Love, the Essence of the Gospel ~ President Thomas S. Monson

Taught by Jeanine M.

President Monson reminded us last conference of the two greatest commandments: 

To Love God and To Love Each Other

He said, "Usually our love will be shown in our day-to-day interactions one with another. All important will be our ability to recognize someone's need and then to respond.  Every day of our lives we are given opportunities to show love and kindness to those around us.  President Spencer W. Kimball said: "We must remember that those mortals we meet in parking lots, offices, elevators, and elsewhere are that portion of mankind God has given us to love and to serve.  It will do us little good to speak of the general brotherhood of mankind if we cannot regard those who are all around us as our brothers and sisters." 

We can express our love for God by the way we interact with His children.  

This includes ALL His children.

While it is important to view others with less judgment and more charity, President Monson made it clear that we should start within our own homes. He said, "...some of our greatest opportunites to demonstrate our love will be within the walls of our own homes.  Love should be the very heart of family life, and yet sometimes it is not.  There can be too much impatience, too much arguing, too many fights, too many tears." Often it is hardest to be our best selves in front of those that we know will love us unconditionally. Having an eternal perspective will help us with this.

President Monson reminds us who to look to for an example: "Actually, love is the very essence of the gospel, and Jesus Christ is our Exemplar. His life was a legacy of love. The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved. At the end, the angry mob took His life. And yet there rings from Golgtha's hill the words: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" -a crowning expression in mortality of compassion and love." 

Here is a 30 day 


for all of us. 

Click on this link to view and print the:

30 Day Charity Challenge 

As we practice love in our day to day interactions, maybe we will begin to feel more Christ like love toward others.  Check off the items on the calendar and when you have 30 boxes done, email Jeanine at jeaninemcf@yahoo.com and let her know. You can do them in any order  Start today and go for 30 days!

"You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence. And the good that is in you must be spread to others... --Gordon B. Hinckley

*Graphics taken from Pinterest