This is for you Sharon!

sorry! I was up till midnight writing it and didn't want to type it.

#25 “Priesthood: The Power of Godliness”


Don’t let the title of this lesson turn off your receptors lady’s this lesson is just as much for us as the men. Joseph Fielding Smith says so, “The blessings of the priesthood are not confined to men alone. These blessings are also poured out upon all the faithful women of the Church…The Lord offers to his daughters every spiritual gift and blessing that can be obtained by his sons” (Conf. Report, Apr. 1970, 59)

This lesson talks about the oath and covenant of the priesthood. By making and keeping the oath and covenants we make as we utilized and are given the power of priesthood we receive the power of Godliness.

I asked myself, “What is the power of Godliness” and in what way is it used? I found this story: “A young man and a friend were up hiking in the lower foothills near Cody, Wyoming. The friend jumped across a high-power line that was down, but the young man got tangled in it and was electrocuted. The friend turned and ran all the way back down to where the father lived-and it wasn’t a short distance- and told the father that his son had been electrocuted and that he was dead. The father, who was not a young man, ran all the way back up, taking about fifteen minutes. When he got up to where the boy was lying across the wires, he somehow removed the boy from the wires with a board or a large branch. Then he picked his son up in his arms and held him, saying, “in the name of Jesus Christ and by the Power and authority of the holy Melchizedek Priesthood, I command you to live.” The dead boy opened up his eyes in his father’s arms and was taken to the University of Utah Medical Center, where he recovered.’ (Vaughn J. Featherstone, Where following Him can Lead Us,” Ensign Feb 1981, 8)
The father of this boy could not have done the thing he did if his life was awash in unrighteousness. If he had spent secret hours with pornography on the internet or with vulgar, violent videos; if immoral thoughts and actions had played constantly or even frequently on the stage of his mind, if he had been abusive to his wife or children or dishonest in his business dealings, there would have been no power and no healing.
If you think about your life and your thoughts and your actions, can you say that if something like this happened to you that you would be completely worthy to have harnessed that power of Godliness like that father was able to? And don’t forget the boy, he too used the power of Godliness by having pure faith that his father was worthy and faith in Christ, and he too had to be living a good life. Whether you are giving the blessings or the receiver of blessings, we have to be worthy to use that heavenly power in such a way. We had better be keeping the covenant we made when and as we receive and use that priesthood power.

So let’s quick review what is the oath and covenant and are we keeping our end of the bargain so the Lord can keep His?

1st off a covenant-an agreement between us and the Lord. We agree to do something and when we keep our end the Lord promises to Reward accordingly. Such as granting us the same kind of power that father in the story used: Immediate, powerful, quick acting etc.

“To swear an oath is the most solemn and binding form of speech known to the human tongue” Mormon Doctrine further explains, “An oath is a solemn appeal to Diety, in attestation of the truth of a statement or of a sworn determination to keep a promise: By people who valued their religion and their word above their lives, could be and were relied upon with absolute assurance.” (p538) “it binds on earth as well as in heaven” (p539)

So to recap a Covenant is a 2-way promise that we make with Heavenly Father, He swears to us by oath that He will keep His covenant to the point that He even lays His life on the line. D&C 84: 40 tells us that we cannot break our end. If we do the consequence in found in 84:41, Whoso breaketh this covenant after he hath received it, (meaning was ordained to it or have used it, enjoyed it, harnessed the power of it) and then altogether turneth therefrom, shall not have forgiveness of his sins in this world nor in the world to come. Joseph Fielding Smith explains this verse a little farther in Doctrines of Salvation. He states that if we use it and then turn away from our promises forever, never repenting through the atonement (including after this life) then we will never get the power of the priesthood ever again, to bless with it or receive blessings with it. That is a pretty powerful statement from the Lord don’t you think. Through that scripture it sounds to me that the Lord doesn’t take this oath and covenant lightly.

So I know you are asking yourself now what covenant exactly have I made? What have I gotten myself into?

We covenant to:
84:31 Offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord (Attend the temple) whether once a month or 10 times a month is doesn’t say but we have covenanted to get ourselves there to receive our endowments and then attend regularly.
84:33 be faithful in obtaining the 2 priesthoods (Aaronic and Melchizedek) Men-this mean be ordained to these offices. Women and Men-this means we need to be diligent in partaking of every ordinance these two priesthoods provide. Like? Sacrament, temple ordinances, callings, etc.
84:33 magnifying their callings I brought a magnifying glass what does this magnifying glass do exactly?
I looked up magnify in Webster’s it says, to increase the importance of: cause to be held in greater esteem or respect…to make greater”
One magnifies a calling by:
Learning one’s duty and executing it fully.
By giving one’s best effort in assigned fields of labor.
By consecrating one’s time, talents, and means to the Lord’s work as called upon by our leaders and the whisperings of the spirit.
By teaching and exemplifying the truth.
Spencer W. Kimball in Miracle of Forgiveness says this, “In the words magnifying their calling, far more seems to be implied than mere attending of priesthood meetings and administering to the sacrament and the sick and serving in church work. Faithfulness to warrant the reception of the priesthood is a condition that perhaps all men do not imply a totalness which few, if any, men reach in mortality.”
This quote doesn’t give us permission to give not try. We do our best! The magnifying glass focuses in on something. So if you were to get a handbook of the duties for your calling and focus in on a couple and work hard to do all you could possibly do to attain perfection in those areas you would be keeping your end of this part of the covenant.

Pres. Hinckley says, “We magnify our priesthood and enlarge our calling when we serve with diligence and enthusiasm in those responsibilities to which we are called by proper authority…We magnify our calling, we enlarge the potential of our priesthood when we reach out to those in distress and give strength to those who falter…We magnify our calling when we walk with honesty and integrity.” (Conf. Report Apr. 1989, 62)
84:36Receiveth my servants-Who are they? Prophets and apostles for sure but it also is anyone who comes in the name of the Lord, our home/visit teachers, our local leaders, etc. Are we supporting those we have sustained in their callings? To me this means women-if your men have callings and they have duties to attend to and you suggest they stay home you are in danger, we need to be pushing them out the door, suggesting they serve with all they have even if that means they are gone a lot. Same goes in reverse, if we as women have callings and the men are preventing them from attending to their duties the consequences are just as severe! This Church was designed to work as a well oiled machine, every organization was put forth to help the others function to its fullest. Yes-without the primary teaching those children the Elder’s couldn’t operate, it goes on and on. This doesn’t mean we should be worried about how the YW program is working or not working, we should be doing our callings to our best and letting them work out theirs.
84:43 beware concerning yourselves and give diligent heed to words of eternal life. Paying attention to the prophets is a great start. Then executing those words precisely.
84;54 not treat lightly the things you have received, this one is self-explanatory
84:57 remember the New covenant; even the B of M and former commandments, not only to say but do them. How seriously are you taking your study of the B of M?

Now we’ve covered our end of that covenant-how are you doing? Could you do better?
If you feel you could do better and you’re wondering if the Reward is worth it here is what the Lord makes an oath to keep on His side of the Covenant, which he made by oath.
84;32 fill us with the glory of the Lord TG-honor, majesty, to be like Heavenly Father, praise, Reward, transfiguration
84:33 to sanctify us “by the spirit unto the renewing of our bodies-resurrected to original state (perfect, purified)
84:34 To make us “the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham and the Church and Kingdom and the elect of God” Posterity, great blessings of greatness and Gods elect people.
84:38 to give us “all that the Father hath” think about all He has-it is offered to us if…
84:42 give His angels charge concerning us- to be in company of angels all the time, oh what we could learn if we listened.

We made a covenant to utilize the priesthood, to magnify our callings, to attend the temple, to listen to the prophets, to be diligent, not treat things of god lightly, Read B of M and follow it’s teachings as well as keep the commandments. If you find yourself lacking some of the Rewards offered to you through the Lord’s covenant and oath, evaluate what you could do better that we may be worthy to receive the kind of power that raises the dead in an instant-not that we need to do that, but if we can raise the dead think of what else can be done with the Priesthood if we live righteously for it. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.