General Conference April 2005 - Pages 48 - 61

My personal experience is that of President James E. Faust where he said -

"...my mission became like the North Star to guide me into the other pursuits of my life. One of the important things I learned was that if I faithfully persevered in my Church callings, the Lord would open up the way and guide me to other opportunities and blessings, even beyond my dreams. Serving a mission can do this for all you young men. A young man recently shared with me how much he had learned from his perseverance as a missionary. I draw from his experience some of the things you can learn that would bring opportunities and blessings to you:

• How to organize and use time wisely
• The importance of hard work—that you reap what you sow
• Leadership skills
• People skills
• The value of gospel study
• Respect for authority
• The importance of prayer
• Humility and dependence on the Lord"

"Each of us should serve faithfully and diligently in our priesthood callings until the end of our days. Those who desire to be baptized into the Church are required by the Lord to have "a determination to serve him to the end. ( D&C 20:37)"

Elder Thomas S. Monson continued -

President Joseph F. Smith made the following statement concerning the priesthood. Said he: "The Holy Priesthood is that authority which God has delegated to man, by which he may speak the will of God. . . . It is sacred, and it must be held sacred by the people. It should be honored and respected by them, in whomsoever it is held."

"The oath and covenant of the priesthood pertains to all of us. To those who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood, it is a declaration of our requirement to be faithful and obedient to the laws of God and to magnify the callings which come to us."

"Said President Marion G. Romney, a former member of the First Presidency: "Every bearer of the Melchizedek Priesthood should give diligent and solemn heed to the implications of this oath and covenant which he has received. Failure to observe the obligations imposed by it is sure to bring disappointment, sorrow, and suffering."

"Added President Spencer W. Kimball: "One breaks [his] priesthood covenant by transgressing commandments—but also by leaving undone his duties. Accordingly, to break this covenant one needs only to do nothing."

"President George Albert Smith, that modest yet effective leader, declared, "It is your duty first of all to learn what the Lord wants and then by the power and strength of [your] holy Priesthood to [so] magnify your calling in the presence of your fellows . . . that the people will be glad to follow you."

"What does it mean to magnify a calling? It means to build it up in dignity and importance, to make it honorable and commendable in the eyes of all men, to enlarge and strengthen it, to let the light of heaven shine through it to the view of other men."

"And how does one magnify a calling? Simply by performing the service that pertains to it. An elder magnifies the ordained calling of an elder by learning what his duties as an elder are and then by doing them."

"The work of reactivation is no task for the idler or daydreamer. Children grow, parents age, and time waits for no man. Do not postpone a prompting; rather, act on it, and the Lord will open the way. Frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required."

"President Harold B. Lee, one of the great teachers in the Church, gave us this easy-to-understand counsel regarding the priesthood. Said he: "You see, when one becomes a holder of the priesthood, he becomes an agent of the Lord. He should think of his calling as though he were on the Lord's errand."

"Now, some of you may be shy by nature, perhaps feeling yourselves inadequate to respond affirmatively to a calling. Remember that this work is not yours and mine alone. It is the Lord's work, and when we are on the Lord's errand, brethren, we are entitled to the Lord's help. Remember that the Lord will shape the back to bear the burden placed upon it."

"While the formal classroom may be intimidating at times, some of the most effective teaching takes place other than in the chapel or the classroom..."Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, Help me find the way. Teach me all that I must do, to live with him someday."

"...I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end." (Doctrine and Covenants Section 76:5)