The Doctrine of the Priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven

INTRODUCTION
Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever. (D&C 121:45)

In D&C 121:45 we find a phrase that appears only one time in all of scripture “... the doctrine of the priesthood...”. It says that “...”the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven”, among other amazing blessings. This is included as one of the several powerful and positive consequences of exercising the priesthood and serving as the Lord intends and living according to the divine principles that the Lord has taught us. The purpose of this book is to study the doctrine of the priesthood and hopefully, to better understand what it is, how and why it can and will distill upon our souls as the dews from heaven, when we qualify for it, and what are the positive consequences and blessings associated with this process. We will examine what we can do to ensure that we and our loved ones can enjoy this and other blessings, which relate to exercising and even magnifying or concentrating the power and blessings associated with the priesthood of God, in our lives, families, our personal relationships, and our stewardships.

I write this as I begin my seventy-fourth year on this earth. At this time, we have thirty-six direct descendants, including children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. For this second edition of this book, I realize that it is primarily for these thirty-six descendants and their descendants that I write this book. I write it in hopes that it can bless each of you as well as your descendants. Beyond my own personal family, I am a sibling in the family of God and I also write to all my spirit siblings. We are one big family. At present, it is estimated that over 117 billion people have lived on earth. This, of course, is based on a number of assumptions, many of which I don’t necessarily accept or believe. However, it’s a very interesting estimate of the size of our spirit family.

I want to begin by explaining some of the personal conclusions that I have reached relative to this doctrine of the priesthood. I have spent years studying this and trying to prayerfully connect the dots of doctrine, which explain it. Ultimately, I have come to realize that the doctrine of the priesthood is a subset of the restored and comprehensive gospel of Jesus Christ, which focuses on service to others. It is fascinating to compare and correlate this service-oriented, other-centric doctrine of the priesthood with the
doctrines, which are more directly associated with personal
redemption and salvation, and yet how symbiotic they are.

In this diagram, we see concepts, actions, and doctrines, which are all comprised, of the comprehensive doctrines of Christ, salvation, and service in the larger, all-encompassing larger circle. Note that the concepts and activities shown in the larger outer circle all relate to our personal salvation, while all the concepts and activities shown in the smaller gold circle relate to our inspired service focused on others through the doctrine of the priesthood.

Throughout the scriptures, which specifically relate to service, particularly service by and under the stewardship of priesthood leaders, we are instructed about how we are to serve others and bring them to Christ. We also see numerous examples of exemplary priesthood service throughout the scriptures by our Heavenly Parents, Jesus Christ, Adam & Eve, Enoch, Abraham & Sarah, Moses, Melchizedek, Mary the mother of the Savior, John the Baptist, John the Beloved, the Apostles Peter & Paul, Lehi and Sariah, Alma, Nephi, Enos, King Mosiah, Captain Moroni, Mahonri Moriancumer (the brother of Jared), Joseph & Emma Smith and hundreds of others.

In each of these individuals’ lives we have inspiring evidence in their stories not only of their personal worthiness (blue larger circle qualities) but also their consistent focus on serving others and applying the doctrine of the priesthood in their lives (gold smaller circle). We also have ample evidence that testifies from the dust that their personal worthiness prepared them for selfless service to others and qualified them to be born of the Holy Spirit and to enjoy His constant companionship when they lived worthy of that ultimate gift and direction.

We also see, through their examples, how the blessings associated with the doctrine of the priesthood were theirs, above and beyond the personal blessings of personal worthiness and salvation, which include very personal gifts, such as forgiveness, the companionship, comfort, and direction of the Holy Ghost, personal purity, personal revelation, grace and enabling power, feeling the love of God and Christ, hope, temple blessings, enjoying the safety of staying centered on our covenant path, and living a life flooded by the light and peace of heaven.

The doctrine of the priesthood enables each of us to qualify for additional transcendent blessings for ourselves and others. As we seek to serve others in the name of the Son by applying the principles associated with this ennobling doctrine, such as faith, persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, brotherly kindness, pure knowledge, charity, holiness, lowliness of heart, compassion, humility, love unfeigned, virtue, integrity, dedication, patience, temperance, diligence, godliness, and hope, we are promised unique service-related blessings. Notice that each of these principles mentioned above always applies to our relationships with others and how we act in these relationships.
Some of these service-oriented blessings include:

• Increased inspired power and influence (D&C 121:41)

• Our confidence will wax strong in the presence of God (D&C 121:45)

• The doctrine of the priesthood shall distill upon our soul (D&C 121:45)

• The Holy Ghost shall be our constant companion (D&C 121:46)

• Our scepter will be an unchanging scepter of righteousness (D&C 121:46)

• Our dominion shall be an everlasting dominion (D&C 84:20)

• The power of godliness is manifest (D&C 84:20)

• We are blessed by the mysteries of the kingdom (D&C 84:19)

• We are blessed by the keys of the spiritual blessings of the Church (D&C 107:18)

• We are blessed by the key of the knowledge of God (D&C 84:19)

• We are sanctified unto the renewing of our bodies (D&C 84:33)

• We become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God (D&C 84:34)

• We shall receive all that the Father hath (D&C 84:38)

• We are forgiven of our sins (D&C 84:61)

• We will be friends of the Savior (D&C 84:63;77)

• The Savior will go before us and ministering angels will help us and bear us up (D&C 84:63;88)

• The Savior will make us clean (D&C 88:74)

• The Savior’s grace will attend us (D&C 88:78)

• We will enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant (D&C 107:19)

• We can be instruments of bringing Zion to pass (Moses 7:17-21)

Based on the context and placement of the only scriptural reference to the “doctrine of the priesthood” in D&C 121, it seems clear to me that this unique doctrine refers to how we are to love and serve each other within the Kingdom of God on earth. It is interesting how in D&C 121:26, after reassuring the Prophet Joseph Smith about the penalties awaiting those who were persecuting the saints, He enumerates many incredible blessings of the restoration, including knowledge, revelations, gifts, and power. Then, in verse 34, He begins to focus on being called and chosen to serve, and in verse 36 He clarifies 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.” And finally, in verses 41-46, He continues to specifically identify how the priesthood is to be properly used, and finally describes the transcendent and specific blessings awaiting those who magnify their callings in and through the priesthood. (see chapter 8)

CHAPTER ONE - Universal Doctrine

CHAPTER TWO - Power In The Priesthood

CHAPTER THREE - The Law of Sacrifice

CHAPTER FOUR - Called or Chosen

CHAPTER FIVE - Faith & Priesthood

CHAPTER SIX - Overcoming the Trials of Life

CHAPTER SEVEN - Priesthood Attributes

CHAPTER EIGHT - Fruits of the Doctrine

CHAPTER NINE - Applying The Doctrine

INDEX

SHARE - Poem

A Child’s Prayer - Additional verses

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