Monday, April 18, 2016

Ponderize - D&D 121: 36

D&C 121: 36
That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.

My biggest takeaway from General Conference is that, as a Paladin, I haven't been putting enough effort into levelling up. I've blogged before about how the Priesthood is true divine magic, and as a Priesthood holder, I have been given access to that power, but I have done very little to learn how to tap into it and expand my access to it. In his Priesthood Session talk, The Price of Priesthood Power, President Nelson awoke me to this neglect of mine when he expressed his fear "that there are too many priesthood bearers who have done little or nothing to develop their ability to access the powers of heaven."

This week, I'm going to begin the process of trying to fix that. By focussing on D&C 121: 36 this week, I'm going to continually remind myself that I have access to the powers of heaven, and that, to tap into that power, I need to diligently adhere to the principles of righteousness. Of course, I try to adhere to those principles anyway, but I'm sure that I haven't been doing as much to be worthy to bear the priesthood as I could be doing. I could be more righteous; thus, my priesthood power could be greater. I hope to increase both my righteousness and my power this week.

It's not really like a Paladin to seek power for power's sake. That's more of a Wizard's thing, especially if they're seeking power through study and practice, as I will. But it is very much like a Paladin to want to increase his devotion to God, and to increase his capacity to bless others and battle evil. While I don't consider myself particularly power-hungry, I admit that I could certainly use more of that kind of power. That is why, this week and onward, I am going to actively try to increase my spiritual, priesthood power.

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