Talk: Blessing Lives of Others Through the Priesthood
Cedar City 8th Ward, September 11, 2011
D&C 84 33 – 40 Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood
33 For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.
34 They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.
35 And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord;
36 For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me;
37 And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father;
38 And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.
39 And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood.
40 Therefore, all those who receive the priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved.
These promised blessings in the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood are great. In order to obtain them we must first be faithful in obtaining the Priesthood and secondly magnify our calling.
The Church Handbook of Instruction Book 2 provides the following direction relative to exercising the Priesthood and also Magnifying Priesthood Callings.
2.4.3 Exercising Priesthood Authority Righteously
The priesthood should be used to bless the lives of others
2.4.5 Magnifying Priesthood Callings
Priesthood holders magnify their callings as they minister in their own homes and to other Saints and as they conscientiously fulfill assigned responsibilities. The Lord counseled, “Let every man learn his duty, and to act in the
office in which he is appointed, in all diligence” (D&C 107:99). Priesthood holders magnify their callings as they serve with diligence, teach with faith and testimony, and lift, strengthen, and nurture convictions of righteousness in the lives of those for whom they have responsibility.
Today I will touch on these three areas: serve with diligence, teach with faith, and lift, strengthen, and nurture others.
Serve with Diligence
The Savior lived a life of service and we are to be as he is. His ministry is filled with examples and in Mark 6 we learn how to serve with 5 loaves and two fishes.
Mark 6:34-44 Five Loaves and Two Fishes
34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:
36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.
37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.
41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
Nearly 20 years ago President James E. Faust, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, gave a conference address in which he discussed the Five Loaves and Two Fishes. He spoke specifically about couple missions and missionaries and how sometimes all they have to offer to the work is 5 loaves and 2 fishes. President Faust declared that when we gave the Lord all we had, even if it was just five loaves and two fishes, the Lord makes up the difference . I know that this is true
In the 2004 hurricane season Florida was hit by hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. Out of those 4 storms Charley, Frances and Jeanne followed a variety of courses each of which passed through the middle of the State and the Lakeland Florida Stake. In November 2004 I was offered and accepted a job in Lakeland Florida and relocated my family to area in February of 2005. When you live in Florida you pay close attention to the hurricane season. I lived in Carson City Nevada during the 2004 season and had no idea that I was moving to this town that seemed to be a magnet for Hurricanes. I quickly learned what had happened as the area was pretty well ravaged. There were signs of destruction all around including the blue tarp covered roofs that were quite common throughout the area. I began to wonder what I had gotten myself into.
Not long after arriving in the area I discovered that there was a recurring theme in Elders Quorum. Every week there was an invitation to gather as priesthood brethren and put a new roof on another member’s home. I soon found myself learning how to roof from some amazing men. I began to see how assignments had been made and responsibilities delegated as brethren served in coordinating materials, equipment and installation. There were roofs to clean off, roofs to repair, and roofs to put on. There were few that had prior experience in the trade but there were many willing to learn and to help. The priesthood had gathered in force and over several months provided over 100 new roofs to members and others living within the boundaries of the Lakeland Florida Stake.
As the 2005 hurricane season approached there were still roofs in need of repair. In August we began work on Sister Pat Holley’s roof. With summer vacations we were at times short on brethren. Sister Holley had large trees that needed to be cleared from the roof, the old roof needed to be stripped off, there were trusses that needed replacing and much of the sheeting needed to be replaced as well. This turned out to be a rather large project and we were there every Saturday in August as well as some evenings during the week. On Sunday August 28th I recorded the following in my journal:
Last night I dreamed about Sister Holly’s roof. This morning I awoke to my cell phone ringing and the call to gather the brethren over to Sister Holly’s so we could finish what needs to be done with her roof. Even if it meant missing church we were going to be there. Well, we missed church. We ended up having the Sacrament there as a Priesthood body in Sister Holley’s front yard. It was a neat experience. It was humbling to stand with these men and to have done something great. I am grateful for that brotherhood and for the strength of the priesthood.
Though not recorded in my journal I recall wondering what the neighbors thought as they watched this group of men labor on this roof. I chuckled as I thought about them wondering what roofing company it was that sang hymns and prayed together in the yard after they completed a roof. No roofing company, just the priesthood of God out tending to one of the sheep of His fold.
The following day on August 29th, 2005 Hurricane Katrina slammed into the US Gulf Coast destroying towns in Mississippi and Louisiana. We had just finished the last roof and the call came to assist in the cleanup of Katrina. We didn’t know when we would need to go, only that we would go. It was a month later that we were to report to Pascagoula, Mississippi to assist in the efforts. On the 30th of September 2005 I recorded the following:
I have been up and going today for nearly 24 hours. We just arrived in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Here for a work project with the Priesthood. In a few short hours we will get up and get going… It is hot and muggy at the moment and everyone is a bit tired. Should be a fun weekend… I am grateful to be here. The service rendered since arriving in Florida has been constant and is a blessing.
This was a humbling experience. It was my first time on a Hurricane Cleanup crew and the extent of the damage was depressing. We would get work orders from the Church and then would go out to complete them. We ripped out carpets and tore out walls. We hauled furniture and other belongings to huge piles in the street. Everything these people had was lost. We also stood with and mourned with those that mourned, we comforted those that stood in need of comfort. We offered prayers and shared our love with these good people who lost everything.
I will ever remember Travis Cook whose home we gathered at and cleaned out on Sunday morning. Travis was an 81 year old man. His home was built in 1904. He rode out the storm in his home only to find himself standing on top of a chair that was sitting on top of his kitchen counter. He had done what he could to save his home but in the end the water surge was too much and all he had was lost There was a large group of us there and we all gathered in the yard when the work was done. Travis stood there with us and wept. We wept as well and shared a few thoughts and offered prayer.
As we left this humble man’s home I was moved by the strength that exists in the Priesthood. These were good men who readily answered the call to serve. That service wasn’t always the most glamorous but it was what they were asked to do and they did it. There were lives blessed. Not only those that we served but our own lives as well.
Teach With Faith and Testimony
Doctrine and Covenants 88:77-78
78 Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand;
One of the primary responsibilities of a Priesthood Holder is that of a Home Teacher. Lives are blessed and strengthened through this great work. I would submit that in those times when I faithfully perform my duty as a home teacher I am also blessed. Often times I leave the homes of my families being lifted in spirit and strengthened by the faith and the testimonies of those I am called to serve. It helps me to be a little better.
Some may feel inadequate or lacking and thus the need to teach with faith – faith that the Lord will be on your right hand and on your left and his spirit round about you to bear you up. I testify that this is so.
Lift, Strengthen and Nurture
Alma 15:16,18 Alma administers to Amulek
16 And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek, Amulek having forsaken all his gold, and silver, and his precious things, which were in the land of Ammonihah, for the word of God, he being rejected by those who were once his friends and also by his father and his kindred;
18 Now as I said, Alma having seen all these things, therefore he took Amulek and came over to the land of Zarahemla, and took him to his own house, and did administer unto him in his tribulations, and strengthened him in the Lord.
I love this passage as it beautifully portrays a Priesthood bearer lifting his brother. There are times in our lives when we find ourselves walking through mists of darkness in a dark and dreary place. Elder Holland pointed out in a conference address that the Lord provides Angels in our lives just as he did for Lehi when he found himself in a dark and dreary place.
While in Florida I had the blessing of serving with the Stake Presidency. President Karl Sweeney was a most remarkable man. I scheduled many appointments for him with members of the Stake many of whom needed to be lifted. He traveled the Stake every Sunday and would find those in the various wards that were in need and he administered to them.
A time ago I was in a dark and dreary place. My life was filled with great sadness and times were very difficult. I will never forget when President Sweeney poked his head in our gospel doctrine class and gestured for me to come. In that private setting this great man adminsterred to me in my tribulations, and strengthened me in the Lord. I am grateful for a Priesthood bearer who knew how to lift, strengthen and nurture.
Conclusion:
Each of us has the ability to serve, teach and lift. We have the opportunity to be instruments in the Lords hands in blessing the lives of others. In closing I share this final thought from President Monson from a talk called Sugar Beets and the Worth of a Soul:
My dear brothers and sisters, ours is the responsibility, even the solemn duty, to reach out to all of those whose lives we have been called to touch. Our duty is to guide them to the celestial kingdom of God. May we ever remember that the mantle of leadership is not the cloak of comfort but rather the robe of responsibility. May we reach out to rescue those who need our help and our love.
As we succeed, as we bring a woman or man, a girl or boy back into activity, we will be answering a wife’s or sister’s or mother’s fervent prayer, helping fulfill a husband’s or brother’s or father’s greatest desire. We will be honoring a loving Father’s direction and following an obedient Son’s example (see John 12:26; D&C 59:5). And our names will forever be honored by those whom we reach.
No comments:
Post a Comment