7 Minute Study

study 2: Loving My Neighbor

April 2026 Conference Series

Alive in Christ by Dallin H. Oaks

for personal use

➜ skip to further study ideas

In general, it’s easy to see that the ways of the world are different from the ways of Christ.

 “Many current writers characterize the time in which we live as toxic, a time of contempt or hostility toward adversaries. This hostility affects many different relationships in society, involving many whose Christian beliefs should orient them otherwise.” – Dallin H. Oaks (April 2026 Conference)

  • What happens to connection, unity, and belonging when our interactions come from contempt and hostility?
  • How does that look and feel different from what Christ teaches us?

President Oaks continues:

“Our Savior, Jesus Christ, taught us how to relate to one another. The great commandments in the law, He taught, were to love—God and neighbor (see Matthew 22:37–39).”

✎ Consider finding the scripture and adding tags like: 

love others; love God, 2 great commandments.

The order here matters. As we focus on loving God first, we come to understand deeper reasons for—and more meaningful ways of—loving our neighbor.

Of course, the idea of neighbor doesn’t just mean those who live nearby.

To define neighbor, President Oaks turned to the Savior’s parable of the Good Samaritan, someone who took care of someone else.

So we can think of the instruction to love our neighbor as an invitation to care for each other.

  • What do you think might change if we saw others as people we care about and want to take care of? What feelings might that create towards them? 

We can also remember that we are more than neighbors—we are brothers and sisters, each an important part of God’s family.

It is not always easy to see people this way. Lots of things in our brains stop us from seeing their whole story.

A couple of things to try:

➜ Ask Heavenly Father to help us see people as He does.

➜ Ask yourself: “What are this person’s (or group’s) challenges, trials, burdens, and pains?”*

Remember most people are wanting to be loved and understood. Love and belonging are some of our most basic human needs. And we don’t always seek this in the most helpful ways.

  • How might connection, unity, and belonging grow when we approach others  with understanding, empathy, and love?

As you conclude today’s study, consider what you want to remember or what you want to ask or share with God.

*This question comes from The Anatomy of Peace by The Arbinger Institute.

Ideas for Further Study

More about the Good Samaritan

More about Understanding Human Needs

  • Search online for Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This pyramid helps us understand the levels and order of human needs. When someone is struggling with one area, the level below it needs to be addressed. For example: Confidence, achievement, and respecting others (level 4) comes when a sense of love and belonging (level 3) is developed and strengthened.

More about the Two Great Commandments

More about Seeing People as People

  • Read The Anatomy of Peace by The Arbinger Institute. It helps understand ways of thinking that interfere with seeing people as people.

Continue with 7 Minute Study: Dallin H. Oaks