The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood

Today's scripture mastery is a well known one in the church.  It is the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.  It can be found in Doctrine and Covenants 84:33-39

 33 For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.

 34 They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.

 35 And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord;

 36 For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me;

 37 And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father;

 38 And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.

 39 And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood.

There are a lot of promises there for those who magnify the priesthood. . .And remember that God always keeps his promises!  So. . .what does it mean to magnify their calling in the priesthood?  There is a long list of scriptures giving examples of magnifying the priesthood.  This list can be found in the Topical Guide, under the heading "Priesthood, Magnifying Callings within."  You will note that none of those verses describe someone acting selfishly.  To truly magnify the priesthood, one must follow the example of the Savior.  One must do as He did--i.e. he must serve others, and always seek to do God's will.  He must share the gospel, and work to build the Kingdom of God on the earth.

Also, please note, that while these verses are directed towards the men of the church, they in no way exclude the women.  The same promises are extended to any woman who act as the Savior would.  Any woman who serves others, who seeks to build the Kingdom of God, or who relieves the suffering of those who are suffering--indeed, anybody, man or woman, who obtains a true understanding of charity (also known as the True Love of Christ) will be a recipient of all the blessings promised in these verses.  If we obtain the qualities that Paul talked about in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8,13, we will be able to receive those blessings promised in the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood:

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

 8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.