OREM, Utah — When Jesus Christ was asked, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” He answered, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said the Savior didn’t end there. He gave the second commandment: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:36-40).
Elder Stevenson expounded upon these two commandments — on which “hang all the law and the prophets” — to thousands of students and young adults at the Utah Valley Institute devotional on Friday, Feb. 3.
“When Jesus said the first and the second commandments, He didn’t say one is more important than the other. He said, ‘and the second is like unto it,’” Elder Stevenson explained.
Heavenly Father’s children increase their love for Him and demonstrate that love by aligning their thoughts and actions with His word.
The Savior, through the example of the good Samaritan, taught that “everyone is our neighbor.” Showing love to them can be done by reaching out in service to them.
Elder Stevenson asked the students: “How do we show our love to the Lord? … When Christ was asked the question. He answered, “If ye love me, keep my commandments’” (John 14:15).
‘A gifted people’
As God’s children keep His commandments, they receive gifts, said Elder Stevenson. Jesus Christ promised His disciples that they would receive another comforter — the gift of the Holy Ghost.
“We are a gifted people,” Elder Stevenson said. “We have a constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. Our friends that are learning about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ can look forward to the opportunity to receive baptism and to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
With the two great commandments as a foundation — and with the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost — the students and young adults can design, refine and plan their lives.
“Do I love the Lord with all my heart and my mind and my soul? Do I keep the commandments? Do I love my neighbors? Am I serving them enough? Am I showing my love to everyone?” Elder Stevenson said.
Strength through Christ
Philippians 4:13 has been a favorite verse for Sister Lesa Stevenson for a long time. She said when she and Elder Stevenson were called to be mission leaders in the Japan Nagoya Mission, she felt overwhelmed by the language and surroundings.
As she looked out the window one day in Osaka, Japan, she marveled at the sight of tall buildings all around her and thousands of people filling the train station below.
She had a moment where she truly wondered how the Lord could know each of those people and yet also know her individually. “How can He know what I am going through? How can He touch my heart and strengthen me?”
She turned to the scriptures, which fell open to the verse that she loved. “At that moment I knew I could do all things through Jesus Christ, who strengthens me.”
Sister Stevenson said a loving Heavenly Father “does know us, and knows each of our names. He knows what we’re going through.”
Focus on love
Elder Stevenson’s message of love was relatable and necessary for Katie Mart, 25, from Draper, Utah.
“When you talk about love and especially God’s love and our call to love others more and love God more, that is something that is very universal. Because of that, it is something we can all grow in more fully,” she said.
The large crowd filling the chapel and the connecting gym impressed William Newby, 20, from Colorado Springs, Colorado. He felt the power of being together with fellow members and friends of the Church.
But the personal experience he had touched him the most. “I feel like I heard things today that only I heard,” Newby said.
He is studying to be an architect and would love to someday help build temples for the Church. Now he is working on moving forward with that plan. Because of Elder Stevenson’s remarks, “I felt that the Lord was deeply aware of me and that He knew me,” Newby said.
Anna Montoya, 21, from Springville, Utah, sang in the institute choir to start the meeting. She came with some worries on her mind, but she said those melted away.
“The overall message I got was to focus on the love that Christ offers me, and use that love to share with others and help others feel that,” she said.
Joseph Lestarge, 27, from Herriman, Utah, said he learned that the two great commandments hold up the whole gospel. “Loving God and loving your neighbor — if we do that more, we’ll be safe, happy and protected. When I’m not keeping those, I notice the opposite — I’m sad or struggling.”
Elder Stevenson closed with his testimony of Jesus Christ and a reminder to the young adults of their bright future.
“We get on a path and we do everything that we know we should. We remain obedient. We work to that end,” he said. “And while we’re doing that, we make certain that we’re willing or ready to yield our obedience to the Lord, in whatever way is asked, because you see, He knows you. And He knows the beginning from the end.”
