The LDS Daily WOOL Home Page
(1/11/02)
"Spirituality is not a function of occupation or calling. A scientist
may be more spiritual than a theologian; a teacher may be more
spiritual than an officer. Spirituality is determined by personal
outlook and priorities. It is evident in our words and actions."
Dallin H. Oaks
"Spirituality"
"Ensign," Nov. 1985, 61
(1/12/02)
"So as we seek to prepare ourselves for a bright future, let us do so
in a balanced manner, putting first things first and trusting that the
Lord will bless and strengthen us and compensate for our weakness."
Jack H Goaslind
"Look to the Future with Optimism"
"Ensign," Apr. 1997, 27
(1/13/02)
"Yet secular knowledge can be most helpful to the children of our
Father in Heaven who, having placed first things first, have found and
are living those truths which lead one to eternal life. These are they
who have the balance and perspective to seek all knowledge--revealed
and secular--as a tool and servant for the blessing of themselves and
others. They know that preeminent among all activities in this life is
preparing themselves for eternal life by subjugating the flesh,
subjecting the body to the spirit, overcoming weaknesses, and so
governing themselves that they may give leadership to others.
Important, but of second priority, comes the knowledge associated with
life in mortality."
Spencer W. Kimball
"Seek Learning Even by Study and Also by Faith"
"Ensign," Sept. 1983, 3-4
(1/14/02)
"Secular knowledge, important as it may be, can never save a soul nor
open the celestial kingdom nor create a world nor make a man a god,
but it can be most helpful to that man, who, placing first things
first, has found the way to eternal life and who can now bring into
play all knowledge to be his tool and servant."
Spencer W. Kimball
"President Kimball Speaks Out on Planning Your Life"
"New Era," Sept. 1981, 49
(1/15/02)
"Time is one of our most valuable possessions. Use it wisely. Remind
yourselves often that things that matter most should not be left to
the mercy of things that matter the least."
O. Leslie Stone
"Making Your Marriage Successful"
"Ensign," May 1978, 57
(4/14/05)
"Trials and tests apply to rich and poor alike. Years ago, I was asked
to perform an operation upon a very wealthy man. A surgical biopsy
confirmed that he had an advanced cancer that had spread throughout
his body. As I reported this news, his immediate response was to rely
upon his wealth. He would go anywhere or do anything to treat his
condition. He thought he could buy his way back to health. But he soon
passed away. Someone asked, 'How much wealth did he leave?' The
answer, of course, was, 'All of it!'
"His priorities were set upon things of the world. His ladder of
success had been leaning against the wrong wall. I think of him when I
read this scripture: 'Behold, your days of probation are past; ye have
procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is... too late.' (Hel.
13:38)" - Russell M. Nelson, "Now
Is the Time to Prepare," General Conference, April 2005
2/7/06
"Jesus taught about priorities when He said, 'Seek not the things of
this world but seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God, and to
establish his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto
you' (JST, Matt. 6:38,
in Matt. 6:33,
footnote a). 'Seek... first to build up the kingdom of God' means to
assign first priority to God and to His work. The work of God is to
bring to pass the eternal life of His children (see Moses
1:39), and all that this entails in the birth, nurturing,
teaching, and sealing of our Heavenly Father's children. Everything
else is lower in priority. Think about that reality as we consider
some teachings and some examples on priorities. As someone has said,
if we do not choose the kingdom of God first, it will make little
difference in the long run what we have chosen instead of it." -
Dallin H. Oaks, "Focus
and Priorities," Ensign (CR), May 2001, p.82
7/2/07
"The ultimate Latter-day Saint priorities are twofold: First, we seek
to understand our relationship to God the Eternal Father and His Son,
Jesus Christ, and to secure that relationship by obtaining their
saving ordinances and by keeping our personal covenants. Second, we
seek to understand our relationship to our family members and to
secure those relationships by the ordinances of the temple and by
keeping the covenants we make in that holy place. These relationships,
secured in the way I have explained, provide eternal blessings
available in no other way. No combination of science, success,
property, pride, prominence, or power can provide these eternal
blessings!" - Dallin H. Oaks, "Focus
and Priorities," Ensign (CR), May 2001, p.82
9/13/09
“Is there a
priesthood holder who has not time to visit three, four, five families
at least once each month? Is there a sister who is so busy she cannot
visit teach? If we are ‘too busy’ to hold a Church calling, we had
better look at our priorities. (Lord, Increase Our Faith, Provo
Utah Tabernacle Rededication, 21 September 1986.)” – “The
Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson,” p. 452
5/10/10
"If
he could have his way, Satan would distract us from our heritage. He
would have us become involved in a million and one things in this
life—probably none of which are very important in the long run—to keep
us from concentrating on the things that are really important,
particularly the reality that we are God's children. He would like us to
forget about home and family values. He'd like to keep us so busy with
comparatively insignificant things that we don't have time to make the
effort to understand where we came from, whose children we are, and how
glorious our ultimate homecoming can be!" - Marvin J. Ashton, "A
Yearning for Home," Ensign (CR), November 1992, p. 21
8/6/10
"A good woman knows that she does not have enough time, energy, or
opportunity to take care of all of the people or do all of the worthy
things her heart yearns to do. Life is not calm for most women, and each
day seems to require the accomplishment of a million things, most of
which are important. A good woman must constantly resist alluring and
deceptive messages from many sources telling her that she is entitled to
more time away from her responsibilities and that she deserves a life of
greater ease and independence. But with personal revelation, she can
prioritize correctly and navigate this life confidently." - Julie
B. Beck, "And Upon the Handmaids in Those Days Will I Pour Out My
Spirit," Ensign (CR) May 2010
5/2/14
Sometimes
we mistakenly may believe that happiness is the absence of a load.
But bearing a load is a necessary and essential part of the plan of
happiness. Because our individual load needs to generate spiritual
traction, we should be careful to not haul around in our lives so
many nice but unnecessary things that we are distracted and diverted
from the things that truly matter most. - David
A. Bednar, “Bear
Up Their Burdens with Ease,” Ensign (CR) May 2014
7/13/14
The
principle is not whether we have other priorities. The question
posed by the second commandment is “What is our ultimate priority?”
Are we serving priorities or gods ahead of the God we profess to
worship? Have we forgotten to follow the Savior who taught that if
we love Him, we will keep His commandments? (see John
14:15). If so, our priorities have been turned upside down by
the spiritual apathy and undisciplined appetites so common in our
day. - Dallin H. Oaks, “No
Other Gods,” Ensign (CR) November 2013
10/31/14
An eternal principle is revealed
in holy writ: “It is not requisite that a man should run faster than
he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be
diligent, that thereby he might win the prize.”
We don’t have to be fast; we simply have to be steady and move in
the right direction. We have to do the best we can, one step after
another. - Joseph B. Wirthlin, “One
Step After Another,” Ensign (CR) October 2001
6/3/16
We are all busy. It's easy to find excuses for not reaching out to
others, but I imagine they will sound as hollow to our Heavenly
Father as the elementary school boy who gave his teacher a note
asking that he be excused from school March 30th through the 34th. -
Joseph B. Wirthlin, “The
Abundant Life,” Ensign (CR) April 2006
8/23/16
Some of us too often make the mistake of putting our relationships
at the mercy of schedules and circumstances. Like it or not, we do
experience people fatigue as well as physical fatigue. As often as
not, our partners and families tend to get what is left at the end
of a busy day or week. Our most important relationships deserve some
prime time. Sometimes those who need our prime time the most will
not in their modesty or role reluctance be the highest bidders, and
we will have to go out of our way to accommodate such. - Neal
A. Maxwell, “Wherefore, Ye Must Press Forward,” p.91