Thomas S. Monson - Teachings of Thomas S. Monson

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Monson, Thomas S., 1927 author.

Teachings of Thomas S. Monson / Compiled by Lynne Cannegieter.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-60908-890-3 (hardbound : alk. paper)

1. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsDoctrines. 2. Mormon

ChurchDoctrines. I. Cannegieter, Lynne, compiler. II. Title.

BX8635.3.M66 2011

230'.9332dc23 2011029267

Printed in the United States of America

Worzalla Publishing Co., Stevens Point, WI

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Preface

President Thomas S. Monson was set apart as President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on February 3, 2008, after having served in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the First Presidency of the Church for more than forty-four years. In the nearly five decades since his call as an apostle at age thirty-six, he has become known for the personal accounts he often uses to illustrate his teachings. Many of those heartwarming accounts appear in his official biography, To the Rescue, by Heidi S. Swinton.

This book, however, has a different focus. As a companion volume to the biography, its purpose is to highlight President Monsons doctrinal teachings on a variety of subjects, focusing on the core of the topic and featuring what he has taught rather than how he has taught it. His insights on communication, discipleship, home and family, service, and Jesus Christ, to name just a few of the dozens of topics treated herein, invite us to examine our own lives and move us to reach higher.

An interesting facet of this approach to excerpting the prophets words is that it emphasizes how frequently he teaches from the scriptures. A scripture index has been included to provide easy access to his teachings relative to a number of scriptural passages.

The quotations in this volume have been selected from a variety of sources, including general conference addresses, devotionals, firesides, miscellaneous talks, and transcripts of training meetings, some of them previously unpublished. For consistency, minor stylistic changes have been made in a few cases to reflect current usage. Italics and boldface type appear as they did in the original sources. A full citation appears after each excerpt to provide context. The teachings are presented alphabetically by topic; however, in recognition that ideas overlap and that one quotation will sometimes touch on several themes, a subject index has been provided to make the materials even more accessible.

One of the great blessings of membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the steady leadership of prophets, seers, and revelators in an often chaotic modern world. It is our belief that as we read the prophets words, testimonies will grow, and we can catch a vision of our Father in Heavens eternal purpose that will provide the guidance, stability, and hope we need in our lives.

Aaronic Priesthood

(see also Priesthood)

I sincerely hope that each deacon, teacher, and priest is aware of the significance of his priesthood ordination and the privilege which is his to fulfill a vital role in the life of every member through his participation in administration and passing of the sacrament each Sunday. (The PriesthoodA Sacred Trust, Ensign, May 1994, 49)

An anxious mother of a prospective missionary once asked me what I would recommend her son learn before the arrival of his missionary call. I am certain she anticipated a profound response which would contain the more familiar requirements for service of which we are all aware. However, I said, Teach your son how to cook, but more particularly, teach him how to get along with others. He will be happier and more productive if he learns these two vital skills.

Young men, you are preparing for your missions when you learn your duties as deacons, teachers, and priests and then perform those duties with determination and love, knowing you are on the Lords errand. (Who Honors God, God Honors, Ensign, November 1995, 49)

Those who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood are not the only resource with the strength to lift, the wisdom to guide, and the ability to save. Many of you young men comprise the presidencies of quorums of deacons, quorums of teachers, and hold leadership positions assisting the bishops in guiding quorums of priests. As you magnify your callings with respect to aiding those over whom you preside, heavenly help will be forthcoming. Remember that throughout the ages of time, our Heavenly Father has shown His confidence in those of tender years. (The Upward Reach, Ensign, November 1993, 48)

I feel we have the duty to encourage our bishoprics in their responsibilities to the Aaronic Priesthood. If I were a bishop today, I would turn to my second counselor and say, Brother Hemingway, your responsibility pertains to the ten deacons that we have in our ward. Your charge is to love them, to testify to them, and to ensure that when they are fourteen they are ordained teachers. I would turn to my first counselor, Brother Balmforth, and I would say, Don, your responsibility is to look after the eleven boys in our ward who are teachers. Use your own ingenuity, but ensure that when those young men are sixteen, they are ready and worthy to be ordained priests. I would also tell my counselors, The nine whom we have as priests will be my responsibility, as the scripturally mandated president of the priests quorum, to ensure that when they are in their nineteenth year, they will be ordained elders. I believe we will have success when we emphasize this responsibility with the bishoprics and point out the scriptural mandate. (The Need to Add Men to the Melchizedek Priesthood, Regional Representatives Seminar, April 6, 1984)

The scripture outlines the duties of the president of the deacons quorum, the teachers quorum, the priests quorum. I recall that when I was the second counselor in our deacons quorum presidency, I was considered a ward officer. At ward conference, when we sat on the front row of our ward officers meeting, I remember the stake presidency saying, We will now call on Thomas Monson, the second counselor in the presidency of the deacons quorum of this ward, to give an account of his stewardship before the priesthood leadership of this ward. Twelve years old, shaking like a leaf, I had to go forward to the same pulpit and give an account of my stewardship as the second counselor in the deacons quorum. We were taught responsibility, dependability, and accountability. We have not tapped that resource to a sufficient degree. Let us teach our bishoprics to harness the energy of the deacons quorum presidency, the teachers quorum presidency, and the leadership of the priests quorum. (The Need to Add Men to the Melchizedek Priesthood, Regional Representatives Seminar, April 6, 1984)