Crowned With Blessings

Crowned with... commandments?? I read the line a few times. Yet there it is.

“Blessed are they whose feet stand upon the land of Zion, who have obeyed my gospel; for they shall receive for their reward the good things of the earth... And they shall also be crowned with blessings from above, yea, &with commandments not a few, & with revelations in their time—they that are faithful and diligent before me.” (D&C 58:3-4)

Crowned with blessings, commandments, & revelations!

Commandments are often seen as more old-fashioned & restrictive rather than, like, a crown of blessings. 

But the more I thought about it, the more I was like OF COURSE. In fact, the next verse explains it all for me: 

“I give unto them a commandment...Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, & strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (5-6)

THERE IT IS. The first commandment is to LOVE GOD. It sounds so easy. I LOVE GOD! He has given me everything! I feel Him, I know Him, I love Him. And if I do... well, then comes the hard part. Serve Him. HOW? Love OTHERS. 

Not just kinda...

But AS THYSELF.

If you think about it, every other commandment supports THOSE TWO THINGS: love God, love others.

Commandments ARE a crown of blessings! They give us opportunities to ACT. Obeying God is power. Protection. CHOICE. Obeying God is a gift. He is bound to incredible promises when we do our part of the deal. So much more than we can imagine!

Satan wants us to turn up our noses at words like “commandments” & “obedience.” He is wrong! And he knows it!

This same revelation further teaches God’s expectations about the Sabbath. At the time, Sunday was the most irreverent day of the week! What a way to tell the Saints- look- you’re not gonna be like everyone else. But trust me!

I thought about it today as my family & I stopped for church even though we’re in the middle of a long road trip. It was THE tiniest building & branch! Yet the Spirit filled every corner!❤️

I truly felt crowned with blessings on this Sabbath day.

Commandments are meant to bless us. Love Him. Love His children. Trust His promises.