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Holmes - What Every Aaronic Priesthood Holder Needs to Understand - April 2018

9/12/2018

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Brother Douglas D. Holmes speaks as the first counselor in the Young Men General Presidency.  He speaks about the duties and obligations of Aaronic Priesthood holders.  He makes a point to say that he is speaking to all Aaronic Priesthood holders, even those that have the Melchizedek Priesthood.  He begins by quoting Elder Renlund.
  • Elder Dale G. Renlund taught that the purpose of the priesthood is to provide God’s children access to the atoning power of Jesus Christ. To receive Christ’s atoning power in our lives, we must believe in Him, repent of our sins, make and keep sacred covenants through ordinances, and receive the Holy Ghost. These are not principles we engage in just once; rather, they work together, reinforcing and building on each other in a continuing process of upward progression to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.”

He shares that providing access to the atonement can be done by understanding that the Aaronic Priesthood contains the keys to the ministering of angels.
  • To preach the gospel is a priesthood duty. And the power associated with this duty is not just for prophets or even just for missionaries. It is for you!
  • Young men, you are authorized messengers. Through your words and actions, you can bring faith in Christ to the hearts of God’s children. As President Russell M. Nelson said, “To them you will be as a ministering angel.”

Before we can teach someone to repent and minister to them of the need to repent, we must be an example of what the atonement can do for us.
  • As you study your Aaronic Priesthood duties, you will see a clear charge to invite others to repent and improve. That does not mean we stand on a street corner shouting, “Repent ye!” More often, it means that we repent, we forgive, and as we minister to others, we offer the hope and peace that repentance brings—because we have experienced it ourselves.

Brother Holmes teaches us that there is a difference in repenting of our sins and having our sin remitted.  Although I had heard this before, I didn't have it touch me as clearly as it did in this talk.
  • President Gordon B. Hinckley taught: “It is one thing to repent. It is another to have our sins remitted or forgiven. The power to bring this about is found in the Aaronic Priesthood.” The Aaronic Priesthood ordinances of baptism and the sacrament witness and complete our repentance for a remission of sins.
  • Brethren, it is a sacred privilege to administer ordinances that bring a remission of sins to repentant hearts through the Savior’s atoning power.

Our duty as Aaronic Priesthood holders is to partner with God to bring about the work of salvation for the children of men.  As we honor our priesthood, we will have opportunities to baptize, provide the sacrament to others, and minister to His children.
  • Young men, as you diligently engage in your priesthood duties, you participate with God in His work “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Experiences like these increase your desire and prepare you to teach repentance and baptize converts as missionaries. They also prepare you for lifelong service in the Melchizedek Priesthood.

He provides some advice for parents and priesthood leaders helping to bring up these Young Men in the gospel.
  • Parents and priesthood leaders, can you sense the importance of President Monson’s counsel to help young men understand “what it means … to be bearers of the priesthood of God”? Understanding and magnifying the Aaronic Priesthood will prepare them to be faithful Melchizedek Priesthood holders, power-filled missionaries, and righteous husbands and fathers. Through their service, they will understand and feel the reality of priesthood power, the power to act in the name of Christ for the salvation of God’s children.

Finally, he speaks to the Young Men about the sacredness of the priesthood that they have been entrusted with.  He promises as we are faithful, we will feel the power of God in ways that we have never done before.  We will begin to see ourselves as God sees us when we are faithful and true to the covenants we have made.
  • Young men, God has a work for you to do. Your Aaronic Priesthood ordination is central to helping His children receive Christ’s atoning power. I promise that as you put these sacred duties at the center of your life, you will feel the power of God as never before. You will understand your identity as a son of God, called with a holy calling to do His work. And, like John the Baptist, you will help prepare the way for the coming of His Son.

The plain truths shared in this talk are so important to remind ourselves us over and over again.  The partnering we do with God on behalf of the children of men is vital to their salvation as well as ours.  We are ministers to God's children, providing important ordinances and blessings that can't be obtained without the priesthood.  What jumped out at me was the difference between repenting and having our sins remitted.  I am going to ponder on that idea for the next couple days and believe I will find deeper meaning the sacrament Sunday when I put those two concepts side by side in review of my week.  I believe I have been forgiven of sins, but maybe I need to gain a deeper understanding of whither those sins have been remitted by my Savior.  What a deep and profound concept to ponder upon this week.
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Holmes - The Gift of the Holy Ghost - December 2016

12/24/2016

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Brother Douglas D. Holmes, First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency speaks at the Christmas Devotional in December 2016.  He speaks about the giving and receiving of gifts and the significance of giving gifts in light of the ultimate gift that God gave us, His son.
  • It seems appropriate that giving and receiving gifts is a central part of Christmas. After all, we are celebrating the matchless gift of God’s Son, the Savior Jesus Christ. Of course, our gifts to each other will never compare to this gift, but I believe that the joy of giving and receiving gifts can turn our hearts toward the “gifts of God.”

He asks us to think of what Christmas would be like if we were given gifts, only to admire that we received it but never opened it.  He encourages us to look at the gifts that God has given us and seek ways to open them for our personal benefit.
  • Imagine how strange it would be if, on Christmas morning, we sat around the Christmas tree, admired the beautifully wrapped presents, talked about what might be inside them, and then went about our day without ever opening the gifts!
  • Tonight I want to invite all of us to ponder how we might truly receive the gifts God has offered us. In particular, I’d like to focus on the boundless gift of the Holy Ghost. As I do, I pray that the Holy Ghost will help us understand the significance of this gift, teach us what we can do to more fully receive it, and give us grace to act on what we feel.

He speaks about the gift of the Holy Ghost that God has given to us.  He reviews the fruits of the spirit and compares those fruits to what we call today, the Christmas Spirit.  They are very similar.
  • You remember some of those attributes: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance.” To me this sounds like a good description of what is often called “the Christmas spirit.” The angelic promises of “good tidings of great joy” and “peace, good will toward men” from that first Christmas night are fulfilled, in part, as we receive the Holy Ghost.

Brother Douglas says there are three things we can do to receive the precious gift that God has given us.  He uses examples from the Book of Mormon to teach us how we can receive the gift with greater impact in our lives.

Overarching Spiritual Desire

  • As they waited for the Savior to return, the disciples taught the multitude what Jesus had taught the previous day. The record then says they knelt and prayed “for that which they most desired; and they desired that the Holy Ghost [would] be given unto them.” Consider for a moment how significant that is—they were anxiously anticipating the promised return of the Savior, but they did not pray for that. Having been taught by the perfect teacher and then by His chosen disciples, what they most desired was the gift of the Holy Ghost. This intense, overarching spiritual desire is a vital key to receiving this gift.

Righteously Participating in Ordinances
  • Returning to the scene in the Book of Mormon, we discover another key. After pleading in prayer for the gift they most desired, the Holy Ghost, the disciples went down into the water and were baptized. “And it came to pass when they were all baptized … the Holy Ghost did fall upon them, and they were filled with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” The ordinance of baptism serves as a physical witness of our commitment to remember and obey, our willingness to take Christ’s name upon us, and our desire to receive the Holy Ghost.

Increasing Faith
  • If we desire the Holy Ghost as our daily companion, we will feast on and obey the word of Christ received through the scriptures, living prophets, and the whisperings of the Spirit. This daily pursuit of light and truth will increase our faith in Christ, our desire to be like Him, and our capacity to receive the third member of the Godhead as our constant companion.

Brother Douglas outlines the precious gift that we have in the Holy Ghost. He shares ways that we can have the Spirit more in our lives. As I have included a daily conference talk in my daily study for the past 10 months, I have seen an increase in my faith. I have felt the presence of the Spirit more in my life. I have felt an increased desire to change my life and to do things that are more in line with the things that I have studied.  Today marks our 300th blog entry. I have felt the amazing love that God has for me and His children on this journey. I have made this a part of my daily life and I know that there are many we have taken this journey with me. Thank you for your support by reading the posts daily. I have learned so much and am daily, trying to learn more about being a better disciple of the Savior. Please encourage your friends and family to take this journey with us. As we share the message of General Conference together, I know that our faith will increase, our desire to change for the better will be intensified, and the love that the Savior has for us will be felt on a daily basis. Please join me on the journey of another 300 blog posts in the future.
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