Priesthood.

Something has been on my mind lately. Elder Bednar's talk entitled, ThePowers of Heaven, quoted a Prophet, David O. McKay saying: “If at this moment each one of you were asked to state in one sentence or phrase the most distinguishing feature of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, what would be your answer?” (“The Mission of the Church and Its Members,” Improvement Era, Nov. 1956, 781). "The response President McKay gave to his own question was the “divine authority” of the priesthood."

If the Priesthood is the most distinguishing feature of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Mormon Church, then-why? What's so special or important about that above all other things? Among other answers, I believe it's because all the saving ordinances and special blessings we can receive on this earth to prepare us for Heaven are given through Priesthood power being exercised: baby blessing, baptism, reception of Holy Ghost, endowment in the Temple and Sealing of marriage. Not to mention other blessings one can receive when sick or need guidance. The ability and usage of the Priesthood is almost too hard to enumerate.

I’m a woman, so obviously I cannot hold the priesthood. Lately, some women have taken offense to that. They believe that the absence of the Priesthood somehow lessens them. In whose eyes? If it’s man’s eyes they are worried about, then they need to refocus their priorities. It should be God’s eyes that they are worried about. And God has designed the Priesthood to men for good reason. If you’re still worried about what that reason may be and cannot figure it out after searching, then just go on a thing called faith. Men and women are created differently, thank goodness. To be honest, there has been a couple times where I thought I could do something just as well as the guys alongside me. I was very wrong. They are stronger physically-I cannot shovel as hard, walk as long, lift as much as they can. But, to be honest, I don’t think they have as much patience with screaming children, figuring out meals week after mundane week, or the ability to run on as little sleep for the better part of a year as a woman...and then voluntarily choose to do that again. Now, there are some exceptions to the generalities, but for the most part, men have different strengths than women. And that plays out well with the Fathers responsibility to preside and provide for the family and the Mothers to nurture the children.

 I happen to have lived with someone holding the Priesthood in my home at all times. There was never a time when I couldn’t just go to a room inside the house, and ask for a blessing. I have never been at a disadvantage just because I didn’t have the Priesthood. The men cannot use the Priesthood on themselves, so just by having it does not give them some kind of advantage that the rest of us are not able to receive. I admire the way some men honor their Priesthood. Not all men are created equal and not all men hold their Priesthood with the same honor. Those that do, are blessed and able to bless. Even some of Christ’s 12 Apostles had to learn this lesson: Matt 17:14 ¶And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,

  15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he ^afalleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

 16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

 17 Then Jesus answered and said, O ^afaithless and ^bperverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

 18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

 19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your ^aunbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have ^bfaith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this ^cmountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be ^dimpossible unto you.

 21 Howbeit this ^akind goeth not out but by prayer and ^bfasting.

I’m sure they weren’t out doing something wrong. And they were obviously preaching so they were being proactive…not lazy or slothful. But they still had something to learn about the POWER  that comes with the AUTHORITY of the Priesthood. Authority does not guarantee Power. The disciples who came to Jesus after the man left with his son learned that very lesson.

Elder Bednar also quoted another prophet, President Ezra Taft Benson, and said:

“It is not enough to receive the priesthood and then sit back passively and wait until someone prods us into activity. When we receive the priesthood, we have the obligation of becoming actively and anxiously engaged in promoting the cause of righteousness in the earth, because the Lord says:

“‘… He that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned’ [D&C 58:29]” (So Shall Ye Reap [1960], 21).

“President Spencer W. Kimball also pointedly emphasized the active nature of the priesthood: “One breaks the priesthood covenant by transgressing commandments—but also by leaving undone his duties. Accordingly, to break this covenant one needs only to do nothing” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 96).

The men who hold the Priesthood should be different. They should be separate and distinct from those who do not. That’s not to say that there aren’t good men out there who do not hold the Priesthood, and that all men who do hold the Priesthood are good. However, the very act of a man who holds the Priesthood laying his hands on another man to confer the power of the Priesthood to another, is special. It forever grants that man access to the very Powers of Heaven. He can assist in washing someone’s sins away, have command over the body’s immune system, seal two people with a power that will be in force after we die, and give a personal revelation to someone as a guide map to use throughout their life.

After a personal story regarding a conversation Elder Bednar had with his dad, he said, his dad had a “correct assumption that men who bear God’s holy priesthood should be different from other men. Men who hold the priesthood are not inherently better than other men, but they should act differently. Men who hold the priesthood should not only receive priesthood authority but also become worthy and faithful conduits of God’s power. “Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord” (D&C 38:42).

Imagine a conduit:

And the Priesthood acts as a direct conduit of heavenly power that can stream from His throne directly to us. That is how special that power is…and what a bold declaration we give that this Church is the only one found with that power.   

Men who are worthy, are given a great gift. The very power by which this earth and our bodies were created is the same power that worthy Priesthood holders possess. There are, of course, different degrees and keys associated with this power, but it stems from the same source…and one must learn well their duty and how to obtain power with their conferred authority before they can advance in their Priesthood. Maybe it’s like graduating to a bigger size conduit. You gain a greater capacity to bring down more blessings from Heaven.

I teach 11 year olds at Church. I’m new at it. I only have about 3 Sundays under my belt. But, when we talked about the Priesthood being restored to the earth, there was a certain boy that is usually not a very good listener…but this time, he was listening-and with a sponge-like attitude. It was as if he could sense that the Priesthood was something to sit up and pay attention to. It was something that distinguishes the goats from the sheep. Something to be serious about and know well the duty he was about to be recommended for. I cannot put into words the excitement I feel for the time when my little boy will be recommended, and found worthy for the Priesthood. I hope in this home, he will get a real good sense of what the Priesthood does by watching his father and how wonderful that gift is by watching his mother. I hope to support the Priesthood. I’m not entirely sure what that all entails. But it sounds like if I do it right, my husband’s Priesthood authority will have the capacity to develop great power. If it’s Power from Heaven, sign me up. Get me on the list. Let me know how to increase that kind of power. I’d like to do my part to support my husband in his effort to honor his Priesthood.

For a great portion of the history of the world, a relatively few men have held the Priesthood. And out of those few, we have some pretty remarkable records of what they were able to do with their Priesthood…people healed and even raised from the dead, seas calmed, gates to Heaven opened through baptism, and small things like preaching, prophesying so that others will know what to do to prepare for the future so they will experience a feeling called peace in place of fear. Matthew could have been referring to the Priesthood when he said in 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Heaven won’t be reserved for only those who were able to move a mountain or cure leprosy. In The Book of Mormon, there’s a book called Alma and in 37:6 a prophet says, “Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.” That probably also can apply toward the Priesthood. Home teaching, month after month, may bring about a change that a single, great event could not. Partaking of the sacrament is a small and simple thing…but by it, we gain forgiveness and a life more near Christ...possibly one right next to Him forever. That’s pretty great stuff.  

Doctrineand Covenants says in 123rd section:

15 Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints, which depends upon these things.

 16 You know, brethren, that a very large ship is ^abenefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.

 17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us ^acheerfully ^bdo all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the ^csalvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.

In Preach My Gospel, it defines Priesthood as: “the power and authority given to man to act in God’s name for the salvation of His children.”

This Church has that power and authority. This Church has men who act in God’s very name and by the power that these men hold, I and my family, have the chance at salvation. Without these men and the power they hold, it is not possible to gain entrance through the pearly gates. God is governed by laws, and there are no shortcuts or byways. Only one path has been declared by God to give access to a Celestial life. And that path must be accompanied by, watched over, and guarded by men who hold the Priesthood. And the only way to access that Priesthood is through this Church. It distinguishes us from all other Churches on the earth. And it’s power is available to be felt by any who would wish to receive a blessing. I have personally been the fortunate recipient of a few blessings that have altered the course of my life. I would not be the same without the Priesthood.

Prayer is Powerful

http://nathangreenestudio.com/tag/lincoln-praying/

I was watching The Eternal Christ by Truman G. Madsen and he was discussing Christ's Intercessory Prayer. The disciplines had just eaten the Passover meal, which was the best they had probably eaten in awhile. They had repeated all the phrases they go over during that time, including thanking God for "our" deliverance (they didn't say "their deliverance" as in the Israelites back then, but it was a current pronoun they used; remembering that it was a blessing still to be delivered from slavery in Egypt-although they were in a different slavery at the hands of their Pharisee and Sadducee leadership to which Christ had come to free them from, but that's a different story.)
And this is reminiscent of what we do during Sacrament meeting...repeat the same phrase from an event that happened thousands of years ago to which we continue to reap a blessing from.

Truman Madsen said that he was with an apostle when he described seeing the Last Supper and was struck with the tenderness he saw Christ exhibit during that night. It makes sense...He washed the Apostles' feet and then wanted them to know that although He was going to die and they would be scattered, they would not be comfortless-He would send a Comforter and they would have peace, not like the kind the world gives, but a heavenly kind. Christ knew He was about to face the hardest and darkest night this world has yet or will see, and yet He was worried about his group of disciples. He wanted to make sure they were comforted. That they could find peace.
   And you know what, I don't think that tenderness and concern has ceased once He ascended into Heaven. He is an unchangeable God. He has not stopped caring about whether we feel alone, comforted, and find solace in a troubled world. So when taking the Sacrament, and thinking about that night that Christ blessed and broke the bread Himself and gave it to His close friends, it reminds me that He still cares.
   He has given us the Sacrament as a weekly reminder...He doesn't want us to forget!!!...that He is tenderly watching over us and promises to send us the Comforter as our constant companion...if we will allow it into our lives.




So the disciples had finished a nice meal, one of the best all year, went through many recitations of Passover, and then were taught new doctrine from Christ about a Comforter about to come to them once He left for Heaven, that they were about to be scattered, then tells them of His death and Resurrection and that He is the Son of God. There was quite an emotional and physical weariness from all the day's events. So when they get to the mount, they were all exhausted. No wonder it was hard to stay awake. But someone was awake and recorded what He said.
"For I have given unto them the ^awords which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I ^bcame out from thee, and they have ^cbelieved that thou didst send me.

I ^apray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which ^bthou hast given me; for they are thine. Neither ^apray I for these alone, but for them also which shall ^bbelieve on me through their word;

That they all may be ^aone; as thou, ^bFather, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be ^cone in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be ^aone, even as we are ^bone:

 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made ^aperfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast ^bloved them, as thou hast loved me."

Does the tone of the prayer sound like the Lord as described by the Israelites after being freed from Pharaoh's rule?
 Exodus 15
The Lord is a man of ^awar. Pharaoh’s ^achariots and his host hath he ^bcast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the ^cRed sea...they sank into the bottom as a ^astone.

Thy ^aright ^bhand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. 

And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as ^astubble.

Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters.

Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. The people shall ^ahear, and be afraid:

(then they continue with):
sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of ^bPalestina.
Then the ^adukes of ^bEdom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall ^cmelt away. ^aFear and ^bdread shall fall upon them.
 (As if to say, if you just destroyed the Egyptians, everyone else will cower and be afraid to mess with us because you have our back).

 But later in Exodus 20, all their praising of God turned to fear and they said to Moses when he came down after receiving the 10 commandments,
"And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God ^aspeak with us, lest we die."
 THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF GOD! They believed Him to be a man of war who would rather sink a bunch of worthless captains as lead to the bottom of the Sea and consume people as stubble....just to protect them. But then when it came to God offering to speak to them, they would not. It was not God who distanced Himself or tried to make himself unknown or hidden. It was the people. They thought he was full of wrath when dealing with Pharoah's captains and they must have still held that idea when they thought of meeting Him at Mount Sinai.
God wants to be with us, comfort us, teach us and help us. He does not enjoy destroying people. I doubt he was singing like the Israelites. He was more likely saddened that some of His own creations were drowning.


When Alma prayed to God to help his son, Alma the younger, an angel appeared to Alma the younger and told him specifically that "the Lord hath head the prayers of his people...for he has prayed with much faith...that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith". (Mosiah 27:14)
God did not hire someone else to be his telecommunicator for Him. He has more kids than we can count, yet He wants to hear every one of our pleas.
Doctrine and Covenants 90:1 says, "Thus saith the Lord, verily, verily I say unto you my son, thy sins are forgiven thee, according to thy petition, for thy prayers and the prayers of thy brethren have come up into my ears.

In Matt. 23:37 Jesus said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"

And in 2 Nephi 9:41 gives another glimpse of what kind of Man is listening on the other end of that prayer, "O then, my beloved brethren, ^acome unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the ^bway for man is ^cnarrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the ^dgate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

I enjoy reading how Christ prays to His Father...He knew the right relationship. In Bible Dictionary under Prayer, I have always wondered what it really meant when it said, "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship."

What does a prayer look like that is natural and instinctive?
What are the so-called difficulties about prayer?

If you read Matt 7:7-11, seems like we can receive alot from our Father in Heaven if we understand this relationship.

 7 ¶^aAsk, and it shall be ^bgiven you; ^cseek, and ye shall find; ^dknock, and it shall be opened unto you:

 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that ^aseeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask ^abread, will he give him a stone?

 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

 11 If ye then, ^abeing evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Continuing in Bible Dictionary, "Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings."

Prayer, to a loving, tender, watchful Father in Heaven, from an obedient child can secure for ourselves and for others so very many blessings.  He always picks up the receiver when we call. We will never find a busy signal. And can you imagine speaking to a divine Heavenly Being who awaits what we have to say and then blesses us with what will help us the greatest? Think about what is happening! He employes no servant as the prayer taker, and as oft as we will gather, He will receive us. He is tireless and an enduring optimistic. 

Prayer is a way to obtain the "highest of all blessings". That sounds like being able to live with Him once we die. If we do prayer right...because there are difficulties with prayer/ways to not pray correctly....then we can come to know Him and be one with Him...just as Christ prayed for that night in Gethsemane. We use prayer to align our will to His. Like Elder Bednar said,Revelation is communication from Heavenly Father to His children on earth. As we ask in faith, we can receive revelation upon revelation and knowledge upon knowledge and come to know the mysteries and peaceable things that bring joy and eternal life (see D&C 42:61). The mysteries are those matters that can only be known and understood by the power of the Holy Ghost (see Harold B. Lee, Ye Are the Light of the World [1974], 211). There may be things in our character, in our behavior, or concerning our spiritual growth about which we need to counsel with Heavenly Father in morning prayer. After expressing appropriate thanks for blessings received, we plead for understanding, direction, and help to do the things we cannot do in our own strength alone. For example, as we pray, we might:

• Reflect on those occasions when we have spoken harshly or inappropriately to those we love the most.
• Recognize that we know better than this, but we do not always act in accordance with what we know.
• Express remorse for our weaknesses and for not putting off the natural man more earnestly.
• Determine to pattern our life after the Savior more completely.
• Plead for greater strength to do and to become better.

Such a prayer is a key part of the spiritual preparation for our day.

At the end of our day, we kneel again and report back to our Father. We review the events of the day and express heartfelt thanks for the blessings and the help we received. We repent and, with the assistance of the Spirit of the Lord, identify ways we can do and become better tomorrow. Thus our evening prayer builds upon and is a continuation of our morning prayer. And our evening prayer also is a preparation for meaningful morning prayer."

He also said, "Simply saying prayers is quite a different thing from engaging in meaningful prayer. I expect that all of us already know that prayer is essential for our spiritual development and protection. But what we know is not always reflected in what we do. And even though we recognize the importance of prayer, all of us can improve the consistency and efficacy of our personal and family prayers." 

"Such meaningful prayers are instrumental in obtaining the highest blessings God holds in store for His faithful children."

We are given a commandment to Pray Always. Remembering the nature of the Person to whom we are praying will help our prayers become natural and instinctive....not repeated, quick and without much thought. Using Prayer like Elder Bednar explained, will help us grow more united with God....which will allow us to receive Eternal Life-to know God. And that is one of the highest blessings I can think of. What a wonderful gift we have been given to Pray. It is our blessing and privilege, not a mundane task to do before starting our day or ending it. God does not treat them lightly and once we come to know who is on the other end, we can't wait to go back and talk with Him some more. It will be a sweet thing to see Him face-to-face when we die and return to Him and not have to feel like we need to build a relationship with this stranger, for He has so obviously not been far from our thoughts.

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