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ANNVER - i'm trying to teach some members the true principles and doctrine about some church teachings that is very mis-understood about when a prophet once taught
family first, occupation 2nd and callings 3rd, now some confusion is for example when people get called into work on the Sabbath they say family first 3Nephi 33:13 & ten commandments etc,(god first?) the main inspiration I'm trying to achieve is to get them to be faithful and diligent in their their callings..so i guess my question is which prophet taught that and what is the gospel teachings or doctrine about this family first? god? career? etc.?
JOEL -
President Gordon B. Hinckley talked about this in the June 21, 2003 Worldwide Leadership Training:
"Each of us has a fourfold responsibility.
First, we have a responsibility to our families.
Second, we have a responsibility to our employers.
Third, we have a responsibility to the Lord's work.
Fourth, we have a responsibility to ourselves."
(Thanks to Russell Josephson for finding this)
I think trying to make a priority list like this is going to some degree be a matter of opinion depending on who you talk to.
Obviously I think God comes first:
"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength." (Mark 12:30.)
and I think if we just stick to that the others in the list will naturally fall into their proper order depending on our own particular circumstances.
President Ezra Taft Benson said in his opening address at the April 1988 general conference:
"Our love of the Lord will govern the claims of our affection, the demands of our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities."
He did however suggest his own list of priorities. Aside from putting God first he said:
"The question is sometimes asked by younger priesthood holders, "Where do I place my greatest priorities-to the Church, to my family, or to my profession?" I have answered that question by emphasizing that heads of families have four major responsibilities. Certainly the first is to the home and family. There should be no question about this. A man may succeed in business or his Church calling, but if he fails in his home he will face eternity in disappointment.
Your second priority is your Church responsibility: exercising your priesthood in righteousness, responding to calls, paying tithing and fast offerings, and supporting the missionary program, the welfare program, the building funds-the entire program of the Church.
Third, you have a priority to your job, your employment, so you can support those who are dependent on you.
And fourth, you have a citizenship responsibility, a special responsibility to help maintain a free government."
(Ezra Taft Benson, Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson)
President Harold B. Lee gave a similar list of priorities:
“Most men do not set priorities to guide them in allocating their time, and most men forget that the first priority should be to maintain their own spiritual and physical strength. Then comes their family, then the Church, and then their professions—and all need time.” (Harold B. Lee, The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, ed. Clyde J. Williams (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1996), 615)
But if we just remember to put God first, He will teach us what should be second, third, and so forth. If we seek the Lord’s guidance, we might even find that while we will have ordered priorities by which we generally govern our lives, the order of these priorities might change from day to day. For example, while we try to avoid working on the Sabbath, sometimes putting our family first may mean that we must work on Sunday and not serve a church calling on that particular day, if the employment is essential for supporting the family's physical well-being.
The scriptures plainly teach that there is a time and a place to “organize ourselves” and “prepare every needful thing” (D&C 88:119).
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