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Work is a Commandment
and an Eternal Principle
1. "Our Heavenly
Father and Jesus Christ have shown us by Their examples and teachings that work
is important in heaven and on earth.... Jesus said, “My Father worketh hitherto,
and I work” (John 5:17)".... The Lord said to the people of Israel, “Six
days shalt thou labour” (Exodus 20:9)....
"God revealed to Adam, “In the sweat of
thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:19). In addition to being a temporal
law, this was a law for the salvation of Adam’s soul. There is no real division
between spiritual, mental, and physical work. Work is essential to each of us
for growth, character development, and many satisfactions that the idle never
know....
""Men are, that they might have
joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). Work is a key to full joy in the plan of God. If we are
righteous, we will return to live with our Heavenly Father, and we will have
work to do. As we become like Him, our work will become like His work. His work
is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses
1:39)" (Gospel Principles, Work and Personal Responsibility).
Q Why does God command
us to work? Why is work a spiritual necessity?
2. "You remember
the story [of the parable of the talents]. A man needed to go away, so he
entrusted his servants with his goods. One received five talents, another two,
and the last received one. Upon his return, he asked for an accounting. The
servant who received five and returned ten, as well as the one who took two and
returned four, were declared good and faithful servants. But what caught my
attention was the servant who received one, took care of it, and returned it
safely back to his lord.
"I was surprised by the response of the
master: “Thou wicked and slothful servant, … take therefore the talent from
him, … and cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness”! (See Matthew
25:14–30.). This seemed to be a harsh reaction to one who seemed to be trying
to take care of what he was given. But the Spirit taught me this truth—the Lord
expects a difference!" (Stanley G. Ellis, October 2006 General
Conference).
3. "The Lord shall
come to recompense unto every man according to his work, and measure to every
man according to the measure which he has measured to his fellow man"
(D&C 1:5).
Q What blessings come
from work?
4. "The Lord has
commanded us not to be idle. Idleness can lead to inappropriate behavior,
damaged relationships, and sin. One form of idleness is spending excessive
amounts of time in activities that keep you from productive work, such as using
the Internet, playing video games, and watching television.
"Do not waste your time and money in
gambling. Gambling is wrong and should not be used as a form of entertainment.
It is addictive and can lead to lost opportunities, ruined lives, and broken
families. It is false to believe that you can get something for nothing.
"One of the blessings of work is
developing self-reliance. When you are self-reliant, you use the blessings and
abilities God has given you to care for yourself and your family and to find
solutions for your own problems. Self-reliance does not mean that you must be
able to do all things on your own. To be truly self-reliant, you must learn how
to work with others and turn to the Lord for His help and strength" (For
the Strength of Youth, Work and Self Reliance).
5. " True
Latter-day Saints will not voluntarily shift from themselves the burden of
their own support. So long as they are able, they will supply themselves and
their families with the necessities of life. As far as they are able, all
Church members should accept the responsibility to care for their relatives who
are unable to provide for themselves"
(Gospel Principles, Work and Personal Responsibility).
Q How does idleness
affect an individual? a family? a community?
Q How can someone with
physical limitations still live the eternal principle of work?
Q How does our attitude
affect our work?
Q How can we improve
our attitude about work?
Q How can we work to
build up the church?
Family
Responsibility
6. "Parents work
together to provide for the physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being of
their family. They should never expect anyone to take care of this
responsibility for them. The Apostle Paul wrote, “If any provide not for his
own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith” (1
Timothy 5:8). Couples should seek inspiration from the Lord and follow the
counsel of the prophets when establishing individual responsibilities. Creating
a home where principles of the gospel are taught daily and where love and order
abound is as important as providing the basic necessities of food and
clothing" (Gospel Principles, Work and Personal Responsibility).
7. “The gospel of work
is part of ‘the fulness of the gospel.’ Though joyful, missionary work is work.
Though joyful, temple work is work. Alas, a few of our underwhelmed youth work
all right, but mostly at trying to please themselves.… Be careful … when you
inordinately desire things to be better for your children than they were for
you. Do not, however unintentionally, make things worse by removing the
requirement for reasonable work as part of their experience, thereby insulating
your children from the very things that helped make you what you are!” (Neal A.
Maxwell, April 1998 General Conference).
Q What are some dangers
of parents allowing their children to avoid the responsibility to work?
Q What are some things
parents can do to teach their children how to work?
Suggestions
from the Marriage and Family Relations
Instructor's Manual:
·
Set
an example for children by cheerfully helping with household chores.
·
Give
children responsibilities that match their abilities.
·
Take
time to teach children how to succeed in their responsibilities.
·
Express
appreciation for children’s help.
8. “While we were
growing up in a small community, my father saw the need for my brother and me
to learn the principle of work. As a result, he put us to work on a small farm
on the edge of town where he had been raised. He ran the local newspaper, so he
could not spend much time with us except early in the morning and in the
evening. That was quite a responsibility for two young teenagers, and sometimes
we made mistakes.
“Our small farm was surrounded by other
farms, and one of the farmers went in to see my father one day to tell him the
things he thought we were doing wrong. My father listened to him carefully and
then said, ‘Jim, you don’t understand. You see, I’m raising boys and not cows.’
After my father’s death, Jim told us his story. How grateful I was for a father
who decided to raise boys, and not cows. In spite of the mistakes, we learned
how to work on that little farm, and I guess, although they didn’t say it in so
many words, we always knew we were more important to Mother and Father than the
cows or, for that matter, anything else” (Loren C. Dunn, October 1974 General
Conference).
Q What are some things
parents can do to teach their children how to build up the church?
Q What are some
qualities of a person who has a good work ethic? How can we help our children
to develop these qualities?
Q How can parents help
their children balance work and rest?
9. "Water cannot be
drawn from an empty well, and if you are not setting aside a little time for
what replenishes you, you will have less and less to give to others" (M.
Russell Ballard, April 2008 General Conference).
Education
10."Education is an
important part of Heavenly Father’s plan to help you become more like Him. He
wants you to educate your mind and to develop your skills and talents, your
power to act well in your responsibilities, and your capacity to appreciate
life. The education you gain will be valuable to you during mortality and in
the life to come. Education will prepare you for greater service in the world
and in the Church. It will help you better provide for yourself, your family,
and those in need. It will also help you be a wise counselor and companion to
your future spouse and an informed and effective teacher of your future
children.
"Education is an investment that brings
great rewards and will open the doors of opportunity that may otherwise be
closed to you. Plan now to obtain an education. Be willing to work diligently
and make sacrifices if necessary.... Maintain an enthusiasm for learning
throughout your life. Find joy in continuing to learn and in expanding your
interests. Choose to actively participate in the learning opportunities
available to you.
"Your education should include spiritual
learning. Study the scriptures and the words of the latter-day prophets.... Continue
throughout your life to learn about Heavenly Father’s plan. This spiritual
learning will help you find answers to the challenges of life and will invite
the companionship of the Holy Ghost" (For the Strength of Youth,
Education).
Conclusion
"And
whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men"
(Colossians 3:23).
"And
God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency
in all things, may abound to every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8)
"Remember
that God has a great work for you to do. He will bless you in your efforts to
accomplish that work" (For the Strength of Youth, Work and Personal
Responsibility).
Key talks about Strengthening Youth can be found at
Key talks about Strengthening Families can be found at
Key talks about Service can be
found at
Key talks about Sacrifice can be found at
Key talks about Grace can be found at
