General Conference Book Club Week 10:
“When the Lord Commands” by Elder Bruce A. Carlson
First, a little congratulations to all of you who commented on last week’s General Conference post:
1. Jessica,
2. Kristen M. and…
(crickets chirping)
Huh, I guess that’s it. Thanks, Jessica and Kristen. Now for the rest of you, get your GCBC pants back on and join us! Because we miss you.
We live in a society of convenience, sometimes called entitlement. “If you don’t feel like it, don’t do it. It’s your choice.” I’ve written before about the danger in treating obedience like a buffet– we can’t just pick and choose the commandments we like the most and expect to receive a fullness of blessings. Elder Carlson teaches in this talk that :
“Faithful obedience, regardless of the apparent size of the task, will bring the Lord’s guidance, assistance, and peace.“
He outlines the reasons we often use to release ourselves from the obligations of our covenants and points out the folly in our excuses. Simply put, he testifies that to access the blessings, we must obey. Period. It’s a refreshing reminder of a basic gospel principle and a stern warning against lame excuses. What do you like about this talk?
Go here to find the media versions of the talk (audio, video, mp3, etc.). If this is your first visit to the General Conference Book Club, click here to learn more about it.
Diapers and Divinity 
First, let me apologize for failing to comment every week. I have been reading the talks every Monday, but don’t always have time or anything really profound to share. But I am reading. Thanks for providing a simple way to help me read through all of the GC talks.
It is tempting to treat the gospel like a buffet, but if I want ALL of the blessings that Heavenly Father has to give, then it will require ALL of my efforts to be obedient. It helps to remember that the Lord’s primary motivation in giving commandments is LOVE. Though obedience may be hard, uncomfortable and challenging, He’s asked us to do these things because they will be for our good.
I loved the story of the fishermen, and their unwillingness to learn year after year. I think that sometimes in life I fall into that category and when the end of the trial comes I think, wow I’ve been here before maybe this time I will learn the right lesson and more importantly remember it! What a great reminder of how obedience to all the Lord’s commandments brings us great blessings.
Another great talk. As I listened, I thought about ways that I don’t fully keep the commandments and ways that I can do better. He rebuke was so gentle here, I thought.