God’s Love: The Most Joyous to the Soul
Open talk in Gospel LibraryContents
Before Reading
Before reading or listening to the talk, consider the following questions:
- How does understanding God's love change our perspective on life and our actions?
- What is the connection between God's love and our desire to keep His commandments?
- How can we feel and recognize God's love in our lives?
- What are some ways we can express God's love in our service to others?
- How does God's love relate to the Savior's Atonement?
Topics
Understanding the Depth of God's Love
Sister Porter emphasizes the transformative power of understanding and accepting God's deep love for us. This understanding changes our perspective on ourselves, our mistakes, challenges, God's commandments, and our capacity to make a difference.
When you know and understand how completely you are loved as a child of God, it changes everything.
The first great truth of all eternity is that God loves us with all of His heart, might, mind, and strength.
- What does it mean to know and understand God's love?
- How does understanding God's love change our perspective on life and our actions?
- How have you personally experienced God's love in your life?
- What changes can you make in your life to better understand and accept God's love?
Expressing God's Love Through Service
Sister Porter shares a personal story to illustrate how understanding God's love can transform our service in the Church. She emphasizes that our focus should not be on fulfilling our callings dutifully, but on showing God's love through our service.
Now the question for him became not “How can I fulfill this calling?” but “How can I show God’s love through my service?”
With this new approach, he felt joy, meaning, and purpose in all aspects of his calling.
- How can understanding God's love transform our service in the Church?
- Why is it important to show God's love through our service?
- How can you show God's love through your current calling or service opportunities?
- Reflect on a time when you felt God's love through someone else's service. How did it impact you?
Recognizing God's Love in Our Lives
Sister Porter teaches that God's love is not found in our circumstances, but in His presence in our lives. She encourages us to pray for our eyes to be opened to see His love in our lives and in the beauty of His creations.
God’s love is not found in the circumstances of our lives but in His presence in our lives.
We can pray to have our eyes opened to see His hand in our lives and to see His love in the beauty of His creations.
- How can we recognize God's love in our lives?
- Why is it important to see God's love in our circumstances and in His creations?
- What are some ways you have seen God's love in your life recently?
- How can you cultivate a greater awareness of God's love in your daily life?
The Savior's Atonement as an Expression of God's Love
Sister Porter underscores the Savior's Atonement as the ultimate expression of God's love. She invites us to ponder on the Savior's life and sacrifice to better understand His love for us.
As we ponder the Savior’s life and His infinite sacrifice, we begin to understand His love for us.
I testify that our Lord and Savior did indeed die for each and every one of us. It was an expression of His infinite love for us and for His Father.
- How is the Savior's Atonement an expression of God's love?
- Why is it important to ponder on the Savior's life and sacrifice?
- How has the Savior's Atonement helped you understand God's love?
- What actions can you take to better appreciate and understand the Savior's Atonement?
Praying to Understand and Receive God's Love
Sister Porter highlights the importance of prayer in understanding and receiving God's love. She encourages us to pray with all the energy of our hearts to be filled with His love, not only for others but also for ourselves.
The prophet Mormon invites us to “pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ.”
Mormon is inviting us not only to pray that we may be filled with His love for others but to pray that we may know of God’s pure love for ourselves.
- Why is prayer important in understanding and receiving God's love?
- What does it mean to pray with all the energy of our hearts to be filled with God's love?
- How has prayer helped you feel God's love?
- What can you do to make your prayers more focused on understanding and receiving God's love?
