Monday, September 9, 2013

April 1996 General Conference Priesthood Session

Robert D. Hales -"If Thou Wilt Enter into Life, Keep the Commandments"
  • Oh, how the Lord blesses worthy bearers of the Aaronic Priesthood who bless and pass the sacrament to faithful members of the Church in His memory!
  • Going on a mission teaches you to live the law of consecration. It may be the only time in your life when you can give to the Lord all your time, talents, and resources. In return, the Lord will bless you with His Spirit to be with you. He will be close to you and strengthen you.
  • Work hard to obtain an education and to learn technical skills that will allow you to be self-sufficient and support your family.
  • Cultivate good friends who do not try to make you choose between their ways and the Lord's ways. Be the kind of friend who makes it easier for others to obey the commandments when they are with you.
  • Keeping the Lord's commandments is a lifetime effort!
  • Light and darkness cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Satan and his disciples cannot tolerate the spiritual light of the gospel; they must immediately depart.
  • Prophets must often warn of the consequences of violating God's laws. They do not preach that which is popular with the world.
  • "Popularity is never a test of truth."
  • Rationalization that God should change His commandments to accommodate our transgressions leads to spiritual darkness, which only the light of the gospel can remove.
W. Eugene Hansen -Spiritual Shepherds
  • You young men bring with you the special, vibrant, enthusiastic spirit of the youth of our time.
  • Unfortunately, in life we all too often see the results of those who ignore the attempts of spiritual shepherds to guide their paths past hazards and dangers that may be unperceived at the time. 
  • A genuine friend who has another's best interest at heart may often be the one who encourages or provides the strength in a weak moment to prevent that person from making a serious mistake. In so doing, he or she helps prevent the sorrow and sadness, the embarrassment, and loss of self-respect that nearly always accompany sin.
  • Keep your eyes above the crowd. Be your own person. You have been taught correct principles. Stick with those principles.
  • There is no neutral area between good and evil. If you are on the devil's turf, get off it as fast as you can.
  • "Prove your strength, show your independence, by saying no when enticement from peers comes your way. your own strength will add strength to those who are weak. your own example will give determination to others."
James E. Faust -What I Want My Son to Know before He Leaves on His Mission
    • First, you will be under call from the Lord Jesus Christ.
    • Second, your mission president is the Lord's representative.
    • Third, hard work is more important than intellect.
  • "One of the greatest secrets of missionary work is work. If a missionary works, he will get the Spirit; if he gets the Spirit, he will teach by the Spirit; and if he teaches by the Spirit, he will touch the hearts of the people; and he will be happy.
  • That's the secret--work, work, work. There is no satisfactory substitute, especially in missionary work.
  • I can't enjoy what I don't do!
    • Fourth, forget yourself in His service.
    • Fifth, never permit contention in your companionships.
  • Be the kind of companion you would like to be with.
  • When there is contention, the Spirit of the Lord will depart, regardless of who is at fault.
    • Sixth, keep your bodies clean and healthy and your living quarters clean.
  • It is very important that you eat properly and get adequate sleep so that you can maintain good health. If you become ill, not only can you not do the work, but you will also become a burden on your companion.
    • Seventh, learn to love and serve the people among whom you work.
    • Eighth, study, ponder, and teach from the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon and the New Testament.
    • Ninth, you must know that Lucifer will oppose you, and be prepared for his opposition.
    • Tenth, your own personal testimony is the strongest arrow in your quiver.
Thomas S. Monson -Duty Calls
  • "If you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those whom you might have saved had you done your duty.
  • How does one magnify a calling? Simply by performing the service that pertains to it.
  • Preparation is not a matter of perhaps or maybe. It is a mandate. The old phrase "Ignorance is bliss" is forever gone. Preparation precedes performance.
  • "Home teaching is not to be undertaken casually. A home teaching call is to be accepted as if extended to you personally by the Lord Jesus Christ."
Gordon B. Hinckley -"Be Ye Clean"
  • Everything looks better when there is cleanliness.
  • Be clean in body. Be clean in mind. Be clean in language. Be clean in dress and manner.
  • Our bodies are sacred. They were created in the image of God. They are marvelous, the crowning creation of Deity.
  • As a holder of the priesthood you cannot, you must not be led into the vicious trap of immoral behavior. Of course you are to socialize with young women, to date, to have fun of a wholesome kind in a hundred ways. But there is a line which you must not cross. It is the line that separates personal cleanliness from sin. I need not get clinical in telling you where that line is. You know. you have been told again and again. you have a conscience within you. Stay on the Lord's side of the line.
  • Be clean in language. There is so much of filthy, sleazy talk these days. I spoke to the young women about it. I speak to you also. It tells others that your vocabulary is so extremely limited that you cannot express yourself without reaching down into the gutter for words. Dirty talk is unbecoming any man who holds the priesthood, be he young or old.
  • A filthy mind expresses itself in filthy and profane language. A clean mind expresses itself in language. A clean mind expresses itself in language that is positive and uplifting and in deeds that ring happiness into the heart.
  • Be clean in dress and manner. I do not expect you to look like missionaries all of the time. But let me say that the clean and conservative dress and grooming of our missionaries has become as a badge of honor recognized wherever they go. The age in which we are living now has become an age of sloppy dress and sloppy manners. But I am not so concerned about what you wear as I am that it be clean.
  • I urge you to be clean in manner, to be courteous, to be respectful, to be honest, to be young men and older men of integrity.
  • It is amazing what courtesy will accomplish. It is tragic what a lack of courtesy can bring.

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

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