Today was a special day for Eli and our family! ❤️
He gave a great talk in Sacrament about magnifying the Priesthood to become a better disciple of Jesus Christ. Of course he put his humor and personality into it and had us all laughing as well as sharing deep and meaningful thoughts. 😉
Then this afternoon, he was ordained to the office of a Priest. Jared gave him a beautiful blessing. Walker was also standing in the circle, and my heart felt so full of gratitude as I watched my three men participate in this Holy bestowal of God's power. Sometimes I feel like I am going to burst with how much I love my family! 💞
If you are interested here is his talk:
Morning brothers and sisters.
After thinking for a very long time I’ve decided to start my talk off with one of my best church pickup lines - Hey girl, I like your modest tan lines we should go out sometime - And don’t worry bishop I’m only practicing that one for when I’m 16
In all seriousness though I was asked to talk on how magnifying the priesthood helps me be a better disciple of Christ.
I want to pose the question on how it wouldn’t
The priesthood helps us all to be better disciples of Christ in a multitude of ways, money, academics, relationships, worthiness. The Priesthood helps us in all of these ways and many more.
I would like to focus on why just for a second here.
New Year’s has just passed us, and with it, millions of people have made resolutions and goals and all that. But did you know, only 64% last more than the first month? So if you haven’t given up yet, odds are the person sitting next to you has.
The priesthood has, in my life, given me an excuse, maybe the ultimate excuse to remain worthy in my life. Which in turn allows me to be a better disciple of Christ as it enables me to do his work with a free conscious and open mind instead of dwelling on the things that I maybe shouldn’t have done.
Furthermore, having the priesthood in my life serves a constant check and balance in order to keep myself in line whenever I seem to stray.
Magnifying the priesthood not only keeps me worthy but it allows me to grow and obtain relationships with others.
If you magnify the priesthood you can stand out from the monotony of everyday society and be a beacon to which others are drawn because you have a different sense about you.
This doesn’t apply to just men, it applies to women as well. If you magnify the blessings that the priesthood has brought to you or given to you, you can have the same sense of difference that people seem to so easily identify (for better or for worse).
Standing out from the crowd permits you to be able to become a better disciple of Christ because the people that you meet will want to know why you are different. And not only why, but how you are different than other religions, giving you the opportunity to explain to them the differences and maybe give them some sediments of truth
For example, something like this happened to me just recently with my friend Gavin.
He exclaimed to me one day during a conversation we were having quote “Why are all you Mormon folk so smart, it’s unfair, it seems like almost all of you are good at everything academic.”
I immediately JUMPED at the opportunity to correct him saying- Um Actually, we are Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
But then I said, it’s not that we are any smarter or better than anyone else, I know plenty of average members. It’s that we have the practice of holding ourselves to a higher standard from an earlier age.
What can we learn from this experience?
Well I learned that the experience of the priesthood being in my life, throughout my entire life, is an immeasurable blessing. And that in following in the footsteps of the amazing example that my dad has set for me, and working on being the best priesthood holder I can be and looking for new areas to improve in. It allows me as a member to become a better disciple, to be more focused, more in tune, and better prepared for things that life will throw at me. So when my foundations are shaken my spiritual tower will not tumble so easily.
Magnifying the priesthood in our lives, whether it be the priesthood itself or the blessings that it brings to our lives is a paltry task when you consider the innumerable ways in which it affects our lives it’s just a matter of actually doing it.
And if we do do it, we will become exponentially better servants and disciples of Christ.
Not only will we be better disciples of Christ but it will bless our lives in many ways, some even unknown unto us.
I invite all of you to reaffirm your conviction to be the best disciple to Christ and to magnify it in your lives, try it for a week or maybe even two and I promise you that you will see the blessings that come from it in your life.
And I invite you to take active steps to become a better more devout disciple of Christ whether that be turning in a tithing slip you missed or learning to be a more contrite person in your day to day life.
I’d like to bear my testimony that I know the power of the priesthood is real. Very real.
I know that in this church, the only true church, that what you put into growing your testimony is what you’ll get out of it. And that if you try hard every single day doing all the primary answers you WILL get something out of it.
And if you haven’t gotten something out of it yet, continue looking, in places that you wouldn’t think to even look for it.
I know that perseverance is key in obtaining the knowledge and love of the gospel that some people very near and dear to me have.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Labels: Aaronic Priesthood, Eli, Jared, Priest, Priesthood, sacrament talk, Walker
