"The great test of life is obedience to God," said President Ezra Taft Benson at the April 1988 general conference. " `We will prove them herewith,' said the Lord, `to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.' (Abr. 3:25.)

"The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it."The great commandment of life is to love the Lord.

" `Come unto Christ,' exhorts Moroni in his closing testimony, ` . . . and love God with all your might, mind and strength.' (Moro. 10:32.)

"This, then, is the first and great commandment: `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.' (Mark 12:30; see also Matt. 22:37, Deut. 6:5, Luke 10:27, Moroni 10:32, D&C 59:5.)

"It is the pure love of Christ, called charity, that the Book of Mormon testifies is the greatest of all - that never faileth, that endureth forever, that all men should have, and that without which they are nothing. (See Moro. 7:44-47; 2 Ne. 26:30.)

" `Wherefore, my beloved brethren,' pleads Moroni, `pray unto the Father with all the energy of

yourT heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him.' (Moro. 7:48.)

"In the closing accounts of both the Jaredites and the Nephites, Moroni records that except men shall have this pure love of Christ, called charity, they cannot inherit that place which Christ has prepared in the mansions of His Father nor can they be saved in the kingdom of God. (See Ether 12:34; Moro. 10:21.)

"The fruit that Lehi partook of in his vision and that filled his soul with exceeding great joy and that was most desirable above all things was the love of God.

"To love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is all-consuming and all-encompassing. It is no lukewarm endeavor. It is total commitment of our very being - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually - to a love of the Lord.

"The breadth, depth, and height of this love of God extend into every facet of one's life. Our desires, be they spiritual or temporal, should be rooted in a love of the Lord. Our thoughts and affections should be centered on the Lord. `Let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord,' said Alma, `yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.' (Alma 37:36.)

"Why did God put the first commandment first? Because He knew that if we truly loved Him we would want to keep all of His other commandments. `For this is the love of God,' says John, `that we keep his commandments.' (1 John 5:3; see also 2 John 1:6.)

"We must put God in the forefront of everything else in our lives. He must come first, just as He declares in the first of His Ten Commandments: `Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' (Ex. 20:3.)

"When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.

"We should put God ahead of everyone else in our lives."