We have had a delightful meeting to this point, and I hope and pray that what I say will be for the benefit of all who are listening.

Serve others

Service in behalf of others is one thing required of every soul. He who is able but who will not serve his fellows in some way is not fit to have place among them. Serving others is its own reward. When we receive the priesthood, we do so with the understanding that it will be used for the benefit of others. This is an obligation we take upon us. In fact, priesthood blesses us in two ways: first, it is the means through which exaltation comes to those who hold it; second, it is to be used in behalf of others that they also may be blessed. No man is independent. Put a man off by himself, where he could communicate with none of his fellow beings or receive aid from them, and he would perish miserably. It is a mistake for us to draw within ourselves as does a snail into its shell. No man has been given the priesthood as an ornament only. He is expected to use it in behalf of the salvation of others.

Not only is he expected, but he is commanded to do so, for the Lord said, after pointing out the various offices in the priesthood and the duties assigned to each:

"Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence.

"He that is slothful shall not be counted worthy to stand, and he that learns not his duty and shows himself not approved shall not be counted worthy to stand. Even so. Amen"  D&C 107:99-100

Honor the Covenant and Promise

This means that the man who accepts the priesthood also accepts the responsibilities that go with it. He promises that he will give service and make himself approved. If he breaks this covenant—for it is a covenant—then he will have to stand among those who do not exercise priesthood; he cannot stand among those who are approved. Let every man who holds the priesthood understand that he cannot enter into exaltation without the priesthood. If he refuses to use that priesthood when it is conferred upon him he will not be found worthy to hold it in that day when men are rewarded according to their works.

Each man holding the priesthood should learn his duty from the Parable of the Talents  Matt. 25:14-30 for when the Lord shall come, like rewards shall be given us. Many who have promised to magnify their priesthood and who have failed to do so shall be cast out. Their priesthood shall be taken from them, and they shall find themselves outside the gates of the City, for they cannot stand with those who have been faithful. Theirs shall be a condition of weeping and gnashing of teeth. "For unto every one that hath shall be given . . . but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath"  Matt. 25:29 Simply this: We are under obligation as men holding the priesthood to put to service the authority which we have received. If we do this, then we shall have other responsibilities and glory added, and we shall receive an abundance, that is, the fullness of the Father's kingdom; but if we bury our priesthood, then we are not entitled to receive any reward—we cannot be exalted.

Honor duty in all diligence

Every member of the Church should try to find some church duty to perform. Never refuse to serve. When a presiding officer asks your help, be glad to accept and give the best you have to that labor. The Lord expects this of us, and we are under covenant to do so. This course brings joy and peace, and at the same time those who serve receive the greatest blessing. The teacher gains more than the one taught; the blessing returned to us when we accept a call to work in the Church is far greater than the blessing we can impart to others. He who refuses to perform any labor or shirks responsibility when it is given him in the Church is in grave danger of losing the guidance of the Spirit. Eventually he becomes lukewarm and indifferent to all duties, and, like the plant that is not cultivated and watered, he shrivels up and dies a spiritual death.

Blessings are abundant

Do you think it will ever be possible for any one of us, no matter how hard we labor, or even if we should suffer martyrdom, to pay our Father and Jesus Christ for the blessings we have received from them? The great love, with its accompanying blessings, extended to us through the crucifixion, suffering, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is beyond our mortal comprehension. We never could repay. We have been bought with a price  1 Cor. 6:20 beyond computation—not with gold or silver or precious stones, "but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish, and without spot"  1 Pet. 1:19

"I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me;
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.
"I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!
Such mercy, such love, and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.
"Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me,
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!"

    (Charles H. Gabriel, in Hymns, 80.)

The Lord bless you, in the name of Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen.