Aspiring to love
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Asking the question, "What quality defines us best as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?" Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin related the account of Paul's epistle to the members in Corinth, who, although enthusiastic about the gospel, were contentious with one another.
"Paul's message to this new body of saints was simple and direct: nothing you do makes much of a difference if you do not have charity."
During the Saturday afternoon session of conference, Elder Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve spoke of the Savior's response to the Pharisees when they asked, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?"
"He replied, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets "' (Matthew 22: 36).
This inspired pronouncement, Elder Wirthlin continued, has been repeated through generations. "Now for us, the measure of our love is the measure of the greatness of our souls.
"The scriptures tell us that: 'If any man love God, the same is known of him.' What a wonderful promise — to be known of Him. It makes the spirit soar, to think that the Creator of heaven and earth could know us and love us with a pure, eternal love."
By reaching out, the apostle explained, "we fulfill the other half of the great commandment to 'love thy neighbor as thyself....' Love is the beginning, the middle and the end of the pathway of discipleship. It comforts, counsels, cures and consoles. It leads us through valleys of darkness and through the veil of death. In the end, love leads us to the glory and grandeur of eternal life."
Elder Wirthlin then shared two accounts of this kind of love. In the first, a 14-year-old boy arrives in Nauvoo in search of his brother. Alone and without money, he is taken in by a kind man who shelters him from the bitter winter cold and sees that he is safely on his way the next day. "Later, the boy learned that the man of the house was none other than Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet."
In the second example, a man paints the fingernails of his wife, who is going blind, because "he liked to see her happy."
"That is an example of the pure love of Christ.... Often, the greatest manifestations of love are the simple acts of kindness and caring we extend to those we meet along the path of life."
Elder Wirthlin also asked, "Do you love the Lord? Spend time with Him. Meditate on His words. Take His yoke upon you. Seek to understand and obey because, 'This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.' When we love the Lord, obedience ceases to be a burden. Obedience becomes a delight."
Returning to the question of what quality best defines members, Elder Wirthlin said: "We are a people who love the Lord with all our hearts, souls and minds, and we love our neighbors as ourselves.
"That is our signature as a people. It is like a beacon to the world signaling whose disciples we are."
