Priesthood

LDS Quotes on Priesthood

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Brethren, when we stand before the Lord to be judged, will He look upon the positions we have held in the world or even in the Church? Do you suppose that titles we have had other than “husband,” “father,” or “priesthood holder” will mean much to Him? Do you think He will care how packed our schedule was or how many important meetings we attended? Do you suppose that our success in filling our days with appointments will serve as an excuse for failure to spend time with our wife and family?

The Lord judges so very differently from the way we do. He is pleased with the noble servant, not with the self-serving noble.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf  |  Lift Where You Stand

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“During the Great Depression, Harold B. Lee, serving then as a stake president, was asked by the Brethren to find an answer to the oppressive poverty, sorrow, and hunger that were so widespread across the world at that time. He struggled to find a solution and took the matter to the Lord and asked, “What kind of an organization will we have … to do this?”…And “it was as though the Lord had said [to him]: ‘Look, son. You don’t need any other organization. I have given you the greatest organization there is on the face of the earth. Nothing is greater than the priesthood organization. All in the world you need to do is to put the priesthood to work. That’s all.’”

Harold B. Lee  |  transcript of welfare agricultural meeting, Oct. 3, 1970, 20.

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“As to the question of authority, nearly everything depends upon it. No ordinance can be performed to the acceptance of God without divine authority. No matter how fervently men may believe or pray, unless they are endowed with divine authority they can only act in their own name, and not legally nor acceptably in the name of Jesus Christ, in whose name all these things must be done.”

Joseph Fielding Smith  |  Gospel Doctrine, 102.

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Spencer W. Kimball Portrait

“[The keys] will be given to those who have passed off this stage of action and have received their bodies again. . . . They will be ordained, by those who hold the keys of the resurrection, to go forth and resurrect the Saints, just as we receive the ordinance of baptism then receive the keys of authority to baptize others for the remission of their sins. This is one of the ordinances we can not receive here [on the earth], and there are many more.” (JD, 15:137)

Spencer W. Kimball  |  “Our Great Potential,” Ensign, May 1977

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“I know of many cases where a man has gradually failed to magnify his priesthood and moved away from activity in the Church. As a result, a man who has been very active loses his testimony and the Spirit of the Lord withdraws from him, and he begins to criticize those in authority, and to persecute the saints, apostatize, and fight against God.”

N. Eldon Tanner  |  Conference Report, Apr. 1970, p. 52

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“He [Joseph Smith] conducted us through with all the ordinances he rejoiced very much, and [said], now if they kill me you have got all the keys, and all the ordinances and you can confer them upon others, and the hosts of Satan will not be able to tear down the kingdom.”

Orson Hyde  |  Times and Seasons, September 15, 1844, 651

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“It has always been hard to recognize in fallible human beings the authorized servants of God. Paul must have seemed an ordinary man to many. Joseph Smith’s cheerful disposition was seen by some as not fitting their expectations for a prophet of God. “Satan will always work on the Saints of God to undermine their faith in priesthood keys. One way he does it is to point out the humanity of those who hold them. He can in that way weaken our testimony and so cut us loose from the line of keys by which the Lord ties us to Him.”

Elder Henry B. Eyring  |  "Faith and Keys," Ensign, Nov. 2004

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“One of the ways we can come to understand the divinely appointed mission the Lord has for us is through our patriarchal blessings. These are very specific and individual messages we can each receive by the power of the priesthood.”

Susan W. Tanner  |  “Daughters of Heavenly Father,” April 2007 General Conference

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“Your priesthood quorums provide opportunities for friendship, service, and learning. But the responsibility to develop power in the priesthood is personal. Only as an individual can you develop a firm faith in God and a passion for personal prayer.”

Russell M. Nelson  |  Personal Priesthood Responsibility, Conference October 2003

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“There is no other relationship quite like that which can and should exist between a boy and his dad. It can be one of the most nurturing, joyful relationships in life, one that can have a profound impact on who boys become and also on who dads become. Now, I understand that some of you young men do not have fathers with whom you can have these kinds of conversations. And some of you men do not have sons or have lost your sons to accident or illness. But much of what I say tonight will apply to uncles and grandfathers and priesthood leaders and other mentors who sometimes fill the gaps for these significant father-son relationships.”

Elder M. Russell Ballard

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“I have learned over the years that the strength in a quorum doesn’t come from the number of priesthood holders in it. Nor does it come automatically from the age and maturity of the members. Rather, the strength of a quorum comes in large measure from how completely its members are united in righteousness. That unity in a strong quorum of the priesthood is not like anything I have experienced in an athletic team or club or any other organization in the world.”

Elder Henry B. Eyring  |  "A Priesthood Quorum," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 43

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“Priesthood holders carry with them the antidote to remove the terrible images of pornography and to wash away guilt. The priesthood has the power to unlock the influence of our habits, even to unchain from addiction, however tight the grip. It can heal over the scars of past mistakes.”

Boyd K. Packer  |  Cleaning The Inner Vessel, October 2010 General Conference

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“The devil knows if the elders of Israel should ever wake up they could step forth and help preserve freedom. Therefore the devil has concentrated, and to a large extent successfully, on neutralizing much of the priesthood.”

Ezra Taft Benson  |  Not Commanded In All Things, Conference, April 1965

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“Every person is different and has a different contribution to make. No one is destined to fail. As you seek revelation to see gifts God sees in those you lead in the priesthood—particularly the young—you will be blessed to lift their sights to the service they can perform.”

Elder Henry B. Eyring  |  Help Them Aim High, Conference October 2012

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“If at this moment each one of you were asked to state in one sentence the most distinguishing feature of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, what would be your answer? My answer would be divine authority by direct revelation.”

David O. McKay  |  Conference Report, April 1937

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“Why should this matter so much to each of us—young or old, deacon or high priest, son or father? It is because our priesthood obligation is to put our families and the families of those around us at the center of our concern. Every major decision should be based on the effect it will have on a family to qualify for life with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. There is nothing in our priesthood service as important as this.”

Elder Henry B. Eyring  |  Eternal Families

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“I too believe that God will always make a way where there is no way. I believe that if we will walk in obedience to the commandments of God, if we will follow the counsel of the priesthood, he will open a way even where there appears to be no way.”

Gordon B. Hinckley  |  If Ye Be Willing and Obedient", Ensign, Jul 1995, 2

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“I repeat that plea to all fathers. Yours is the basic and inescapable responsibility to stand as the head of the family. That does not carry with it any implication of dictatorship or unrighteous dominion. It carries with it a mandate that fathers provide for the needs of their families. Those needs are more than food, clothing, and shelter. Those needs include righteous direction and the teaching, by example as well as precept, of basic principles of honesty, integrity, service, respect for the rights of others, and an understanding that we are accountable for that which we do in this life, not only to one another but also to the God of heaven, who is our Eternal Father. . . . With the obligation to beget goes the responsibility to nurture, to protect, to teach, to guide in righteousness and truth. Yours is the power and the responsibility to preside in a home where there is peace and security, love and harmony.”

Gordon B. Hinckley  |  “Bring Up a Child in the Way He Should Go,” Ensign November 1993, p. 60

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“We cannot afford husbands and fathers who fail to provide spiritual leadership in the home. We cannot afford to have those who exercise the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God, waste their strength in pornography or spend their lives in cyberspace.”

Elder D. Todd Christofferson  |  Conference October 2012

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“God has revealed through his prophets that men are to receive the priesthood, become fathers, and with gentleness and pure, unfeigned love they are to lead and nurture their families in righteousness as the Savior leads the Church (see Eph. 5:23).”

Elder M. Russell Ballard  |  “Equality through Diversity,” Ensign, November 1993, p. 90

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“When I find myself drawn away from my priesthood duties by other interests and when my body begs for rest, I give to myself this rallying cry: ‘Remember Him.’ The Lord is our perfect example of diligence in priesthood service. He is our captain. He called us. He goes before us. He chose us to follow Him and bring others with us. This evening I remember Him, and it stirs my heart. This is the Saturday night before Easter Sunday, when we remember His resurrection. I remember His example in the days before. Out of love for His father and for us, He allowed Himself to suffer beyond the capacity of mortal man.”

Elder Henry B. Eyring  |  Act in All Diligence (April 2010)

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“When I lay hands on the sick, I expect the healing power and influence of God to pass through me to the patient, and the disease to give way. … When we are prepared, when we are holy vessels before the Lord, a stream of power from the Almighty can pass through the tabernacle of the administrator to the system of the patient, and the sick are made whole.”

Brigham Young  |  Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young (1997), 252;

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“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints affirms her possession of divine authority for the use of the sacred name, Jesus Christ, as the essential part of her distinctive designation. In view of this exalted claim, it is pertinent to inquire as to what special or particular message the Church has to give to the world concerning the Redeemer and Savior of the race, and as to what she has to say in justification of her solemn affirmation, or in vindication of her exclusive name and title. As we proceed with our study, we shall find that among the specific teachings of the Church respecting…”

James E. Talmage  |  Jesus the Christ

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“When you reach up for the Lord’s power in your life with the same intensity that a drowning person has when grasping and gasping for air, power from Jesus Christ will be yours. When the Savior knows you truly want to reach up to Him–when He can feel that the greatest desire of your heart is to draw His power into your life–you will be led by the Holy Ghost to know exactly what you should do. When you spiritually stretch beyond anything you have ever done before, then His power will flow into you.”

Russell M. Nelson  |  "Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives"

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Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“Pride is a switch that turns off priesthood power. Humility is a switch that turns it on.”

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf  |  "Pride and the Priesthood"

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“We cannot afford young men who lack self-discipline and live only to be entertained. We cannot afford young adult men who are going nowhere in life, who are not serious about forming families and making a real contribution in this world. We cannot afford husbands and fathers who fail to provide spiritual leadership in the home. We cannot afford to have those who exercise the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God, waste their strength in pornography or spend their lives in cyberspace. Brethren, we have work to do.”

Elder D. Todd Christofferson  |  Brethren We Have Work to Do, Conference October 2012

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I too believe that God will always make a way where there is no way. I believe that if we will walk in obedience to the commandments of God, if we will follow the counsel of the priesthood, he will open a way even where there appears to be no way.

Gordon B. Hinckley

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“All faithful members of the Lord’s Church are equally blessed by priesthood ordinances.”

Julie B Beck  |  "An Outpouring of Blessings," Ensign, May 2006, 11

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“Our own abilities, however great, will not be enough. But that realistic view of our limitations creates a humility which can lead to dependence on the Spirit and thus to power.”

Elder Henry B. Eyring

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“A Husband can love his wife best when he loves God first.”

Anonymous

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“Let us be more determined to make [righteous] homes, to be kinder husbands, more thoughtful wives, more exemplary to our children, determined that in our homes we are going to have just a little taste of heaven here on this earth.”

David O. McKay

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“You recognize that with every promised blessing there are associated responsibilities. Whatever you do according to the will of the Lord is the Lord’s business.” Thus, holding the priesthood and doing your duty to God is not only a very serious responsibility but also a remarkable privilege.”

Cecil O. Samuelson  |  "Our Duty to God", Ensign, Nov 2001, 41

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Thomas S. Monson

“My brethren of the priesthood, the task is ours. Let us remember and never forget, however, that such an undertaking is not insurmountable. Miracles are everywhere to be seen when priesthood callings are magnified. When faith replaces doubt, when selfless service eliminates selfish striving, the power of God brings to pass His purposes. We are on the Lord’s errand. We are entitled to the Lord’s help”

Thomas S. Monson  |  "Anxiously Engaged", Ensign, Nov 2004, 56

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“In Salt Lake’s old Thirteenth Ward, Bishop Edwin D. Woolley frequently found himself at odds with President Brigham Young. On a certain occasion, as they ended one such fractious encounter, Young had a final parting remark: ‘Now, Bishop Woolley, I guess that you will go off and apostatize.’ To which the bishop rejoined, ‘If this were your church, President Young, I would be tempted to do so. But this is just as much my church as it is yours, and why should I apostatize from my own church?’ That sense of ownership, or, better, of full and equal membership in the body of Christ, was Bishop Woolley’s salvation.”

Terryl and Fiona Givens

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“The story is told of a church official who returned from installing a new stake presidency. ‘Dad, do you Brethren feel confident when you call a man as the stake president that he is the Lord’s man?’ the official’s son asked upon his father’s return home. ‘No, not always,’ he replied. ‘But once we call him, he becomes the Lord’s man.'”

Terryl and Fiona Givens

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Joseph Smith Portrait

“The whole visible creation, as it now exists, is the effect of faith. It was faith by which it was framed, and it is by the power of faith that it continues in its organized form, and by which the planets move round their orbits and sparkle forth their glory.”

Joseph Smith  |  Lectures on Faith, 72-73

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“Although the Savior could heal all whom He would heal, this is not true of those who hold His priesthood authority. Mortal exercises of that authority are limited by the will of Him whose priesthood it is. Consequently, we are told that some whom the elders bless are not healed because they are ‘appointed unto death’ (D&C 42:48). Similarly, when the Apostle Paul sought to be healed from the ‘thorn in the flesh’ that buffeted him (2 Corinthians 12:7), the Lord declined to heal him. Paul later wrote that the Lord explained, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness’ (v. 9). Paul obediently responded that he would ‘rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me … for when I am weak, then am I strong’ (vv. 9-10).”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks  |  "He Heals the Heavy Laden," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 5

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“Our foundation is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The authority of the holy priesthood is here, restored under the hands of those who received it directly from our Lord. The curtains have been parted, and the God of heaven and His Beloved Son have spoken to the boy prophet Joseph in opening this last and final dispensation. Our burden in going forward is tremendous. But our opportunity is glorious.”

Gordon B. Hinckley  |  Opening Remarks, Ensign, May 2005, 6

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“It will be a marvelous day, my brethren—it will be a day of fulfillment of the purposes of the Lord—when our priesthood quorums become an anchor of strength to every man belonging thereto, when each such man may appropriately be able to say, ‘I am a member of a priesthood quorum of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I stand ready to assist my brethren in all of their needs, as I am confident they stand ready to assist me in mine. … Working together, we can stand, without embarrassment and without fear, against every wind of adversity that might blow, be it economic, social, or spiritual.”

Gordon B. Hinckley  |  Welfare Responsibilities of the Priesthood Quorums, Conference October 1977

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“He [Joseph Smith] stood upon his feet some three hours. The room was filled as with consuming fire, his face was as clear as amber, and he was clothed upon by the power of God. . . . ‘I have had sealed upon my head every key, every power, every principle of life and salvation that God has ever given to any man who ever lived upon the face of the earth. . . . Now, I have sealed upon your heads every key, every power, and every principles which the Lord has sealed upon my head. . . . I tell you, the burden of this kingdom now rests upon your shoulders; you have got to bear it off in all the world, and if you don’t do it you will be damned.’”

Wilford Woodruff

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Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“Yes, there is always something imperfect in any situation. Yes, it is easy to find things to complain about. But brethren, we are bearers of the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God! .. I feel a certain sadness for those who do not grasp and appreciate the wonder and privilege of the priesthood. They are like passengers on an airplane who spend their time grumbling about the size of the packet of peanuts while they are soaring through the air, far above the clouds.”

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf  |  The Joy of the Priesthood, Conference, October 2012

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“The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives. They pit their perceptions of truth against God’s great knowledge, their abilities versus God’s priesthood power, their accomplishments against His mighty works.”

Ezra Taft Benson  |  “Beware of Pride,” Ensign, May 1989

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Thomas S. Monson

“We need to bear in mind that people can change. They can put behind them bad habits. They can repent from transgressions. They can bear the priesthood worthily. And they can serve the Lord diligently… We can help them to overcome their shortcomings. We must develop the capacity to see men not as they are at present but as they may become when they receive testimonies of the gospel of Christ.’”

Thomas S. Monson  |  Seeing Others As They May Become, Conference October 2012

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“There appears to be a plague of child abuse spreading across the world. Perhaps it has always been with us but has not received the attention it presently receives. I am glad there is a hue and cry going up against this terrible evil, too much of which is found among our own. Fathers, you cannot abuse your little ones without offending God. Any man involved in an incestuous relationship is unworthy to hold the priesthood. He is unworthy to hold membership in the Church and should be dealt with accordingly. Any man who beats or in other ways abuses his children will be held accountable before the great judge of us all. If there be any within the sound of my voice who are guilty of such practices, let them repent forthwith, make amends where possible, develop within themselves that discipline which can curb such evil practices, plead with the Lord for forgiveness, and resolve within their hearts henceforth to walk with clean hands.”

Gordon B. Hinckley  |  “To Please Our Heavenly Father,” Ensign, May 1985, p. 50

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