has said, “Keep on the covenant path. Your commitment to follow the Savior by making covenants with Him and then keeping those covenants will open the door to every spiritual blessing and privilege available to men, women, and children everywhere.”[21]
Second, you show love for God by keeping His commandments.
When the triumphant Israelites saw the walls of Jericho fall, Joshua said, “The Lord hath given you the city.”[22] Before the siege, Joshua made it clear that the silver, gold, brass, and precious things captured in Jericho would be put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. There would be no looting, nothing taken for personal gain.[23]
They moved on to their next conquest, the city of Ai, smaller than Jericho and considered an easy mark. But the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel and their assault failed because of breaking the commandment to not steal. A man named Achan had taken a beautiful Babylonian robe, two hundred shekels of silver, and a chunk of gold, and buried the plunder in his tent.[24]
Such deception had brought down the Israelites’ first attempt to conquer Ai. Having rooted out the disobedience, the Lord was with them, and their next overture to overpower Ai was successful.[25]
President Nelson has taught, “God’s laws are motivated entirely by His infinite love for us and His desire for us to become all we can become.”[26]
Third, cleave unto Him. Cleave is a biblical word. We do not use it much, but it has great meaning. To cleave is to stay very close to.[27] So, when you cleave unto God you stay close to Him, you Hear Him, and you hear revelation just for you. Hearkening to His words, you are prepared to face whatever comes.
Jacob, in the Book of Mormon, taught the importance of cleaving unto God: “Cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day.”[28]
President Nelson has said as we seek to be “disciples of Jesus Christ, our efforts to hear Him need to be ever more intentional. It takes conscious and consistent effort to fill our daily lives with His words, His teachings, His truths.”[29]
I hear Him most strongly in my life when I read the scriptures and draw close to the Lord and His promises. In my Gospel Library App, I have a whole section entitled “My Scripture Revelations.” Let me share a personal story that taught me about cleaving unto God and being sustained by His revelations and His love.
Little Paxton, our grandson, was born with a very rare chromosomal deletion, a genetic disorder that distinguished him, literally, as one in hundreds of millions. Shortly after precious Paxton was born, we knew Heavenly Father was blessing our family—my daughter and son-in-law, in particular—with a divine opportunity. As his father and I put our fingers on his tiny head in the first of many priesthood blessings, the words came into my mind from the ninth chapter of John: “That the works of God should be made manifest in him.”[30]
Paxton lived just three years, but he was, indeed, what the scriptures call “a teacher come from God.”[31] From Paxton, in his small little body, we as a family learned greater patience, humility, gratitude, and resilience. We learned to trust the Lord and His ways. Praying for Paxton was a privilege. He never walked or talked, though he did have his own mini medical wheelchair. He spent a third of his life in the hospital undergoing 34 surgeries. Yet, he embraced life. He was full of light, and his smiles and laughter connected to our very souls. From Paxton we learned to cleave unto the Lord and accept His will.
I promise you today if you cleave unto the Lord and His revelations, you will see miracles that will set your course and keep you close to Him.
The fourth and last point from Joshua is to “serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”[32]
The Gospel of Matthew speaks of the rich young ruler who asked Jesus, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”[33] Jesus reviewed a list of commandments and the young man said he had kept them from his youth. Jesus then said he should sell all that he had and give to the poor and take up his cross and follow Him. The account concludes that the young man turned away for “he had great possessions.”[34] He had an opportunity to serve Jesus Christ, to stand by Him, to learn from Him, to feel His strength and Spirit, and he turned away.
“Will ye also go away?” Jesus asked Peter on another occasion. Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”[35] That truth has not changed though the names and faces of the Lord’s disciples are different today than at the shores of Galilee.
I ask you, “Will you go away?” It’s a fair question. Are you as firm “as the mountains around us?”[36] Do you stand “stalwart and brave?”[37] When you encounter tough issues or when you have questions, do you seek your answers from the Lord and His servants? Or do you go to the internet? When criticism increases about the Church, its past and its doctrines at odds with today’s norms, where do you stand? Will you be of service to the Lord, or will you waver?
Amaleki of old got it right when he said that each of us is to “offer [our] whole souls as an offering unto him,”[38] the King of Kings.
If possessions and questions are not enough of a distraction, how about turmoil, trauma, and the tensions in today’s world? How do you serve when all around you is in seeming commotion? The answer is found in serving others. You accept callings and then you fulfill them with devotion to God whose work this really is, even if they are in the lowliest part of the vineyard. You consecrate your time, recognizing that giving up worldly pursuits means you are less possessed by them. You, like Mary, ponder sacred things in your hearts,[39] those things that are the things of your soul as I described in October conference, and then you hold fast to them.
A good example are the valiant souls who stepped forward to be baptized at the waters of Mormon. They covenanted to “bear one another’s burdens, . . . mourn with those that mourn, . . . comfort those . . . in need of comfort,” and valiantly “stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places.”[40]
I am convinced, as I look back on my life, that service particularly to my family and to the Church has been one of the greatest blessings in shaping me. Without the gratitude, humility, and perspective that service has provided to my very soul, the tug of the world and its treasures could have drawn me off. But in serving others, I was renewed by the great truth expressed by Joshua when he said: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve; . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”[41]
To love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is life’s curriculum in becoming a true disciple. It is no lukewarm, casual effort with spotty results. Alma taught: “Let all thy doings be unto the Lord, . . . yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.”[42]
When your love of God consumes your service, interests, priorities, and affections, you are blessed, and joy attends those blessings.
In 4 Nephi, after the Savior had taught the people, there was a mighty change in their hearts just as there had been in the landscape at His coming. We learn: “It came to pass that there was no contention among all the people, in all the land; . . . because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people . . . and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.”[43]
What is the key to such happiness? “The love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.”[44] Joshua encouraged his people as they faced crossing over the Jordan, “Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”[45] That was good counsel then and it is good counsel today.
As an Apostle of Jesus Christ, I leave with you this blessing: that your hearts will swell with love for your Savior and that your love will fill you with the desire to be a true disciple. I bless you that you will choose to walk in His ways, to follow His commandments, to cleave unto Him, and to serve Him. This is the way to eternal life and to happiness in the presence of the Father. May you seek to bolster one another in living the doctrines of the gospel. May you be defenders of the faith, peacemakers, and gracious recipients of God’s blessings. I bless you to be forever grateful for the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and may you realize His great love for you. Brothers and sisters, as we look to Jesus Christ, what’s not to love? In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Matthew 22:37.
[2] 1 John 4:19.
[3] 2 Nephi 16:8.
[4] Matthew 15:10.
[5] Luke 22:42.
[6] Luke 23:34.
[7] See Mormon 6:17.
[8] Joshua 22:5.
[9] See Exodus 24:9–10.
[10] Numbers 27:18.
[11] Numbers 14:6.
[12] Numbers 13:33.
[13] Numbers 14:9.
[14] Joshua 1:9.
[15] Joshua 4:23–24.
[16] Mark 12:30.
[17] Doctrine and Covenants 59:5.
[18] Joshua 23:11.
[19] Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 2007, pp. 352-56.
[20] Moroni 7:30.
[21] Russell M. Nelson, “As We Go Forward Together,” Ensign, Apr. 2018.
[22] Joshua 6:16.
[23] See Joshua 6:24.
[24] See Joshua 7:11.
[25] See Joshua 8:1–29.
[26] Russell M. Nelson, “The Love and Laws of God,” BYU devotional, Sept. 17, 2019.
[27] “Cleave,” Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
[28] Jacob 6:5.
[29] Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him,” Ensign, May 2020.
[30] John 9:3.
[31] John 3:2.
[32] Joshua 22:5.
[33] Matthew 19:16.
[34] See Matthew 19:16–22.
[35] John 6:67–68.
[36] “Carry On,” Hymns, no. 255.
[37] Ibid.
[38] Omni 1:26.
[39] See Luke 2:19.
[40] Mosiah 18:8–9.
[41] Joshua 24:15.
[42] Alma 37:36.
[43] 4 Nephi 1:13–16.
[44] 4 Nephi 1:15.
[45] Joshua 3:5.