Priesthood Power

The priesthood is not a topic I normally study but in October of 2019 when President Nelson entreated all the women of the church to study the topic of priesthood power, he suggested that we start with sections 84 and 107 of the Doctrine and Covenants.(Spiritual Treasures) As I studied D&C 84 this week, I again felt compelled to answer that call from our prophet to prayerfully study the priesthood and strive to increase my understanding of the doctrine of the priesthood.

My mind wants to go on vacation when I try to understand the doctrine of the priesthood. Trying to keep all the terminology straight (i.e. ordinances, covenants, ordination, authority, offices, keys, etc...) gets confusing to me real quick. As I tried working through all the confusion again this week, I was finally rewarded with some deeper understanding. That understanding came as I listened to a podcast called Unshaken Saints. The host shared a chart he created to help his listeners understand the differences between the Aaronic Priesthood and the Melchizedek Priesthood. I found this visual most helpful in increasing my understanding for the purpose behind the two priesthoods. I'll try to re-create this chart with the items that were most helpful to me.

Aaronic Priesthood	Melchizedek Priesthood
Lesser (v 26) deals with the temporal affairs of the church letter of the law (rules) (v 26)       ministering of angels (v 26, 42)   telestial to terrestial way of living elimination of sin (v 26) ordinances of preparation (v 26) change our status overcoming sins of commission justification    sacrifice      outward actions            tabernacle   Aaron (v 30)  John the Baptist (v 27)	Greater (v 19) deals with the spiritual affairs of the church spirit of the law (principles)  presence of God (v 22) terrestial to celestial way of living introduction to God (v 22) ordinances of coming into gods presence change our nature overcoming sins of omission sanctification (v 33) consecration inward attributes temple Moses (v 6)  Jesus Christ

The handbook of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints states that "Through the priesthood, Heavenly Father accomplishes His work 'to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man' (Moses 1:39). God grants authority and power to His sons and daughters on earth to help carry out this work". (Handbook 3.0). I like how this chart emphasizes a way of living. It allows us to see if we are living up to our priesthood privileges or not, regardless of our gender. If we are living true and faithful to these covenants, the promises that await us are; sanctification, renewal of our bodies, becoming the seed of Abraham and the elect of God, and receiving all that the Father hath (v 33-38). Pres. Nelson adds "Every woman and every man who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants, and who participates worthily in priesthood ordinances, has direct access to the power of God." (Spiritual Treasures, Oct 2019). Those are some pretty powerful promises!

The Greatest Good

While studying in the Doctrine and Covenants this week, one day I happened to read a verse independent of its surrounding verses and a phrase stood out to me that I hadn't "seen" in my earlier studies. The phrase that jumped off the page was in 81:4 and it said "in doing these things thou wilt do the greatest good unto thy fellow beings." I was immediately intrigued to find out what "these things" were. Even though this revelation was instruction for a counselor to Joseph Smith, there is still personal application for us today. Here's what the accompanying verses say about the greatest good we can be doing:

1. Fulfilling our callings (v. 3)
2. Praying always (v. 3)
3. Teaching the gospel (v. 3)
4. Serving others (v. 5)

As I thought about these four things, the Spirit reminded me of two talks that have really helped to guide me when making decisions about how best to use my time. They are "Choose ye this day to serve the Lord" by Julie B. Beck and "Good, Better, Best" by Dallin H. Oaks. In Sister Beck's talk she shared her thoughts about a priority system that she has used in her life to help guide her in making decisions about how to prioritize her choices. The three categories are labeled as "essential, necessary, and nice-to-do." As you read through her talk, you will see that the four items listed above are also on Sister Beck's list of "essential" things to do. Elder Oaks said "Most of us have more things expected of us than we can possibly do...we face many choices on what we will do with our time...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."

As we choose to use our time to do the "essential" things in life, not only will our faith in Jesus Christ be strengthened and our families fortified, but we are also promised a "crown of immortality and eternal life in the mansions...in the house of my Father." (81:6) And as an added bonus, Sister Beck acknowledged that even though "there is a lot to do, I find that it is amazing how much I get to do on my nice-to-do list. The Lord blesses us with those mercies, but only if the other priorities are in order." Our Father in Heaven loves us and will bless us with the best of both worlds; the "nice-to-do" things follow after we do those things that are "essential".

Gratitude & Happiness

As I was studying Come, Follow Me this week and contemplating a concern our missionary had just shared with us, a few verses stood out to me. As Elder Bradford has been adjusting to his missionary training schedule, he related to us that he was worried about how he was going to do this for two years. Being a missionary is hard work, spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting, and he is feeling a little bit overwhelmed with the prospect of doing this for another 24 months.

After this conversation, I was reading D&C 78:18-19 and I thought it applied perfectly not only to his situation, but to any of us that feels daunted or overwhelmed with something we've been asked to do or any number of situations in life that we might be going through.

The Problem: "ye cannot bear all things now" (v. 18)

The Solution: "be of good cheer" (v. 18), "receive all things with thankfulness" (v. 19)

The Promise: "I (the Lord) will lead you along" (v. 18)

As we encounter situations that we feel we simply cannot bear, the Lord asks us to focus on two things; being happy and being grateful. But what if we can't even begin to think of how to be of good cheer? In my personal experience, sometimes its really hard to be happy when faced with extremely difficult situations. For that reason, we're also asked to be grateful. Recognizing our blessings and expressing gratitude for them can crack open the doors of happiness and help facilitate our ability to be of good cheer.

My husband and I just recently took the "Emotional Resilience" class that the church offers as one of their self-reliance courses. During this 10-week course each participant is encouraged to make a weekly goal to “write one thing I am grateful for each day and thank God for it.” This is the only goal that you are asked to repeat each week. What I understand from that is that gratitude is a basic principle that helps to lend us emotional stability.

So, as we encounter challenging situations that can feel overwhelming, we need to remember to be of good cheer, give thanks to God for our blessings and He will lead us along. I'm doing my best to follow this counsel and have felt the results in my life. Even though sending out a missionary has been something I didn't think I could bear, as I've tried to stay cheerful and think of things to be grateful for, I can testify that the Lord has been leading me and giving me strength, comfort, peace, and happiness that I didn't think that I'd feel so soon after sending off a missionary. I can testify that the Lord will fulfill His promises as we do the things He asks us to do. 

Celestial Living Now

Do you ever feel like you're just not good enough to make it to the celestial kingdom? Do you look at all the wonderful people around you and know for sure that "they're going to make it" but you're not too sure about your chances? I know I've experienced those thoughts and feelings and they can be very disheartening. But as I studied D&C 76 this week, I read these verses with a different perspective that helped me feel more confident in my standing with God.

One of the podcasts I listened to (Don't Miss This) suggested that we read these verses not as a checklist of things we have to do in order to live in the Celestial Kingdom some day, but as a guide to a celestial lifestyle right now. The celestial kingdom doesn’t have to be just a destination we are working towards that allows us happiness in the next life. Instead, the happiness and joy that is promised to those who “receive the testimony of Jesus” (v. 51) can be experienced now, in this life; celestial living can happen right here on earth. 

This section had new meaning to me when I looked at it with this perspective. Here's what we can be doing right now to live a celestial lifestyle here on earth...

• Bear record of the gospel of Jesus Christ (v. 50)
• Receive a testimony of Jesus Christ (v. 51)
• Believe on His name (v. 51)
• Be baptized (v. 51)
• Keep the commandments (v. 52)
• Be washed and cleansed from sin (v. 52)
• Receive the Holy Ghost (v. 52)
• Overcome by faith (self-mastery) (v. 53-see footnote a, v. 60)
• Receive temple covenants (His fullness) (v. 56, 94)
• Hold the Melchizedek Priesthood (men) (v. 57)
• Glory in God (v. 61, 93)
• Use the Atonement of Jesus Christ to become perfect (v. 69)
• Receive His grace (v. 94)

After looking over this list, hopefully you feel a little more confident about your standing with God, not only in the eternal sense, but right now. And perhaps this will give you confidence as you understand that your current lifestyle is more celestial than you previously thought👼

Share the Gospel

My oldest son just started his virtual MTC training from home this week, so my mind and heart were extra aware of the principles of missionary work that were shared in this weeks study of Come, Follow Me (D&C 71-75). The following are a list of principles related to sharing the gospel that I found in these sections...

• 71:1 The way to combat darkness is to introduce light. Share the good news of the gospel.
• 71:2 Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints need to be taught just as much as those who have not yet been baptized.
• 71:9 Truth will always prevail.
• 73:4 When your full-time mission service is over, continue to make room in your life for sharing the gospel. 
• 75:2 Take some personal initiative to get involved in sharing the gospel (see footnote a).
• 75:3, 29 Be diligent in our efforts to share the gospel.
• 75:10, 27 Always involve the Holy Ghost in our teaching and finding efforts.
• 75:11 Pray for courage.
• 75:24 As members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, it is our duty to support the efforts of missionary work in whatever ways we can.

As with all principles of the gospel, as we act on these principles we are promised blessings in return for our faithfulness. Here's a list of blessings that I found in Section 75 that relate to sharing the gospel...

• You shall be crowned with honor, glory and eternal life. (75:5)
• The Lord will be with you to the end. (75:11, 13)
• You shall be filled with joy and gladness. (75:21)
• You shall overcome all things and be lifted up at the last day. (75:22)

For some of us, sharing the gospel can be a daunting responsibility. Because I often feel that way, I found this article by President Uchtdorf (A Word for the Hesitant Missionary) very enlightening. He shares four suggestions that can help us fulfill the charge to preach the gospel to all the world. My favorite suggestion is to "Be a Light." He said: “A favorite saying of mine often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi reads, ‘Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.’” It is a comfort for me to know that just because I get tongue-tied when I'm trying to teach the gospel or share my testimony with someone, that doesn't mean that I'm a failure. We can share the gospel just by consistently living our standards. As people see our happiness and joy they will occasionally approach us with questions about where our happiness and positive attitude come from.

Pres. Uchtdorf concludes the article by saying "There is a way for everyone-even the hesitant missionary-to participate in this great work. We can each find a way to use our own particular talents and interests in support of the great work of filling the world with light and truth." What a blessing it is to know that there are many different ways to share the gospel. We don't need to compare our method of sharing the gospel to how someone else shares the gospel because the gifts and talents that we’ve each been blessed with will lead to different approaches to missionary work.