Elder Renlund speaks about the blessings on both sides of the veil that occur when we do family history work.  He begins by talking about the obligation we have as members of the church to participate in this sacred work.

• Latter-day Saints have an obligation to research and compile family histories so that we can perform vicarious ordinances for our ancestors.
  

He speaks about God having a purpose for calling us to this work.  The blessings that come to those that have passed is great but can be just as powerful for our souls that are here doing the work for them.

• When God directs us to do one thing, He often has many purposes in mind. Family history and temple work is not only for the dead but blesses the living as well.
  
• As Church members, we do have a divinely appointed responsibility to seek out our ancestors and compile family histories. This is far more than an encouraged hobby, because the ordinances of salvation are necessary for all of God’s children.
  

Elder Renlund compiles a long list of blessings that come to us as we participate in family history and temple work.  These blessings are promised to us by apostles and prophets throughout the ages.

• As we participate in family history and temple work today, we also lay claim to “healing” blessings promised by prophets and apostles. These blessings are also breathtakingly amazing because of their scope, specificity, and consequence in mortality. This long list includes these blessings:
  
  • Increased understanding of the Savior and His atoning sacrifice;Increased influence of the Holy Ghost to feel strength and direction for our own lives;
    
  • Increased faith, so that conversion to the Savior becomes deep and abiding;
  • Increased ability and motivation to learn and repent because of an understanding of who we are, where we come from, and a clearer vision of where we are going;
  • Increased refining, sanctifying, and moderating influences in our hearts;
  • Increased joy through an increased ability to feel the love of the Lord;
  • Increased family blessings, no matter our current, past, or future family situation or how imperfect our family tree may be;
  • Increased love and appreciation for ancestors and living relatives, so we no longer feel alone;
  • Increased power to discern that which needs healing and thus, with the Lord’s help, serve others;
  • Increased protection from temptations and the intensifying influence of the adversary; and
  • Increased assistance to mend troubled, broken, or anxious hearts and make the wounded whole.

Elder Renlund says that if we have prayed for any blessings like these in our lives, the key to opening those blessings is to participate in family history and temple work.

• If you have prayed for any of these blessings, participate in family history and temple work. As you do so, your prayers will be answered. When ordinances are performed on behalf of the deceased, God’s children on earth are healed.

Finally, he reminds us that God is active on both sides of the veil, equally blessings us and our ancestors that have passed.

• God, in His infinite capacity, seals and heals individuals and families despite tragedy, loss, and hardship. We sometimes compare the feelings we experience in temples as having caught a glimpse of heaven.

I love how Elder Renlund speaks about catching a glimpse of heaven here on earth.  He quotes C.S. Lewis as he talks about the blessings of the temple and the recognition that heaven is so close that we hardly will be able to tell our life here from our life there because of the great blessings we have been given here.  When we do temple work, the veil is thin and we catch a glimpse of heaven here on earth.  I am grateful that blessings are given to us as we do the work of salvation for those who have passed.  I know that the temple is such a special place and many blessings recognized and unrecognized are given to us as we help those that can no longer make these covenants for themselves.

Elder Renlund compares the priesthood to a rocket.  The rocket is a way to deliver the payload just as the priesthood is the way God help deliver eternal life.

• This evening I would like to compare the priesthood that we hold to a rocket and the opportunity to benefit from the Savior’s atoning power to the payload that a rocket delivers.
• For Heavenly Father’s purposes to be accomplished, Christ’s atoning power needs to be made available to God’s children. The priesthood delivers these opportunities. It is the rocket. Priesthood is essential because necessary ordinances and covenants on earth are administered only by its authority. If the priesthood fails to deliver the opportunity to benefit from the Savior’s atoning power, what would be its purpose? Would it just be a complex, attention-grabbing firecracker? God intends priesthood to be used for more than just a class on Sunday or as a service opportunity. He intends for it to deliver the payload.
  

 
He speaks about the purpose of the priesthood and what is brings to the children of God.

• The purpose of the priesthood is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel. We have the priesthood so that we can help Heavenly Father’s children be relieved of the burden of sin and become like Him. Through the priesthood, the power of godliness is manifest in the lives of all who make and keep gospel covenants and receive the associated ordinances. This is the way each of us comes unto Christ, is purified, and is reconciled to God. Christ’s atoning power is made accessible through the priesthood, which delivers the payload.

 
When we are faithful to our priesthood covenants, the Savior is able to make something more of us than we can make of ourselves alone.

• Jesus Christ will prepare the way before the priesthood holder and will be with him. The Holy Ghost will be in the priesthood holder’s heart, and angels will bear him up. His body will be strengthened and renewed. He will become heir to the blessings of Abraham and, along with his wife, joint-heir with Jesus Christ to Heavenly Father’s kingdom. These are “exceeding great and precious promises.” No greater promises can be imagined.

 
When we break our covenants and choose a different path, consequences occur.  Not only do we lose the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, we could lose our membership in the church and our temple blessings.

• Severe consequences result from breaking priesthood covenants and altogether turning from them. Being casual or apathetic in a priesthood calling is like introducing material fatigue into a rocket component. It jeopardizes the priesthood covenant because it can lead to mission failure. Disobedience to God’s commandments breaks the covenant. For a perpetual, unrepentant covenant-breaker, the promised blessings are withdrawn.

 
Elder Renlund speaks about a man he met on assignment to organize a stake.  He met with a young man receiving the priesthood and temple blessings again after repenting.  He speaks about the amazing results of the atonement in our lives and how great it is that these blessings are given to man through the priesthood power.

• I have come to realize that the purpose of organizing a stake, or using the priesthood of God in any way, is to assist Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in Their work—to provide the opportunity for redemption and exaltation to each of God’s children. Like the rocket whose purpose is to deliver a payload, the priesthood delivers the gospel of Jesus Christ, enabling all to make covenants and receive the associated ordinances. “The atoning blood of Christ” can thereby be applied in our lives as we experience the sanctifying influence of the Holy Ghost and receive the blessings God promises.

 
Finally, Elder Renlund invites us to make and keep sacred covenants.  When we do, we will be partners with God to bring out His purposes for His children here on earth.

• I invite you to make and keep priesthood covenants. Receive God’s oath and His promise. Magnify your responsibilities in the priesthood to help Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Use the priesthood to help deliver the opportunity to benefit from the Savior’s atoning power to someone else! As you do, great blessings will come to you and your family.

The priesthood is the power that helps us provide eternal blessings to the children of God.  As we are faithful in our responsibilities, the Lord will use us to help others come unto Christ.  It is important to realize that the blessings of the priesthood are not used selfishly but used to help others.  We all need the priesthood to make it possible to return to God.

Elder Renlund speaks about being like the Savior in how we treat those that are sinner and make mistakes.  We each are in this category and we ca learn by the way the Savior treated sinners.  We are not to judge but to show compassion for those that struggle with issues in their life. He begins by telling us that our imperfections should draw us closer to the Savior as we struggle.

• The Savior’s compassion in the face of our imperfections draws us toward Him and motivates us in our repeated struggles to repent and emulate Him. As we become more like Him, we learn to treat others as He does, regardless of any outward characteristic or behavior.
  

He speaks of sin as a disease.  He says that the Savior didn't walk away in horror and disgust from those that were brought to Him.  Instead he showed compassion, support, and taught them a better way.

• Since God uses disease as a metaphor for sin throughout the scriptures, it is reasonable to ask, “How does Jesus Christ react when faced with our metaphorical diseases—our sins?” After all, the Savior said that He “cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance”; so how can He look at us, imperfect as we are, without recoiling in horror and disgust?
  

• The answer is simple and clear. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ views disease in His sheep as a condition that needs treatment, care, and compassion. This shepherd, our Good Shepherd, finds joy in seeing His diseased sheep progress toward healing.
  

Those that were sinners were who the Savior ministered to.  He didn't walk away from them or lose hope that they could change.

• The Savior’s mortal ministry was indeed characterized by love, compassion, and empathy. He did not disdainfully walk the dusty roads of Galilee and Judea, flinching at the sight of sinners. He did not dodge them in abject horror. No, He ate with them. He helped and blessed, lifted and edified, and replaced fear and despair with hope and joy. Like the true shepherd He is, He seeks us and finds us to offer relief and hope. Understanding His compassion and love helps us exercise faith in Him—to repent and be healed.
  

While God understands the mistakes we make, we should not believe that he is acceptable of the sins we make.  The Savior wants to save us from our sin.

• While God is empathetic, we should not mistakenly believe that He is accepting and open-minded about sin. He is not. The Savior came to earth to save us from our sins and, importantly, will not save us in our sins.
  

The change that is needed to turn our sinful life over to the Savior is found in believing He can heal us.  Our faith in His divine mission leads us to change and become accepting of His great gift for us.

• The Savior’s compassion, love, and mercy draw us toward Him. Through His Atonement, we are no longer satisfied with our sinful state. God is clear about what is right and acceptable to Him and what is wrong and sinful. This is not because He desires to have mindless, obedient followers. No, our Heavenly Father desires that His children knowingly and willingly choose to become like Him and qualify for the kind of life He enjoys. In doing so, His children fulfill their divine destiny and become heirs to all that He has. For this reason, Church leaders cannot alter God’s commandments or doctrine contrary to His will, to be convenient or popular.
  

Elder Renlund shares the we have a role to play in bringing people to the Savior.  We are to lift, edify, and give reason for hope and joy.

• We, who are sinners, must, like the Savior, reach out to others with compassion and love. Our role is also to help and bless, lift and edify, and replace fear and despair with hope and joy.
  

He again notes that we should not condemn the sinner.

• A repenting sinner draws closer to God than does the self-righteous person who condemns that sinner.
  

He encourages us to be respectful and to remove hate from our lives.  We are not immune to negative feelings about others but through the Savior, we can look at all of God's children with love and compassion.

• Persecution comes in many forms: ridicule, harassment, bullying, exclusion and isolation, or hatred toward another. We must guard against bigotry that raises its ugly voice toward those who hold different opinions. Bigotry manifests itself, in part, in unwillingness to grant equal freedom of expression. Everyone, including people of religion, has the right to express his or her opinions in the public square. But no one has a license to be hateful toward others as those opinions are expressed.
  

He concludes with encouragement that we follow the example of the Savior and show respect, love, and compassion to all of Heavenly Father's children.

• Our Good Shepherd is unchanging and feels the same way today about sin and sinners as He did when He walked the earth. He does not recoil from us because we sin, even if He on occasion must think, “But what a sheep!” He loves us so much that He provided the way for us to repent and become clean so we can return to Him and our Heavenly Father. In doing so, Jesus Christ also set the example for us to follow—to show respect to all and hatred toward none.
  
• As His disciples, let us fully mirror His love and love one another so openly and completely that no one feels abandoned, alone, or hopeless.
  

This blog has been about finding ways to be a better disciple of the Savior.  I read and study with the intent on finding good things to put into my life and characteristics that will allow me to be more Christlike to all those around me.  Elder Renlund reminds be we are all God's children and as such, we should treat all men with love, respect, and compassion.  Sometimes I get caught up on the actions people have that I tend to think cause their own pain and troubles.  One of the things that I am working on is looking at people through the ears of the Savior and not through the mistakes and pains that they have in their life.  I am working on this and with the instruction that Elder Renlund gives, I have some great counsel that will allow me to move forward in my quest to become more and more like the Savior.