Holland - The First Great Commandment - October 2012

Elder Holland speaks about the days after the Saviors death and resurrection.  He speaks about the apostles not knowing what to do so several of them returned to what they knew best in their life.  They returned to fishing on the sea.  After a night of catching no fish, they returned to shore to hear someone calling from the shore to let their nets down on the other side of the boat.  Undoubtedly recalling that the Savior had filled their nets years before with that instruction, Peter lept from the boat to get to shore to spend time with the resurrected Savior.  Peter was asked several times if he loved the Savior and each time he responded in the affirmative.  Christ's instructions were then to seek out more disciples, lead men to the message of the Savior, and continue the work that was not to end at the Savior's death.

Elder Holland speaks of our instruction today to love the Lord and to always serve our fellow man.  This is the Lord's work today, to bring more disciples to Him.

• I am not certain just what our experience will be on Judgment Day, but I will be very surprised if at some point in that conversation, God does not ask us exactly what Christ asked Peter: “Did you love me?” I think He will want to know if in our very mortal, very inadequate, and sometimes childish grasp of things, did we at least understand one commandment, the first and greatest commandment of them all—“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.” And if at such a moment we can stammer out, “Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee,” then He may remind us that the crowning characteristic of love is always loyalty.
  
• “If ye love me, keep my commandments,” Jesus said. So we have neighbors to bless, children to protect, the poor to lift up, and the truth to defend. We have wrongs to make right, truths to share, and good to do. In short, we have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord. We can’t quit and we can’t go back. After an encounter with the living Son of the living God, nothing is ever again to be as it was before. The Crucifixion, Atonement, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ mark the beginning of a Christian life, not the end of it. It was this truth, this reality, that allowed a handful of Galilean fishermen-turned-again-Apostles without “a single synagogue or sword” to leave those nets a second time and go on to shape the history of the world in which we now live.
  

Elder Holland shares his testimony of the restoration and the work we are all called to help with.

• I testify from the bottom of my heart, with the intensity of my soul, to all who can hear my voice that those apostolic keys have been restored to the earth, and they are found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To those who have not yet joined with us in this great final cause of Christ, we say, “Please come.” To those who were once with us but have retreated, preferring to pick and choose a few cultural hors d’oeuvres from the smorgasbord of the Restoration and leave the rest of the feast, I say that I fear you face a lot of long nights and empty nets. The call is to come back, to stay true, to love God, and to lend a hand. I include in that call to fixed faithfulness every returned missionary who ever stood in a baptismal font and with arm to the square said, “Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ.” That commission was to have changed your convert forever, but it was surely supposed to have changed you forever as well. To the youth of the Church rising up to missions and temples and marriage, we say: “Love God and remain clean from the blood and sins of this generation. You have a monumental work to do. Your Father in Heaven expects your loyalty and your love at every stage of your life.”
  

We need to all demonstrate our love for the Savior by keeping His commandments.  We are not left alone in our efforts to be disciples of the Savior.  The Holy Ghost can be our constant companion and will help us learn of the Savior, discern what changes we need to make in our lives, and help us make those changes effectively so we are on the course to true discipleship.  I have seen the course of discipleship work in many people's lives.  I have seen good men become better men.  I have seen families and marriages saved by turning to the Savior.  Our responsibility is to take that message to all the world so the Savior's sacrifice is not in vain.  Join me in seeking to brighten someone's day with the love that the Savior has for them.  Share with someone today that Jesus loves them and is always there for them.