The following is excerpted from Third Hour. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.

As the morals and ethics of the world move further and further away from those of the Lord, it becomes less and less en vogue to faithfully follow the commandments of God. We can compare it to an all-you-can-eat buffet, such as the one our ward usually stops by on the home from youth temple trips. Parents, kids, youth leaders and members of the bishopric can pick and choose what they want to eat. Sometimes the 12-year-olds will head for the dessert bar before getting dinner. But they will not get the full benefit of the buffet (and they run the risk of getting a stomach ache on the two-hour ride home) if they don’t eat a well-rounded meal. It’s the same way with the commandments. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, 

“Our relationship to living prophets is not one in which their sayings are a smorgasbord from which we may take only that which pleases us. We are to partake of all that is placed before us, including the spinach, and to leave a clean plate! [Things As They Really Are (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1978), p. 74; emphasis in original]”

We must eat the spinach and the salad as well as the meat and potatoes, as it were, if we are to receive the blessings of obedience. Here are 4 of those blessings:

Commandments are a Sign of God’s Love for Us

The commandments are a sign of God’s love for us. Our loving Heavenly Father sent us to earth from His presence to be tested, tried and to prove ourselves worthy to return to Him. Elder Robert D. Hales taught,

“… Commandments are loving instructions provided by God our Father for our physical and spiritual well-being and happiness while in mortality. Commandments allow us to know the mind and will of God regarding our eternal progression. And they test our willingness to be obedient to His will. The commandments are not a burden or a restriction. Every commandment of the Lord is given for our development, progress, and growth.”

As a parent, I have gained a greater appreciation of the rules and boundaries that God sets for us. When my oldest three kids were little and I would take them to the store, I would hold onto my youngest’s hands tightly while we crossed the parking lot and headed inside. She didn’t like it and often tried to squirm away. But I knew that, given the chance, she’d take off and run into the road. I would tell her that we don’t run in the road, but she was too young to fully understand. While she saw freedom, I saw the cars that could hit her. Our Heavenly Father is also a loving parent who sees the dangers that we sometimes can’t. He gives us commandments because He loves us and wants us to reach our full potential. And the only way to do that is to follow Him.

We also show our love for God by our obedience. As the Savior said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

Obedience Allows the Spirit to Stay with Us

To read the full article, CLICK HERE.