Take two.
(Apparently if I try to rattle off some GCBC post from Disney World on my husband’s Blackberry and come off as an illiterate hack, no one will read or comment on the talk for the week. So now I’m back, and we’ll try again.)
The Saturday morning session of Conference was my favorite, and President Uctdorf’s talk, “The Love of God,” is one of the reasons why. Look at the questions he answers as he speaks:
How Do We Become True Disciples of Jesus Christ?
Why Should We Love God?
Why Does Heavenly Father Love Us?
How Can We Increase Our Love of God?
How Can We Hear the Father’s Voice?
Why Is Love the Great Commandment?
I was fascinated with how all our actions, thoughts, motivations, and desires can and should be traced back to love. Even the simple things we do that don’t seem to mean anything to anyone–even to ourselves–appear more glorious when viewed as manifestations of our love.
“Love is the measure of our faith, the inspiration for our obedience, and the true altitude of our discipleship.”
It’s a great talk, definitely worth reading. I’m excited to study it again and read your insights as well.
You can read the talk here. You can also watch it here or listen to it here.
If this is your first visit to our weekly book club, welcome! (You’ll find details about GCBC here.)
Diapers and Divinity 
How wonderful that you chose this talk. I used this quote earlier today for my blog post.
“God the Eternal Father did not give that first great commandment because He needs us to love Him. His power and glory are not diminished should we disregard, deny, or even defile His name. His influence and dominion extend through time and space independent of our acceptance, approval, or admiration.
No, God does not need us to love Him. But oh, how we need to love God!”
I loved these words. What hope and joy.
My favorite quoted from this talk is “The first step to walking in righteousness is simply to try. We must try to believe. Try to learn of God: read the scriptures; study the words of His latter-day prophets; choose to listen to the Father, and do the things He asks of us. Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible—and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you.”
Everyday trying to be better than we were the day before.
My favorites:
“This is the essence of what it means to be a true disciple: those who receive Christ Jesus walk with Him.”
“When we truly understand what it means to love as Jesus Christ loves us, the confusion clears and our priorities align.”
Elder Maxwell used to always talk about discipleship, and I love studying and understanding it, so I really like Pres. Uctdorf’s definitions of discipleship and the relationship it has with priorities and love.
“For what we love determines what we seek.”
This was beautiful: “Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely.”
A LOT of great quotes and deep thoughts in this talk. I really like it.
One more thing that brought tears to my eyes: (I’ve written before about the sacred nature of the mundane tasks of motherhood) “The divine love of God turns ordinary acts into extraordinary service.”
When I feel bogged down in a task, I want to remind myself why I do it: It’s love.