Keep All of God's Commandments

I just saw something posted to Church Newsroom Instagram story that irritated me.  Church Newsroom is the official news source of the Church.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  They posted some lady saying, "We love God and love our neighbor.  And the way we show that we love God is by loving our neighbor".  That statement is deceptive – as if loving our neighbor is the only way we show God we love Him.  That's only one way to show God we love Him.  The main way we show God that we love Him is by keeping His commandments – one of which is to love our neighbor.  But by no means is that the only way we show God we love Him. God has given us many, even countless Commandments He wants us to follow. 

Doctrine and Covenants 59:4-5

4 And they shall also be crowned with blessings from above, yea, and with commandments not a few, and with revelations in their time—they that are faithful and diligent before me.

5 Wherefore, I give unto them a commandment, saying thus: 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.

Here, in the Scriptures, the Lord is emphasizing that He has given us "commandments not a few".  Then the very next verse He emphasizes the first great commandment to love God– with all our heart, mind, mind, and strength.  The next verse does mention loving our neighbor.  But right after mentioning giving us "commandments not a few" the Lord emphasizes the first great commandment again, not the second.  This seems to be backwards today. 

There seems to be an increase, lately, in emphasizing the second great commandment – love your neighbor.  That's all people seem to be focusing on now, even in the Church.  Which, is an important commandment obviously.  It's the second great commandment.  But people seem to forget the first great commandment – love God.  And they focus solely on "love thy neighbor".

Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)  Commandments plural, not singular.  Very simple and direct.  

I just think people need to focus more on keeping all of the Commandments, not just one.  As if it's the only commandment that matters. Because He has given us a multitude of commandments – only one of which is to love our neighbor.  Yes, we should all love our fellow man, but if you focus on loving God first and keeping His commandments, loving our neighbor is a natural consequence.

That's my two cents.

Happy Easter

 He is risen!

I am so thankful for Christ's resurrection!  Because of Christ's resurrection we will all be resurrected one day!  I'm so looking forward to that day when I will have a perfected resurrected body!  Words cannot express my gratitude for my Savior and for His love for me and for all of us.

I hope, on this Easter day, that we will all remember our Savior, His Atonement and Resurrection, and reverence Him.

Happy Easter everybody!

That's my two cents.

Trump's Tariffs

I love Trump's tariffs!  It makes me so happy to see President Trump putting America first.  I'm sick and tired of these pansy Americans griping about the tariffs.  They obviously don't understand simple logic.  President Trump is doing what our previous panseric presidents were too chicken to do.  The United States of America has been getting ripped off for decades – my whole life – in trade with the world.  Other countries have very steep tariffs on goods coming from the United States but cry like little babies when Trump levels the playing field.  They are entitled little brats.  Why should we keep subsidizing other countries?  All President Trump wants is fair trade.  Is that too much to ask?

Yes, it may cause a little pain at first.  But it will be well worth the temporary pain to bring jobs back to America and to become more self-sufficient.  All these Americans crying about the tariffs need to chill out and trust our wise leader, President Trump.  President Trump knows what he's doing.  He and his administration have done their homework and understand the consequences of the newly implemented tariffs and know that it will benefit us. 

President Trump is the only president with the guts to actually take on the world and stand up for America.  For that I am extremely grateful.  This is exactly what I voted for!

From what I've read over 70 countries have already come forward asking President Trump to negotiate.  And President Trump being the reasonable dealmaker that he is, is willing to negotiate with these countries.  But, China, being the stubborn communists that they are, is retaliating with higher tariffs on us.  Apparently they are too stupid to realize that we hold all the cards and they can only be on the losing end of that deal.  I'm happy to see that President Trump, after warning China not to add retaliatory tariffs on our goods, has now raised the tariffs on China to 125%!  Play stupid games win stupid prizes China.

The days of the United States of America being ripped off by all the other countries in the world are over!  President Trump wants fair trade.  We deserve fair trade.  And we will get fair trade!

I love President Trump and his tariffs.  I'm so happy we have a president who will fight for us.  God bless President Trump and God bless America.

That's my two cents.

General Conference

This will be short because I'm feeling pretty sick today.  But I just wanted to express my gratitude for General Conference this past weekend and how much I enjoyed it.  Three sessions yesterday and two sessions today.  It's always uplifting to hear from the Lord's living prophet and apostles.  And other General Authorities and General Officers of the Lord's true and living church upon the face of the earth– The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I'm grateful for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  I would encourage anyone reading this blog to go watch General Conference or at least part of it.  You will be uplifted and edified if you do.

You can find a link to watch General Conference here, or on BYU TV, or YouTube.

That's my two cents.

Mortality Works

General Conference is coming up again this weekend.  I can't believe it's been six months already since the last General Conference.  One of my favorite talks from our last General Conference in October 2024 was a talk called, "Mortality Works!"  by Elder Brook P.  Hales of the Seventy. I want to share a few paragraphs of that talk with you. 

"Brothers and sisters, mortality works! It is designed to work! Despite the challenges, heartaches, and difficulties we all face, our loving, wise, and perfect Heavenly Father has designed the plan of happiness such that we are not destined to fail. His plan provides a way for us to rise above our mortal failures. The Lord has said, “This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”

"Nonetheless, if we are to be the beneficiaries of the Lord’s “work and … glory,” even “immortality and eternal life,” we must expect to be schooled and taught and to pass through the refiner’s fire—sometimes to our utter limits. To completely avoid the problems, challenges, and difficulties of this world would be to sidestep the process that is truly necessary for mortality to work.

"And so we should not be surprised when hard times come upon us. We will encounter situations that try us and people who enable us to practice true charity and patience. But we need to bear up under our difficulties and remember, as the Lord said:

“And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name’s sake, shall find it again, even life eternal." –"Mortality Works!",  Elder Brook P Hales, October 2024 General Conference

Mortality is hard.  Mortality is full of very difficult trials.  Mortality may seem unbearable at times.  I always say that mortality is a mess.  But, mortality works!

Mortality wasn't designed to be easy.  The whole purpose of mortality is to be tried and tested and prove ourselves to God.  Mortality is a probationary state where we learn and grow and develop Godlike characteristics.

So many people question why they have to go through difficult times and trials that don't seem fair.  We all experience difficult trials.  But I have never questioned why.  Because I know why.  Mortality is a key part of Heavenly Father's plan of salvation or plan of happiness.  We couldn't progress without experiencing mortality.

So, as difficult as mortality is – and it is extremely difficult – I'm so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father for this experience.  I'm eternally grateful that Heavenly Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for us.  Our Savior's atonement is necessary for our salvation, it is part of Heavenly Father's plan.  Because of our Savior, Jesus Christ's atonement we can overcome sin, or spiritual death.  And because of our Savior's resurrection, we will all be resurrected one day and will all overcome death.  I am so looking forward to that day! 

Mortality works because of our Savior's grace and atonement.  Mortality works because God does not want us to fail, He wants us to succeed.  Mortality is hard – mortality is a mess – but, mortality works!

If we make and keep our covenants with God, and endure to the end, we will be able to live with our Heavenly Father and His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ again for eternity.  Because mortality works.  For this eternal truth I am forever grateful.

That's my two cents.