From the story of Naaman the leper, who was reluctant to follow a prophet's counsel to be healed because the prophet had not told him to do "some great thing," (see 2 Kings 5), President James E. Faust drew the theme of his priesthood session address.
"If called upon by the president of the Church, we would be ready able and willing to do 'some great thing,' such as working on the Nauvoo temple, but many are not quite so anxious to do some of [the] basics" such as paying tithes, taking care of priesthood and family duties and serving the needy, said President Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency.
President Faust told of contrasting examples in Church history of men who were highly favored of the Lord. "One, Hyrum Smith, remained totally faithful and committed, even to the giving of his life, while the other, Oliver Cowdery, despite having witnessed 'some great things' in the history of the Restoration, became blinded by his personal ambition and lost his exalted place in the leadership of the Church," he said.
"In all respects Hyrum was a disciple of the Savior. But his day-to-day striving made him truly great. In contrast, Oliver Cowdery was great when handling the plates and being attended to by angels, but when called upon to faithfully endure day-to-day trials and challenges, Oliver faltered and fell away from the Church."
President Faust said: "We do not prove our love for the Savior only by doing 'some great thing.' If the prophet personally asked you to go on a mission to some exotic place, would you go? You would probably make every effort to go. But what about paying tithing? What about doing your home teaching? We show our love for the Savior by doing the many small acts of faith, devotion and kindness to others that define our character."
That was demonstrated, he said, in the life of George R. Hill III, a former General Authority who died a few months ago. Elder Hill was a world authority on coal and a renowned scientist, dean of the College of Mines and Mineral Resources at the University of Utah, but was humble, self-effacing and dedicated, President Faust said. Though he served in his lifetime as a bishop of three different wards, a regional representative and a member of the Seventy, his last callings at a time when he was failing in health were as stake cannery director and member of a ward choir.
"He filled these last callings with the same commitment as he had all the others," President Faust noted. "He did whatever he was called upon to do — it did not have to be 'some great thing.' "
Small things can have great potential, Elder Faust said, telling of how television was conceived by an Idaho teenager as he was plowing straight furrows in his father's field and envisioned transmitting straight lines from one image dissector to be reproduced in another.
"You young men are a chosen generation," he declared, "for whom the future holds great promise. The future may require you to compete with young men in a worldwide market. You need special training. You may be selected for training not because of some extraordinary achievement or great thing, but because you got your Eagle Scout award, your Duty to God award, graduated from seminary or served a mission."