FHE: LESSON ON OBEDIENCE

ST MATTHEW CHAPTER 8

23 ¶ And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.

24 And, behold, there arose a great ^atempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.

26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye ^afearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and ^brebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the ^asea obey him!

If even the winds and the sea obey him, then why shouldn’t we? Christ did so much for us during his life, and all he asks in return is our obedience. The third article of faith states, “We believe that through the ^aAtonement of Christ, all ^bmankind may be ^csaved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.” While obeying the laws and ordinances of the gospel may seem easy in comparison to Christ’s sacrifice, sometimes the pressures of the raging world around us can prove to be too much. Elder Henry B. Eyring said, “So, the great test of life is to see whether we will hearken to and obey God’s commands in the midst of the storms of life. It is not to endure storms, but to choose the right while they rage. And the tragedy of life is to fail in that test and so fail to qualify to return in glory to our heavenly home.” It is not enough to obey because we feel subjected to, we must obey willingly. As we do so, we are progressing and training to become more like our Heavenly Father. It is not necessary to know the reason for why we are obeying, but the knowledge that that commandment came from our Father in Heaven should be enough. John 15:10 says that “If ye ^akeep my commandments, ye shall abide in my ^blove; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”

We can learn a valuable lesson from Nephi and his brothers. As they were commanded to do a thing that Laman and Lemuel felt was too hard, ever faithful Nephi told them, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” The Lord does indeed prepare a way for his will to be done. How clear the way may very well rest on our faith and willingness to obey.

We all deal with obedience on a personal level through our daily struggles, but we often do not stop to think of how our choices affect others. Romans 5:19 “For as by one man’s ^adisobedience many were made sinners, so by the ^bobedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Our observances of the laws and ordinances of the Gospel can have severe consequences, not only for us, but for those around us. I suppose one of the greatest examples of this would be the Savior’s plea to our Father in the Garden of Gethsemane as he asked, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Had the Savior not done as he had been commanded, our lives and eternal lives would have been something much different.

I would like to end with some advice that Elder Henry B. Eyring gave in which we can each practice quick and steady obedience:

1. Feast upon the word of God.
2. Pray always.
3. Be a full-tithe payer
4. Escape from sin and its terrible effects.

“Each takes faith to start and then to persevere. And all can strengthen your capacity to know and obey the Lord’s commands.” I challenge you all to add these for things to your life, if you haven't already.