Good morning brothers and sisters. When the bishop asked me to give a talk, I was really quick to say yes. What an opportunity! As the week has went on and I have studied and researched talks, conferences, and articles, I found that talking on the commandments, and the importance of keeping them came more naturally than I originally thought. The 10 commandments stand as the foundation to Christian living. When following the commandments not only can we become an example to others to follow in the same direction, but we become closer to our heavenly father, and that I believe, is the upmost important thing of all. Spiritually we can grow, and ultimately become stronger within our faith.
The 10 commandments are first spoken about in Exodus chapter 20. And as much as I would love to talk about every one, which any one who knows me, knows that I could go on for hours.. I think my time is somewhat limited, so I will just talk about 3 of the ones in my life that have been a personal struggle, as I am sure some of which have been struggles for many people. Before I joined the church, I knew of the commandments and what I should do in my life, but that did not stop me from struggling to keep them. In Exodus 20:17 the lord says, “Thou shalt not covet.” Coveting, or envying something that belongs to another can be very damaging to the soul. When doing this, we may lose appreciation for the things that we do have, by worrying about what everyone else has. There will be people in our lives that will have more than we do. They may have the better car, better house, better job, but these are things that tide us over until the end. They are not permanent, nor will we be able to take them with us when we die. They are physical things of the mortal world. They are a convenience to us while we are here. So even wanting what other people have, to me, seems pointless when it is broken down. Our ultimate goal in life is to live for the lord, and eventually live with him again, but having a porche’ sitting in the driveway does not mean that it is easier for the person to live righteously. When we become jealous over what people have, we lose sight of the good things in our own lives. It becomes harder to recognize the blessings we receive and in turn we may feel empty. When envious thoughts ponder in people’s minds, it is sometimes an emotion that can pull one away from their family. Pull us away from the lord. It can consume our every thought, want or need, and warp and twist us to possibly break other commandments.
My personal struggle with this commandment has hit many times, but I think it was worse right after I got married. I thought that married life was supposed to be exactly like a friend of mines. She had the new house, new husband, new baby, big shiny diamond ring, and a new car. I was so jealous over it, that when my husband bought me a pretty little diamond ring for Christmas, I couldn’t enjoy it. I couldn’t enjoy the gesture, or the thought. We lived with his parents in their trailer, my car was less than fabulous, his truck had issues, and all in all, every material thing we had was falling apart. I worried about what we didn’t have, and what everyone else had so much, that I lost appreciation for the amazing things I did have. We had a family, a very close family. We had jobs, and food, and shelter, and we were best friends. We had each other. The many blessings I had been given in my life at that time, I threw away because of my jealousy and envy for material things that other people had. It is easy to become jealous over something someone else has, but hard to suppress thoughts such as that. It took prayer and a revelation from our heavenly father for me to realize that there is so much more to worry about and to learn how to recognize my many blessings that I have received. I am thankful for the relationship I have with the lord, and the strength to talk to him about the commandments I have broken in the past, and how I can know not to do it again.
The second commandment I want to talk about is in Exodus 20:7 “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain”. For me, this commandment was easy to break in the past. It is easy to blame someone or curse someone who is innocent. I had no real purpose for it. I was made to think it was okay. The media presents speaking like this, okay. But, I always had a thought, well just this one time. I don’t have to apologize for what I have said. In my heart I knew it was wrong, I felt condemned, and sorrowful. I never grew up knowing that what I was saying was breaking a commandment, but as I got older, I felt remorse for it. President David O. McKay once said, “Reverence for God’s name should be dominant in every home. Profanity should never be expressed in a home in this Church. … If there were more reverence in human hearts, there would be less room for sin and sorrow and increased capacity for joy and gladness. ..” This is very true. If we teach children at an early age to obey this commandment, it will come natural to them to keep the lords name holy, to say his name during prayer, or thanks and not when they may become upset, or angry. Since I have re-learned how to speak to the lord, how to talk to him, his name has became sacred to me- as it should have been this entire time. I have a inner peace when talking about our heavenly father, Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, and by keeping this commandment, I have more joy in my life. I found that I am generally a happier person and that when praying I feel closer to the lord. I have also found that when using the lord’s name in this way, it can cut ties to him. The Holy Ghost will not feel welcome when such a sacred and holy name is being used in profanity, anger, or other negative speaking. The feeling and comfort that the Holy Ghost gives me, as I am sure it does for all of you, is something I never want to part with.
The third and final commandment I want to talk about is in Exodus 20:8-11 which says, Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work. But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Before I started learning more about the commandments recently, I did not know about this specific instruction from the lord. And even after I learned about it more, I still didn’t realize that some of the things I was doing, I should not have been. In True to the Faith it says: Because the Sabbath is a holy day, it should be reserved for worthy and holy activities. Abstaining from work and recreation is not enough. In fact, those who merely lounge about doing nothing on the Sabbath fail to keep the day holy. In a revelation given to Joseph Smith in 1831, the Lord commanded: "That thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day; for verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High" (D&C 59:9–10). In harmony with this revelation, Church members attend sacrament meeting each week. Other Sabbath-day activities may include praying, meditating, studying the scriptures and the teachings of latter-day prophets, writing letters to family members and friends, reading wholesome material, visiting the sick and distressed, and attending other Church meetings. President Ezra Taft Benson said: “It seems to me that the following should be avoided on the Sabbath:
“• Filling the Sabbath so full of extra meetings that there is no time for prayer, meditation, family fellowship, and counseling.
“• Taking trips to canyons or resorts, visiting friends socially, joy riding, wasting time, and engaging in other amusements.
“• Engaging in sports and hunting ‘wild animals’ which God made for the use of man only ‘in times of famine and excess of hunger.’ (See D&C 89:15.)
“• Shopping or supporting with your patronage businesses that operate on Sunday, such as grocery stores, supermarkets, restaurants, and service stations”
All of which are things that I never thought, is this bringing me closer to my heavenly father? Is this something that I can grow spiritually from? Will my testimony strengthen from this? These are questions that I ask myself now before planning anything for a Sunday afternoon. If we plan carefully, we can avoid any activity that can prevent us from keeping the Sabbath day holy. Such as shopping for household items or groceries on Saturday, purchasing gasoline on Saturday, or doing chores on Saturday. The blessings that we can receive from keeping this commandment are in multitude. We can strengthen our faith and our relationship with our Heavenly Father, and in turn not only will we grow, but we can be filled with a joy that only comes from keeping the lords commandments.
I have a testimony of a spiritual uplift from keeping the commandments. I have re-learned how to speak, and how to live. I have kept the commandments, and I have such a strong relationship with my heavenly father now that finally for the first time in my life, I feel like I can talk to him anytime, anywhere and he will be there, listening. There are many blessings we receive in our lives, but there are some blessings that only come from keeping the commandments. The commandments are the foundation to my faith, sturdy and strong. I don’t consider myself the strongest person, but when it comes to my faithfulness to the lord and following his commandments, I think that is one of my strongest areas. I found a peace in my life and a comfort from the Holy Ghost, that I wouldn’t have if my ways had not been changed. I am thankful for the lords commandments, I can’t even imagine the chaos that would overwhelm this world if it had not been for guidelines like these. That is a scary thought.. a world without rules, without a guide from our heavenly father.
I am so thankful for this gospel in all of its fullness. I am thankful for the Prophet Joseph Smith and the restoration. I am thankful for Jesus Christ’s atonement. I know that this church is true, and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of the lord. I can’t imagine my life without this amazing church, the true church of Jesus Christ. I stand amazed at all of my many blessings and the family that I have gained here. The lords commandments are amazing, and I am blessed to live in a time and place where we can worship the lord and freely read and study in his scriptures. I am thankful for this opportunity. I say these things in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
