Doctrine and Covenants 82:18-19

"And all this for the benefit of the church of the living God, that every man may improve upon his talent, that every man may gain other talents, yea, even an hundred fold, to be cast into the Lord's storehouse, to become the common property of the whole church--
Every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God."
Doctrine and Covenants 82:18-19


This is excellent stuff.  God tells us that we have talent, that he wants us to improve our talent, and gain more talents... basically to learn. And then, we are supposed to give these talents to others, that our talent belongs to the community, not just to ourselves, and is meant to be used for the building up of that community.  It still bowls me over sometimes how having a one-track mind is a _good_ thing... as long as that one track is God. :)  If we really do everything for God, and look unto him in all that we do... our lives change drastically.  We become more than we could be alone.  Instead of one or three talents, we suddenly find ourselves with 50.  Wouldn't it be nice to be good at so many things that you didn't know what to do with yourself?  Sure... because then you could ask God, and he'd help you figure it out. :)  I love the part about seeking the interest of your neighbor.  Isn't that the key?  Gifts, talents... even the priesthood... these are all things that are designed to bring us together as a community and closer to God.  He doesn't give us gifts that will merely bless our own lives.  Invariably, our gifts are given to us to bless the lives of other people.  This binds us together as a community, and teaches us about giving and receiving, and love.  So, today... let’s develop our talents, find new ones... use them to bless the lives of others.  And, make God the focus of what we do.  Putting him first helps us manage the rest of the priority list rather well. :)