Elder Holland, sign me up.
In a recent training session for General Authorities,
President Thomas S. Monson emphasized anew the duties and
opportunities for Aaronic Priesthood bearers.
It is in the spirit of that instruction
that I address you.
Duty, properly carried out, determines the destiny of
peoples and nations.
So fundamental is the principle of duty that
priesthood bearers are admonished, "Wherefore, now
let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office
in which he is appointed in all diligence."
President Monson explains, "The call of duty can come
quietly as we who hold the priesthood respond to
assignments we receive.
It is your duty first of all to learn what the Lord wants
and then by the power and strength of His holy
priesthood to magnify your calling in the presence of
your fellows in such a way that the people will be glad
to follow you."
Speaking of His duty, our Lord said, "I seek not mine own
will but the will of the Father.
I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the
will of him that sent me." Because Jesus Christ performed
His duty, "all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the
laws and ordinances of the gospel."
Brethren, this is the standard we are to follow.
It has been my experience that you who serve as deacons,
teachers, and priests are as willing, reliable, and capable
in doing your duty as we expect you to be.
We admire you.
Your vitality is infectious, your abilities astounding,
your association invigorating.
You and the Aaronic Priesthood office you hold are essential
to Heavenly Father's work with His children and the
preparation of this earth for the Second
Coming of His holy Son.
Our vision of you and your duty looks beyond your age.
Paul spoke of you, saying, "Let no man despise thy youth,
but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in
conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
To men of old there came in time the
priesthood named for Aaron.
Through Levites, priests, and prophets too, it served to
bless God's children.
Then came the Savior of the world and sought out one
named John to be baptized by this same power, and mark
salvation's dawn.
In latter days this self-same power was again restored to
earth, that gospel truths from first to last might in one's
soul find birth.
Aaronic Priesthood, truth sublime, in preparation come,
that redemption might be had through God's beloved Son.
And he who ministers these powers, 'tis not a mere boy
that can, with priesthood mantle on him fixed we say,
behold the man.
"The power and authority of the Aaronic Priesthood is to
hold the keys of the ministering of angels, and to
administer in outward ordinances the letter of the
gospel, the baptism of repentance for the remission
of sins, agreeable to the covenants and commandments."
President Boyd K. Packer has observed, "We have done very
well at distributing the authority of the priesthood.
We have priesthood authority planted nearly everywhere.
But distributing the authority of the priesthood has raced, I
think, ahead of distributing the power of the priesthood."
For the everlasting welfare of God's children,
this must be remedied.
Our prophet has told us how this can be done.
President Monson said, "I want to see the power of the
priesthood strengthened.
I want to see this strength and power diffused through the
entire body of the priesthood, reaching from the head down to
the least and most humble deacon in the Church.
Every man should seek for and enjoy the revelations of God,
the light of heaven shining in his soul and giving unto to
him knowledge concerning his duties, concerning that
portion of the work that devolves upon him in his
priesthood."
What can a deacon, teacher, or priest do to receive the
spirit of revelation and magnify his calling?
He can live so as to enjoy the cleansing, sanctifying, and
illuminating power of the Holy Ghost. The importance of this
is found in these words from Alma, "Now I say unto you that
this is the order after which I am called to preach unto the
rising generation that they must repent and be born
again."
When one is born again his heart is changed.
He has no appetite for things evil or unclean.
He feels a deep and abiding love for God.
He wants to be good, to serve others, and to keep the
commandments.
President Joseph F. Smith described his experience with
this mighty change.
"The feeling that came over me was that of pure peace, of
love and of light.
I felt in my soul that if I had sinned, it had been
forgiven me, that I was indeed cleansed from sin.
My heart was touched and I felt that I would not injure
the smallest insect beneath my feet.
I felt as if I wanted to do good everywhere to everybody
and to everything.
I felt a newness of life, a newness of desire to do that
which was right.
There was not one particle of desire for
evil left in my soul.
I was but a little boy, it is true, but this is the
influence that came upon me, and I know it was from God,
and was and ever has been a living witness to me of my
acceptance of the Lord."
So we call upon you wonderful young brethren to diligently
strive to be born again.
Pray for this mighty change in your life.
Study the scriptures.
Desire more than all else to know God and to become like
His holy Son.
Enjoy your youth but put away childish things.
Shun profane and foolish chatter.
Flee all evil.
Avoid contention.
Repent where needed.
This will help you rise to the noble stature of your manhood.
The qualities of courage, trustworthiness, humility,
faith, and goodness will be yours.
Friends will admire you, parents will praise you,
brethren in the priesthood will depend on you, and the
young women will adore you and become even
better because of you.
God will honor you and endow your priesthood service
with power from on high.
The rest of us will do our part.
As parents and grandparents we will prepare you for more
valiant service in the kingdom of God.
As your brethren, we will be examples for you to emulate.
We will increase the strength of your quorums. We will
sustain your quorum presidencies as they exercise
their presiding keys.
We will provide you opportunity to fully shoulder
the duties of the Aaronic Priesthood and to magnify your
calling therein.
Through your ministry, great blessings
will come to the Church.
"Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost." You
can do so as well.
As you speak by the power of the Holy Ghost and administer
the sacred emblems of the sacrament, men and women, boys
and girls will strive to repent, to increase their
faith in Christ, and to have the Holy
Spirit with them always.
As you fast and collect fast offerings, members will be
moved to pattern their works after the Savior.
The Lord cared for the poor, the downtrodden, and He
beckoned, "Come, follow me." Your service in caring for the
less fortunate engages us in His holy work and helps us to
retain the forgiveness for our own past sins.
As you visit the house of each member, be
not fearful nor bashful.
The Holy Ghost will supply you in the very moment the words
to say, the testimony to bear, the service to render.
Your diligent efforts to watch over the Church
always will be fruitful.
Your unpretentious manner will disarm the most unbelieving
heart and loosen the adversary's grip.
Your invitation to others to come to church with you, to
partake of the sacrament with you, and to serve with you
will become a welcoming balm for those lost in the shadows
where the gospel light is but a dim ember or
glows not at all.
Oh, my beloved young brethren, "Neglect not the gift that is
in thee," which you received when the Aaronic Priesthood
was conferred and you were ordained.
"God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power,
and of love, and of a sound mind.
Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.
Be thou partakers of the gospel according to the power
of God who hath called us with an holy calling, which was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."
Our beloved prophet has "called you to the colors." We
salute you, pray for you, rejoice in serving with you,
and give thanks to God for the power of your saving ministry.
I bear witness, God is our Eternal Father and dwells in
yonder heavens.
Jesus the Christ is God's holy Son, the Redeemer of the
world, and you faithful bearers of the Aaronic
Priesthood are His emissaries on the earth.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.