May 7, 2025, 3:08pm MDT
Love is at the heart of God’s commandments, and the reason for keeping the commandments is to show love for him, explained the young female presidential office of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Young women President Emily Bell Freeman and her counselors, Sister Tamara W. Lania and sister Andrea Munoz Spannaus discussed chapter three of the “For Youth Strength” guide, entitled “Love, Your Neighbor Love Your Neighbor” in a video posted on Instagram accounts around the world on Tuesday, May 6th.
This chapter outlines eternal truths, invitations and blessings of promises. Sister Rania began her argument by explaining how love is at the heart of God’s commandments.
“When we feel love from God, it makes us have love for God. So this relationship, this charity is special and unique, and this by-product of this charity, our relationship with God is that we lie down like him and cause love,” she said. “You go up first and then you go outside. And I think that’s the whole thing about this section – love God, then love our neighbor.”
President Freeman first encouraged those who recognized God’s love and saw him as building a relationship with God by praying and reading the Bible.
“All the commandments, what I think to myself, how does this command show God’s love for me? How does the maintenance of this commandment show my love for God?” President Freeman said.
As we see in Matthew 22:36-40, the two great commandments are “love your God with all your hearts” and “love your neighbor as yourself.”
The guide explains that the word neighbour means everyone and says, “Everyone is your brother and sister.”
Sister Spannaus taught us from his guide that when people serve their brothers and sisters (children of God), they serve him.
“Sometimes we love God so much that we want to do something for him,” Sister Spannaus said. “We start to think, ‘How can I do anything to show God that I love him? God is not with me.’ But there is a possibility – it is to serve others. ”
Mossiah 2:17 says, “When you serve the existence of your fellow people, you exist only in the service of your God.” In this way people can become agents – they can act and do something, Sister Spannaus said.
The “Strength of Young People” guide promises that when people express their love through Christlike service, they will become more involved with others and feel joy in making the world a more loving place.
Sisters Spannaus found joy when they made blankets for their babies in need and got the help of their family and friends. Sister Rania found joy on her trip to the Netherlands.
President Freeman said she was feeling depressed on a recent rainy day. She admitted that people sometimes feel that they are not enough or not. They may just remind us that God sees them and knows them.
She turns to the Questions and Answers section of the 13-page chapter and read the first one: “How can I feel God’s love?”
The guide’s answer states, “The love of the Heavenly Father is always available. Talk to him frequently through prayer. Share your feelings with him and hear your impressions from him. Read his words in the Bible. Think about everything he has done for you.
President Freeman heard the impressions and explained how powerful it is to monitor God’s hand in her life.
“You could have prayed for some of us for days or weeks or years, and it’s time to ask, ‘If God really loved me, he would have sent me the answers,” President Freeman said. “One of the things I learned to do as I was waiting for that big answer is to look at the small answers, those little things along the way.
Sister Spannaus added, a thank-you magazine is also helpful. She pointed out that young people can go to JustServe’s website or app and find ways to serve others as the service is a great antidote to grief.
Sister Rania said the words “can become our superpower. … Our words allow us to change the way we feel and the warmth of our home.”
President Freeman invited young women to reflect on the chapter on loving God and loving their neighbors, and wondered what they could try this week whether they are praying more, in the Bible, in the home, or in the work of serving their friends. In these ways, you will become more closely related to God and others.
