This Week's Lesson

Cindy Caruso taught Lesson #18 "Stay on the Lord's Side of the Line" from the George Albert Smith lesson book.

We need to be careful and strict about following the commandments.  They are the only way we will be able to return to live again with Heavenly Father.   ^"The Lord himself has said that we must keep his commandments: “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated.” (D&C 130:20.) The gospel of Jesus Christ is to teach us how to earn that blessing."

Heavenly Father did not give the commandments just because he wanted to boss us around.  He wants us to be happy and the only way we can be truly and fully happy is to follow his commandments.   "They are but the advice and counsel of a loving parent, who is more concerned in our welfare than earthly parents can be, and consequently that which at one time seemed to bear the harsh name of law to me is now the loving and tender advice of an all-wise Heavenly Father."

We must remain strong and not allow the adversary to confuse us into thinking that just a little sin will not harm us at all.  Every action has a consequence and we can not choose the consequence of our actions.   "We must learn to overcome our passions, our evil tendencies. We must learn to resist temptations. That is why we are here, and in order that we may more perfectly do that, the gospel has been restored to the earth, and we have been made partakers of it, and we have the strength that comes to us as a result of the power of the Holy Ghost. We not only have the resistance of an ordinary individual, with the limitations that such an individual has who has not the knowledge of the truth—we have equal resistance with him, and in addition the resistance which comes from knowing the truth and knowing the purpose of our being."

We need to decide where we will place ourselves.  Are we going to put ourselves in good places and on the Lord's side of the line, or will we not be so picky and end up on the Devil's side of the line?   "We choose where we will be. God has given us our agency. He will not take it from us, and if I do that which is wrong and get into the devil’s territory, I do it because I have the will and power to do it. I cannot blame anybody else, and if I determine to keep the commandments of God and live as I ought to live and stay on the Lord’s side of the line I do it because I ought to do it, and I will receive my blessing for it. It will not be the result of what somebody else may do."