Starting at the end of King Benjamin's life, we see that "there was no contention among all [the] people for the space of three years" (Mosiah 6:7). This is a stark contrast to the earlier period of King Benjamin's reign, where Amaleki describes "a serious war and much bloodshed between the Nephites and Lamanites" (Omni 1:24), and Mormon's comments in his bridging record, where, after discussing the wars Amaleki refers to, adds "after there had been false Christs (Words of Mormon 1:15) ... false prophets and false preachers and teachers among the people (Words of Mormon 1:16) ... and much contention and many dissensions away to the Lamanites (Words of Mormon 1:16)", King Benjamin, "with the assistance of the holy prophets who were among his people" (Words of Mormon 1:16), established peace in the land (Words of Mormon 1:18).
So what was the change which King Benjamin and the prophets worked towards accomplishing? Reading King Benjamin's address give us clues as to what he taught his people. At the core of peaceful living (Mosiah 4:13) lies belief in God (Mosiah 4:9), a knowledge of his goodness, tasting of his love, receiving and retaining a remission of sins, and rememberance of the greatness of God (Mosiah 4:11).
King Benjamin comes back to the Love of God as being the key to "a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil".
Some of the reflective questions that we can ask include: Is my main focus on what is good in my life, or on what is bad, and how does this affect my love of God? What kindness has God bestowed on me that I frequently overlook? In what ways does my love of God affect my love towards his children? If I were to master the trait of feeling a deep love for god, in what ways would me life be different than it presently is?
Another way to understand the love of God could be through an exercise such as completing a survey - try : http://www.assess-yourself.org/survey/lfg/
In this survey four dimensions of Love of God are measured - humility towards God, pursuit or development of our relationship with God, love for others and "fearless faith".
Yet another way to ponder is to study the words of our prophets, apostles and members of the quorum of the seventy. Here are a few recent general conference talks on the Love of God
Dieter F Uchtdorf : The Love of God
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/the-love-of-god?lang=eng
John H Groberg : The Power of Gods Love
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2004/10/the-power-of-gods-love?lang=eng
Keith B. McMullin : God Love and Helps All of His Children
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/god-loves-and-helps-all-of-his-children?lang=eng
Use your study journal to reflect on what you have discovered about the Love of God, its impact on you and any goals you have set to deepen your Love of God.
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