Your Potential, Your Privilege

Too late the man discovered that he had been living far below his privileges.

Are we, as priesthood holders, living below our privileges?

All the blessings of the priesthood can be given to other worthy children of God in priesthood blessings.

Too often our day to day activities go no deeper than a rehearsed script.

First, read the manual to make full use of the priesthood (the scriptures and handbooks – D&C 20, 84, 107, & 121)

We want and we must become skilled in learning and craftsmanship. We need to do the same with spiritual learning.

Second, seek the revelations of the Spirit.

If we are bit seeking to use the channel of revelation we are living below our privileges in the priesthood.

Third, find joy in priesthood service.

Some pilots maintained their enthusiasm for flying even after years but there were some who mastered the systems but then were merely going through the motions without the enthusiasm and the joy.

Let us not pass through life in the three dark W’s: worried, worrying, and whining . . . especially in our homes.

The blessings of the priesthood transcend our ability to comprehend. Faithful Melchizedek Priesthood holders can “become . . . the elect of God.” They are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies and can ultimately receive “all that [the] Father hath.” This may be hard to comprehend, but it is beautiful, and I testify that it is true.

The fact that our Heavenly Father would entrust this power and responsibility to man is evidence of His great love for us and a foreshadowing of our potential as sons of God in the hereafter.

Too often our actions suggest that we live far beneath this potential. When asked about the priesthood, many of us can recite a correct definition, but in our daily lives, there may be little evidence that our understanding goes beyond the level of a rehearsed script.

Brethren, we are faced with a choice. We can be satisfied with a diminished experience as priesthood bearers and settle for experiences far below our privileges. Or we can partake of an abundant feast of spiritual opportunity and universal priesthood blessings.

Too often we attend meetings and nod our heads; we might even smile knowingly and agree. We jot down some action points, and we may say to ourselves, “That is something I will do.” But somewhere between the hearing, the writing of a reminder on our smartphone, and the actual doing, our “do it” switch gets rotated to the “later” position. Brethren, let’s make sure to set our “do it” switch always to the “now” position!

As you read the scriptures and listen to the words of the prophets with all your heart and mind, the Lord will tell you how to live up to your priesthood privileges. Don’t let a day go by without doing something to act on the promptings of the Spirit.

1. Read the Owner’s Manual
• The holy priesthood of God also has an owner’s manual. Let us commit to reading the scriptures and handbooks with more purpose and more focus. Let us begin by rereading sections 20, 84, 107, and 121 of the Doctrine and Covenants.
• The more we study the purpose, potential, and practical use of the priesthood, the more we will be amazed by its power, and the Spirit will teach us how to access and use that power to bless our families, our communities, and the Church.
• I commend you for striving diligently to gain an education and become an expert in your field. I invite you to also become experts in the doctrines of the gospel – especially the doctrine of the priesthood.
2. Seek the Revelations of the Spirit
• A sure testimony of Jesus Christ and of His restored gospel takes more than knowledge – it requires personal revelation, confirmed through honest and dedicated application of gospel principles.
• If we are not seeking to use this channel of revelation, we are living beneath our priesthood privileges.
• Think of what a glorious thing it is to reach beyond our earthly limitations, to have the eyes of our understanding opened and receive light and knowledge from celestial sources! It is our privilege and opportunity as bearers of the priesthood to seek personal revelation and to learn how to know the truth for ourselves through the sure witness of the Holy Spirit.
• Let us earnestly seek the light of personal inspiration.
• Let us plead with the Lord to endow our mind and soul with the spark of faith that will enable us to receive and recognize the divine ministering of the Holy Spirit for our specific life situations and for our challenges and priesthood duties.
3. Find Joy in Priesthood Service
• You may want to ask yourself if you are merely going through the motions as a priesthood bearer – doing what is expected but not experiencing the joy that should be yours.
• Holding the priesthood gives us abundant opportunities to feel the joy that Ammon expressed: “Have we not great reason to rejoice? . . . We have been instruments in [the Lord’s] hands of doing this great and marvelous work. Therefore, let us glory . . . in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice.”
• Brethren, our religion is a joyful one! We are most blessed to bear the priesthood of God!

Too often we fail to experience the bliss that comes from daily, practical priesthood service. At times assignments can feel like burdens. Brethren, let us not pass through life immersed in the three Ws: wearied, worrying, and whining. We live beneath our privileges when we allow worldly anchors to keep us away from the abundant joy that comes from faithful and dedicated priesthood service, especially within the walls of our own homes. We live beneath our privileges when we fail to partake of the feast of happiness, peace, and joy that God grants so bountifully to faithful priesthood servants.

Brethren, if your home teaching efforts don’t seem to be effective to you, I invite you to see with the eye of faith what a visit from a servant of the Lord will do for a family that has many unseen problems. When you grasp the divine potential of your priesthood service, the Spirit of God will fill your hearts and minds; it will shine in your eyes and faces.

My dear brethren, may we diligently seek to learn the doctrine of the holy priesthood, may we strengthen our testimonies line upon line by receiving the revelations of the Spirit, and may we find true joy in daily priesthood service. As we do these things, we will begin to live up to our potential and privileges as priesthood holders, and we will be able to “do all things through Christ which strengtheneth [us].”