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The Power of Doing (Uchtdorf)


My dear brethren, divine blessings for priesthood service are activated by our diligent efforts, our willingness to sacrifice, and our desire to do what is right. Let us be the ones to act and not be acted upon. Preaching is fine, but sermons that do not lead to action are like fires without heat or water that cannot quench thirst.

It is in the application of doctrine that the purifying flame of the gospel grows and the power of the priesthood ignites our souls.
Thomas Edison, the man who bathed the world in glowing electric light, said that “the value of an idea lies in the using of it.”4 In a similar way, gospel doctrine becomes more precious when it is put to use.
We must not allow the doctrines of the priesthood to lie dormant in our hearts and unapplied in our lives. If there is a marriage or family in need of rescue—perhaps even our own—let’s not just wait and see. Rather, let us thank God for the plan of happiness that includes faith, repentance,forgiveness, and new beginnings. Applying priesthood doctrine will qualify us as husbands, as fathers, as sons who understand the why of the priesthood and its power to recapture and secure the beauty and holiness of eternal families.
General conference is always a good time for both hearing and doing. Therefore, let us “be … doers of the word, and not hearers only.”5 Brethren, I invite you to consider the words spoken by the servants of God this weekend. Then get on your knees. Ask God, our Heavenly Father, to enlighten your mind and touch your heart. Plead with God for guidance in your daily lives, in your Church responsibilities, and in your specific challenges at this time. Follow the promptings of the Spirit—do not delay. If you do all this, I promise that the Lord will not leave you to walk alone.

President Uchtdorf, April 2012 General Conference 

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