This document discusses establishing priorities, with an emphasis on spiritual priorities. It provides counsel from prophets and Church leaders about putting God first, making family a top priority, and focusing on eternal things like relationships and gaining knowledge. Quotes encourage prioritizing love of God and others, preparing for eternity, and seeking the kingdom of God above temporal things. Overall it teaches that establishing the right priorities will lead to greater happiness and preparation to meet God.

1. Priorities
A Family Home Evening
Lesson for the Smith Kids
May 2021
www.JimmySmith.org

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“For I came down from heaven, not
to do mine own will, but the will of
him that sent me.” (John 6: 38)

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• President Ezra Taft Benson
• “When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our
lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims of our affection, the demands on our
time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities” (in Conference Report, Apr.
1988, 13; or Ensign, May 1988, 4).
• “To be successful, we must have the Spirit of the Lord. We have been taught that the
Spirit will not dwell in unclean tabernacles. Therefore, one of our first priorities is to
make sure our own personal lives are in order” (Come unto Christ, 92).

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• Alma the Elder spoke of priorities
when he taught that “this life became
a probationary state; a time to prepare
to meet God” (Alma 12:24)
• And Alma the Younger continued on
that theme when he said: “therefore, I
beseech of you that ye do not
procrastinate the day of your
repentance until the end; for after this
day of life, which is given us to prepare
for eternity, behold, if we do not
improve our time while in this life,
then cometh the night of darkness
wherein there can be no labor
performed” (Alma 34:33)

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Maslow’s Hierarchy
of Needs
• By Psychologist Abraham Maslow,
1943
• Fundamental needs at the bottom
• Need for self-actualization,
creativity, fulfillment, etc. at the top
• Basic needs must be met before
people are motivated to achieve
higher-level needs
• Popular framework in sociology
research, management training,
and psychology education
• Q: Why am I showing this?
• A: Priorities

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THE FAMILY: A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD
Talks about that Hierarchy of Needs and God’s Plan to Fulfill Them
• “Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in
love and righteousness, to provide for their
physical and spiritual needs.”
• “Fathers are to preside over their families in love
and righteousness and are responsible to provide
the necessities of life and protection for their
families.”
• “Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture
of their children. In these sacred responsibilities,
fathers and mothers are obligated to help one
another as equal partners.”

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• In 1897 David O. McKay was a missionary in Stirling,
Scotland. On that day a very haggard woman opened
the door and stood before him. She was poorly dressed
and had sunken cheeks and unkempt hair.
• She took the tract Elder McKay offered to her and
spoke six words that he subsequently would never
forget: “Will this buy me any bread?”
• This encounter left a lasting impression. He later wrote:
“From that moment I had a deeper realization that the
Church of Christ should be and is interested in the
temporal salvation of man. I walked away from the
door feeling that that [woman], with … bitterness in
[her heart] toward man and God, [was] in no position
to receive the message of the gospel. [She was] in need
of temporal help.”
• See https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-
conference/2011/04/the-sanctifying-work-of-welfare?lang=eng

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• “Sometimes we reflect on all of our
responsibilities at home, school, work, and
church and wonder how we can achieve a
balance among the many competing demands
on our time. Instead of driving ourselves crazy
trying to do everything at the same time, we
should identify the few fundamental things that
are our highest priorities.”
• He then gave an analogy of a plate spinner
• “You have to know which one will be the first to
spin so slowly that’s it’s going to fall. And you
need to make sure that you’re spinning that
plate… Sometimes we try to have nine spinning
plates, and it’s impossible. So, identify the two,
the three, the four most important priorities in
our lives and then make sure the we are always
returning in time to make sure that each one
gets the spin that it needs.”
• David A. Bednar, Instagram, April 19, 2021

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• “Most of us have more things expected of
us than we can possibly do. As
breadwinners, as parents, as Church
workers and members, we face many
choices on what we will do with our time
and other resources.”
• “We should begin by recognizing the reality
that just because something is good is not
a sufficient reason for doing it. The number
of good things we can do far exceeds the
time available to accomplish them. Some
things are better than good, and these are
the things that should command priority
attention in our lives.”
• “…we should be careful not to exhaust our
available time on things that are merely
good and leave little time for that which is
better or best.”
• “Good, Better, Best” by Dallin H. Oaks

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• “Parents should act to preserve time for
family prayer, family scripture study,
family home evening, and the other
precious togetherness and individual one-
on-one time that binds a family together
and fixes children’s values on things of
eternal worth. Parents should teach
gospel priorities through what they do
with their children.”
• “…Some uses of individual and family time
are better, and others are best. We have
to forego some good things in order to
choose others that are better or best
because they develop faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.”
• “Good, Better, Best” by Dallin H. Oaks

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• “The reason why so few
executives concentrate
[on priorities] is the
difficulty of setting
“posteriorities”—that is,
deciding what tasks not
to tackle—and of
sticking to the decision.”
• The Effective Executive by
Peter F. Drucker, famed
author and business
management consultant

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Things to De-Prioritize
• At the end of First Nephi, Nephi cautions us not to
seek “iniquity” and specifically mentions four
things not to seek:
• Not “to get gain”
• Don’t seek for worldly wealth, money, and material
possessions
• Not “to get power”
• Don’t seek positions of power or authority over other
people
• Not “to become popular in the eyes of the world”
• Don’t seek to be famous
• Not to “seek the lusts of the flesh”
• Don’t seek after bodily pleasures, sexual promiscuity, drugs
and addictive substances
• A little bit of these things, sufficient for your needs,
is good, but if these things become your priorities,
they will cause your destruction
• See 1 Nephi 22:23

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What to Prioritize,
according to Abraham
• Abraham 1: 2 “And, finding there was greater
happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the
blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I
should be ordained to administer the same; having
been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also
to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be
a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a
greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations,
a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions,
and to keep the commandments of God, I became a
rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging
to the fathers.”

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• Matt 22: 35 Then one of them, which was a
lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him,
and saying,
• 36 Master, which is the great commandment
in the law?
• 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy mind.
• 38 This is the first and great commandment.
• 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself.
• 40 On these two commandments hang all
the law and the prophets.
Love
God
Love
People
All Law and Prophets
Jesus Taught there is even
Priority in the Commandments

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The Greatest Gifts Should
Have Our Greatest Priority
• D&C 14: 7 “And, if you keep my
commandments and endure to the end
you shall have eternal life, which gift is
the greatest of all the gifts of God.”
• 1 Nephi 15: 36 The “tree of life, whose
fruit is most precious and most
desirable above all other fruits; yea,
and it is the greatest of all the gifts of
God.”

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Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God
• Matt 6: 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What
shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
• 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father
knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
• 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto you.

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My Advice and Testimony
• Put God first on your priority list
• Follow the Savior’s example of always seeking the will of God (Luke 22:42)
• Your Family should be a close second
• Follow principles in the Family Proclamation
• When making priorities, think long term (eternally)
• Prioritize eternal things like relationships with people, knowledge (D&C 130:18-19)
• When your priorities are right in life, I know you will live happier, and
healthier, and you’ll prepare yourself for an eternity destiny of joy beyond
comprehension (1 Peter 1:8)