Why Commandments???

Some may wonder why Mormons do the things we do, or in some cases, don't do the things we don't do. These are called commandments. Any commandment we read out of the scriptures are from the Lord himself. In the Book of Mormon, we learn that Nephi said, "...I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." So basically, the Lord won't give us any commandments that he knows we can't follow. That's comforting to know because that means the commandments we have are not impossible.

Many people outside of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that membership in this church requires strict adherence to many "rules" that don't allow us to do much of anything. Many think we are forced to obey these rules. I am here to testify that there's more than meets the eye when it comes to obeying and keeping the commandments that we follow.

Commandments are given to us for a good purpose, but we might not understand that purpose all the time. People who think that not drinking, smoking, and doing drugs is crazy, don't see that doing those things can kill you. Look at the many famous people throughout history who have either died or have poor health because of drugs or alcohol: Elvis Presley, Ozzy Osbourne, Chris Farley, and Jimi Hendrix, just to name a few. These commandments to not do these things have been around since the world began.

If only we understood what blessings come from living the commandments. If, for instance, we were to follow the commandment of not drinking, smoking, or doing drugs, we would have more health, strength, and vitality, we are promised that we would receive knowledge, that we could run and not be weary, and walk and not faint, etc. I would rather not run and be weary, and walk and faint. Commandments are for our physical health, and our spiritual help as well.

Though it may seem that keeping these commandments limits what we can do, it actually frees us. Think about it, when you smoke, you are in the cigarette's command. Every time you have a craving, you need to light up. In comparison, if you don't smoke, you don't have cravings. It's that simple. It works with any and all addictions; you start following that commandment, you will have an easier time not being addicted to that thing, and you won't have that craving/addiction breathing down your neck all the time. It's fantastic!

I can bear my testimony that by following the commandments that the Lord has set forth, we will receive more blessings than we ever thought possible. We will receive strength, both spiritually and physically, and we will be happier because we know that we won't have any guilt for keeping and following these commandments. By keeping the commandments, we can become more like our Heavenly Father each and every day of our lives.