Why is work an important gospel principle?

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

• Genesis 3:19; Galatians 6:3–5; 1 Thessalonians 4:11; Mosiah 10:4–5 (We are commanded to work)

• Proverbs 31:27; Alma 38:12; Doctrine and Covenants 58:27; 60:13; 75:29; 107:99–100 (Do not be idle or slothful)

• Matthew 25:14–30 (The parable of the talents)

• Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Two Principles for Any Economy,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 55–58

• H. David Burton, “The Blessing of Work,” Liahona, Dec. 2009, 36–40

• “Work and Self-Reliance,” For the Strength of Youth (2011), 40–41

• “A Work in Progress” (video)

  

What is something you have worked to obtain? How has work blessed you and your family, both temporally and spiritually?

When have the young men felt the satisfaction of working hard? How can you help them recognize the many blessings of work and develop a desire to work?

What can the young men do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

• Our quorum: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

• Our duties: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

• Our lives: Remind the quorum of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a quorum presidency meeting.

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help quorum members understand the doctrine.

• Write the questions What did I learn? Why is it important? and What can I do? on the board. Hand out a copy of For the Strength of Youth to each young man and assign each to read one of the paragraphs in the “Work and Self-Reliance” section. Invite him to study his paragraph and be prepared to provide answers to the three questions on the board. Share an experience from your own life that taught you the importance of work.

• Assign each young man to read one of the scriptures about being commanded to work and not being idle, as suggested in this outline. Ask him to come to the front of the room and share (a) what he learns from his scripture, (b) why it is important, and (c) examples he has seen that illustrate what the scripture teaches.

• Read Matthew 25:14–30 as a quorum. Suggest that the young men underline any phrases related to work and the results of work and circle any phrases related to idleness and the results of not working. Invite the young men to share what they found and any experiences they have had with working hard at something. What were the results of their efforts?

• Read the section “The First Principle: Work” from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s talk “Two Principles for Any Economy.” Ask the young men to choose a phrase from the talk that would be good to remember or read every day to inspire them in their efforts to work. Show the video “A Work in Progress,” and ask the young men to find examples of what President Uchtdorf taught. What can they learn about work from Tyler’s example? How can they apply what he did to achieve their own goals?

  

• Ask the young men to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a quorum to apply what they have learned?

• Give the young men a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

• Remind the young men that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.