The sixth commandment given to Moses states succinctly, “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13).  For nearly all of us, this is not a difficult commandment to obey.  For example, I have never even thought about killing another person, yet I have gotten angry with others without cause.

When we get angry with another person, this is a violation of this first higher law even though it isn’t a violation of the sixth commandment given to Moses.  The issue here is that any feelings of anger towards another affects our relationship with God.  When anger enters our soul, the Spirit departs because we are in a disobedient state.

The Savior’s first higher law admonishes us to avoid anger with one another because the strength of our relationships with each other is one of the greatest sources of joy and happiness in our lives.  To a large degree, how we feel about ourselves and the world are the result of the feedback we get day in and day out from the people around us.

Your ability to build a mutually beneficial relationship with anyone begins when you share interests, confidences, hopes and desires that lead to trust and respect in and for each other.  When hard feelings and anger enter the equation, every relationship will begin to deteriorate until there is nothing left but hard feelings.

Our lives are our enriched through the interactions we have with each other.  The challenge is that while many of the diverse personalities we encounter are easy to get along with there are always some who are more difficult.

Each of us needs to cultivate the heavenly virtue of patience in our everyday experiences and relationships, especially with those closest to us.  When we are patient with all people, yourself included, it is easier to avoid becoming angry with each other.

Another way to avoid anger is appreciating that each of us is working to overcome our different faults and weaknesses.  It is when we begin to obtain this level of acceptance that we start to live this first higher law.

Verses 23 and 24 in Matthew 5 teach us that before we bring our gifts to the altar, we must be reconciled to our brothers and sisters we have issues with.  In verse 25 we are taught to agree with our adversary quickly, this is how we protect ourselves from becoming angry with another.

The next time you are in the car and someone cuts you off, and you begin to become angry with someone you have never met.  Remember that you’re getting angry in situations like someone cutting you off in traffic is a violation of this first higher law.

Living the third warning and first higher law from the Savior to a more excellent way everyday is possible, yet it requires us to put aside the all too easy tendency to become angry with others.  As we avoid all forms of anger for another, we are living as the Savior lived.