Heavenly Father Helps Us Obey His Commandments

Do these things:
*Clap your hands 3 times
*Turn around once and then back the other way
*Blink your right eye, then your left, then both
*Touch your toes

If you did all those things, thank you for obeying. What does it mean to obey?

It means to be do what you are asked to do.

Nephi was very obedient. We learned last week about how he obeyed the Lord and got the brass plates. The Book of Mormon tells of several things Nephi did because he was obedient. One of my favorites is when the Lord asked him to build a ship for his family to cross the ocean and go to the promised land (the American continent.) Nephi didn't know how to build a ship. He didn't have the tools he needed to build ship.

Nephi knew that the Lord would help him to obey, so he asked for help to find the supplies he needed to make the tools. The Lord answered his prayer, and he taught Nephi how to build the ship in a manner different from how other men had built them. The ship he built was very sturdy.

Heavenly Father and Jesus helped Nephi because they loved him and wanted to help his family be happy. They love each of you and they want you to be happy. They give us commandments to obey because they love us. Obeying the commandments brings us happiness.

Here's another story about how Heavenly Father helped a young girl obey the commandment to keep the Sabbath day hol:

Ma-ling had a little food stand on the street near the river. Every day she would sell her rice and fish to the people who stopped at her shop. Each night as she returned to her home on the houseboat and counted the money she had earned, she would sigh and shake her head, for it was barely enough to buy rice for her family and fish to sell the next day.

One day Ma-ling met the missionaries, and they taught her the gospel. They taught her about Heavenly Father’s commandments and about keeping the Sabbath day holy. Ma-ling talked to Heavenly Father in prayer and promised him that she would not open her stand on Sunday anymore. She wanted to keep the Sabbath day holy and not work on Sunday.

From that time on, each night as Ma-ling counted her money, she found she had more money than ever before. She was able to buy more food to share with her family, and she was able to buy more fish to sell. Heavenly Father blessed Ma-ling because she kept the Sabbath day holy. Ma-ling was happy because she obeyed the commandments.

What commandment did Ma-ling obey? How did Heavenly Father help her?

Can you name a commandment that you can obey now?

What can you do if you need Heavenly Father's help to be obedient?

Sometimes it is hard to be obedient, but you can always pray and ask Heavenly Father to help. I know that He will answer your prayers and will help you find the way to obey.

I love you!