Moroni 8:16

Wo be unto them that shall pervert the ways of the Lord after this manner, for they shall perish except they repent. Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear.

If we are afraid, it is because we do not have enough love. We either do not love the Lord, or we do not love others. When we put God and others ahead of ourselves, and are outward focused, we have no room for fear. Why would we fear those we love? Fear comes from wanting to look good more than wanting to do good.

Moroni 7:47

But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

In this context, charity is not an action or an attitude, it is the pure love Christ has for each of us. His love is eternal. We must open ourselves to it and allow it to possess us and fill every fiber of our beings. When we are possessed by Christ's love, it will influence us in profound ways that will change our very natures. We won't have to worry about overcoming temptations and keeping the commandments and magnifying our callings, for those things will come naturally to us through Christ's grace. Living the gospel will not be a trial and a challenge, for it will be simply who we are. It will indeed be well with us at the last day, for we will be at peace with God and with ourselves.

Ether 12:34

And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father.

Charity is the love God has for us. Unless we have his love, we cannot be exalted with him. So, how do we accept his love? We obey him. "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." We reach the tree of life and partake of its fruit, which is his love. We reach the tree by following the strait and narrow path, with our hand firmly grasping the iron rod of revelation. When we come to him, his love takes effect in our lives. It is his love, as embodied in Christ and the atonement, that will save us and exalt us.

Ether 12:11

Wherefore, by faith was the law of Moses given. But in the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way; and it is by faith that it hath been fulfilled.

The love of God is his greatest gift, and the coming of his Son is the ultimate expression of his love.

For those who think they can obey their way into heaven, the message is clear: obedience is insufficient without faith. Faith in Christ is the most excellent way to God.

Ether 4:12

And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world.

The test of whether something is of God is whether it leads people to do good. The question we must answer is, what is good? It is good to have faith in the Father and the Son. It is good to love God with all our heart, might, mind and strength. It is good to love and serve others. It is good to keep the commandments. It is good to humbly accept the ordinances of salvation. Anything that leads us to do these good things and not resist the truth when we hear it is of God.

Mormon 8:35

Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.

Moroni knew exactly to whom he was writing. He has described perfectly the days in which we live, for he saw them in living color. Heavenly Father knew exactly when he would send the Book of Mormon among his children. We can take some comfort, in spite of the disasters and perplexities around us, that God knows us and our situation.  He has given us the Book of Mormon as a sign of his love. He knows us, what we need, and how to rescue us. This book is proof we are not alone.

Mormon 5:2

But behold, I was without hope, for I knew the judgments of the Lord which should come upon them; for they repented not of their iniquities, but did struggle for their lives without calling upon that Being who created them.

Just as Mormon could not forsake his people, even though he had no hope for them, God never forsakes his children, even when they refuse to repent. He loves all his children eternally and wants every single one to return to him. To paraphrase Elder D. Todd Christofferson, God's love is eternal but not unconditional. The word "unconditional" does not appear in the scriptures. What we read there is that we must repent, keep the commandments, and love God and our fellow man. Otherwise, the mercy of Christ's Atonement can have no effect on us, and justice must take effect. God's love will not save us if we do not qualify for mercy. He knows the end from the beginning, and so he knows how the test of mortality will turn out for each of us, but he never gives up and never walks away. We may turn our backs on him, but he does not turn his back on us.

4 Nephi 1:15

And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.

Where love of self or of wealth abides, peace is superficial at best and is short-lived. Pride destroys peace. Where the love of God abides in the heart of the people, peace prevails. The love of God is the only program for peace on earth.

4 Nephi 1:2-3

And it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another. And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.

Equality and unity are always characteristics of a believing people. These are not programs, but are the natural results of people living the gospel and following Christ. Look for willing and voluntary equality and unity, born out of a genuine love of God and neighbors, and you will find true Christians.

3 Nephi 27:29

Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened.

I love this oft-stated invitation to ask and receive. God wants us to come to him and learn of him. He does not say "Plead until you are blue in the face, knock until your knuckles are bloody. And then just maybe, if I'm in a good mood and you have proven you are absolutely perfect, I might consider answering." Ask and knock, receive and come in. If he loves us as much as he claims he does, why would he treat us any other way than with open arms and open heart?

Helaman 15:3

Yea, wo unto this people who are called the people of Nephi except they shall repent, when they shall see all these signs and wonders which shall be showed unto them; for behold, they have been a chosen people of the Lord; yea, the people of Nephi hath he loved, and also hath he chastened them; yea, in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he loveth them.

Because God loves us, he does all he can short of taking away our agency to get us to repent and come to him. Ideally he sends us specific correction through personal revelation from the Holy Ghost.  To get us to the point where we can hear his voice through the Spirit, he may send general correction through his servants the prophets. When we don't listen to the prophets, he may send us correction through personal and general trials and afflictions. As I have said many times, not every trial is the result of sin, but unrepented sins will surely bring affliction of one kind or another. As I have also said before, afflictions are not punishments. They may be tests, opportunities to grow, or wake-up calls, but God is generally not in the punishment business. Eternal justice will deliver punishment. God's whole work is to try to save us from justice, if we will let him.

Helaman 6:30

And behold, it is he who is the author of all sin. And behold, he doth carry on his works of darkness and secret murder, and doth hand down their plots, and their oaths, and their covenants, and their plans of awful wickedness, from generation to generation according as he can get hold upon the hearts of the children of men.

Satan gets a hold of our hearts only to the degree that we grant him access. He has no power but what we give him. He wants to fully manipulate us but can do so only if we let him. God, on the other hand, has the power, but he will never use it to control us. He wants us to yield to him out of love, and he will expand our power as we do so.

Alma 38:14

Do not say: O God, I thank thee that we are better than our brethren; but rather say: O Lord, forgive my unworthiness, and remember my brethren in mercy—yea, acknowledge your unworthiness before God at all times.

It is tempting, when things are going well, to want to think that we ourselves are somehow responsible for the good things that surround us. We may work, and we may see fruits of our labors. But we should never think that we have earned a blessing or that we are entitled. We ourselves are never truly worthy of the blessings God chooses to give us. He gives gifts, not because we have purchased them with our righteousness, but because he loves us and wants to help us. When we remember our unworthiness, especially in the face of continued blessings, we keep things in perspective. At the center of that perspective is Christ and his atonement.

Alma 30:18

And thus he did preach unto them, leading away the hearts of many, causing them to lift up their heads in their wickedness, yea, leading away many women, and also men, to commit whoredoms—telling them that when a man was dead, that was the end thereof.

Satan's great ploy is to convince us that absolute truth and eternal right and wrong do not exist. If he can get us to doubt that God cares about what we do, our own imaginations will lead us down any number of paths, none of which will be right. God has given us a conscience, but if we sear it with a hot iron, we can destroy guilt. We then become laws unto ourselves. Chaos reigns, anarchy follows, and misery is always the results, both for the individual and for society. I testify that God is real, he knows us, and he cares about us. Death is not the end but only a step closer to him.

Alma 26:20

Oh, my soul, almost as it were, fleeth at the thought. Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls.

This theme is repeated over and over throughout the scriptures, but it is particularly emphasized in the Book of Mormon. We do not save ourselves. We do not leap over the awful gulf in a single bound. Christ carries us over the gulf. It is his power, not ours, that brings us to salvation. I am awed and humbled each time I am reminded of this magnificent concept of salvation. The gift of salvation is beyond comprehension in the depth and breadth of mercy, kindness and love it represents. Oh, how blessed we are to live in a universe over which a God of love reigns supreme! And how blessed we are that this God of love could produce a Son of equal capacity and possessed of a willingness to pay the price to save us. I truly stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me.

Alma 26:3

Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.

Every day we can be an instrument in God's hands for the work he has placed us here to do. We may not convert a nation of Lamanites, but we can teach a child or help a neighbor or ease the burden of someone or lift a spirit or show someone God's love. Each day we can do something wonderful if we listen for God's whisper in our ear and follow his direction.

Alma 18:32

And Ammon said: Yea, and he looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart; for by his hand were they all created from the beginning.

We are always in God's thoughts. He is always aware of us. Our mundane lives are so interesting to him that he pays attention to everything we do. No act is too small, no choice so trivial, no thought so fleeting that God does not take note. His work and glory is to bring us into eternal life. To accomplish this goal requires all his concentration. Can we afford to be any less engaged in our own salvation?

Alma 12:3

Now Zeezrom, seeing that thou hast been taken in thy lying and craftiness, for thou hast not lied unto men only but thou hast lied unto God; for behold, he knows all thy thoughts, and thou seest that thy thoughts are made known unto us by his Spirit;

God knows all our thoughts. Why would he bother to tap into my every thought if he did not love me? He is not trying to catch me in my sinful thoughts so he can punish me or put a black mark on my record. He wants to catch me in my good thoughts because they bring him joy. He is so interested in me that he wants to know all about me, including every idle and mundane thought that passes through my head. That the Supreme Being in the universe, who could have anything and do anything and be anywhere he wants, pays attention to me, astounds me and humbles me. Surely I must be worth saving. Why else would God notice me?

Mosiah 18:27

And again Alma commanded that the people of the church should impart of their substance, every one according to that which he had; if he have more abundantly he should impart more abundantly; and of him that had but little, but little should be required; and to him that had not should be given.

Sharing our abundance and supporting the poor is always a sign of the true faith. It is not only a commandment but a natural outgrowth of love for God. This seems to be one of the very first ways in which disciples organize themselves. It is a principle we should take seriously.

Mosiah 13:13-14

And again: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generations of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

We choose how God reacts to us. He loves all his children, but he treats us differently depending on how we treat him.