Source: Elder Dallin H. Oaks talk from October 2013 general conference
Sister Neilson discussed Elder Oaks talk from the 2013 conference as well as Brother Taylor in our sacrament meeting.She introduced the talk by showing this Mormon message. That Mormon message derives from President Monson's talk. Here is the LINK.
She discussed the commandments that Elder Oaks mentioned in his talk: 1. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing. Thus we offend God when we “serve” other gods—when we have other first priorities. Some of these priorities are in stated in his talk, they are: cultural and family traditions, political correctness, career aspirations, material possessions, recreational pursuits,and power, prominence, and prestige.
Think about what your ultimate priority is. The principle is not whether we have other priorities. The question posed by the second commandment is “What is our ultimate priority?” Have we forgotten to follow the Savior who taught that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments? If so, our priorities have been turned upside down by the spiritual apathy and undisciplined appetites so common in our day.
For Latter-day Saints, God’s commandments are based on and inseparable from God’s plan for His children—the great plan of salvation. This plan, sometimes called the “great plan of happiness" explains our origin and destiny as children of God—where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going. The plan of salvation explains the purpose of creation and the conditions of mortality, including God’s commandments, the need for a Savior, and the vital role of mortal and eternal families. If we Latter-day Saints, who have been given this knowledge, do not establish our priorities in accord with this plan, we are in danger of serving other gods..”
This is where I, Sister Ingram, take you in my mind on a sidetrack from the lesson. Last month, I had the opportunity to hear Sister Oaks speak and then we were able to listen to Elder Oaks thoughts as well. He talked about the importance of DESIRE. When he was younger, he was teaching a man on the plan of salvation. Elder Oaks discussed the degrees of glory. He started with the lowest kingdom first and the man stopped him and said that he heard enough. That kingdom was good enough for him and he didn't need to hear anymore. Elder Oaks then said that the world is full of people with no desire for the celestial kingdom. HE then said that you need to have a good relationship with those that have the desire to be in the celestial kingdom or have exaltation. This plan of salvation does not require us to have perfection but the only way we can achieve it is if we desire it. For in Doctrine and Covenants 137:9, it says, "For I, the Lord, will ajudge all men according to their bworks, according to the cdesire of their hearts."
Then as he closed his thoughts, he said with a surety, "God knows you and HE loves you. You are doing his work in his church." What power surged through my veins! Heavenly Father LOVES me and KNOWS me! Nothing in this world mattered to me at that moment than those words because I NEEDED to hear them and just as you NEED to hear them now. Now, back to the lesson....
A volunteer read: In this determination we may be misunderstood, and we may incur accusations of bigotry, suffer discrimination, or have to withstand invasions of our free exercise of religion. If so, I think we should remember our first priority—to serve God—and, like our pioneer predecessors, push our personal handcarts forward with the same fortitude they exhibited.
A teaching of President Thomas S. Monson applies to this circumstance. At this conference 27 years ago, he boldly declared: “Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval. Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully, but as the determination to live decently. A moral coward is one who is afraid to do what he thinks is right because others will disapprove or laugh. Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with dignity have courage as well.”11
We must not set our hearts so much on the things of the world and aspire to the honors of men (see D&C 121:35) that we stop trying to achieve our eternal destiny. We who know God’s plan for His children—we who have made covenants to participate in it—have a clear responsibility. We must never deviate from our paramount desire, which is to achieve eternal life.12 We must never dilute our first priority—to have no other gods and to serve no other priorities ahead of God the Father and His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Closing Hymn: pg 100
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