THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

"Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy should, and with all thy mind. "

This is the first and great commandment.

The Savior repeats this commandment in our day:

"Wherefore, I give unto them a commandment, saying thus: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him." (D&C 59:5)


WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LOVE GOD WITH ALL OUR HEART, SOUL AND MIND?

Bruce R. McConkie suggests the following:

"All thy heart with perfect sincerity and uprightness, not dividing one's devotion, but having it centered totally in Deity.
All thy soul with utmost fervor...thus love is to come from the whole being, from the inner man as well as the temporal being.
All thy mind with intelligence and sense as distinguished from blind and unthinking devotion; with enlightened reason as distinguished from mystical and incomprehensible worship.
All thy strength with might, power, and intensity; with all the energy of one's being.
(Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:610)







WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF HAVING ALL MY DEVOTION CENTERED IN DEITY? 

It would be easier to master the body, and overcome the world. It would be easier to use the enticements, adversities, events and projects for spiritual progression. When my teenage son or daughter is in trouble at school, at church or with the law, my feelings of social embarrassment are transcended by my feelings of love for God and the spiritual worth of the child. It would be easier to do what Elder Nelson counseled.:
"Mourning is one of the deepest expressions of pure love. It is a natural response in complete accord with divine commandment: "Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die."  (D&C 42:45) In speaking at a funeral of a loved one, the Prophet Joseph Smith offered this admonition: "When we lose a near and dear friend, upon whom we have set our hearts, it should be a caution unto us...Our affections should be placed upon God and His work, more intensely that upon our fellow beings." (ToPJS, p. 21)

IF MY DEVOTION WAS TOTALLY CENTERED IN DEITY, WOULD THE FOUR HABITS FOR EXALTATION BE EASIER TO DEVELOP?

If Heavenly Father was the centered of my life, it would be easier to increase my hope to be raised unto eternal life by seeking to feel the Spirit. It would be easier to exercise faith in Christ by focusing throughout the day one on one of His truths until it became rooted within me. It would be easier to do every event, project, and activity of the day to glorify my Father in Heaven. And I would see to it that I enjoyed the day, or at least, made it worthwhile.

THE SECOND 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."

WHAT DOES IT MEAN, LIKE UNTO IT?

It refers to the first commandment, to love God with perfect love. That is, to love Him with ALL my heart, soul, might, mind and strength. And in order to love my neighbor with perfect love, I need to feel God's perfect love for me. Hence, thought pattern #2 was outlined to help me create the thoughts and feelings necessary to feel His perfect love, and remove any barriers between us and Heavenly Father.
It is critical that one understands the importance of the sequence found in this scripture. To love Heavenly Father with all one's heart requires all barriers be removed. By so doing, one can have maximum access to feel in His perfect love. The more one can feel his perfect love, the more he can feel the same perfect love for others. These feelings of love come though a spiritual focus.

"...and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer..."
(Moroni 8:26)