Powerful

Today I taught lesson 8 from the Joseph Smith Manual in Relief Society entitled "The Everlasting Priesthood." Some lessons feel a little sparse (like my lesson last month on John the Baptist), but this month was chock-full of serious amounts of substance. It seemed like there wasn't any filler- it was all good stuff. I'd encourage you all to give it a good read, but I just wanted to lure you to your blue manuals with a few of the truths that I took away from this lesson.
1. The Priesthood is the vehicle that gives Heavenly Father His power. I think I'd always just assumed that He does things just because He's Heavenly Father, but all of that power comes from the Priesthood.
2. The Priesthood held by our Father in Heaven and held by the Prophet is the same Priesthood held by our husbands. The Melchizedek Priesthood is the highest authority- our husbands just don't quite have the fullness and the ability to exercise all of these keys yet. It was very cool for me to realize there isn't separate "general authority priesthood" or "Heavenly Father priesthood", it's all the same authority.
3. Adam plays a much more significant role in the Priesthood than I ever before realized. His stewardship includes the dispensing of Priesthood keys. There's lots of good stuff about Adam in the lesson. I think I've taken Adam for granted.
4. Joseph Smith not only received Priesthood keys from heavenly messengers, but he was tutored by them. Prophets, heads of dispensations, they all came and imparted of their knowledge and wisdom to the young prophet. And they are still greatly involved in bringing about the work of the gospel today. We're not in this alone.
5. The Melchizedek Priesthood is necessary in all aspects of the gospel. There is no part of the gospel where it is not involved. All of our stewardships are had through Priesthood power. The stewardship I have as a visiting teacher was given to me through my visiting teaching assignment by virtue of the Priesthood. My callings were given to me through the Priesthood, and I was set apart as a steward in my callings through the Priesthood. My family, my greatest stewardship, was created through temple covenants made through the authority of the Priesthood. My stewardship over my own salvation comes through keeping all of the covenants I've made, which were only made through the Priesthood.

It's powerful. Go study. Serious blessings.