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1 Nephi 22:30-31

"Wherefore, my brethren, I would that ye should consider that the things which have been written upon the plates of brass are true and they testify that a man must be obedient to the commandments of God.  Wherefore, ye need not suppose that I and my father are the only ones that have testified, and also taught them.  Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day.  And thus it is.  Amen."

This law of obedience is so essential.  It is the beginning of everything.  It is the process that starts all progression.  When we are obedient, for the sake of obedience, our hearts aren't in it very much.  But we see as we are obedient that the Lord is free to bless us.  As He blesses us, we feel such gratitude for how abundantly He pours out His blessings.  Then we step into the GLOW cycle.

Gratitude.  We feel gratitude for how the Lord imparts freely to us.  When we feel true gratitude, there are a couple of fruits.  One is that of humility, because gratitude makes us aware of how much the Lord really is doing - it's humbling to see how much that which I do is augmented and magnified by the Lord when I am obedient.  Another fruit of gratitude is:

Love.  When we are truly grateful, our hearts open to the gift giver.  We find a powerful connection to Him who is the giver of the best gifts.  Love begets a desire for:


Obedience.  This kind of obedience comes from a knowledge of and connection to the one who gives the laws.  We desire and seek obedience because we feel connected and close to Him.  We long for obedience and feel yucky when we step out of it.  Not because of guilt or shame but because our hearts have closed up a bit and we miss that closeness and connection we had before with our Friend and Savior.  As we seek and desire obedience, we grow in:


Worthiness.  Not to be confused with worth (which is absolute, infinite, and never changes), worthiness is increased because obedience has increased.  As our worthiness increases, it frees the Lord to pour out even more blessings even more abundantly.  When we see His hand for what it is, then we are filled with gratitude. 


And the cycle repeats itself.  Gratitude, Love, Obedience, Worthiness.  It is an answer to the pride cycle we find in the Book of Mormon.  The GLOW cycle is simple.  We only have to take that first step of being obedient for the sake of being obedient and then keep our eyes open as we see His hand moving in our lives.  The rest of the cycle takes care of itself. 
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